LyraM45

I just got back into work this morning, and I'm trying to take a look at your attachment and its a little fuzzy to me. That station doesn't put out a taf, but I am looking at metars from the past 24hrs. I don't even have an explanation because I am not familiar with that website, and what model/grids they use to get that output from. I know I've said it in other posts, but I'll throw it out there again-- your best bet for weather info is probably going to be NOAA.gov, and then the next best in my opinion out of the private sector websites is weather underground. Or, you can always PM your friendly neighborhood avitaion weather forecaster and I'll be happy to give you an outlook. Edited to add-- I was bouncing around our database here at work and was trying to find a few other stations in the area that might issue TAF's, and the closest major patch of asphalt issueing a forecast is KSJC. There might be one closer but it would take some digging and I don't have the time right now to do more research on it. KVCB: Vacaville Nut Tree 38.23N 121.58W KSJC: San Jose Intl 37.22N 121.56W Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

G'morning! back on the A.M shift schedule till tomorrow. Drinking hot Kalaui fresh ground out of my coffee press at my desk this morning. Man, I hate it when my Monday starts on a Saturday. Hope ya'll had a super end to the week.

man... working my last overnight shift before I have my four days off, and I do indeed have coffee in hand. But get this.... this is gross. I am hungry, and didn't bring a midnight snack wtih me to work, so I tore apart my desk and found my emergency pack of instant ramen in a cup-- spicey shrimp flavor! Mmmmm..... coffee and spicey shrimp ramen. Breakfast of champions! Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

I meant satellite when I said radar.... no data out that far, unfortunately. I'm not saying it wasn't weather all together. It very well could be the case, but if it turns out that the pilot flew right into cloud tops that they were well briefed on before they left (and should be aware of since its VERY typical in that area this time of year), then I consider that more pilot error than anything else. I don't know how airfrance does their stuff, and what route they were filed on, but usually even dispatchers who file the routes after looking at weather do a pretty good job at avoiding storms that are forecasted big enough to effect the flight of an airbus. If that was done and a big daddy t-storm popped up out of no where and they were caught in it before they knew it and then all these events followed, then that is truely unfortunate and will draw a lot of attention to aviation weather forecasting in the future. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

short of flying into a lenticular cloud at that height, or the anvil top of the CB's at flight level 420 (which is the tops the radar indicated...typical in that region this time of year), which the aircraft had no business being around if that was the case, it would take a hell of a lot of turbulance at that flight level to rip apart an airbus. Now, at lower levels, you can consider other things to down a plane (IE: microbursts, etc), but this was not the case. There's only so much that can go on at the upper levels of a long range cruise. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

Apollo 12 lightning strike... the rookie alan bean ended up knowing that sequence when the old timers didn't. I like your space nut thinking... On a less lighter note... I was forecasting last night at work, and I had two flights that were routed in the same area as this airbus. (my forecasting is for corporate jets... much smaller, but still not immune to same weather effects the airbus might have experienced) I checked the data after I heard about this accident this morning, checked reports from our clients, and all this stuff on the news about severe turbulance seems pretty bogus to me. Yea, sure, they were flying around convective thunderstorms, but nothing out of the ordinary, especially for a big boy jet like the A-bus. I really have a feeling, if we find out at all, that there was something else to this. If it does in fact end up being because of a lightning strike that threw everything offboard, then I'd like to know what was wrong with the aircraft to have such a catastrophic failure with something (a lightning strike) that is usually not such a huge issue. No matter what, its still a really really sad day. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

I think there's a misreading -- viability, not visibilitiy. Viability most definitely is about the start of the third trimester. I used to be entirely (i.e. "up to the time the head emerges from the birth canal") pro-choice. That was wrong. But I'm pretty solidly pro-choice through the end of the second trimester, with less and less sympathy the longer one goes. Personally, I'd really, really like to see free birth control. That would cut down the incidence of abortion. Wouldn't eliminate it, but it would cut it down. And as far as "how can you now know?" If you have irregular periods and are overweight, or if you exercise enough to suffer from occasional amenorrhea, then it's not that hard to understand not knowing for awhile. And once you've not figured it out for (say) 2 months, then all of a sudden by the time you really think about it, and make arrangements, talk to the father, etc. you're probably already pushing the second trimester. Wendy P. I, too, would LOVE to see birth control more readily available to sexually active people. It's a catch 22-- most of the conservatives who are hard core pro-life, are also against making birth control so readily available because it's basically like saying pre marital and teenage sex is OK. Well, you gotta pick one, and I'd rather see some chick on the pill than throwing her baby in the trash or getting a late term abortion if we can help it. In fact, I believe some of the reason teens aren't getting the birth control they need is because of the message being sent from conservative friends/family/parents that if they do it they are "evil," and "sinning." They are ashamed to ask for birth control because of what these people think of them, and instead will quietly just have sex and end up pregnant. Acutally, I read a story recently that said because of this exact reason, teens from christian households are something like twice as likely to become pregnant compared to teens from a non-faith background. I'll have to find that story and post the source, but I only have a few minutes to post right now. I speak from personal experience when I was in high school I was certified through a state program as a senior to teach sex ed to teenagers in middleschool/high school as a peer to peer type of thing where they coudl ask anything they wanted and not be embarassed. The art teacher across the hall stormed into the class on more than one occasion (he was also the lay assistant at the local methodist church) to tell everybody how bad this was to teach these kids sex ed and stuff about contraception. He even took it to the school board. (and we were suggesting abstinence, of course... but lets be real, they needed to know the other stuff too.) But anywho... sorry for the long story, but I really think we could solve this problem from the start if we nipped it in the bud with something as simple as a pill. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

