Nightingale
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Posts posted by Nightingale
QuoteQuotethe penalties are different based on motive.
So much for equal protection of the law. Interesting twist to justice.Don't think I've ever heard someone say that.
From the massachusetts state website:
Motives matter: The criminal justice system frequently differentiates the punishment assigned to a given crime and offender based on motive. For example, in many states a murder for hire is more likely to draw the death penalty, than a similar murder committed without this purpose. The distinction between murder one, murder two, and manslaughter turns largely on motive. A crime can draw dramatically different penalties, as well as a more intensive law enforcement response, if it reflects a purpose of causing violent political change—terrorism. In general, the more purposeful a criminal act, the more seriously it is regarded by the law, and the more likely it is to result in a harsher penalty.
another example...
Possession of marijuana is a misdemeanor under California Health and Safety Code Section 11357.
Possession with intent to sell any amount of marijuana is a felony. Health and Safety Code 11359.
see... motive. in both of the above examples, you have a person who possesses marijuana... however, WHY the person possesses marijuana affects how the court treats him or her.
Shelly was a great instructor. She taught us everything we needed to know to save ourselves if something went wrong in the air. The mechanics of the cutaway handle weren't important. knowing how and when to use it and what the end result would be if I pulled it was important, and that's what she taught us.
Text of my original post is green.
Text of Lawrocket's reply is purple.
Text of my response to Lawrocket is blue.
this stuff gets confusing when you have multiple quotes going on.
1. Proposition 54 will undermine accountability in school reform.
The California Public Schools Accountability Act of 1999 is the state’s central school reform program. It requires schools to set goals for student achievement and it demands accountability by instituting testing to measure achievement.
Racial data is a central part of the evaluation process. It allows schools to determine whether some groups are improving more than others and it allows schools to target resources for the best overall improvement. Without this measurement data, school reform would be stripped of accountability.
Racial data is a central part of the evaluation process? Schools are to be held accountable via racial statistics?
Yes. If, for some reason, Latinos and European Americans are performing at very different levels at the same school, the district needs to be able to analyze why this is and adjust methods accordingly... do they need to send notices home to parents in English and Spanish? do they need to re-evaluate their programs for English Language Learners? Is there some kind of discrimination going on that needs to be addressed? Schools need to be able to look at these things.
Why not just say that "School 'A' is not meeting the standards, while School 'B' is meeting the standards?"
They do. However, they also need to say WHY the school is not meeting standards. They need to analyze which areas they are having problems with, and which groups are having the problems... if, for example, females are performing at a much lower rate than males in science, perhaps teaching methods need to be re evaluated... without the gender data, they can't do that. If you don't know who to target for assistance, you can't make appropriate improvements.
Schools shoudl be held accountable to reading, writing and arithmetic. This is a problem with liberals. Conservatives see kids that can't read. Liberals see white kids, black kids, and hispanic kids that can't read.
No... what I see is WHY certain children can't read...
Children who are members of ethnic minority groups other than Asian statistically perform at a lower level than those children of Asian or European American descent. There has to be a reason for this very clear breakdown... Analyzing the racial data gives us some clues as to why.
2. Proposition 54 will eliminate public health programs that save lives.
Public health prevention resources are targeted by race because some health problems affect different races disproportionately, and because cultural differences make different prevention approaches more effective with different groups. For instance:
Contra Costa health officials noted that African American women had a lower rate of detection of breast cancer than white women. Through targeted outreach, the county achieved its goal of equalizing the rate of detection between African Americans and whites. This preventative approach saves lives and taxpayer dollars.
California state programs for teen pregnancy prevention credit dramatic drops in teen pregnancy to targeted programs which communicate differently to different groups of young people. Prevention ads to Latinas are different than to white women because they respond to different media messages in different ways. These prevention approaches, which would not be allowed under PROP. 54, prevent teen pregnancies and save taxpayers millions of dollars.
Similar racial data is used in preventing tobacco use, HIV/AIDS and obesity just to name a few examples.
Do you mean to suggest that there are differences between whitey, hispanics and blacks? Do you mean that using racial data allows people to treat races differently? You are advocating treating people differently on the basis of race. I always thought that was wrong.
There are many cultural differences between people of different races. Taking CULTURE into account is not wrong. it is effective. Culture is a large part of who someone is, because it plays a large role in dictating how we react to certain situations.
People who are marketing anything, be it medical responsibility or a new brand of soda, have to take their audience into account.
3. Proposition 54 will hinder law enforcement efforts.
Hate crimes, racial profiling mitigation and community policing all rely on racial data of police officers, suspects and victims to carry out laws. Understanding and addressing hate crime patterns and racial profiling patterns are only possible if we have accurate information.
This one is a laugher! You are saying that if the state quits judging people on race, then we won't be able to make sure that cops don't racially profile! Yeah, we don't want to understand crime patterns. We only want hate crime patterns. Even funnier is that profiling is bad because it uses racial statistics, but profiling is good with community based policing.
If we know, for example, that many more European Americans are being pulled over for speeding, we can draw one of two conclusions....
