wolfriverjoe

Yeah, the one he quit when he quit for the first 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

Exactly! Thanks and I'll call on you again Bill the next time I need a records boy to run to the library for me. Point is that the historical first is often superceded by a new discovery. And with a first written text of 3500 bc a new one found of only 1500 years earlier isn't even out of the question. Infact Mr Quades text of 3200bc could actually date to 5000 bc. There just isn't that much time between the two. Blues, Cliff Ummm, not really. There have been enough discoveries of different "civilizations" that the evolution of written communication has been pretty well established. From pictograms to cuneiform to ideograms to alphabets. (although I may have the order wrong and I probably missed some) There may well be undiscovered settlements, and there are very probably undiscoverable (due to locations that are inaccesible or due to complete destruction for any number of reasons) settlements. Some may have a form of writing we aren't aware of. But to say that there was usable writing in the known world well before the generally accepted 3500BC or so is going pretty far out on a limb. They keep discovering new "Missing Links" or "Earliest Human" fossils on a reasonably regular basis, but so far every one of these discoveries fits perfectly into the theory of evolution. There are simply a lot of unfilled slots in the path we came 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

They got it, up the ass, once we gave their indigenous enemy our Stinger missiles. Problem is, we gave them to the Taliban. Oopsie. Oh, boy. THERE WAS NO TALIBAN UNTIL THE LATE 90's! A little history. So few people followed the Afgan war in the 80's. The only publication to cover it on a regular basis was Soldier of Fortune magazine. The Soviets were winning. They had done a very good job of destroying the resistance and driving a large portion of the civilian population into Pakistan until the US started providing arms. The different factions of the resistance spent almost as much time fighting each other until Ahmed Shah Masoud (AKA the Lion of the Panjshir) rose to prominence. Ironically he was killed on Sept 9, 2001 by Al Queda assasins posing as journalists with a bomb in a camera. Masoud organized most of the different factions and made peace with the rest to offer something resembling organized resistance to the Soviets. These factions included Iranian-backed Shiites, Arab backed Sunnis (the Mujahadeen that resurfaced in Bosnia and Chechneya among other places). They were "enemy of my enemy" allies, not liking or trusting each other, often (although not as much) fighting each other over the supplies and arms provided from outside. After the Soviet withdrawl, the various factions resumed fighting each other, and the country was as much at war as when the Soviets were there. Pakistan was dealing with a huge refugee problem, serious unrest across a very porous border, and a rising Islamic fundamentalist movement. There is a plausible story that the Pak intlel community gave the Taliban it's start to cope with these problems. The Pashtun population is where the Taliban took hold, first pacifying the border areas, then slowly taking over most of the rest of the country. As bad as they were, the Taliban at least provided a measure of stability and many refugees began to return. Masoud and his Northern Alliance were fighting the Taliban (with a small level of US assistance) but had been pushed back to the Panjshir Valley, his base of support and was actually facing defeat when he was killed. The US "attack" on Afghanistan in September of 2001 was actually a very small Special Forces contingent (that had been there for a while, doing what the Green Beanies do best - training) leading, supporting, and (most importantly) offering air support to the Northern Alliance. This is what drove the Taliban out of power, and back to the Pashtun areas where it came from. Now what? In theory, very simple. Provide basic security, allow a legitmate government to take control and assist it in restoring basic services. Training the Afghans to protect themselves isn't all that hard (not easy though) Convincing the ones who really believe in and support the Taliban will be very hard if not impossible. Allowing them to "go legit" and become something like an "opposition party" has attractions, although a lot of danger. The legitimate government has recently become a major issue. It has been horribly corrupt. The election is clearly flawed. If the US allows it to stand, then the president will remain in power by stealing the election. If the US forces him out, then we will have put in a govenment of our choice, not theirs. My understanding is that we have made significant progress, not spectacular progress, but progress nonetheless. More troops to fight a semi-conventional war against the Taliban's normal spring offensive would probably be a good idea. Civil Affairs and engineers to help restore the infrastructure would also be a good idea. But what to do about the government?? "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

Snopes says not true. Kind of a shame. Very much a "if it ain't true it oughta be" story. "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