aaahhh... yes, they had the NOS big thin bottles at big lots too (and the little NOS shots), and they were both only .70 cents each, so I picked up a few. Yummy stuff!

I think I am redbulled out. (between all the boogies over the years and bartending... I've had my share. lol) I was on a gofast kick last year when I was working at the tunnel and it was readily available. I was on a bawls kick for a while, but right now I am drinking something called Bungie. I was browsing Biglots one day to find dogfood, and they had a crap ton of drinks for .50 a can!! holy crap, for that price, I'll try it-- and I actually like it. AND its sugar free and doesn't taste like ass-- even better!!! what are you drinking for this afternoon's bump? PS-- also fond of sobe adrenaline rush. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

Ditto, here! But I do like the taste/smell too! (I'm from Jersey... I popped out of the womb with a wawa coffee in my hands. lol)

yea... I'm going to go with not likely. I got my container custom for a Triathlon 135. I specifically told them, while in the factory, that its a Tri and it packs bulky, and they assured me they were aware of the problem and will take care of it. Well.... lets just say I have a hard ass time getting my canopy in the bag, and the container, but mostly the bag. Edited to add-- PS, my container is a wings vision W-8, and seriously, that Tri is a tight squeeze in that and unfortunately I am not downsizing anytime soon. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

Ugh... just getting done with my coffee/energy drink crunch. Getting off of work in 2.5 hours and I can't wait to fall asleep... this was a 24hr day for me and the forecasting has been slow tonight. But on a better note about the coffee... invested in a coffee press to keep right at my desk and I did a fresh grind of some Hawaiian Kalaui peaberry beans before I came in. Mmm mmm good! Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

I'd say a "patch" would be like a "fish" on someone's car. It tells me to run like hell. There's nothing wrong with being Christian, I am one myself....kind of. It's the people that push it too far and push it on other people with their annoying bible beating that will make your group difficult to accept. The anvil brothers are big boys...the gravity rats are freeflyers. That's a lot different than forming a group based on religious beliefs. On the same note I was thinking of starting a Hare Krishna skydiver group. We would all shave our heads and wear robes that transform into wing suits. No patch needed. Anybody in? The anvil brothers are big boys...the gravity rats are freeflyers. That's a lot different than forming a group based on religious beliefs. That's about what my thoughts were... big difference between groups that are groups through interdiciplines of skydiving vs. religiously affiliated groups. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

Exactly!! So, I'm kinda done with this... no matter what is said it will go in circles. It's always everybody else's problem, and not his own. Nobody else can understand him and the contradictive statements, but instead of examining that he could be contradicting himself, he claims its everybody else's poor reading comprehension. Always everybody else's fault, never their own.... step out of the box and take a look! We all have to do that as human beings! For the record, B_D, I never made false accusations or put words in your mouth. All I did was CUT AND PASTE exactly your words from a previous post. You, sir, did not cut and paste or site ANYTHING that came directly out of my mouth, but instead YOU made the ASSumptions. Had you sited something I had directly said, not only would I have not turned around and contradicted myself, but I would have stood by it since it was right there in plain text and I only post what I mean, so I am not afraid to do something like that. If you're too ashamed for me to cut and paste EXACTLY what you wrote in a previous post and call you out on it, then maybe you should reconsider what you wrote in the first place. (but of course, you won't do that because it's everybody elses problem and not your own). ::officially walking away from this thread:: Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

I'm here fighting for equal rights for all, which is the basis of my argument, and you pull that statement out of your hat?? Are you really that desperate? I wish you the same rights as anybody else, no matter what your opinion. I may not agree with you on things, but you still deserve the same things people who oppose you have rights to. What did I say that makes you think you don't deserve the same rights as me because you disagree with me? I mean, really.... I'd like to know because I feel as if my posts have been the polar opposite in trying to fight for equal rights for EVERYBODY. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

