crwmike

Talk to them, Angela. Express your concerns and see what can be worked out.

Me? I'm a nurse in the middle of a nursing shortage. "Kiss my ass" is my response to an unwanted employer action.

Michael

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So I was just trying to delete 19 pages of spam and I was wondering.
do you use your DZ.EMAIL?

I started using it but It got fdilled with so much spam that I gave up on it. I couldnt keep the filters working etc.

I wonder if there is a way to shut my account. Im sure its a waste of space

Wouldn't even consider it. Having the continuance and privacy of my email depend on the whims of one person is not appealing.

Michael

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hey not too many CRW folks at my DZ but there will be some this weekend for the boogie. should i try some CReW with a really experienced person if i get the chance? i have 30 jumps. and no clue what CReW is like. i have been told that CReW will give me a much better understanding of my canopy and how it flies, but noone has ever told me if there is a recommended minimum jump number to try it. any advice? thanks.

Talk it over with the really experienced CRWDog (R.E. ?1000-ish CRW jumps). I'm sure USPA has some sort of recommendation about it ...nobody pays much attention.

Michael

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I find that being religous these days seems to be unpopular.
I, myself, am a very devout Christian.

I was just wondering what others felt or believed.

It is all patent nonsense. Some of the fairy tales are more poisonous than others, but fairy tales they are.

That pretty well sums it up.

Michael

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So, I don't ask people to vote for Kerry (fuck him). I ask that they vote for liberty and freedom from tyranny. This is, indeed, a cusp and who we are is measured by what we do when it counts.

So if you acknowledge that Kerry will be little or no different from Bush, why advocate voting for either?

A true vote for liberty would be a vote for Libertarians, but people don''t recognize the power a "third party" could wield, and think they don't want to "waste their vote."

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This is, indeed, a cusp and who we are is measured by what we do when it counts.

But what right path is there?

When we were burning witches, which was the right path?

When we were buying and enslaving people, which was the right path?

When we were hanging niggers from any convenient tree, which was the right path?

When we empowered Joe McCarthy to destroy thousands of lives to protect us from the red menace, which was the right path

We now have the choice to once again lash out in our cultivated fear, or rise above it and, perhaps, save our nation. What, indeed, is the right path? Depends on what you value. I've looked in my soul and I made my choice.

Michael

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Well, it is a non skydiving related first, but definitely a significant first indeed. Today, I had the distinct pleasure of delivering my first baby! I did my first C-section yesterday, so that doesn't really count...

All I can say, is I am still grinning from ear to ear about it. I went in to this rotation thinking I was gonna hate OBGYN, but it turns out that I actually like it. It was just plain cool to manipulate and catch the infant, clamp off the cord, and finish it up!!! Man does that sucker come out fast! Anyways, just wanted to share my great day with you all!

So who gets my beer?

It's a rush! My first was in the back seat of a Taxi in the ER parking lot. Share the beer with whomever seems appropriate.

That sucking response is startling isn't it? I though I was going to lose my hand to that little Hoover.

Michael

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Really, do you think the Democrats would shy from taking just as many freedoms as the Republicans, if not more?!?

Neither candidate is going to come up with any great change in the momentum of government.

Yeah, I know. See, the problem is that it's not just that people aren't resisting the invasion of big brother into our lives, people are demanding that our govt do that ...and politicians are responding. Kerry is a slimeball politician ...so is Bush. The best I hope for is that a defeat for Bush will demonstrate well, if not a mandate, then a change from the direction of extinguishing the lights of freedom and liberty.

The greatest threat to the United States as a free nation at this time and place comes not from terrorism, but from our own hearts. This election is almost secondarily about selecting a president It is a showing of hands from we, the people about the direction we, as a nation, take from here.

So, I don't ask people to vote for Kerry (fuck him). I ask that they vote for liberty and freedom from tyranny. This is, indeed, a cusp and who we are is measured by what we do when it counts.

I share the anger, the outrage that my country was attacked, my brothers and sisters murdered, but please, oh please do not destroy the very things that make us the greatest country in the world. It's not about power or wealth. It's about what we stood for.

