nigel99

Some people have answered in part but overall a few things seem to have not been said. Altitude - aircraft emergencies can happen at any altitude if you are told to get out up high (above your hard deck) then you should probably be deploying your main after clearing your airspace). From personal experience as a student the engine failed at aprox 1500 foot and it was not clear that we could "safely" get back to the airfield. As a static line student I was given the choice of exit on reserve or stay with the plane, much to my jump-masters dismay I chose to stay and I watched 3 people exit (to mains) with deployments happening almost on top of each other. Next is just a personal view and some may disagree but I see no point in cutting away a "potentially" good canopy when deploying your reserve because of altitude simply because in the worst case it may be able to help you if your reserve fails. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

So you think he hid in the loo till everything calmed down It seems to me that is a very high risk of getting caught - but could vaguely be a possibility especially if he bottled on the jump. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

Hi Rhys, I didn't make up the title it was the headline of the newspaper article that I cut and paste. And I do agree that diamonds, platinum, copper and tourism are all assets that Africa has BUT I don't agree with the theory that it is the wests fault that Africa mismanages its own resources (not that you stated this) Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

Actually I do believe that in southern africa there is a fair amount of blame that SHOULD rest on the locals shoulders. I am sorry but if you see people in the west prospering and your nation going done the tubes wouldn't you ask yourself why? I am not saying that there are not international issues that distort the situation but I do see a large amount of passing the buck when it comes to impoverished Africans. The country closest to me (Zimbabwe) is probably the best example. Post 1980 Mugabe implemented educational reforms such that Zimbabwe had one of the highest literacy rates in the world. All the way through to university level qualifications were tied to UK standards. So people were educated and when the crunch came people did one of two things: 1) Use their good qualifications to leave 2) Revert to being morons (and in some cases both options were taken) The result is that Zimbabwe is fast joining Somalia and the likes. I think that one of the cultural traits that is found in highly successful cultures is the willingness and courage to take responsibility for their own actions (US, NZ and Australia are good examples). I deliberately excluded the UK as I see us moving away from this mindset and culture. Africa as a whole seems to lack this and instead 30-60 years on blames colonialism, whereas in the same timeframe Japan, Germany and Israel have come from a WORSE position than any African nation - eventually I believe there comes a time to walk away or step up to the task and simply re-colonise and assume the role of care-taker for failed nations. I was brought up that authority and responsibility are intertwined and you can't effectively separate the 2. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

If your supplying the fuse can't you buy a few 1A fuses as well as 13Amp and get the type with the paper rating label and then swap the labels carefully? I know that the actual rating is often printed onto the end caps as well so he may catch you out still. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

This is an interesting article on Africa from the Irish Independant. Thursday July 10 2008 No. It will not do. Even as we see African states refusing to take action to restore something resembling civilisation in Zimbabwe, the begging bowl for Ethiopia is being passed around to us, yet again. It is nearly 25 years since Ethiopia's (and Bob Geldof's) famous Feed The World campaign, and in that time Ethiopia's population has grown from 33.5 million to 78 million today. So why on earth should I do anything to encourage further catastrophic demographic growth in that country? Where is the logic? There is none. To be sure, there are two things saying that logic doesn't count. One is my conscience, and the other is the picture, yet again, of another wide-eyed child, yet again, gazing, yet again, at the camera, which yet again, captures the tragedy of . . . Sorry. My conscience has toured this territory on foot and financially. Unlike most of you, I have been to Ethiopia; like most of you, I have stumped up the loot to charities to stop starvation there. The wide-eyed boy-child we saved, 20 years or so ago, is now a priapic, Kalashnikov-bearing hearty, siring children whenever the whim takes him. There is, no doubt a good argument why we should prolong this predatory and dysfunctional economic, social and sexual system; but I do not know what it is. There is, on the other hand, every reason not to write a column like this. It will win no friends, and will provoke the self-righteous wrath of, well, the self-righteous, letter-writing wrathful, a species which never fails to contaminate almost every debate in Irish life with its sneers and its moral superiority. It will also probably enrage some of the finest men in Irish life, like John O'Shea, of Goal; and the Finucane brothers, men whom I admire enormously. So be it. But, please, please, you self-righteously wrathful, spare me mention of our own Famine, with this or that lazy analogy. There is no comparison. Within 20 years of the Famine, the Irish population was down by 30pc. Over the equivalent period, thanks to western food, the Mercedes 10-wheel truck and the Lockheed Hercules, Ethiopia's has more than doubled. Alas, that wretched country is not alone in its madness. Somewhere, over the rainbow, lies Somalia, another fine land of violent, Kalashnikov-toting, khat-chewing, girl-circumcising, permanently tumescent layabouts. Indeed, we now have almost an entire continent of sexually hyperactive indigents, with tens of millions of people who only survive because of help from the outside world. This dependency has not stimulated political prudence or commonsense. Indeed, voodoo idiocy seems to be in the ascendant, with the next president of South Africa being a firm believer in the efficacy of a little tap water on the post-coital p****s as a sure preventative against infection. Needless to say, poverty, hunger and societal meltdown have not prevented idiotic wars involving Tigre, Uganda, Congo, Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea etcetera. Broad brush-strokes, to be sure. But broad brush-strokes are often the way that history paints its gaudier, if more decisive, chapters. Japan, China, Russia, Korea, Poland, Germany, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia in the 20th century have endured worse broad brush-strokes than almost any part of Africa. They are now -- one way or another -- virtually all giving aid to or investing in Africa, whereas Africa, with its vast savannahs and its lush pastures, is giving almost nothing to anyone, apart from AIDS. Meanwhile, Africa's peoples are outstripping their resources, and causing catastrophic ecological degradation. By 2050, the population of Ethiopia will be 177 million: The equivalent of France, Germany and Benelux today, but located on the parched and increasingly protein-free wastelands of the Great Rift Valley. So, how much sense does it make for us actively to increase the adult population of what is already a vastly over-populated, environmentally devastated and economically dependent country? How much morality is there in saving an Ethiopian child from starvation today, for it to survive to a life of brutal circumcision, poverty, hunger, violence and sexual abuse, resulting in another half-dozen such wide-eyed children, with comparably jolly little lives ahead of them? Of course, it might make you feel better, which is a prime reason for so much charity. But that is not good enough. For self-serving generosity has been one of the curses of Africa. It has sustained political systems which would otherwise have collapsed. It prolonged the Eritrean-Ethiopian war by nearly a decade. It is inspiring Bill Gates' programme to rid the continent of malaria, when, in the almost complete absence of personal self-discipline, that disease is one of the most efficacious forms of population-control now operating. If his programme is successful, tens of millions of children who would otherwise have died in infancy will survive to adulthood, he boasts. Oh good: then what?I know. Let them all come here. Yes, that's an idea. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