I get the feeling that this wasn't about what was going on inside the house. If somebody has 20 cars parked out front of their little duplex or rancher in a very tight residential neighborhood at the same time once or twice a week, no matter what kind of meeting it was, I can see neighbors getting angry. (especially after it causes an accident) Now, I don't know if it were that many cars, or if it was in a tiny neighborhood, or if the guy that got his car hit went through the proper channels by calling the police and then turned around and did this stunt as icing on the cake. Either way, there is a possibility that this has nothing to do with what was going on inside the house, and its just a grouchy neighbor with a bug up their bum who decided to get the zoning officer to split hairs and enforce the zoning code. Do I think its a little rediculous? Probably.... but they also might be legally right if the group is violating zoning issues by crowding that street the same time every week. It's a technicality. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

Probably when I was 5 or 6. I grew up next door to Xkeys and always watched the jumpers coming in under canopy. I turned to my mother when I was really young, maybe around 9, and told her I was going to be a skydiver. I also knew I wanted to be a pilot, and I was always into astronomy and the weather. So, I guess I always loved the sky... maybe something I was born with. Neither of my parents are into any of that stuff. Went to the DZ for my first jump when I was 13, got told to come back on my 18th birthday, and I did... so that was that. (and I also went to college at FL Tech to fly and got an aviation bachelors, and now doing a masters in aeronautics/aviation human factors..... so I guess I stuck with everything after my epiphany when I was 5. lol ) So, anywho... I consider my epiphany to have occurred way before I started jumping. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

Actually... I can read just fine. Write too! (gasp!) I'm working on my thesis right now and my professors don't seem to have a problem with it. Let's dig back a little bit here... hmmm... how about post #224: QUOTE: Discrimination is treating one group of people different than another because of a trait, not because of a free-will choice. We choose who to love and who we want to marry, it is not somethig that is forced upon us or that we have no say in. When blacks were not afforded equal rights it was because they were black. Gays are not being discriminated against in any way because of any traits. Nobody here has shown any law that specifically denies any person the right to marry because of their sexual orientation. Show me anywhere in the law where it says "Homosexuals are not allowed to marry" and I will agree with you 100% that they are being discriminated against. You said right there that homosexuality is a free will choice!!! Do you need me to point out other places that you've said it again too?? I have no problem showing you where you said it, it just boogles my mind that you convince yourself that you haven't said it when its obviously right there for somebody to dig up in the thread! I in no way think your the anti-christ, but I also don't think people who discriminate against race, sex, religious orientation are not the nicest or fairest people, so it really gets my wheels spinning. I'm not upset that your views differ... I think it sucks, but eveyrbody is entitled to their opinions which is what helps make this a free country. What I did have a problem with is you saying that being gay was a choice they made, and since its a choice they can choose not to make it and then get happily hetrosexually married like the rest of the "moral" population and put the whole controversial debate to bed. I just think its cowardly to hide behind the "choice" argument. I guess SOME people on here don't know how to go back and look at their old posts and see their contradictive words to their current arguments. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

You forgot one very important part that changes the entire meaning of the phrase. In the 1950s blacks were not denied the right to marry, they were denied the right to marry whites. That one little word makes all the difference in context. ***************************************************** ok... so in the one sentence you finally admit that it is a trait.. But further down in your reply you go back to saying its a choice because it conveniently backs your argument. Which is it??? It can't be both! Uhhhh.... have you seen PROP8?????????? Is that not a LAW? Are they not being singled out because of their sexual orientation and god given (or nature given, powers that be, etc.) TRAIT to love the same sex??? Thats the main reason behind denying them the right to marry, so what you're saying makes absolutely no sense at all. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

