Newbie

Unfortunately, he is correct in 95% of his quotes. I have a Koran, I studied Islam in college, I was involved in religious debates, and his quotes exist. He didn't interpret it into what he wanted, it is there. How you read "kill the infidels" is up to you, but is tells me that someone is prejudice. Yes, there are also versus in the Koran that talk about love, life, and well-being, but the majority of the book is not that way. There is a reason there are multi factions of Islam, the same way there are multi factions of Christianity. There are different ways to look at the book, but the book still says the same things. could you quote from the Qur'an then, where is says that Mohammed was "a thief, liar, assassin, mass murderer, terrorist, warmonger, and an unrestrained sexual pervert engaged in pedophilia, incest, and rape. He authorized deception, assassinations, torture, slavery, and genocide. He was a pirate, not a prophet." This quote is taken from that link you sent, about the book, Prophet of Doom. Please detail where it states these characteristics, as well as what version/translation you have taken that from, i'm quite curious to know. "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

ok we all know the US has cheap petrol/gas prices - no matter what you might think about it being $2.50/gallon out there....over here we are predicted to hit the $5.65/gallon mark by September. In this article i was just reading.... http://www.guardian.co.uk/oil/story/0,11319,1216421,00.html (i have pasted it below too) the last paragraph states that US and China's growing demand as well as OPEC cutting production has further pushed up the price of a barrel of crude. Now, i know China is going through massive economic regeneration so industry there will be consuming more oil, but i don't see many average mainland Chinese driving around SUV's and other 12mpg monsters. I also know that 80% of our prices come through tax at the pump, but the govt can't control the prices OPEC set on a barrel, and as demand goes up for limited supply, narurally the world market will see an increase in price/barrel. So i'm curious - just how much of what i pay at the pump comes as a result of US consumption? Here is the article for anyone who doesn't want to click..... Protests loom over rising petrol prices Terry Macalister Friday May 14, 2004 The Guardian The government will today hold an emergency meeting to plan for potential petrol shortages as fuel tax protesters warned of disruption and the industry predicted that the price of petrol could reach 88p a litre - £3.32 a gallon. The energy crisis, which has already increased the cost of air travel, has been triggered by soaring crude oil prices, which hit $41 (£23) a barrel yesterday and pushed petrol prices to near record levels. The Department of Trade and Industry confirmed it would hold contingency planning talks with oil companies and petrol retailers. "It's routine for us to test contingency plans for downstream oil disruption," said a spokeswoman. She said the police and local authorities would be involved. The meeting comes hours after leaders of the protests that brought the country to a halt four years ago said that farmers and truckers faced a situation that was "grimmer than 2000". On top of rising crude prices, the Treasury is planning a 1.9p-a-litre increase in fuel duty in September. David Handley, chairman of Farmers for Action, said this should be rescinded. "Should the chancellor hold back on the increase, then that would go a long way to appease my industry," he told the Financial Times. "If he does not listen to us, then I can see a reaction taking place that will be just as serious as in September 2000." Brynle Williams, another former activist and now a Welsh assembly member, said new protests were a "distinct possibility". The Freight Transport Association and the Road Haulage Association have already written to Gordon Brown demand ing that he shelve plans for future tax increases. The Treasury said last night that it was looking at tax levels "very seriously". The Petrol Retailers Association warned that the price of petrol was likely to rise further if crude oil remained above $40 a barrel, which many experts now believe likely. John Healey, economic secretary to the Treasury, tried to reassure MPs by arguing that rates of duty for motorists had fallen by 6.5p a litre over the past four years. "We are taking very seriously concerns about world oil prices," he added. BP confirmed that its prices had increased from an average of 76.6p a year ago to 81.7p now. A spokeswoman said prices were reviewed and adjusted on a daily basis. She admitted that they were likely to go up if crude prices rose again - which they did in New York yesterday, where the cost of a barrel settled at $41.08, close to an all-time high. Fears of big rises were enhanced last night by a report circulating in the City of London from Barclays Capital bank. "If prices are still above $40 in a month, we would not be surprised to see them stay above that level for the rest of the year. Indeed, if $40 sticks, then $50 becomes threatened," said Barclays oil analyst Paul Horsnell. The price of oil has risen amid fears of supply disruptions caused by the upsurge in violence in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East. Advertiser links Minibus Insurance for Charities Total Insurance Group are minibus insurance specialists for... minibus-insurance.co.uk WWF - Fundraising Charity WWF works to protect endangered species and their habitats,... s0b.bluestreak.com Wateraid Wateraid are a major international charity dedicated... wateraid.org Growing US demand and production cuts by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries have compounded the problem. China's economic boom has also fuelled demand, forcing it to import large amounts of oil. "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

