LyraM45

Yep, someone(s) job will take more effort and coordinating. Lots of ATC deal with these same issues across the country every day. True.... some areas just more than others. Cross Keys and areas in the NE are ones that comes to mind! Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

Trust me. The left will call it as it is for Obama too. They'll be quick to say he owns this war (a lot of my liberal friends are already not speaking too kindly of him with respect to this decision). You make it sound like they won't blame him the same and that they assign blame to bush for Iraq just because it's Bush. Not true-- it's because it's war (one we don't have to be in) and it doesn't matter who the president is who pulls the trigger on it. I think he's going to loose a lot of support from the far left if he goes on with this. Just my .02 Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

***Are they really using those phrases to describe a group that staged a simple protest/boycott of a business, or did this group actually maliciously attack them? Once again: I live here. Every day I read my entire newspaper. Every day I listen to the nightly news. I have heard zero about any 'militant activists,' and 'mob tactics,' and 'maliciously attack them.' There were some folks with signs in their hands in front of the business a couple of times. They were civil and did not stop anyone from entering the business. Re: 'or did this group actually maliciously attack them? Stand outside their business with pitchforks? Stop people from entering the store? Deface their store front? Throw eggs at them?' Nope, this IMO is all loony-toon horse-puckey. JerryBaumchen I figured as much. In that case, it's really sad that an article laced with such wording is out about this case. Sounds like it couldn't be farther from the truth. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

Agreed

I think this was true some years ago. I don't have the stats off hand right now, but I'm pretty sure the majority of HIV/AIDS infections is no longer confined to just male homosexuals. Off the top of my head, I think the leading carriers may be heterosexual blacks. Will the Red Cross start denying them too since they are the most recent 'high risk' group? Probably not. They need to get the outdated guidelines regarding homosexuals out of their donation questionnaire. I donate every 2 months and it pisses me off when I see those questions in there and know they will disqualify a very suitable candidate for blood donation just because they're gay. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

I give presentations to the pilot group (SCAPA) there every year. The airport is very close to hwy 101 AND it's one of the fixes on the final for SJC. Lots of traffic coming through. I think it would be a pain in the ass for Oakland Center and NorCal Tracon who work the traffic going through there, but it is what it is. Does anybody know if these guys are looking to mostly bite into the tandem market and give hollister and monterey a run for their money, or are they marketing fun jumpers hard too? I'd be willing to check this place out since it's only 15-20 mins from home. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

I don't know if I agree with you here. It's like saying they are totally unjustified in their boycott. I know if I were refused a cake at a bakery owned by Muslims because I was having a wedding with a dress that showed a little cleavage and shoulders/arms (strapless dress with a sweetheart cut for example), which does not jive religiously with how they believe a woman should be dressed, I would be pretty pissed off too. Especially if that were one of the only bakers in town and/or was the baker who made the best cakes. I don't see that too differently with what is happening with this situation where gays were turned away from the business. If anything, I would argue the example I gave above is more of a reason to side with the Muslim owner, as he is more so discriminating against my choice of clothing (something I can change if I want his cake bad enough), vs. the color of my skin, my gender, or my sexual orientation (something I can not change). Had he refused me because I was a woman coming in and getting a cake, then I think that would be exactly like the situation in question, and legally he can not do it. I guess I'm just trying to say all of this wasn't for no reason at all. It's not like all the gays in town woke up and started a phone tree around the area saying, "hey, lets go attack this bakery because they're christian." Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

http://guardianlv.com/2013/09/gay-mob-tactics-close-christian-bakery-claims-owner/ I'm sorry, but this is totally ridiculous-- "Klein feels that the protests that have come from gay groups after the bakery’s refusal to make the wedding cake for Cryer and her partner are not simply representative of Americans’ right to boycott businesses and speak out against discrimination, but are systematic, organized attacks designed to erode his and other Christians’ right to practice Christianity." Sorry he feels this way, but I have a feeling this is just a boycott. Maybe this is a town where a boycott like this has a larger impact because it has more liberal citizens (I doubt he would loose much business if he were located in the middle of a large bible belt city), but I doubt this is a militia like organized attack and everybody is out to get him because of his religious beliefs. Speaking of that, I don't think anybody gives a damn about his religious beliefs. What you practice in your church, home, on the street, etc, is your business, but in OR you can not deny somebody a service based on sexual orientation, and this is what people have a problem with. This is not religious persecution; this is persecution of business that was discriminatory. Doesn't matter the reason why they discriminated. Discrimination is discrimination and no reason makes it OK.... at least in OR. He claims this is an attack on his right to practice christianity. I don't get it.... if he sells a cake to 2 gay people, is that somehow stopping him from going to church? To choose what religion he wants to follow? Can he not go worship anywhere? I think he is still free to go practice whatever religion he wants. I can't help but chuckle in these situations. I think of this comic (attached) a lot too when I see/hear stuff like this. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

Does anybody have any further info on what exactly this group did? I feel like the article is a little over the top with words like, "vicious boycott by militant homosexual activists," "harassment from pro-gay marriage forces," and "They have killed our business through mob tactics." Are they really using those phrases to describe a group that staged a simple protest/boycott of a business, or did this group actually maliciously attack them? Stand outside their business with pitchforks? Stop people from entering the store? Deface their store front? Throw eggs at them? I mean, they make it sound like they were doing all of these things, yet I don't see any details about anything like that being done. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

Personally I would stick with FL or SoCal. November can start to get cold in TX. Granted, Nov can also get chilly up top in CA too. I've lived in all 3 places and have jumped the winters in all 3. I'd go FL. Like Chuck said, Zhills has an awesome crowd during the winter. I've had great experiences at Sebastian too, and you can't beat the view!! Good luck!

This.

