Douva

It's not your imagination. Lots of DZ's have been hurting. There are many factors contributing to this decline in popularity, but I think one that a lot of people don't recognize is the adrenaline compensation factor. One theory about the recent popularity of extreme sports is that humans are wired psychologically to constantly struggle for survival. Our psyches expect to be constantly fighting for survival against the elements, wild animals, invading armies, etc. Because of this, we don't really like to feel too safe. Since recent generations haven't had a war to fight or many other struggles for survival, a restlessness formed inside many of us, and we had to seek artificial stimulation to satisfy our adrenaline needs. I think perhaps 9/11, the war in Iraq, and the declining economy have given people enough real struggles for survival (at least in their minds) that they no longer have the psychological need to jump out of airplanes. Perhaps this will change if/as Americans once again begin to feel safer in their day-to-day lives. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Anybody else notice after the Oklahoma City federal building bombing how the news media made such a big deal out of the fact that both fertilizer and diesel fuel were found on the McVeigh farm? Imagine that--fertilizer and diesel fuel on a farm! I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Okay, that first one cracked me up. I think you have to remember the life lessons at the end of each GI Joe episode to really appreciate it. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Kind of like "WDI Indicator," right? If anyone is interested, I cleaned up the dialogue and changed the ending to make it a little more realistic. You can click on the original link, if you want to see the changes. --Douva I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Thanks for the review. I agree that the dialogue between the two main characters is a little ham fisted. It's the curse of short films--Too little time to say things subtly. If I decide to sell or produce it sometime, I'll probably have to rewrite the dialogue. Maybe I didn't make it clear enough, but if you read it more carefully, one of the robbers actually does get a customer to help him with the ATM machine. I can't decide if I should change the ending or not. I'm torn between the reality of gun play and the desire for a clean, concise ending. All that said, when would y'all have drawn your guns? As soon as they entered? As soon as they threatened somebody? The first time their backs were turned? When they threatened the girl? Never? I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

QuoteAnd how about production? Watch for the airplane that the main characters take off in from the hangar where they find it. Keep track of the N numbers. In one scene, it's one plane, and in another it's an altogether different plane. Dumb dumb dumb. I know that doesn't affect the plot, but christ, if they can make Gary Sinise look like he has no legs, they could digitally fix the N numbers on a plane that appears for ten seconds, tops!Quote Yeah, I'm sure that really ruined the movie for a lot of people. You know how American audiences are about their "N" numbers. It reminds me of what a good movie Jaws could have been if all of the Long Island boats hadn't had Massachusetts registration numbers or how good Star Wars could have been if it wasn't for that scene where Luke's X-wing changes from "Red One" on the ground (shown by one red stripe) to "Red Five" in the air (shown by five red stripes). I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

"The One-eyed trouser snake" is too long to keep re-typing. so is purple-headed yogurt slinger Just go with "Pedro." I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I used to have some subsonic .22 rounds, but they're really not much more powerful than a pellet gun. I don't feel like chasing the varmint around for an hour pumping pellets into its ass. I'll let you know about the trap. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I don't know if this will work or not. I posted this once before in a dying gun thread, just before it was locked by a moderator, and never got any response, but I thought it might be an interesting way to discuss some of the gun issues that are so frequently tossed back and forth on this board. This is a short screenplay I wrote recently (I'm a struggling screenwriter; I write shorts to stay in practice). It's about a robbery in a convenience store. My idea is for people on both sides of the gun issue to read the story (takes about ten minutes) and share how they would react to this situation if they were in the store as these events were happening, given each person's individual views on gun ownership, concealed carry, etc. For instance, if you're against private gun ownership, you might point out that this type of violent crime would strengthen your resolve. If you have a concealed handgun license, you might say, "I would have shot the robbers the second they came through the door." You might also have a less obvious reaction that none of the rest of us would have considered. I'm not entirely sure what I think this might accomplish, other than more bickering, but I think it might get to the root of some of our views. Anyway, if you're up for something a little different from the usual name calling, give it a try. Blue skies, Douva I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Well I rekon that might work ifen Granny and Uncle Jed hadn't gone up to the mountains to visit the kinfolk. Fact is, I just ain't no good at buldoggen possums, and Elly May won't help me onna count of she caught me peeking at her swimming in the cement pond in her birthday suit. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

For the last week I've noticed that whenever I go down to my garage, the stack of spray paint cans in the corner is knocked over. After restacking the cans several times and establishing that the movement of the garage door wasn't knocking them over, I assumed I must have a rat living in the garage. Tonight when I pulled up and opened my garage door, there looking back at me was a BIG friggin possum. My first instinct was to shoot him because generally when confronted with a possum problem, I'm somewhere like a cousin's farm or the drop zone where that would be an acceptable response. I'm not used to encountering wildlife in my garage. But then I remembered that I'm living in a city apartment complex, so now I have to come up with another alternative. I may just let him spend the night and deal with him tomorrow when the neighbors are all away. Chasing a possum around my garage has the potential to get quite noisy. I think I'm going to crack the garage door in case he wants to leave on his own. I don't know if he chose to move into the big pile of junk in the corner or if he was forced to after getting trapped while exploring. If he doesn't leave on his own, I guess I'll either purchase a live trap or call animal control. Possums are nasty little creatures with lots of tiny razor sharp teeth and less than perfect hygiene. If I find a nest of baby possums down there, I'm going to go Sigourney Weaver and just napalm the whole building. --Douva I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