i see what you mean Stu, but considering it was only your second jump with a camera i'd say that's not bad at all!

Yeah, and Paul that wrote 2/3 of the New Testament was also known as Saul, a crusifier of Christians. It doesn't take a rocket scientist or a religion guru to open a book, see what it says, and be able to understand it. When the book says "kill all the infidels," how else can you interpret that? No religion isn't black and white and I never said it was... but writing is black and white (or blue and white, or red and white, depending on what color font you use). you are basing what you have learnt from the Qur'an on what Craig Winn has "learnt" from it. There is inherent bias there. Read this: http://www.derafsh-kaviyani.com/english/tomuslims.html Winn says in a passage he is helping out "Muhammed and Allah by cleaning up their grammar, punctuation and verbosity" for them. I mean come on, how ridiculous a statement is that? You may as well just say you interpreted what you looked at as what you wanted it to be. But of course he wouldnt say that, because saying so adds less weight to his arguement and belief, and his book sales will drop off. It's authors like this, that lead to the beliefs the initial poster in the thread has, which lump all people together as one uniform group based on the fanatical views of a few. The world certainly isn't going to change for the better until we become more tolerant fo each other and realise that lumping everyone together like this is what the fanatical factions want, and just adds fuel to the fire and flames their cause. "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

I personally wouldn't say that, but if you were to dig into the Koran, you would find that terrorism, fighting, killing infidels until all the world sees Allah as the true God is written and studied and worshipped. Does every Muslim believe this? Probably not. Does every Christian believe the Bible is true? Probably not. But the vast majority does. In Islam, any Muslim that does not believe the Koran is true is considered a traiter and treated as one. Read This. You can't argue with what the Islam book says... it is in black and white. I have a copy I would mail you if you want to read it too. i'm sorry, but i honestly don't think that book is worth more than the paper it's written on. If religion teaches anything, it should be that nothing is black and white, and i'm not referring to just Islam. Everything in this world, religious or otherwise, is open to your own interpretation, bias, misinformation etc. Who is Craig Winn that wrote this book? http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_18/b3679001.htm Aside from being someone who suffered at the hands of the bursting dot com bubble, he's a salesman by nature, proclaiming that God came to him and gave him this mission - to expose Islam - as he "watched the second plane fly into the World Trade Centre". He claims Mossad and the FBI gave him insights into Islam and it's teachings which is what he based his findings on. I can only guess going the usual route of scholastic research was too time consuming. If all of that doesn't seem a little odd, then it doesn't surprise me people can take what he has said as a given. "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

newbie because i am

i'm not auggesting it happens, it already does. I was curious to know why it was something i had only seen in the US. I imagine some dz's where it has happened don't subsidise the coach jumps, but pay for them outright, i was just wondering why dz's in the UK couldn't do the same (although from one guys post here, it seems like at least one is up for it). I guess it's all about economics. "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

So all those Iraqiis who dance in the street in celebration every time they ambush and kill Americans, are not Muslims? Those men who just brutally beheaded an American civilian, on video, are not Muslims? I'll be happy to honor any Muslims who speak out against murder and terrorism. As soon as I can find some of them... are you saying you think that you think every single one of the more than 1 billion Muslims worldwide wants to either fly planes into things and behead people, or celebrate such events? "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