I don't know how secure google is for logins. I have only heard the usefulness from a few consultants who are always on the road and it lets a few people that they have shared with get visibility of their schedule. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

Hi, I know 1 or 2 people who use Google Calender, http://www.google.com/intl/en/googlecalendar/overview.html It has the advantage that you can see it anywhere and its free. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

Can I volunteer to be the "whuffo" jet jumper for a free jet jump? Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

I find it really amusing that dz.com's banner ad is about Golfing It definately re-inforces the "you should take up golfing talk" when it is displayed in the incidents forum. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1488655367?bctid=1640107138 Listen carefully to Mugabe's rant. When asked on what basis he regards himself president of Zimbabwe he replies the same as Gordon Brown The man has lost it. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

I think your right. I also question whether it is not "right" that these failed states are not colonised again as the people are clearly not capable of self governance. Unless you are prepared to accept that it is ones right to deliberately live in the stone age. http://voanews.com/english/2008-06-30-voa26.cfm Following on from that if people chose to follow and support corrupt leaders that keep them in the poverty and sickness then when do OUR governments have to shoulder the responsibility of stopping wasting our tax money? I do not resent paying tax towards 3rd world development, I do resent paying towards lining the pockets of a dictator or secondly and more difficult to quantify paying towards the wellbeing of people who do not WANT such assistance. I am kind of pissed off with the whole "Africa is hard-done by" stance. Africa so proudly stands by Mugabe for him having the balls to give the west the finger - why do we keep forcing ourselves on them? Does the west really NEED africa? Perhaps it is time to turn our backs on Africa and leave them to it? Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

Hi Andy, You missed my point. Instead of having travel restrictions in place - let those key "leaders" freely enter the UK/EU/US, just don't let them leave. Surely the legislation that was used to arrest Pinoche can be applied to non heads of state. If it can't be applied then yes strict travel restrictions with NO exceptions are useful. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

There are a number of problems with sanctions: 1) Propoganda - Mugabe has very effectively portrayed the suffering on British and US driven sanctions. As most people don't look into the detail the accusations stick. 2) They aren't really effective. Look at the recent world food summit in Rome. Why was Mugabe's wife allowed in - ok so she was restricted to 40km of their hotel! A more effective measure would be to lift travel sanctions completely and use counter-terrorism laws to freeze assets of individuals. Secondly it would be effective to arrest and try key individuals surrounding Mugabe when they come to west. On a final note it always frustrates me that nobody challenges Mugabe and his stooges when they rally against the "sanctions" with the fact that their entire campaign strategy is 100% empowerment and "de-colonisation". they say they don't need the west so why complain about sanctions? Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

