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As a person with eyes that can read the words you post here, it is obvious that you’ve got some balls to try to suggest that you’re an independent.

And in the last 5 Presidential election cycles the Kentucky governor election predicted the presidential outcome, so this means it is like totally mathematically impossible for Trump to win.

I agree on not censoring. I also am not sure that some of the prolific posting is trolling but rather an indication of lack of critical thinking ability and being extremely gullible. I will admit I find some of the conspiracy posts annoying as they are devoid of any logic and end up being an endless loop of the same tired arguments and tit for tat insults.

I'm firmly on both sides. I like cats, had cats in the house growing up, but don't want to own one now. On the other hand I am the meany who knows that they are just another form of livestock and they are not "fur babies". Feral cats should not be allowed to exist if anything can be done to eliminate them. Pretty much the same goes for dogs. Spending stupid amounts of money on animals that are sick and should be put down also bothers me. I know, the haters are going to hate on me.

Seen elsewhere: "Fox has done to our parents' brains all that they claimed video games would do to ours."

The first Captain Marvel had a chick in it and made over a billion dollars. How did that happen when the chick made it lame? Here’s the thing - the warnings over the drastic oversupply of MCU film and TV content have been sounding loud and clear for some time now. It has nothing to do with work and everything to do with an audience that can’t possibly keep up with everything being thrown at them so as a result just doesn’t care about any of it anymore. But it’s very telling that you personally can’t imagine any film being made with a female lead except as an exercise in woke social engineering, and that you personally don’t think any film with a female lead could be worth watching on its own merit. It’s a really fucking ugly side of your personality.

Well I do have an advanced degree, but it's why it's good I cite reputable sources and show my working in maths right? Hey that's a bit extreme, I *have* graduated university, those lefty brainwashing factories right? And I restrict myself to mostly these topics. I don't really understand the long and complex history about Israel and what's happening there now. But tech and climate change I do understand, and it's going to affect me for quite a long time so I speak up when there's blatant misinformation going around.

Trump is currently arguing that his case in Georgia should be thrown out, because if they can include him in a RICO case along with lawyers of his, then you had to include "millions of people throughout the country” who believed election fraud had taken place, and were working toward the same goal as Trump and his lieutenants. His team also said that there are lots of bank robbers out there, “but the mere fact that they all rob banks and have the same goal and many of the same methods of operation, does not mean that all American bank robbers constitute one RICO enterprise, despite the fact that they are people who commit the same crime, for the same reason." Where have I heard that before? =================================== Otter : Ladies and gentlemen, I'll be brief. The issue here is not whether we broke a few rules, or took a few liberties with our female party guests - we did. [winks] But you can't hold a whole fraternity responsible for the behavior of a few, sick twisted individuals. For if you do, then shouldn't we blame the whole fraternity system? And if the whole fraternity system is guilty, then isn't this an indictment of our educational institutions in general? I put it to you, Greg - isn't this an indictment of our entire American society? Well, you can do whatever you want to us, but we're not going to sit here and listen to you badmouth the United States of America!

Which kind of emphasizes that cross dressing and homosexuality are not the same thing, doesn’t it? Wendy P.

I've been told that it takes all kinds. I too can only marvel in stunned disbelief at the level of stupidity required to hold some of the opinions I see expressed here at times. Yet there they are, often winning elections. So many WTF moments.

Actually, it's because of the death grip Trump has on the Republican party. He's really the only viable candidate right now (and for the forseeable future). Most of the other 'candidates' are vying for the VP slot. Given how close Pence came to a 'necktie party' on Jan 6, I can't understand why they'd want it, but then again, they're pretty stupid. Biden has done an amazing job so far, but he's really never been super popular. I'm not a big fan of him, despite his successes. I'm far more of a fan than I was in 2020, but that's still not all that much. That's why "generic Democrat" did better in one of the polls than Biden. HOWEVER... There's no way I won't vote for Biden if he's the candidate. Even if Trump isn't. As I've said more than once, I'd vote for Howdy Doody, with Clarabelle the Clown as his running mate over ANY R candidate. I don't think I'm alone in that.