I haven't heard of this in the US. also, something tells me that if someone does have it at their DZ, they aren't gonna post it because then every DZ.com member would be showing up on that date to demand free videod coach dives. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1067224;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread yeah its the grand operning but still. The dz in Texas i jumped at had it last month. The point is, places don't have to shout from the rooftops about it, its more about the dz working to subsidise the good work the coaches do to put something back to the loyal customer who spend a lot of money at the dz. It could be like 1 day a year or something. "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

not all the time, i mean once in a blue moon. I've seen/heard of it at dz's in the US, i'm curious as to know if there is there a good reason why we don't have it in the UK? Or if we do, anyone know when/where? When i say free i mean you pay for your slot, the coach gets a subsidised slot through the dz, and you get full brief, video and de-brief. You don't pay the coach slot or coach fee, thereby it's sort of "free". "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

i really liked this film. I can't believe the actress that played Pia had never acted before - talk about a natural! I can highly recommend it, it's about the best film to come along since the Shawshank Redemption, personally speaking. "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

going on today's exchage rate for £/$ (£1/$1.7), London prices for a gallon of unleaded ring in at $5.20 odd. It costs me about $55 to fill up one of these (the engine size is only 1600cc) and for that i average about 250-300 miles on a full tank before i need to refill(a combination of driving around town, the supermarket and to and fro the dz) "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

im not 100% sure, but i think Phree meant whether she practiced them up high, not as a means to know how to avoid them at 6ft off the ground, but to see if the tension knot would have revealed itself earlier? I could be completely wrong however. Lew did say she had flown in brakes already, which to me would mean that the excess brake line would not be "excess" anymore, as it ceases to be once the brakes are popped right? I dont fully get it, or rather im having trouble picturing what went wrong - lew could you explain how it got trapped in a tension knot? Were there twists in the brake line? How can this be avoided? "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

ok maybe not, but the suit is lovely i have to say. The only thing i had to get used to was the fairly large ankle and wrist areas, which had a fair amount of fabric, that i just wasn't used to, even on my suit which is a standard fit. Once you get used to this drag, it's very nice to be able to feel your arms and legs, and work with the wind on where they are going and what you are doing with them. Ryan turned this suit around for me in 1 week from the submittal of my order, and it wasn't even a rush job. My flitesuit dealer here had emailed my order through but they hadn't got it - Ryan asked for it again, and so i faxed it to him on the Monday, and the suit was ready to be shipped by Saturday. Yes, this was in the off season time, and no, i don't think everyone will get this service, but still, that's first class customer service if you ask me. I have only a dozen or so jumps on the suit, so have no idea what its life will be, but from what i hear and from Screamers review, i'm pretty sure i will have it for sometime. The only thing i was slightly concerned about was loose stitching threads under the inside cover of the zip (like the inside part of the suit where the zip runs). I just burnt these off (rather than pulling them) and it seems fine, im sure im worrying over nothing. Again, a great suit for freeflying, or even wearing around the house, and Flitesuit will go out of their way to make you happy.

and what's the procedure/cost involved? I'm interested in learning how to pack my own reserve, not anyone else's. If someone could break it down, that would be great. If anyone thinks this isn't such a good idea let me know why too. I'm keen to get a full understanding of how the reserve works and should be packed so i can take more responsibility for myself. "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

my pc kill line was changed about 50 jumps back, this was on a pc that was brand new with only approx 50 jumps on it at the time - my rigger was surprised it had shrunk that quick after so few jumps, considering it was brand new from the factory. Now, by the time i have the bag sat in the container i have to tug the hackey a little to cock the pilot chute out an inch or so, as the kill line tends to pull on the PC a little (not kill it or anything near killing it, but enough so that the apex is near, or slightly level with the skirt.) I always check and make sure the kill line is straight from the base to the apex and pull the cocked pc through the air a few times, but it doesnt seem to catch as much air as it used to when i do that now. What im wondering is is this normal? That after 50 jumps you should have to keep getting the kill line changed out? I know it shrinks over time due to friction but over 50 jumps - that seems a pretty small amount to me. If this isn't normal, what could be causing the kill line to shrink so quick? Thanks "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

Zen Philosophy, Zen Practice http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/091354633X/104-7924087-5011909?v=glance nothing to do with jumping, but i found it helpful to prepare me mentally when i was getting into the sport. "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