My job is the number one thing that keeps me from jumping as much as I'd like (I work a lot of weekends and wacky hour shift work schedule), but even without that, I have a lot of other stuff I enjoy doing. No job and money not being an issue, I'd have to agree with NWflyer and think realistically I'd be in the 300-400 jump range. Too many other outdoor activities beckoning in NorCal, but I'm not complaining of course!

+1 Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

Seriously inappropriate comment from a mod. I have to disagree. I think the mods should stand up more often and call somebody out when they need to be called out, especially if they have a post history of being a douchey troll (not necessarily a comment aimed at this poster currently in question, btw, but take it how you want ) Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

As far as I know, nope. Lodi is probably the biggest DZ in the US which is not USPA member, so no membership required there. And he could probably get away with all that he wants there and nobody will even second guess him. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

Holy shitballs I love this. You come in and state that anyone who dies or gets hurt in this sport is a "weakest link" or a "biggest moron." You disrespect the sport and everyone in it and yet expect us to respect you and your opinions? That's rich. That was my response! He essentially said "oh, I see the rules were made for all the dumb people, but I'm not one of them and know everything so I should be able to do what I want." It's to the point where I just have to laugh now! If this guy isn't a troll, he needs to be served up a piece of humble pie. Hopefully not as bad as the slice that Sangi got, but enough to make him realize he's just another one of the bunch that doesn't know what he doesn't know, smart or not, and the rules are there for a reason. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

If you think choosing a suit is hard, wait until you get the rest of your gear custom. You better make sure you can live with those colors for a while! Good luck with your new suit! :) Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

Skymama: http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3q82ex/ ETA: OP, I just sent Simon a message to tell him to check this thread and get in touch with you! Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

Do you know how much I fly in the tunnel? That puts the most beating on my suits than my jumping, for sure! I can get into the reasons why I feel I can compare suits and tell you all the things I had wrong with mine from these other companies, but that's a long post for another thread! I feel like when I had MUCH less tunnel time on one of the other suits that began to wear vs. all the time I have on my LS suit (which is much more tunnel time) and it's still as good as the day I got it, allows me to sit here and say one suit is better than the other, I think. I'm not saying that is the same for every single person, but in my case that is how it was. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

I kinda do. But saying they are overpriced and overrated is not really far from the truth. You can get a quality suit from Bev, Tony, or even Deepseed for half the price of a LS. Let's see who usually buys LS (my experience and observations): 1. The cool kids..or those who think they are cool as shit because they know staff at a DZ. 2. The rich kids...or those who get mommy and daddy to pay for a LS tunnel suit just so they can compete in tunnel days (mind you half these kids don't even skydive). 3. The select few...or those who really truely have skills to pay the bills. 4. The non select few...or those who are posers (again with just alot of money to throw around when they could have gotten any other suit that does just about the same thing). it's like buying a Vector container fitting a 190 and having it embroiled Micron Series on the side wall. So who's really buying LS....mainly those people who have money to throw around (which really tells them alot about them) when they could get any other suit that fulfills the same role. Liquidsky is a status thing...just like how people buy BMW or Ferrari to show off. Just saying Really? Have you had suits from all of those manufacturers and can attest to those claims? I have, and I'll tell you what, you get what you pay for with your LS suit. First suit out of the bunch that has taken the tunnel and sky beating for the last five years and just never quits. No rips, no tears, no nothing. That thing is a beast. AND, the customer service and attention to detail is second to none. I had problems with most of my other suits from other companies when I got them, IE: wrong colors, wrong cut, poorly fitted, etc, etc. Julio got it right the first time, and he did it with ease. Just my .02 and experience with all of that. ETA to the OP: check with simonbones on here. He's known for his... well..... his bones Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

OK... then I meant they don't want to air all of their debates. Sorry for the confusion. I think what you're saying goes both ways, though. Don't the democrats do the same thing with the dirt slinging in their primaries? Why would one group have a huge problem and not the other? Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

I am not sure what ActionAir has in stock now, but I know they didn't have the G3 last year when I was looking for mine, so I just got it at Sebastian when I was out there on vacay a few months later. I was able to try on all of the fullfaces you are looking in to. Call skydance and see what they have in stock. If not, I wouldn't feel bad about asking a few fellow jumpers or friends to take a look at their helmet and try it on. I'm glad I did for the G3 because I needed a L, and I never take a L and definitely would have ordered a Med had I just gotten it off the website. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

Kind of off topic, but I found it interesting in the article that it said Republicans don't want to air debates because they think that hurt them during this past election. So..... if you can't put up good candidates who can debate without looking stupid or batshit crazy, then you should just limit them or stop them all together? That'll be sure to win over the moderates and independents Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

Agreed! This is the case for me, especially if I'm doing a lot of head up. By the end of it my arms are just jello and I can't even do half of what I want and it starts turning into a waste of money for me. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

Define "local" to the Bay Area. I'd head up to Skydance, where they have Action Air Parachutes a gear store. I would not recommend any of the helmets you listed, but rather the Cookie G3. Great visibility and airflow, and hinges which are near bullet proof. Ditto. I owned a Z1 and didn't like it at all. Fogged up quite bad on me while jumping in FL at the time I had it. Been jumping an open face ever since and just finally broke down and got the G3 for the tunnel, but I love it so much I've been wearing it on all my jumps recently! Zero fogging issues and I love the fit. My favorite is that I can put my glasses on underneath and not have to wear my contacts. I would get to a gear store and try a few on. I waited to get my cookie until I could do that and finally make the decision. The guy at this particular gear store in FL where I was making my purchase tried REALLY hard to sell me on the Phantom, but I've heard some good and bad stuff about that helmet and just felt better going with the cookie, which I've heard nothing but great things about. Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)