happythoughts

"the cycle of violence" is a good metaphor. We can continue it or we can end it." That is nice in theory. If it worked, I would certainly support it. The general idea is: If someone does a violent act and we do not respond, the cycle of violence ends. It is not a cycle, it is linear. It continues until someone puts a stop to one of the participants. Did the schoolyard bully stop if you didn't fight back ? Same mindless process.
Iran takes over embassy. We did nothing. World Trade Center van bomb. We know who did it. No response, they come back. Embassy bombing in Kenya. No response. It is a very long list. All the "no response", yet it continues.
"...no one thinks of Cuba as any more than a place to get cigars." Cuba was another era. It is not comparable, any more than Japan is. Now Japan is just a nice place to buy cars. However, if you ask any Japanese about attacking America, the response is "bad idea". You want to tie response to outcome using unrelated examples ? Use Japan. Go to that valley in Afghanistan, nuke it til it glows. It isn't fair, but fair rules didn't drop the WTC. They invited us to the party, remember ?

Bwaaahhhaaa!

Prof, you can definitely turn a phrase.

Hmmm... I've heard that girl isn't wrapped too tight. No one better for the job. Hey Wendy, do you own a pair of sneakers that match ?

">Iraq/Iran conflict.
Remember who we backed on that one? "
Yep. There is a Muslim proverb - "The enemy of my enemy is my friend"
We sold tanks, etc. to Iraq so that they would go pound Iran with them. We could not directly attack a Mid-East country. The "outside aggressor" thing would cause the normally agitated countries to solidify under a common banner. The "we Muslims hate America" banner. Iran overran our embassy. This is a big no-no under any political or diplomatic rules. They didn't do that to the Russians because the Russian embassy guards carry loaded weapons and would have piled them up by the gate. Carter was a p****. Instead, we gave tanks to Iraq to do our dirty work.
Once again, someone breaks a big rule (overrunning an embassy) and we continue to live by the "good country" rules. If they throw a party, I think it should be house rules.
">For Iraq, war is a national sport.
From their point of view, bombing them is ours. We've been doing it to them for years. "
Apparently, not correctly. The Romans used to give non-combatants out and then level a town. Seems pretty chivalrous at first, but it was good PR. Years later, people would walk by and go "That flat spot was a town that f**ed with the Romans." Good example. Pax Romana was kept by people who thought it was a bad idea to mess with the Romans.

If you keep making sense, you may have to be sent to the re-education center. Excellent idea.

Word to the wise - If you do a topless jump, take out the rings. Person I know had a bad experience recently with a chest strap. 18 stitches. Just a recommendation.

"the world is full of stupid people " Half of the world is below average. More people, more stupid people. Unfortunately, they all call me for tech support.

"Love Shack" B-52's

My girlfriend couldn't afford one either until 3 years ago when she almost went in. It seemed affordable the next week.
It is possible to get knocked out in freefall, no matter your experience level. I have a personal friend with over a week of freefall time that has been unconscious. It has nothing to do with experience, training, emergency procedures. I can give you a list of people that this has happened to. All have/had over 2,000 jumps. I'm not going to bother.
It comes down to this: It doesn't happen to many people. It may or may not happen to you. That is the roll of the dice. That is the deciding factor.

"When I'm good, I'm great. When I'm bad, I'm better..." - Mae West

There is a pic in Skydiving magazine. Very bad.

"not that there's anything wrong with that. "
Everybody's got a hobby. Mine's about being friendly.

"And all men are assholes who think wallet thickness and/or penis size mean anything at all. " Just my luck... here I am with a huge penis and wallet and it doesn't mean anything.

"I've been called all of the above " This is skydiving. It's not true unless you have video. Uhhh... you wouldn't happen to have video, would ya ?

"all women are sluts..... just the way it is money grabbin hoes"
That's the title of a new "classic rap" cd.

"I tried the patch once. It was a real pain. I couldn't keep the damn things lit!!" They have a new patch out for skydivers. The anti-farting patch. I hoping the patch works, because the gum sucked. You had to really lift your knees.

"why was there a "moon" shaped hole cut in every one? " I'm on the edge of my seat.

"the "outhouse" actually has some interesting history " Yes, I am a member of a group dedicated to the history and preservation of old wooden outdoor conveniences. The Birch John Society.

"whose had more than one boyfriend " Clarification - hers or somebody elses ? If you want to hear some first class name-calling, meeoooww... raaaahr...

Try to think of it as a hobby, not a vice. It's so much more positive that way.

"Leave the bats out of it - they are an endangered species and you want to use them to transport coconuts"
But I wish to use bats to transport coconuts. The swallows have other duties. Bats carry coconuts and storks carry babies. If you want no babies, then try a little swallow.

"You're crazy man!! " Let's not beat the obvious facts to death.
"out how many unladen swallows it would take to carry a coconut" European or African swallows ?
"but how do you figure out that kind of problem for bats" Just figure in the porosity. Bats tend to fly thicker.

I saw the movie on tv years ago. Did anyone draw a parallel between the "batwing" suit and a birdman ?

"I will not sleep with anybody" Me neither. Never sleep a wink.