Are you really kidding?? Like, seriously.... there are so many people out there who revert to this "they choose to be gay" thing when they have nothing else to stand on in their argument except to admit that they are filled with hate and fear over the homosexual community. Did you choose to be straight??? Have you ever loved somebody? Did you choose to love them or is it an emotion that just comes from within you?? It's an emotion you can't describe. It's an emotion that comes from you heart. It's your soul that tells you who to be with and who not to be with. Not your conscious mind (even though it does help with decision making with that person you are in love with and want to be with.) GAYS AND LESBIANS DO NOT "CHOOSE" TO BE GAY. THEY LOVE THEIR PARTNER JUST LIKE YOU LOVE YOUR GIRLFRIEND/WIFE/FIANCE/SIGNIFICANT OTHER AND CAN'T DESCRIBE WHERE THAT EMOTION COMES FROM!!!! It's not like they wake up in the morning and decide, "you know what?? I'm going to stir the pot and want to marry another dude just because I choose to do that." No way, man! Get real.... seriously. What if the tables were turned. What if it were the gays who were allowed to be married and it was the gay community that is standing up with rage saying, "How dare these straights want to marry in our churces and have our rights... how dare they. They don't have to be straight. They can choose to marry another person of the same sex and be normal and rightouse and moral just like the rest of us. It's their choice." Would you then look at yourself and say, "oh, you know what... I decided I don't want to be straight anymore... it was just a bad choice I made and a phase I was going through. You're right... I'll be gay and marry another man and make the right decision?" Could you seriously look me in the face and tell me that you would just up and switch to being homosexual because it's an easy "choice?" Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

If you're just doing a 10 or 15 minute session, in and out kinda thing, then I wouldn't worry about what you're wearing in there. You can just slap on a protec. Personally, when I was flying a lot, I didn't like to use the protec's too much because my hair escaped from the top holes and got so knotted up that I had to cut it out on a few occasions. Me and the girls who worked the counter at the tunnel would try to keep a bandana around to line the helmet so your hair doesn't fly through the holes, but it still happens. A full face is quieter and nicer (in terms of being warmer) in the winter time for an open tunnel, but cuts down on the communication factor since the only thing other than hand signals is getting really good at reading lips when you fly a bunch, which is tougher to do with a full face over your lips. For your goggles fogging with an open face, try spitting on them and rubbing that around on the inside (I know that sounds nasty, but it works) or look into getting some "cat crap" goo that free divers and scuba divers use on their goggles. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

I feel your pain, but if you really want to jump you'll wait for the day when you'll be able to have the funds to do what you wish, or do what you can now to make the funds to do what you wish and jump your happy ass off. I scrounged through AFF, one jump a month, while I was still in high school in 2001 working two jobs. I got off AFF and went to college at an expensive private school where I was paying big time bucks to fly. So, I had to choose which sky passion I wanted, and I choose school knowing that some day I was going to graduate and get a grown up job and be able to jump my royal rastifarian ne-ney's off. So, I was jumping here and there for five years, most times taking a year or so off just because I was busy/didn't have time or money, but it was worth the wait-- 6 years later and I get to put my knees back in the breeze and jump my tail off after graduating and getting a job. The whole point to this story is, that if you want it bad enough, you can make it happen, or you can wait till the day where it will fall into place and you can jump your bum off. Either way, whether its time or raw hands from picking up that second job packing on the weekends, its much worth the sacrifice. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

No.. like I said, this isn't a one side vs. the other side thing for me, no matter what political affiliation it is-- as long as its legal, the students have a right to express themselves freely as any other sanctioned club on campus. Even though I am not a communist, I can't put down the minority and tell them they can't have a club only because I don't agree with it or think it immoral, etc. PS-- sorry for the late reply. I was out of town all weekend and just got back into the office today. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

True, and I agree, hence why I did not go to a religious institution. (BTW, I almost went to seton hill up in PA when I was looking at schools a long time ago) But, the issues you listed are such specific issues. What about students that are very religious, but consider themselves a democrat? "Democrat," is such a large umbrella where you can be a democrat but still be pro life, pro abstinence, religious, etc. If the school is against abortion, then ban an abortion group (though again, I think that impinges on freedom of speech still, but it is a religious institution; I understand.), and if it doesn't like stem cell research, then don't allow your biology majors to start a group that researches stem cell stuff. But to automatically assume that all democrats must be pro-choice and can't come together as a group on campus... seems pretty ignorant to me. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

That action by the university I am very familiar with. When I first started the skydiving club at my school we were told just about the same thing because of legal reasons. But if this is the case, then the university is still banning the "Liberty University College Democrats Club," if it can't be the "Liberty University College Democrats Club," and hold meetings on campus, use university funds, and have the right for its group members to list it as a university activity on their college transcripts and resumes, then they are still being banned. So, yes... each student has the right to exist as a democrat, but does not have the right to form a chapter of the nationally recognized college democrat club at their university. Thats the same as saying all the kids who like sci-fi can't form a sci-fi club and so forth. This isn't a democrat vs. republican thing for me. I would be just as shocked if it were the college republicans being told they couldn't have a chapter at a university. The whole thing just makes me a little sad. I don't think one group or another should be turned down for something so simple as a college club just because of their beliefs. The only grounds a university should have at stopping something is if it's against the law. (and I guess thats just my opinion, because again, I do realize that this is a private school with religious background-- but can't you be religious AND democrat or republican?) Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)