Ultimately fuel economy is limited by front area and Cd on flat ground and weight in hilly environments. The Corvette is neither large, un-aerodynamic, nor heavy. No it isn't. My small, light, "slippery" Porsche 944 (2.5L 4-cyl) gets 27 overall (lots of city)and has done nearly 40 on a couple long, steady, fairly slow (65mph) trips Edit to add: I run 40psi in the tires 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 haven't gotten it since I got home at about 5pm (central). It was really bad around noon (central again). Just out of curiosity, was this part of the ad agreed to (I find that hard to believe) or is this sort of ad specifically disallowed in the contract the ad agencies get? "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

Cuz of all the "Begats". If you know how many "greats" take you back to the beginning, and you know how long everyone lived, you can make a good estimate of how long it's been, And they knew exactly how old everyone was when they died. Moses was around 120, didn't Noah make it to 600 something like that? Where's the "sarcasm" face when you need 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

haha dont you mean can-o-tuna. that is barley considered a sport bike!! So what do you ride? And yes it's a "sport-tourer" which is a nice step from a cruiser. I want to have fun, not kill myself. And it's "barely" not "barley". Barley is what they make beer from. "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

Agreed. And tell the company. I e-mailed my local Subaru dealer that they lost a potential customer due to that stupid ad. I am considering a new car before winter, and Subaru was on the short 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

By what evaluation? They pulled this question on us at CDL school. EVERYBODY said excellent or above average. That's the problem. Nobody thinks that they can't drive. Me - 2 very minor accidents in the past 25 years. 2 tickets in the past 20 years, 5 total (I was young and stupid way back when). I put on 90k mi +/- (not so much this year with the economy down) in the big truck, maybe 5-6k more with my car, and about 1000 or so on my cycle. Out on the road I see a lot. Tailgaters are the ones I hate most, that or the ones who run up a lane that is closed ahead to jump in front of everyone else (I have been known to "just happen" to spit a big goober out my window as they go past) A big problem is that way too many people don't seem to have any concept that there are other people on the road too. They have no concern whatsoever for anyone or anything outside a 5 or 10 foot radius from them. Just my $0.02 "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 did you drive home naked because your clothes were soaked?? You just had to put that visual in my head, didn't you? "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 all the stories pointing out that the Mayans never made any such prediction. Wasn't 2012 just sort of a clerical point in the Mayan calendar, where they would restart it at zero? Kind of their equivalent of leap year? As I understand it, it was just the end of the calendar that they made. Kind of like the calendar on my wall ends at December 31, 2009. They took their calendar out quite a ways. And did so quite accurately AFAIK. Did they know that the end of their calculations coincided with the passage of the center of the galaxy behind the sun? Or is it just a funky coincidence? I don't know. But they couldn't predict the end of their own civilization -Mainly due to a 20 year drought that came along with the Midevial warming trend (I think). So I don't put a whole lot of time worrying about the end of the world. "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

Interestingly, the Subaru site is "unavailable". I was going to tell them they just lost a potential customer. So I just e-mailed my local dealer to tell them I'm no longer considering a Subaru because of this stupid ad. "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 think no. It's a job for a rigger. Even though you aren't intending to do anything that would affect the integrity of the harness, the possibility of a mistake (and the consequences of that mistake) make it a job for a rigger. I learned more about what not to do and how not to do things while getting my rating than anything 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

I got this about a month ago. 05 Katana 600. I've been riding for 20+ years, but this is my first sport bike. "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 Honda looks pretty good. But did you know there is a 250 Ninja? Even though it's a crotch rocket, it is considered an excellent beginner bike. And I can only imagine how you'd look in all black leather on a black Ninja! "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

Congratulations! What are you thinking for your first one?? Watch out for those idiot pedestrians. Just as soon as you think you're going to get past them safely, they jump right back in front of you. Or if you think they're going to jump out of the way, they stand still to let you go around. And unlike in a car, if you hit them you are probably going to get hurt 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