Congrats! got the vid yet? "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

this has been discussed before, here's an example http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=581852;page=1;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;mh=25; Read what chris cowden said. The best way to get answers is from experienced people on the dz. They can demonstrate what can go wrong, and go over equipment with you. Even by going unstable on purpose and returning to a flat position, you are breaking a cardinal rule of ffing, which is not corking. Make sure you ball up when going unstable, rather than flat, so you don't cork. People die and have close calls every year due to freefall collisions while freeflying. Are you aware of jump run, and how to stay off it while attempting new moves/tracking away from formation? Can you tell if you are front/backsliding around the sky while attempting a sit? Is the elastic in your BOC tight, and the pin cover secure? Do you make sure exposed bridle and risers are tightly covered and protected? Do you have at least one audible altimeter? If you can't answer yes to any of these, i guess you know it's time to wait a while... "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

I actuall didn't start ff'ing until 100 jumps. I waited until i had 100 flat jumps (and i know 100 isn't many, but by that time i could turn over a dozen points on a 4 way with some experienced jumpers, could track safely away from formation, knew the in's and out's of staying off jump run, adequate separation, and how the wind affected my body and fall rate etc). Some jumpers can do this and be aware wayyyy quicker than 100 jumps, but that's about what it took me. At 20 jumps i do not think you have enough air awareness and feel of the relative wind, and seen enough of what goes on to be moving a step ahead. While i wanted to go straight into ff, all you have to do is speak to most of the leading ff'ers to get their opinion on this, which is generally that it's better for someone to get some flat experience first, as well as the experience of what jumping safely involves, regardless of discipline. I don't have many more jumps over 100 now, but as a result of the flat work i did before hand, i can now fly head up comfortably after only a handful of ff jumps, my overall presence of mind is calm and collected because i am aware in the air of things like heading and staying off jump run, adequate separation, back/front sliding and what it feels like, and the ability to track fast should i need to get the hell away from something i don't want to be near to. This is a direct result of the slow and steady work i did on those first 100 jumps. I understand why people want to run before they can walk. No one wants to be seen as the dz novice. I think we as jumpers don't just owe it only to ourselves to work at a slow, steady and safe pace, but to all those others who we are on the plane with too, so that we don't endanger anyone else. "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

"A calming bubble bath brings an inner peace while the sensual feel of suds on my chest gives me an indescribable heavenly feeling." lmfao "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

i was just watching the Flyboyz fim fest videos from 2003 and he is all over those skits. He is a decent flyer and a Brit, and pretty funny to boot - but i dont know who he is. Does he live out there or something? "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

thanks Karen. I dont have many ff jumps and to date, aside from solos, have only done 2 ways with coaches and a 4 way with a very experienced 3 way ff team which was a one off and as you said, i was base so it was easy to know who was where and what was going on. It was as a result of their feedback from that dive on transitioning properly to ensure a fast falling position at break off that i posted this up. I have no intention of doing more than a 2 way unless, again, its with very experienced ff'ers like those i jumped with. I don't even want to do a 2 way unless im jumping with someone who knows whats what. Many thanks for looking out for me and for the advice posted, i really want to get some coached back tracking done now! "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

thanks, good advice, but i havent learnt to back track yet. What do you suggest to use as break off technique when not head down, and in smaller (up to 4) sit groups, other than counting everyone before break off? I guess what im saying is how best to break off if i cant account for everyone in the group? "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts

i know i need to learn to get inverted, and "banana peel" away from formation so as not to cork but im not sure on how best to practice this, and how long i should maintain a steep track or hd position for, before transitioning to a flat track position. How long should it be from transitioning to a steep track until you move into a normal flat track position? Im guessing just a few seconds? Im still learning cartwheels, but is a cartwheel and simultaneously turning 180 on the horizontal the best way to peel off?. I was wondering how this would allow you to check what was behind you, given that if you are facing the formation/other jumper, and you reach break off alti, half cartwheel to maintain speed while simultaneously turning 180 and getting steep, how are you going to be able to look to where you will be tracking to, to make sure the airspace is clear?). Would it be better to stay head up, turn 180 to check airspace for the track corridor, then get steep and banana peel off? Thanks for the pointers! "Skydiving is a door" Happythoughts