wolfriverjoe

Fair is following what society agrees upon and codifies in rules. Sometimes we call those laws. Unfairness is attempting to circumvent that. It's taking a shortcut we all agreed before hand wasn't part of the race. It's playing the game via loopholes rather than just running the damn race. Ok, just to stir the pot... What about when the rules and laws are patently unfair, as in discriminatory. Society here in parts of the US agreed (at least a majority did) that black people shouldn't have the same rights as white people. Those were the rules and laws that (again, a majority of) society imposed. The idea that a majority imposing it's will on a minority and discriminating against them isn't fair is it?? One of the things I like about the US is that (for the most part, anyway) the rights of the minority are protected to a certain degree. We're going through a pretty big hulabaloo here in Wisconsin because the governor used a very small majority to stomp on the rights of the minority. Edit to add: Quade wrote in the post just above this It's a lot more than electronics. NPR had a story about how many of the factories that Mr Rogers profiled have moved overseas. "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

Or a "B" key that deletes any incriminating data. That could be pretty handy. Kind of like a pyro charge inside a file cabinet that ignites and destroys everything if it's opened in a "normal" manner. And Skydekker asked: My understanding is that as long as the warrant is valid, as long as the search is "reasonable" (yeah, I know that's a very subjective word) then probably not. "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 was taught that the search warrant has to specify what they are looking for and where it is expected to be. The "what" has to be pretty specific, at least as specific as they can get. If they know that they are looking for a rifle, it can't just be "a gun", for example. If they've done undercover buys of cocaine, it has to be cocaine, not just "narcotics." The "where" has to be pretty specific too. Street address and as full of a description as they can provide (to include style and colors) if it's an entire house, sometimes it will specify a room or several rooms within a house (and they can't search outside the scope of the warrant). And they have to exercise "reasonableness" in the search. They wouldn't be allowed to open desk drawers if the warrant was for a stolen piano. But if they were looking for stolen jewelry, then the couch coushions, desk drawers, potential hidden compartments in the walls, food containers in the fridge and cupboards ect. are all fair game. "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

Even without knowing that specific brew, with a name like that, what night would not be a good night? Oddly enough, I got "Tactical Nucle" typed into the search box when Tactical Nuclear Penguin came up as the top suggestion. Interesting... Sort of a "hard cider to applejack" approach with beer instead of hard cider. And "Fair" is a totally subjective word. Like "Right", "Wrong", "Moral", and so on. What's "Fair" to me is horribly unfair to someone else. Personally, I don't think it's fair that idiots who bought homes that they should have known they couldn't afford get help on their mortgages while those who bought a house within their price range and have been making the payments on time (like me) don't get any help. "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 agree on the "magical" part. Annoying as all hell from a practical standpoint. The radial engines leak oil worse that an AMF Harley, blow jugs on a fairly regular basis, put out a cloud of smoke that can be seen on satellites when they start. BUT... They always have and always will get my heart going when I hear one. More so to hear one start. There's something unique, special and magical about that sound. And as far as "getting it right", it was designed in the 30's and was still commercially viable as a cargo plane well into the 80's. And probably would have continued longer if Warren hadn't hung PT-6s on them (along with a lot of other things in the turbine convo). "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

Might have something to do with rampant poverty, or the fact that the interior compartment of the cars are already filled beyond capacity (note the people hanging out of the doors). Could be either one. Actually it's both. Plus the fact that it's "fun." http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=145326373 "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

Bad luck that the the snap shackle apparently popped open. NickDG has the most detailed version of the story I've seen at http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1609006#1609006 Thank you for that. I hadn't seen it before. It answers a whole lot of questions. And "Twardo said: We had this discussion a while back. I'd agree with that except... HE has sold that video to multiple "video clip" shows. I've seen it on RealTV, MaxX, World's Worst Vacation Videos, and a couple others that I can't remember off hand. And every show has a new interview of him, where he blames everything and everyone else for what happened. It's never an "I screwed up and got lucky" it's bad luck or bad instruction or bad equipment or something other than him. "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 all depends on what you mean by "corners." For the most part, I'd say walk. It is all a risk. Because of the risks that are already there, I prefer not to add to them, especially with stupid and unnecessary "corner cutting." Others may have different opinions, and as they say YMMV. "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's the Basler shop. They created the BT-67 in the mid-80's. Even before that, Basler was one of the biggest rebuilder/dealers of the DC-3. They used them in their own air cargo business, and Warren wanted to make it better. There were times that they had a dozen or more in various condition sitting around, plus a hangar full of engine parts. "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 say this like it's a bad thing. Mmmmmmmmmm Cookies. "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 want some real fun. make your own set from 2x4s. It makes a stack about 3 feet high to start, then you need a short step ladder as play progresses. You just have to stand back a bit. It can hurt when it finally goes down. "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