Let me clarify. Everything about packing the reserve parachute into the D bag and placing it into the container is fundamentally the same as any other container out there. Where some riggers have issues is with the closing of the container and the seating of the pop top. Where brute force and mechanical leverage tools may be needed on other rigs, the Racer requires more technique than muscle. In fact, once you know a few tricks of the trade, closing a Racer is faster and easier than most other rigs. The problems arise for riggers that don't have a lot of experience with the Racer and this usually results in them taking more time than usual, loose or wrinkled fabric on the pack tray and with a less than ideally seated pop top. All of which are due to lack of using the proper technique in packing and closing the Racer container. My advise to anyone who owns a Racer is that if your rigger can't or won't be bothered to do a Racer, is to find another rigger. A rigger should be able to pack and close any of the parachute containers out there whether they happen to like the brand or not. JumpShack even has a DVD that shows the proper way to pack a Racer for riggers. There simply isn't an excuse for a rigger worth their salt to claim that they can't pack and close a Racer. I mostly agree. There are a couple differences getting it into the freebag and making sure there is minimal bulk across the bottom so that you can get the bottom flap over the T-bodkin, but I agree that it is technique, training and experience that makes for a neat and clean Racer pack. I do them (and have one to do this week), but if a rigger isn't familiar with them, and doesn't see them often enough to make it worth their while to learn, then not taking on a job you aren't qualified to do isn't all that bad IMO. However, if a rigger has a steady customer who gets a Racer, then he should be willing to learn how to do 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

Make sure you know a rigger who will pack it. They pack differently than a "standard" rig. Many riggers can't do them or won't be bothered. Changing out the Quick-Loop is kind of a pain. Personally, I think the reserve pin setup is more secure than most, but don't forget you need a 2-pin cypres for it (if you have an AAD). "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

Jump For the Cause Fundraiser for cancer research. Going for 175 way. Discussion in General Skydiving HERE "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 of course some disclosure, but it isn't very widely reported. Some of the reports comment on how little is publicized about this. Of course he can invest however he wants, but calling Al Gore a "Private Citizen" is a bit naive. After being VP, "An Uncomfotable Truth" and his Nobel Prize he isn't very private. "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

Al Gore has a lot of investments that will do very well if the country "goes green". Especially if it is forced to do so by legislation. Al Gore has travelled the world warning of the coming catastrophy. Promoting legislation that would make him even richer. In a way that is (to me anyway) very alarmist. Is it a case of self interest, or simply "when the wind blows, build windmills"? I don't know, but the conflict of interest is a little spooky. The lack of disclosure of it more so. "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 kind of funny. Back in the 80's, when "glass cockpits"(display screens for instrument panels) were just starting, there was a lot of study on what to make the "gauges" on the display look like. Bar, Needle and dial, digital display and a couple others. The studies showed that pilots would read and react fastest to the old style, analog needle and dial gauge. Even though it was a display screen, the *readouts were shown as "old style" gauges. The shrinks analyzing the data said something to the effect of "you have to read and comprehend a digital display (number), but you know where the needle is supposed to be pointing under a given situation, and you don't have to actally read the number" or some such mumbo jumbo. I've always wondered if it was because that style was actually better, or because the pilots had that sort of display ingrained into their head. Personally, I'm analog. My watch has hands, my altimiter has a needle. I'm more inclined to have students use mechanical ones, just because there is less to go wrong with them. The failure rate may be similar, but at least they won't ever have dead batteries. "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

Horror stories? If you get hurt and go to an emergency room for treatment, and get an MRI; plan on a bill around $7000-$10000. That's if there is no further treatment beyond the ER and MRI costs. In an emergency you will get treated. Many people just don't bother paying the bill. (That's the SC part of it and I will leave it at that). I would highly recommend finding insurance. THIS came up on a quick Google. The normal policy excludes skydiving, but a rider is available. "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 opportunity for inspection? Wants money before shipping AND no recourse to get your money back? Take a step back and think. Your first rig, (like your first girlfriend and your first car) will be gorgeous to you, no matter what it really looks like. But don't be so eager that you jump at such an obvious scam. Tell dude "No inspection, no deal". Or at the very minimum, insist on doing it as a payment (even if you pay the extra cost). "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