Whoever we vote for, I would hope we vote with our minds ...and our hearts. In 50 years of watching elections, I've never seen so much riding on the outcome.

It counts this time, people. It's time to take stock of who we are and what we will be.

Peace,

Michael

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If you're looking to improve your skills, the camp is the way to go. Boogies are great, but they are lots of them, and they are usually there every year.

Skills camps are loads of fun, and you walk away with tremendously improved skills....

.....to show off at your next boogie!

...and then there is the comfort, bonding and comraderie. It will have a vibe all it's own.

Michael

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how do I get into the Pub????

Home page ---"the pub" (on the left) "DZ chat" (in the middle)

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http://olympics.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=6631607
Maybe this is why.
http://www.ericblumrich.com/gta.html

Congresswoman Harris is a piece of work. She done her 'duty' and she got her reward.

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I predict bush ...and it does, indeed, show my opinion of the public. Historically, assuming free press will survive, it will be viewed as one of the darkest days in US history.

Now, see, you're starting to sound like those doom and gloomers. "The world will end in 2005" and so on.

LOL, it's all right, I have no prediction as to the future. I was just wondering who people thought would win.



Ciels-
Michele

Well you see, it's not all right.

No one has ever hear me passionately support or oppose a political candidate. Basically, I viewed it with amusement as one set of gestures and words swayed the nation. This is the first time (yeah, I'll buy beer :) I see the choice as a critical one.

This isn't a game supporting one team or another. This is just about the most significant election in our history. This is a cusp that will either turn our country into big brother watching out for our welfare, or it might turn away from such a path.

30 years from now, please remember this conversation ...then go out and fight the sonsabitches who took away our freedom under the guise of protecting it. That's where we're headed. If you believe that it is necessary to sacrafice the essential freedoms that this country was founded upon, for a sense of security, then I just disagree. If, however, you really don't see what's coming, well god help us all.


Michael

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And there I was thinking I was being original. LOL!

I think it'll be interesting to see who people believe will be the next President, anonymous or not. That's a question the pollsters don't ask...and I don't know why.

Well, it will be interesting to see what this poll says. While it's not terribly scientific, nor exclusive to Americans who vote, it will still show public opinion...

Ciels-
Michele

I predict bush ...and it does, indeed, show my opinion of the public. Historically, assuming free press will survive, it will be viewed as one of the darkest days in US history.

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Hi Guys n Girls,

I have very recently started doing CRW Camera work for the guys at SkydivExtreme (Nylstroom, SA).

As you saw, Arno is now a CReW pup that just cant get enough. And I am sad to say, the past weekend I missed the money shot on His 2 stack entanglement.

So, my question is this:

Where can I find articles and tips on proper CRW camera work? I DID receive my newton sight yesterday so I hope that will help me hehehe.

Cheers,
CJK

Bryan Scott is the best of the best. He has a web page up: http://www.crwphoto.com/ and you can get the contact info there.

CRW Skies!

Michael

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Have degraded to the level of chimps screaming and flinging their own shit at each other.

That's what I've been trying to tell ya. Next step is realizing that our more 'civil' interactions derive from the same primitive place.
Michael

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I don't get the "would'nt reinflate" part, its a canopy, as long as air goes in the nose it wil reopen right?

Seems like it to me, but I don't have any experience with airlocked canopies. Just wondering where the conventional wisdom is coming from.

Michael

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About a year ago I asked somebody this same question. The answer I got was that while the airlocks would help make a collapse less likely, they would also make a canopy less likely to reinflate following a wrap / collapse.

I don't have any personal experience with --and have very little knowledge of-- airlocks, so I can't offer any educated opinion on this, but for what it's worth, that is the answer I received and it came from a very experienced and well known CReWDog.

Stay safe,
Mike

I've heard that also and I always wonder where extensive airlock CRW has been done to support that conclusion

Michael

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To everyone one of you who I have met and PM'd through the forums, it's been fun. Take care of yourselves!!!
Love ya all!

More drama than you usually see ...in an integrated forum.