Isn't that what the voucher program really has always been about, allowing rich parents a tax funded discount on private schools.

This past September, olemisscub located Thomas Spangler, the man who is identified in the FBI files as providing the FBI flight path map to them. I'd spent well over a year trying to find the guy, but olemisscub got him. I called and interviewed Mr. Spangler who is alive and well, and quite alert considering his age. Very nice guy. Here are some takeaways from that interview: * Capt. Spangler retired as Major Spangler in the 1980s. In November of 1971, he was stationed at McChord as a navigator for C-130s and C-141s and specialized in calculating drops. * The day after the hijacking, he was given the map along with weather data and the time that NWA believed Cooper jumped by the unit at the SAGE blockhouse at McChord. He wasn't even allowed in the building. They met him at the door and gave him the stuff. He says that no civilian radar was used in constructing the flight path map. It came directly from the SAGE unit at McChord. * He was tasked with creating the first drop zone for Cooper. He described the drop zone as "teardrop shaped" and put Cooper directly in the middle of Lake Merwin. * When he was done with his drop analysis, he turned over his drop zone map along with the yellow flight path map over to the FBI. Thus, Spangler did not create the yellow flight path map, he simply used that map to create the very first drop zone map - one which we have never seen. * He recalls that the map was given to him with the red crosses on it, but cannot recall if he or someone else drew the dark line and time stamps on it * He had full confidence that the plot points on the map were perfectly accurate. He said the SAGE guys were air defense and did stuff like that all the time. He independently confirmed what Len Camp, the senior director at NORAD said: SAGE could differentiate between a Mode 2 and Mode 3 IFF transponder code, both in real time and in data printouts. * He said that he recalls the sled test because he arranged for everything, but has no recollection of the men on it. He still has original photographs from the sled test along with notes regarding the case. He says he was the one who arranged the C-141 with a camera crew to fly alongside the jetliner during the sled test. * He said he doesn't recall feeling a physical "pressure bump" on the sled test flight, but he wasn't really paying attention to that aspect. * He had full confidence that the plot points on the map were perfectly accurate. He said the SAGE guys were air defense and did stuff like that all the time. He independently confirmed what Len Camp, the senior director at NORAD said: SAGE could differentiate between a Mode 2 and Mode 3 IFF transponder code, both in real time and in data printouts. * After the sled test, he had little to no contact from the FBI about the case. I certainly left out a lot of details, but we now have a much better understanding of the origin of the yellow map, and now we have to be on the lookout for the "Spangler DZ map" in the FBI files.

I hope everyone has a great day, whether or not you celebrate this particular one Wendy P.

I can hardly wait. Wendy P.

58% yes. :) Also Andy Beshear (D) re-elected governor of Kentucky by a considerable margin.

Not published yet. Waiting on a few FOIA’s to come in. I’ve got a Cooper case big dog writing the forward for me. They really liked the samples I sent them.

New episode out now! DB Cooper was the Elsinore Ghost with Patricia Boland. Enjoy! https://thecoopervortex.podbean.com/e/db-cooper-was-the-elsinore-ghost-patricia-boland/

I'm sure the lesson the GOP will take away from all of this is: "The voters can't be trusted to make the correct decisions, therefore we need to stamp out referendums!"

In my local dollar store, everything costs 16,000 Pesos. Thanks Biden!

Very. He politely, succinctly, intelligently, articulately dismantled the 'question' the reporter was trying to 'gotcha' him with. Not the first time he's done that. Yet on Tuesday, you wrote: His voice isn't the best. Other than that, I wouldn't call him 'feeble' or 'tottering'. The way he handled Empty Gee heckling him at the State of the Union was similar to this. Both Marcon of France and Putler have said more than once that negotiating with Biden requires one to be on their "A Game'. When an ally and an adversary say the same thing, I tend to believe it. There are things about him I don't really like. He's said stuff in the past which was really dumb. But he's been one of the most effective Presidents we've had in office in a LOOONG time. The amount of legislation he's gotten passed is incredible. The effect those have had is more so. The recovery from the Covid recession is very impressive. Jobs are back, inflation here in the US is way down, especially compared to the rest of the world.