Oh, come on. Don't be a "hater". It is an awesome video. He can't get anything close to stable, he flails around and pulls his cutaway handle, when the instructors finally pull for him, his main just flies off into the sunset (so to speak), I still want to know what happened to the RSL, and then... Then... He flies right into the powerlines. I was taught very early that it is much, much better to land badly and be in pain than to land in powerlines and be in pain and on fire. And then he has the balls to file a lawsuit. And then... Then... Then he has the balls to sell it to every "video clip" show that comes along. RealTV, MaxX, World's Worst Vactation Videos ect. AND he does interviews for these shows that repeatedly demonstrate what a knob he is. That is awesome. "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

Really? No comparison? Don't jump a camera too soon, you can do it if everything goes right, but the distraction may keep you from realizing what is happening and if something goes wrong, you may not have the experience to handle it. Don't downsize too soon, you can do it if everything goes right, but if something goes wrong, you may not have the experience to handle it. Don't jump a wingsuit too soon, you can do it if everything goes right, but the distraction may prevent you from realizing something is wrong (like your legstraps aren't on) and if something goes wrong, you may not have the experience to handle it. No comparison, huh?? I always notice the two sides in these arguments. The only ones arguing that the recommendations are too restrictive are those who don't meet them. "You should let me jump a camera, jump numbers don't really measure how good someone is, even though I don't have the numbers." Have you ever heard of the phrase "You don't know what you don't know"? "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 etiquette that I know of. As others have said, as long as you aren't pretending to be something you aren't or weren't then it shouldn't be a problem, other than the ribbing you will take along the lines of "Hey!! I can't see you!" It will make you harder to see in freefall. I have a few white stripes on the back of mine to improve visibility. Maybe go with the Pink Camo for better visibility?? Otherwise, the digital is kind of overdone. If you want camo, but don't want to look like a wannabe, go with one of the other camo patterns. Gail from Velocity was on here looking for some Tiger Stripe camo a while back. That wouldn't look like 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

Ideally you should jump more often. But if all you can do is one weekend a month, then that's all you can do. I'm an "every other weekender" myself. Throw in a couple bad weather weekends, and I may go a month and a half without a jump You learn to work around it. There are some places that jump during the week (or even sometimes during the week), you can take vacation time, or switch shifts with someone, or... you can just keep at it as best you can. "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 find it hard to believe that any manufacturer would allow any ammunition that doesn't meet standards to leave the plant. Liability and lawyers and all that. BUT... I have seen numerous problems with the "100 pack" of Federal shotgun ammo that Walmart sells. The metal base of the cartridge is too big, and the action fails to close. Then, because there was some force used in the (normal) attempt the close the action (either manually for a pump or spring action for an auto) the too big cartrigde jams into the chamber. They can be a pain to get out. I've only seen this with the WalMart stuff, not any others. "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

Just like gun choice, carry choice is a personal preference. Shoulder holsters are really popular in the movies. Not so much in real life. Not too comfortable, and far more of a 'covered' carry than actually "concealed". Unless you have a serious "bodybuilder" shape, they aren't easy to hide, unless it's a really small gun. I prefer to carry at the waist. Usually behind the hip. 'Twardos "Inside the Waistband" hoster can be really useful. You don't need a long coat to cover it, it's readily accessible, it's reasonably comfortable. Some of the "Belly Band" setups are nice. Well concealed, fairly comfortable, accessible depending on what you are wearing. Ankle holsters are uncomfortable, slow, only good for small guns, but (depending on choice of shoes and pants) very well hidden. Again, you have to try different guns in combination with different holster options to find out what you like best. There is no "one size fits all." You will probably find that there isn't even one method that works well for your entire life. Activity, dress, weather (affects dress), where you are going, ect. all are factors in what you carry and how you carry it. And, FWIW, what works best for you probably won't be what works best for your wife. You have said that she shoots and has done so for a while. DON"T insist on making her choices for her. 1911s can be fine carry guns. The alloy framed Officer's (small one) or Commander (medium one) are not tiny, but concealable. Not light, but certainly managable. Not beginner guns, but as long as the shooter is properly trained in the operation and maintains proficiency by shooting on a regular basis, they are a viable option. The Glock 36 that was suggested earlier is really an "expert"gun. If she doesn't shoot a lot and isn't willing to put up with serious recoil then she won't do well with it. It's small, light and shooting a full power 45. It is a real beast. 9mm is a lot easier to shoot and a lot less intimidating. I've seen a lot of newer shooters with this sort of setup and their marksmanship is atrocious. They start to flinch, and with the longer trigger pull (Glocks, XDs, M&Ps) the bullet often goes into the ground about 10 feet in front of them. When asked what kind of training they have had, they just give a stupid stare. Reloads are a nice option for practice (using them for self defense is a really bad idea, as discussed earlier). They usually drop the cost by about 1/2. Lead can be a choice, if not driven too fast (or gas checked, but that's kind of a pain) in a gun that can shoot them. Jacketed/plated bullets are available for where lead isn't a good idea. NEVER run unjacketed lead through a Glock. EVER. The polygon rifling will plug up in an amazingly short time and the gun will blow up. Regular land and groove rifling will tolerate lead fairly well, most of the time. Some guns don't like it. Cleaning lead can be a pain. My solution is to clean the barrel out each time I shoot. And I usually go 100-200 rounds per session, so it doesn't get too dirty. An article on lead removal: http://www.gunreports.com/special_reports/accessories/Removing-Lead-Fouling189-1.html When can you legally point a gun at someone? Well, usually only when you can legally shoot them. Pointing a gun is usually considered "deadly force" and can only happen when you are in "reasonable fear of death or great bodily injury." That's were good training comes in. A good carry class will cover the legal aspects. And the consequences of pointing the gun and of pulling the trigger. In short, pulling the trigger has to be the absolute, postive last option. And you will want to be sure that your lawyer will be able to convince a judge and/or jury that it was justified. "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