Michael

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I've been working with a travel agent to arrange a vacation around Christmas with my kids (age 16-22). She's recommending a trip to the Fla Keys, including stays in Isla Morada, Key Largo, and Key West.

It sounds nice, but I'm wondering if the weather there that time of year will be an issue. We're really looking for a tropical-type experience. Is it warm enough in December to swim in the ocean and hang out on the beach without shivering?

I'd really appreciate feedback on this from anyone who has lived on the Keys or visited during that time of year,

If the Keys thing doesn't work out, I'll just save the money and go to the DZ.com holiday boogie instead!

Thanks a lot, Doug

http://www.keywest.com/wtrtable.html

Hi Doug. Well, it's all relative. Friends that visit from the great frozen north, seem to be delighted with running around on the beach in 65F. I you live down here, 65F is sweater weather, but then we wear thermal underwear when it hits 40F. Water will be warm.

The keys have their charm and key west is not to be missed, but it's a tiny little town a few blocks across (with many thousands of tourists down to get that tropical experience) A shit load of some nice picturesque bars playing up the tropical theme to the max, and playing music that tourists identify with the tropical sound. Sidewalk cafes with throngs of milling people. Then you have even more tourist shops ...oh, and Ernest Hemingway's house. I think it's tourist hell (even more so than most of south florida) that time of year with everything double/triple the summer rates. Course that's a local talking. We like living in paradise but are a teeny bit grumpy about so many people coming to visit. Millions of people love it but if your coming from New England in December, any warm place is pretty easy to love.

Depends on what you want. If you're looking for broad, white sand beaches with palm trees swaying in the breeze, you would probably be a bit disappointed in the keys. You might want check out the Naples/SW Fla area. Tourist oriented, to be sure, but not at the accelerated pace of Key West in tourist season. Great beaches in Miami Beach also, but the atmosphere is less laid back and you got those skyscraper things lurking in the background. Actually, all three areas are geographically close. If you choose Key West, you will have to drive through Miami and right by Miami Beach with Naples two hours west of miami.

Have Fun!

Michael

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Please don't take me to mean insult to your livelihood or you, but, do you really feel that the effort and expense paid to educate people condemned to die for criminal acts is a worthwhile pursuit? I mean in an institutional sense, not in the sense of you doing the teaching. (I, however, would much prefer teaching people who had not ever yet committed capital crimes.)

No offense. That was what I did over 30 years ago, when I thought the world wanted to be saved and that I could be a part of it. Now I just try to patch people up. No judgment, no expectations. What they do after I'm done is none of my business.

Was it worth the cost and effort? Depends on what you value, or what we, as a society, value.

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We are talking about teaching people who were murdering at a staggering rate even while inside the prison, right?!

Well, not the death row guys. Not that they might not enjoy it, but they never had contact with other inmates. I thought teaching them how to read might be a good thing.

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Those who try to rationalize such acts, if they were not committed in self defense, are out of their minds by definition

That's the thing about rationalization, it's totally convincing ...for the person doing it.

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No, really, I guess this was before people could get off for "temporary insanity" for something like that? Seems unfair. I mean, we have to send people like that away, I guess, or else accept this type of response as "appropriate" if someone is thusly "wronged." Maybe there's something in the bible that allows for murdering your wife and her lover -- or maybe I'm thinking of the Koran -- but I know that to me, it falls under the heading of, "Life can fuck you over; shit happens," and all that. You don't go murdering for it. And if you DO HAVE the capacity to murder over that, rather than go and sulk and hate women for a while or something, then yes, society IS better served by removing you from the population in one way or another.

Agreed. From what I know about the savage life behind bars, the more humane thing to do would be to just kill them. My faculty advisor in criminology once said that if you are going to send someone to prison for more than a few years, never, ever let them out, for everything that is human and worthwhile is gone.

In my youthful innocence and ignorance, I strongly disagreed with his statement. I know the truth of it now. I wonder how many reading this think they do not have the capacity to murder? The media has lead us to view those on death row as raving sociopaths and some are ...and at least as many were good citizens who never broke the law before. Should we just excuse them? Of course not.