Hi Mark, Joe is brighter & sharper than 90% of today's GOP. Jerry Baumchen PS) What do you think Trump would said? Oops, I meant yelled.

If you don't vote for Biden and Trump wins then you own a part of his victory.

The markets and the employment scene both seem pretty healthy at the moment. What was a bear 2 months ago now is looking like a bull. The fallout from the pandemic is not over but seems to be being managed as well as it could be. Certainly much better than having an erratic unpredictable reactionary party in charge.

Ten out of ten. No notes.

Corruption is like corrosion. Some of it you see some you don't. Its always at work to weaken the strength. Without constant vigilance it will wear the structure until it fails.

I fully agree that a full blown dictatorship is more likely this time. The "Freedumb Caucus" is full blown Fascists. The R leadership and their '2025 plan' is clearly going to destroy our democracy if they're allowed to implement it. My point is that Trump has spouted authoritarian garbage from the beginning. Anyone who paid attention could see that.

Trump like Putin because Putin is strong. Putin likes Trump because Trump is weak.

I think that number will be pretty low. After 4 years of the Trump disaster, after seeing what the Rs are wanting to do (and are doing), I'd vote for Howdy Doody for Pres, with Clarabelle the Clown as his running mate if it meant keeping Trump out.

Come on, man, he has coalesced a reformed NATO into making a well coordinated response. In my dark corner, I also think this or that should have been done faster but some things, like sending cluster munitions by the boat load against much opposition, are getting done. We are fighting a proxy war and are, for the most part, doing it by giving away armor we surplussed long ago. Russia's war machine is being severely attritted greatly reducing the chance they will attempt militarily to perfect other irredentist claims any time soon, they are consuming huge tranches of their ethnic populations in the war which may cause social unrest, and the world is getting a ring side seat at viewing what crap equipment they produce. I wish Biden was a great orator, was 15 years younger, was a nifty dresser and a fancy dancer, and didn't have a facial expression that made him look like he was struggling to pinch one off. But by any metric he's a better choice than Trump and I'll be thankful if you'd quit pretending that picking away at him wasn't hurting his chances in 2024.

It's a year out from the election. As the election draws nearer and we get through primary season, more people will get exposed to more of Trump and be reminded of how absolutely batshit crazy and unhinged he is. I've got a feeling that most people on this forum are more engaged than many, but the majority of the country hasn't been tuning into politics and they've not seen much of Trump in the past 3 years....definitely a case of absence making the heart grow fonder. It’s not time for either side to be getting cocky about the outcome of a Biden/Trump rematch. Glad you can't be swayed by the corrupt media's attempts to manipulate the simple-minded. How many times did you post about how the House Republican's had solved all of their problems in the 3 weeks between them booting Kevin and appointing Mega Mike as Speaker? EDIT: Spelinge

Don't confuse skeptics and deniers. Deniers aren't that bright and are the ones still trying to make arguments of things they don't really understand, based largely on soundbites from articles they haven't read. Skeptics are now by and large convinced.

Pop was also my dad. So Hunter is a douche. Do you reckon Joe Biden is the only parent with a douche for a kid who also used drugs? I know my dad didn't think he was alone. Also, do you think he was born a douche? Any chance some of the tragedies that befell his family might have rubbed off on him, too? You all know damn well that Joe Biden, who rode the train to work and about whom none other than Lindsey Graham once remarked was "as good a man God ever created" wasn't stashing or laundering bribe money. There are some serious issues we need to confront as a nation and Hunter Biden isn't one of them. Let's get real.