I am a Zimbabwean and getting rid of Mugabe is not really the solution as in reality the Military run the country. With every week that passes the probability of civil war increases. I know the opposition party is saying that genocide is taking place and even the Rwandan president is saying the signs are ominous. As the situation grows more tense the tribal divisions are starting to show (especially now that the "white" enemy has largely been exploited as much as possible). Personally I feel that another Somalia/Ethiopia/Sudan is being born where there will not likely be a "traditional" government for a few generations, but rule by warlords. There are horrific stories of amputations (the hand is the main political symbol - Mugabe/Zanu PF = the fist, MDC = open hand) and quite a number of people have had their hands amputated. http://www.sokwanele.com On a slightly lighter note according to the CIA Mugabe is "sniper proof" http://www.hayibo.co.za/articles/view/801 It is sadly a case of people reaping what they sowed, as Mugabe got into office through murder and subversion in 1980 (look into the background with US president Carter and the British not recognising Abel Muzorewa and allowing Mugabe to force their hands) http://www.aim.org/guest-column/carterian-civics/ Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

No Direct access is not good. As a mid-thirties biker I went through DA, although as a teen-ager I rode dirt bikes alot and at one stage skydiving budgets meant I rode a 49cc scooter (actually 2 up with our gear

A big problem here is that there are no "sexy" smaller bikes. I really wanted a 250 sport bike as my first bike as I like the look and I had a choice 125 look-alike or a 600! I ended up going with a Fazer 600 which was bigger than I wanted, uglier than I wanted and actually as it turned out better. I also disagree about culture as lots of UK bikers do Direct access and their first bike is a 600/1000 litre and in general the cruisers are unpopular to they are very fast bikes. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

I have had a blackberry and found myself checking and responding to e-mails while driving. I used to believe that connected equated to good, however I find that it drastically decreases my productivity. I have now shifted focus and no longer have the blackberry and my next business cards will not have my mobile number on them either. A friend has no mobile and no personal e-mail but gives out the reception e-mail address - his stress level is much lower than most peoples. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

This article if you can follow the poor english is from Zimbabwe's government paper. The government are sorely upset with the US ambassador's intervention (he forced his way into rural strongholds with cameramen to video the state sponsored violence a few weeks ago, and the "clever" policemen and militia threatened to beat him to within an inch of his life) http://www.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=34274&cat=10 This article may show some insight into how warped some people view of the US is, and possibly highlight the fact that as outlined in previous threads it is not driven by jealousy. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

Was the US "liked" in the 2nd world war? I know that my grandfather was in "awe" of the US. He was commander of a Royal Navy ship and got taken on a tour of a US ship and it blew him away. I do think the hypocracy argument resonates for me. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

No it is definately not jealousy. Believe it or not the "popular" consensus that comes across is that the US are loud bullies that can't match their rhetoric. A simple example of this is the misunderstanding of how the UN works. During the 1st gulf war - Saddam was a hero in parts of the world because to quote "he is so powerfull all the western nations need to gather together to fight him". This is from first hand experience. Skyrad is correct in that people who go to the US - tend to change their views: I did. US tourists and the public image tend to rub people up the wrong way for some reason. I think this is partly due to a sometimes condescending approach that is taken - another example either here or on BBC comments section an american claimed that 'only' the US has free press and that even the UK was censored as the BBC is a public broadcaster. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

With the ongoing saga in Zimbabwe I have been spending alot of time on a forum that monitors events there and what has shocked me is the level of hatred against the US (or as they commonly spell is AmeriKKKa). A couple of US freaks don't help the situation by becoming mascots of the hate the US cause - a couple of links below that seem to be a favourite... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PpMdTmVMpo&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMaaDbGgsKA Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

It is not Bob that is doing it. There has been alot of debate about whether it is right or not. Some people see it as cyber warfare - I think it is a brilliant form of "passive resistance". The person who started the telephone war - has advised people to be polite, not to be abusive, not to make prank calls (silent treatment) but purely to ask for the results to be released and the will of the people to be obeyed. In light of this I think it is perfectly legitimate (at first this was not clear). It is also bound to wear people out having their phones ringing non-stop 24 hours a day - so far people from the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand are calling in. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

In Zimbabwe the government is still refusing to release the results of the elections. Someone has started a campaign where Zimbabweans outside of the country are continously calling a number of government ministers day and night demanding results be released. People have published and are circulating ministers mobile numbers, home numbers and office numbers so there is literally no break in the barage. I think it is a brilliant form of protest for a country where local people can't voice their feelings. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

the article is a load of drivel. Britain has far from "lost control of its borders" to pick a statement, however there is probably a rising level of resentment towards immigrants amongst a fairly large portion of the British public. I think there is also a major split between the government who appear to try and appease minority opinion at all costs (it is not limited to islamic fundamentalists), and a public who I at least perceive as becoming more vocal in the resentment of the preferential treatment provided. I live in a "terror" hotspot where at least 2 of the UK terrorists originated (1 house is aproximately 200 meters from us) and I can say with certainty that the perception amongst local muslims is that the government is victimising innocents. The lack of speedy public trial of the terrorists has probably been largely to blame as I know that the locals don't believe the accusations against the person. Added to this some drunken fools smashed up muslim families cars in the area because they were all "terrorists" and you start to see why divisions grow and how they are fed. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.