I have no problem with the death penalty. In reality, if the goal is to protect society, we would better accomplish that goal by killing the habitual criminals in the general prison population than the ones that went beserk for one minute of their lives.

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What do you think makes some people sociopaths like the dozens you've known, and others not? Is it brain chemistry? Genetic makeup dictating behavior? Or is it upbringing and environmental factors?

I don't know, dude. Born with a head full of bad wiring, not hugged enough as a child, dopamine receptors not doing the job? My best guess is 'All of the above'. They come from good families, bad families, rich poor, all ethnicities. They come in two basic flavors:

Disorganized asocial: Mostly the ones you see in prison. Don't really have it together enough to resist impulses that tend to bring them to the attention of society.

Organized asocial: Intelligent, charming mutherfuckers, who size up what you want and need to hear and feed it to you. They are very popular with most people who know them. They seldom get caught.
Cross one and s/he will never, ever pass on the opportunity to fuck you up if they can get away with it. They practice their 'trade' smoothly, secretly and with unbelieveable violence. It is said that the only emotion they have is revenge. "I love you" has about as much emotional impact as "do you want a cup of coffee" ...probably less.

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And once someone is determined to be made thus, what is your personal feeling about putting them to death so that they cannot harm the rest of society?

Kill em. Just like you would a rabid dog.

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You sound like you could probably tell some harrowing stories of what these people are capable of doing to innocents. With that threat present, and with the impossibility of making escape and/or release 100% impossible, why not execute?

With what I know of sociopaths, I'd consider it a civic duty to kill them. If the duty came to me, I'd do it ... then go have a nice lunch to celebrate making the world a better place. Thing is, sociopaths aren't all that rare and the vast majority are not institutionalized.

Michael

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An event that appears inexplicable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin or an act of God . . .

Again . . . if it can be replicated by a skilled magician . . . say David Blaine. . . it has the appearance of a miracle, but is it? I don't think so.

I think that a LOT of, for instance, stigmata throughout history has been nothing more than magic tricks.

I think there are a LOT of gullible people in the world and there are a lot of fucksticks that have taken advantage of them.

http://www.randi.org/

In addition, there are people who, for one reason or another desperately need to believe ...or were you including these in the 'gullible' category?

Michael

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She was a bystander. She was out of the way, but she still got shot. Awful things happen to good people."

dont sound like she was out of the way to me!

its pretty obvious when the police show up, unless you plan on ending your night with a trip to the police station or the hospital, that its time for you to find someplace else to celebrate.

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What happened to her should not happen to any American citizen going to any type of game, no matter what,"

unless they riot over a GAME, and fuck up other peoples shit, then they deserve at least death, maybe torture first, because they obviously have NO lives and only steal air from the rest of us.

shit like this needs to be stopped before it starts, things like dry stadiums and dry stadium parking lots, and no entrance to the parking lot unless you have a ticket. although in towns like boston its even harder with thousands of drunk horny college students living a few hundred feet from the stadium.

of course that might quickly lead to an end of all stadium sports when people realize that theyve been getting so goddamn loaded that they didnt realize the pastime they loved has turned into a big whore house.

ITS A GAME people, a game your not even a part of! get over it and get a life asshole!

Oh, my America, what have you become?

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I think the title and text of this post implies exactly the opposite of what it claims to imply. It reminds me of the detainee in a mental institution screaming that it's everyone else who is insane.

Having worked in a number of such institutions, I believe this sometimes to be the true state of affairs.

Stripping away the illusions of life can lead to what society calls madness.

Michael

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So, since I've been sitting in my house for so long because I can't drive anywhere (well, I guess I could, I mean...who needs to look over their shoulders while driving anyways?) I've been putting more thought into where to go once I get three months severance.

Yes, Ivan, I know that this topic has been discussed before, but too darn bad!

Where would you go for a month or two? I may make a jump or two during the trip, but skydiving is about the bottom of my list of priorities on this trip. I don't have much experience backpacking, and I like showers. I'm thinking either New Zealand or a tour of Europe, but I just wanted to get some more ideas and suggestions.