Great, so what is your point? Should we fully distance ourselves from any country that still maintains an absurd Monarchy? Here's a thing for you to think about: China has 34 +/- administrative divisions organized to govern 1.5Billion people. Given what we've apparently learned about the fog lines containing 340 Million people in an ostensible democracy it's completely reasonable, in my view, to suspect that our current form of government would never pass the muster with 5 times as many people to govern.

Oh my. I never met her, but the life force and warmth are strong in her pictures. Wendy P

Just so you can forever banish this thought from your mind :-) • ⁠Mccoy’s photos were shown to all 10 eyewitnesses to Cooper and all 10 said it wasn't the same guy who hijacked their plane. • ⁠McCoy had blue eyes • ⁠McCoy didn't smoke (no one fake smokes). He ate candy during his hijacking due to his nerves...not smoking. • ⁠McCoy was believed to have gone to his class at BYU on the MORNING of the hijacking. • ⁠McCoy knew about Cooper so well because he wrote a term paper on Cooper in the spring of 72 (he was a criminal justice major) • ⁠McCoy constantly talked to friends about how he could do a skyjacking better than Cooper. • FBI are confident they have Cooper’s palm print. McCoy’s was compared and was no match. • ⁠Cooper spoke intelligentially and clearly with no accent. McCoy had a birth defect that gave him a lisp and he was from the south and possessed a southern accent. He had a high pitched voice. He was also a bit of a hillbilly. His voice was so odd that the pilots told the FBI that they thought he was disguising his voice. Turns out that was his actual voice. • ⁠McCoy was an absolute nervous wreck during his hijacking and even left his ransom note in the airport terminal where he had been sitting and accidentally locked himself inside the bathroom and had to be let out by a stewardess. • ⁠McCoy wore a disguise. Cooper (evidentially did not) • ⁠Their MO's were different: Cooper used a fake bomb whereas McCoy used a pistol and fake grenade. • ⁠Cooper kept the passengers in the dark. McCoy did not. it goes on and on and on.

Person. Idiot. Moron. Candidate. Shitty.

So we have one of these ?

And what would be so wrong with that???? Some would consider it an oilfield utility vehicle.

You know, it's becoming more plausible that you do drive a Mini-Cooper and live in your parents basement.