After watching the Governator's speech from the Republican National Convention, I have figured out what this country really needs--more actors in politics. What are politicians, anyway, but actors reading scripts conceived by pollsters and penned by spin doctors? We're all tired of politicians who can't speak and actors who keep making "comeback" films a decade after they should have retired, so why not make "politician" the natural transition from "actor?" Do away with silly questions about whether or not our politicians are sincere; join my movement to elect partisan figureheads who can give a respectable performance! If there's a shortage of Republican candidates, we'll just make them all start drawing party affiliation out of a hat. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I watched this one Monday and thought it was pretty good: Spartan (2004) Val Kilmer William H. Macy Derek Luke Tia Texada When a prominent politician's daughter goes missing, the veteran military agent on the case uncovers a plot more sinister than he ever could have imagined. MPAA Rating: Rated R for violence and language 107 min I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I've clicked on everything mentioned in this thread, clicked on the little girl, etc., but I still can't get that damned cellar door open. What am I doing wrong? I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Questionable human rights practices in China? I'm shocked! I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I've got an old license that expired in February of 2000 that still uses the term "Master License," so I'm betting they did away with the designations in 2000 when they revised the training programs. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Where did you find that definition? My "D" license says nothing about being a master anything. Up until the license requirements were updated to fall in line with FAI standards (500 jumps for a "D," etc.) the SIM and the old licenses identified the "A" license as "Beginner," the "B" license as "Intermediate," the "C" license as "Advanced," and the "D" license as "Master." Apparently these designations were retired without much hoopla because I didn't notice the change until I looked for the designations in my SIM today. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

OBLIGATORY FAMILIY GUY QUOTE: CHRIS I haven't been this confused since the end of No Way Out. FLASHBACK to outside the theater. CHRIS (confused) How does Kevin Kostner keep getting work?

I was watch plain ol' CNN when I saw a promo for it, but then I never saw it. Weird. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

The quote that always comes to mind for me isn't quite as sophisticated as Sun Tzu. It's one of Kevin Costner's lines from [I]Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves[/I]: "And one free man defending his home is more powerful then ten hired soldiers. The Crusades taught me that." You can argue that most of the fighting in Iraq is by insurgents who aren't really defending their "home," but in their minds their home is Muslim ground, and that is what they're defending. For other examples of this principle, see the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Vietnam, and the American Revolution. I'm not arguing for an immediate withdrawl of troops; I am simply pointing out that this scenario has not worked out favorably for invading forces in the past. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

You'd probably only be eligible if those were all high altitude jumps because, as has been repeatedly stated, you also need 6 hours of free fall time, and that would average out to about 108 seconds per jump. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

You and I have already touched on this subject at the DZ, but here is my opinion: When comparing jump numbers and free fall time, I think free fall time is a much better gauge of whether or not a person is ready to start instructor training. You and I both know people whose jump numbers are not indicative of their current skill level because of an excessive number of hop-and-pops or CReW jumps. At the same time, one of the jumpers who took the AFF instructor course with me only had about 400 jumps, but nearly all of those 400 jumps were serious RW jumps, and he is now generally considered to be the best of our new instructors to come out of that class. I think you're attributing too much to the titles that accompany each license. Aside from jump numbers, the only difference between a "C" license holder and a "D" license holder is the completion of two night jumps. Do two night jumps really make you a "Master" skydiver? I had two night jumps by the time I had about sixty jumps. I've known a couple of people who couldn't meet the night jump requirements because of night blindness. Since I doubt they would be doing a lot of night AFF jumps, should they really be denied their AFF instructor ratings because of the lack of a "D" license? You mentioned how you looked up to "D" license holders when you started skydiving. Like many of us, when you started skydiving, a skydiver only needed 200 jumps to earn their "D" license. I seriously doubt many people are skilled enough to be AFF instructors with less than 200 jumps; however, I have seen that it is definitely possible with 400 jumps. I was going to suggest that USPA do away with the titles attributed to each license, but as I look through my SIM and at my current USPA card, I realize they already have. Nowhere that I can find in either the SIM or on my USPA card are the old "Beginner," "Intermediate," "Advanced," and "Master" titles used. I can only assume that this is a response to queries such as your own. I think that's probably a wise decision. After all, title doesn't dictate behavior. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I don't even have kids, but I think about this all the time. I just don't know what I'll do when I have kids someday. My personal opinion is that when people have kids, their lives should stop being about themselves and start being about their kids. The first issue is obviously safety. I feel like a parent owes it to his or her children to do everything he or she can to be around for the long haul, but how far does this duty of self preservation extend? I've known several people who sold their motorcycles when their kids were born. There's also the question of time. I feel like young children deserve the bulk of a parent's free time. Would it be fare to spend every weekend, or even part of every weekend, at the drop zone, rather than spending that time with my children? I love my drop zone family, but it has kind of a barroom mentality--is that really the environment I want my kids growing up in? On the other hand, I have friends that grew up at the DZ and are now happy members of the skydiving community. I know skydivers whose kids absolutely love hanging out at the DZ and playing with the other kids there. In a lot of ways, being around a large extended family and playing outdoors with a lot of other kids seems far superior to sitting in their bedrooms all weekend playing video games. In the end, I guess it's a personal decision that can only be made by evaluating the risk factor, the values you want to teach your children, and the alternatives (what you and your kids would be doing if not at the drop zone). Personally, I don't think I'll give up skydiving completely if I have kids, but I also won't let it dominate my life the way it currently does. At that point, it'll be my kids' job to dominate my life, and skydiving will have to take a back-seat. Blue skies, Douva I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

It's 2pm ET, 1pm CT, 12pm MT, 11am PT. CNN is about to show a piece on the guy who did a HALO jump with his dog at the WFFC. --Douva I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

It looks like Fox is doing the two hour Family Guy marathon again this week. It starts at 8pm ET/PT, 7pm CT. This week's episodes are as follows: "Wasted Talent" "He's Too Sexy for His Fat" "I am Peter, Hear Me Roar" "To Live and Die in Dixie" I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.