Yup. An un-guarded 5 foot diameter blade spinning at 1000 RPM (I'm thinking in terms of a 182). The math has the tips moving around 180 miles per hour. I've always told the students and observers and anyone not familiar with the plane that "The large spinny thing on the front is not your friend." Personally, I like to keep everyone out of an arc from wingtip to wingtip, the length of the wing. Think of a circle the size of the wingspan. with the area in front of the wing being the "No Go" area. And it's a No Go area at all times that the airplane is being used, engine running or not. "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

Fiction, based on the oft-debunked Kellerman 'study'. Are you saying more intruders are shot and killed by gun owners than suicides by gun owners? This was from the New England Journal of Medicine and you claim it's fiction? I'm not going to dispute the statistic. I'm going to dispute it's validity. Suicide by gun is nearly 100% successful. Intruders are very rarely killed by an armed homeowner. They are either scared off and run away or held at gunpoint for the police in the vast majority of the cases. And in the very small percentage (like less than one percent) that the homeowner shoots the perpetrator, the fatality rate is still low. http://www.nraila.org/media/misc/fables.html#FABLE I: Yes, the gun is more likely to be used to kill yourself than to kill an intruder. But it is far, far, far more likely to be used by the homeowner to defend himself non-fatally than fatally. "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

Ummm... If you wanted the advice that you were "looking for", why did you come here? You ask "Am I crazy for wanting to start off with a 103 Xfire or 107 Katana" and then call those who say "Yes" rude. And how do you figure that "the math is off a bit"? 155 no gear is 180 or a little more fully geared up. Under a 103 at exit weight of 180 is right about 1.8:1 And 1.8:1 after a long layoff is not a real good idea. And no, I don't jump a small canopy either. But I know what's smart and what's not. Saying that you want to make a choice to go small simply because you don't want to go through the process of changing canopies doesn't fit in my definition of "smart". It's your choice, but if you decide to go small right away, like others have said, make sure you get video. "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

Have to disagree with you Tom. I think the best, BEST English dubbed soundtrack was "What's Up Tiger Lily." Nothing else even compares. Nah--"The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly." I'd pick Mad Max. "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

A beginner sewing course would be a help. If you go to a senior center and find a "little old lady" who has been sewing for 70+ years, you may be able to get some really good one on one training for the cost of lunch and the willingness to listen to some grandkid stories (and yes, I am totally serious about this). Due to the complexity of a FF suit, the necessity of it fitting right and the extreme environment that it operates in; it probably isn't a good first project. Simple stuff is a lot better to start out with. Logbook covers are a good beginner project. Gear bags can be another (big but fairly straightforward). It's a skill like any other. Start with the fundamentals, work your way up from simple projects, saving the more complex stuff until after you've mastered the basics. Good luck, it is a lot of fun. What kind of machine did you get? (I'm guessing a domestic one, but they can be nice too) "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 know a dude with a 170 main and a 220 reserve in an Icon. He's said that they asked him why he wanted that combo when he ordered it, and his response was something like - I'm kind of a big dude and I want as much fabric over my head as possible in an emergency situation. It's not as common on the used market because the smaller reserve makes the rig look "cooler" (at least to some people). Personally I have different priorities. "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

Congrats on making the finals. Your contest is a lot easier than some of them. No e-mail or other stuff required. And it looks like multiple votes aren't allowed. And yeah, the title is a lot more accurate this 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

YAY! New stuff.