My first reaction is to ask why you would want to do this? It's a small industry with a limited market. I would not pick this as a high ROI opportunity. Most people that persue this are all ready involved and do it out of passion. That is why they tend to fail. They are skydivers not business men. Getting your rigging certificate is not the answer. I'm not saying that it's a bad idea just as general background and in theory could help you legally with the FAA. It's a weird gray area where all you have to do is say you are a manufacturer and you are. But in theory you need to be a rigger to do any kind of repair. But manufacturer trumps rigger... The logic gets convoluted and weird. Can you build it but then not fix it? In the end it doesn't matter. Half of your employees will be riggers. A rigging course has very little to do with what you will need to learn. Here is the real truth. There are lots of different types of riggers. And this isn't a senior vs master thing. Master means they can sign more paperwork. In theory they are more experienced and can do alterations, etc. In reality it just means they can sign things. But manufacturer tops master. A master can perform alterations approved by the manufacturer or can apply for an approval through the FAA. This gets into whether it's a TSO'd component. Non TSO'd, people just go to town on them although in theory some of these rules still apply. There are some very good master rigger manufacturers on here that will be happy to delve deep into that rabbit hole. Here is the honest truth as to what you need. You need a business degree. Or a degree in accounting. Running a business is a business in it self. Taxes payroll book keeping accounts receivable accounts payable suppliers PO's tracking records marketing finance. These are the actual skills that you need. You are going to hire someone to run production. That's a completely separate issue and the small of the two issues. Who do you need to hire. Remember I said there are different types of riggers. There are riggers that pack, there are riggers that sew, there are riggers that build, and there are riggers that design. There are ones that work in the sport industry. They pilot rigs are almost their own separate industry with limited crossover. Military is it's own thing. These groups have been cross pollinating but they are still very different from each other. Most riggers are glorified packers, and that's fine. A lot of them really are not comfortable doing even basic repairs or sewing. This is what all the classes turn out. You don't really learn to see and prepare things till you work in at least a medium size loft under the supervision of a master rigger. Some people get really into that and just live at a sewing machine. Note that they are probably not master riggers. You just need a master rigger around to theoretically be "supervising" and maybe sign something now and again. There are people that get into building things from scratch. Batches of risers jumpsuits sliders toggles pilot chutes etc. This is a different skill set. You mostly develop it from working for a manufacturer or in a larger loft. You don't learn all the secrets and esoteric knowledge from any course. There is a smaller group that delves deeper into the why rather then just the how. Designers are mad scientist with a sewing machine. You'll know them by the kackle in their laugh. All of these people have way over inflated egos for what they are. We are all a pain in the ass. There is another related category. Let's be polite and call them workers. The more common name that we often use is slaves. These are non skydiver non rigger 9-5 workers that set at machines doing repetitive tasks all day long. They are actually very valuable. If you get good ones treasure them. They come in diffrent varieties. I think Koreans are the best but any one (xxx) will do. LOL's (little old ladies) are very good if you can get them. The problem is that they are by definition old and tend to die. They are almost extinct. Wet backs are I think the last option but they can serve with enough supervision. Sewing machines. It has gotten progressively harder over the years to source good used machines. And you will need some one to work on them. I don't know what your going to do but you will be surprised at how many machines you will wind up with. Her as a thought. Don't start a company. Buy one. None of these companies are big. You might be surprised at how low an honest evaluation of their value would be. Some of these guys are getting old. Sandy Reed as an example. Or the dolphin rig. Or some one in a financial bind because they don't know how to run a business. You could pick up not just a turn key operation but maybe a TSO. That's fucking gold. All the old shit is grand fathered in and it's only getting harder to meet the new standards. Again my real advise is to go open a McDonald's or some shit like that. Any thing but a loft. If your not already married to this industry why would you dive into this water? Lee

The truth that everyone except you already knew? Anyway, your post was quite clear - you support Russia's invasion of Ukraine, you're happy that (you think) they've achieved the goals of their bloody and brutal war, and you think what has happened there is hilarious. I can;t think of much that's more evil than that.

And when did people start to really organize, socialize, and begin really communicating and innovating (i.e. turning into a civilization)? Why, after the Ice Age! What a surprise. Wendy P.

https://www.npr.org/2023/09/13/1199273629/climate-change-exacerbates-deadly-floods-worldwide Right. Lots of people who know a LOT more than I do say that we're seeing more and more severe flooding. Due to climate change. Why does flood insurance cost so much more these days? Helpful hint: Look up how much the insurance industry paid out in claims last year.

Do not post ANY propaganda (videos, links, memes, text) without commentary. This is a discussion board, not a social media dissemination site.

Well, I continue to think the Maldivians are world class Islamic hypocrites. This: "You get unlimited food, alcohol.." Arrive in Mali and your booze is confiscated and you can't buy any in town. Oh, but after a Twin Otter hop to your resort Island they are somehow able to contain their Islamic sensibilities long enough to pour you unlimited doubles at the club bar. To each their own but I'm flat fatigued with religious hypocrisy and smarminess.

That's certainly a part of it. But don't forget that there are people who would more or less shoot themselves in the face if it meant that 'those people' were denied something. Universal healthcare is the best example I can think of. The idiots would rather risk going completely broke due to medical bills rather than see 'those people' get a chance a decent care.

What about ActiveLook eyewear platform? It looks like they already did everything necessary. For example Engo 2 glasses are available and have connectivity to Garmin wearables/Android/iOs devices. Also ActiveLook provides open API to build specific applications, but for me it looks like we even don't need app development - just connect them to Garmin watches and setup what you want to see on the display (needs confirmation from those who have these glasses)