melch

Kallend, never said they don't overstep but they usually get burned when they do, more so than you might think. That being said, they have become masters of establishing gray areas and technicalities to worm their way around. Agreed that terrorism is the buzzword of the last 20 years. FastRod- I think it's ok in the constraints that it was being used. Scanning data for key words and phrase and mapping threat networks to thwart future attacks (50 supposed attacks thwarted ain't to shabby) ...I'm ok with that. People went off the handle because they were more concerned with the idea of someone discovering their dirty little secrets than they were about the violation of their constitutional rights. What made me laugh were the people upset about Fb (worlds largest social media website) being data mined even though status are public anyway. The people that understood that it was a possible violation of their constitutional rights still are not overly familiar with the FBI and NSA authorization to collect on its own citizens authorized by US title codes and the abominable Patriot act. It's a bitch but until the Supreme Court overturns either one as unconstitutional, then guess what...doesn't matter if you agree with or not. Using it to suppress political opposition or the 1st amendment would be completely out of line. The IRS profiling the Organizations that they chose is more infuriating to me than nSA data mining.

I'm confused as to why you think he has outsmarted anyone? While he may not posses formal education he is a very intelligent individual with a specific set of skills or he would have never been recruited by the CIA or NSA. It doesn't take a lot of common sense to get out of dodge when you break a non disclosure agreement with the US Government. I honestly think he went to Hong Kong hoping the Chinese would accept him with open arms. However, Hong Kong officials being permitted a level of autonomy in matters of law by Beijing after reaquistion from Great Britain, urged Snowden to move on. So on to Moscow we go where he has met with a series of international lawyers specializing in international laws and extradition paid for by founder of Wikileaks. If youre wondering why he is stuck in the airport its because visiting Russia requires a decent amount of paperwork that has to be approved by the Russian embasy before you can step foot in the motherland (At least for American Passport holders, almost made Olympic tickets not worth the effort). Although he has made himself less than immediately accessable he isnt exactly outsmarting anyone. He isn't doing this on his own like some Hollywood movie one man against the government. The US is currently trying to explore publicly acceptable avenues of diplomacy to avoid pissing off the int community more than it has after its programs were leaked. Oddly it's funny that the programs are condemned when their countries are trying to work the same kind of systems against us or your own country for that matter (if you don't believe that then you are naive). Anyway I digress, Snowden will always have a red flag attached to his name and he may disappear from the news in a few months after he makes his way to Ecuador but he won't disappear from the US radar. He is simply in the safety zone provided by media attention and public opinion right now (terrible PR if some misfortunate accident were to happen right now). Living in fear of being being monitored and eventual capture won't exactly be zipping beers on the sun.

As far as NSA using Prism and other programs...research US Codes, specifically Title 10, 18, 28, 32, 50. These dictate where and how (to some degree) US intelligence agencies (Mil Intel, NSA, CIA, FBI) can collect information and on whom. While the alphabet soups agencies often operate in the gray I think Snowden's claim that 4th and 5th Amendment rights were violated is a bit of a stretch. Researching the Prism program we can see that the primary purpose is source generation for phone numbers already flagged and simply following how deep the rabbit hole goes and who we find along the way. The issue I have is not a cast net dragged through SMS/cellular data looking for key words, phrases, flagged phone numbers used to develop linked diagrams of possible threats but the stoarge of the data. I would say with some confidence the NSA isnt collecting your dirty photos, sexting, and whatever else you may be offended or embarrassed if someone else found out. In truth it has no effect on day to day life and the majority of people are not in positions to be blackmailed the J. Edgar way someone referenced earlier. Prism doesnt scare me or bother me...you want to lose sleep over cyber attacks/warfare between the world powers do some research on the STUXNET virus (which is now an open source code available for anyone to manipulate) and get back to me. As far as Snowden...the guy is a douche canoe. Clearly someone with some self esteem issues that needed 15 minutes of fame. I gaurantee that at some point he signed a non-disclosure agreement while he was getting his security clearances which clearly outlines that disclosure of secret material can be punished by fines, jail time, and capital punishment. If you felt so strongly against what your workplace was doing, resign, write congressman, or go to the US Attorney's office and report constitutional violations before you run off to public media. Selfishness, pure selfishness. Why he felt the need to throw away a 200+k annual salary in order to kick the bear in the teeth and then run like hell to escape the wrath baffles me. The US seeking to prosecute Snowden within every inch of the law allowed to them for violating a contract that he knowingly signed is by no means excessive in my book. I read some comments about mistreatment of Bradley Manning. I laugh at you. Kid did the exact same thing by violating a nondisclosure agreement he signed and he got caught and burned. Being forced to spend time in solitary confinement without appropriate clothing because he had been placed (admittedly probably unecessarily) on suicide watch is hardley on the same level as physical beatings, water boarding, or sleep deprivation techniques. Why people continue to believe there should be no consequences for their actions is beyond me. I hope Equador denies his asylum and he spends a good amount of time in the Moscow airport. Too bad Kerry doesn't have the sand or rapport to put pressure on Ecuador to deny Snowden's request or on the Russians to return him.

I'll be there Saturday all day in and around the Chive flag by the team rooms...or at least until they ground students for dust devils.

Thanks guys. That helps explain the noticible difference in the flares during my landing attempts coming from the east coast. I was making standing landings after my second jump back home and I have only been able to slide in at Eloy.

I was surfing the incidents forum and came across a thread that scratched the surface of DZ altitude ASL and its effects on landings. I was hoping someone could explain in detail what the effects the altitude have and why it is different than say jumping at sea level?

I'm still learning sport canopy but I have plenty of round canopy jumps (T10D) with equipment. A few tricks that always worked for me that helped me from plowing a trench when I landed: -Feet & knees together -Not sure how the D5/6 work but I always pull my slip around 60-70ft rather than the 100ft recommend in the opposite direction of drift -Feet & knees together -Take a deep breath and allow my body to go limp...don't anticipate the ground or you will have the tendancy to reach with your feet which can lead to foot, ankle, and knee injuries especially at night -Feet & knees together -Honestly, I always found closing my eyes after I had pulled my slipped helped. This is terrible advice when jumping a steerable canopy but for round canopys where you don't have much to do other than collide with the ground...check below you to make sure your landing area is clear, pull your slip at 60ft, and close your eyes. Keeps you from anticipating the impact. -Feet and knees together -Practice your Parachute Landing Falls off of an 18-24inch platform over and over. 5 points of contact: balls of feet, calf, thigh, buttocks, and lat muscle. Meh PLF: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsA9sF33Y2c One of the better PLF videos that I could find. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWQvq-6dB9Y Notice how he exposes the side of his body that will strike the ground so that it is slightly curved and assist with the rolling of his body as the momentum carries him up and over. Hope this helps.

Hello all., I've been lurking around these forums for a while and finally signed up. Started my AFF in NC and recently moved out to A. Working on getting my A License at Skydive, AZ. Looking forward to meeting some of the more experienced guys and gals in the sport. 12 Jumps and 10 minutes of tunnel time. Looking forward to getting into RW, FF and maybe one day a little swooping.