Where in the world should Vallerina and possibly guest go?

Any place that doesn't depend tourism for it's economic well being.

Michael

Since Oct 1st, I've received 10,982 SPAMS and junk emails, with my spam filters catching over 90% of it.

Out of principle, I would never buy anything marketed in this manner.

Michael

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Of course, this begs the question: "How many death row inmates have you known?"

Seventeen. For three years I taught ABE (Adult Basic Education) to inmates on death row at the Tennessee State Prison (5500 inmates in a facility built for 2700 ...and a murder rate of one every 18 days). Prior to that, I paid my way through undergrad school working the night shift at the Prison for the Criminally Insane (now with the colorless name of Forensic Services Division)...now these guys knew how to party!

Back to Death Row. With the exception of four who were ravingly psychotic (who the fuck knows what was going through their minds) all but one of the others admited committing the crime but strongly felt that they were essentially justified in the act (fucker was looking at me!).

Dewey Batson was the only one who assumed full responsibility for his actions. Sent home from Korea during the 'conflict' decided to surprise his wife. He did ...fucking his best friend. Grabbed a machete off the wall and chopped em up. Honor student, good service record, never been arrested. Had been on death row for more than 10 years when I met him. Locked in a 5 x 8 cell and allowed to walk in the corridor for 20 minutes once a week.

In 1972 (73?) the US Supreme court declared all death penalties in the US unconstitutional (something to do with the the process of jury selection, I believe) and BAM every inmate in the US on death row had their verdicts set aside. I'm not sure how it was accomplished but with the signature of the gov, all now had life sentences (life = possibility of parole in 13 yrs 6 mo and 1 day, BTW).

To wrap up the Dewey story, now out in general population, he signed up for college courses in the 'College Behind the Walls' program, eventually earned an associates degree in Liberal Arts, gained 'educational release' (allowed to attend UT-Nashville during the day and return to the prison at night), earned a B.A degree ...all on the GI Bill.

Sentence commuted by the gov (yep, Ray Blanton, the one in the movie 'Marie') and for many years was the Director of Veteran's Affairs at the University of Tennessee. Aw, what the hell, the Statute of Limitations has expired ...we (a collection of prison and UT employees, primarily) bought that commutation. Paid $25,000 to Gov Ray Blanton of Tennessee.

Dewey is the only success story I ever knew of. He fucked up, admitted it and never tried to bullshit his way out. I think you would have liked him. I did. More than that, I respected him.

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I can't say that I would come up with "justifications" or not -- but I can say that I intend to never murder anyone and I find the thought of doing so reprehensible.

I didn't mean to imply something deficit in your personal integrity. My intention was to point out that rationalization is a powerful mechanism for any of us. BTW, murder seldom lands you on death row. It pretty much depends on who you kill and/or how you kill them. Kill a wealthy white person, your gonna shake and bake. Kill a hooker ...hefty prison sentence. Chop the hooker into pieces and mail them to the school board ...death row.

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If I was gonna pull a Johnny Smith, a la "The Dead Zone" (the movie, not the half-assed t.v. show), and say, assassinate some figure because I knew, and no one else did, that he was a dire threat to the world, if I failed I would at least own up to the attempt, and try to explain why I did it. That may qualify with you as a "rationale" or "justification," but remember, what I initially was complaining about was people who won't even admit they DID it. Those are the cowards. Not some guy who's on death row and comes up with a "reason" why what he did was okay. That's a different thing altogether. Some people go up for murder or manslaughter when the guy they killed really had it coming, and the homicide really was justifiable. Then there are others who did it for greed, jealousy, or outright evil and malevolence. Those are the ones who are so wrapped up in selfishness that they never admit to a court that yeah, hey, I did it and I'm sorry and I shouldn't have. Apparently the guy in this story was different?

Every sociopath I've know ( dozens of them in prison and one I considered my best friend in skydiving) invariably feel that they are good guys who got screwed.

Sorry for the long response. Kinda got caught up in old memories.

Michael