1. European Americans speed more.
2. European Americans are being unfairly targeted for speeding tickets.
If the first is true, no worries... justice is being served.
if the second is true, there is a miscarriage of justice happening, and something needs to be done. Without racial statistics, we have no assurance that people are not being targeted unfairly because of their skin color.
It's too bad that dude that tried to mug me on Olympic Street never said he hated me. He just pulled a knife. No hate crime, no foul, I guess. Let's let the Eastside latino gangs shoot it out. Even though they kill Latinos, we know they don't hate Latinos.
if he was attacking you for your money and not your race, it wasn't a hate crime.
A hate crime, for example, is when three men drag another man behind a truck for miles until he's dead just because they are uncomfortable with the gender of the person he loves.
the penalties are different based on motive.
4. Proposition 54 will wipe out civil rights enforcement.
Without racial data, victims of discrimination in state employment or contracting won’t be able to address patterns of racial discrimination. This initiative makes discrimination protections impossible to enforce. That’s why even Prop. 209 author Tom Wood opposes the measure.
Wow! I always thought that rights belonged to individuals, and not to races or sexes. I always thought that the 4th Amendment protected individuals against unreasonable search and seizure.
Racial data gives us the opportunity to ensure that no discrimination is taking place, and that everyone is being treated equally. If more Asian Americans are targeted for search warrants than African Americans who are suspected of similar crimes, chances are there is some discrimination taking place on the part of the judge issuing the warrants. This problem needs to be analyzed and dealt with. Wtihout racial data, we would never know that the problem exists.
Here I believed that the 5th Amendment protected an individual's right against self-incrmination and gave the right to confront and jury trial.
It does. And racial data ensures that all individuals in the system are treated equally, regardless of race. Racial data permits us to look at patterns and make sure no malice exists on the part of the people in charge of administering justice.
Silly me for thinking that that 1st Amendment stated that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
I guess they could have meant "white people" or "black people" but they must have forgotten that word when they wrote it.
I guess I'm even worse for believing that the 14th Amendment stated that "No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
none of this is relevant other than to say that racial data enables us to ensure that EVERYONE is treated equally. It is a safeguard to ensure that no one group is a target, and that justice is spread equally across the nation rather than targeted at specific racial groups while others face no consequences.
Dang. I forgot that equal protection means that some are more equal than others. I guess that's my blond self again, thinking that civil rights are individual rights, when really the Constitution meant black rights, and women's rights, and white rights, all of which are different.
they're not different. we collect racial data to ensure that these groups are NOT being treated differently when it comes to justice and civil rights.
Thanks for pointing that out.
Anytime.
Boy, do I feel rotten that California wants to quit judging people on race.
We're not judging people on race. We collect racial data to ensure that people are NOT being judged unfairly because of their race, but rather, by, as the great MLK Jr. said "the content of their character."
Now that I know that being colorblind is a bad thing, I'll make sure I vote no on 54.
please do.
Text of Lawrocket's reply is purple.
Text of my response to Lawrocket is blue.
this stuff gets confusing when you have multiple quotes going on.
1. Proposition 54 will undermine accountability in school reform.
The California Public Schools Accountability Act of 1999 is the state’s central school reform program. It requires schools to set goals for student achievement and it demands accountability by instituting testing to measure achievement.
Racial data is a central part of the evaluation process. It allows schools to determine whether some groups are improving more than others and it allows schools to target resources for the best overall improvement. Without this measurement data, school reform would be stripped of accountability.
Racial data is a central part of the evaluation process? Schools are to be held accountable via racial statistics?
Yes. If, for some reason, Latinos and European Americans are performing at very different levels at the same school, the district needs to be able to analyze why this is and adjust methods accordingly... do they need to send notices home to parents in English and Spanish? do they need to re-evaluate their programs for English Language Learners? Is there some kind of discrimination going on that needs to be addressed? Schools need to be able to look at these things.
Why not just say that "School 'A' is not meeting the standards, while School 'B' is meeting the standards?"
They do. However, they also need to say WHY the school is not meeting standards. They need to analyze which areas they are having problems with, and which groups are having the problems... if, for example, females are performing at a much lower rate than males in science, perhaps teaching methods need to be re evaluated... without the gender data, they can't do that. If you don't know who to target for assistance, you can't make appropriate improvements.
Schools shoudl be held accountable to reading, writing and arithmetic. This is a problem with liberals. Conservatives see kids that can't read. Liberals see white kids, black kids, and hispanic kids that can't read.
No... what I see is WHY certain children can't read...
Children who are members of ethnic minority groups other than Asian statistically perform at a lower level than those children of Asian or European American descent. There has to be a reason for this very clear breakdown... Analyzing the racial data gives us some clues as to why.
2. Proposition 54 will eliminate public health programs that save lives.
Public health prevention resources are targeted by race because some health problems affect different races disproportionately, and because cultural differences make different prevention approaches more effective with different groups. For instance:
Contra Costa health officials noted that African American women had a lower rate of detection of breast cancer than white women. Through targeted outreach, the county achieved its goal of equalizing the rate of detection between African Americans and whites. This preventative approach saves lives and taxpayer dollars.
California state programs for teen pregnancy prevention credit dramatic drops in teen pregnancy to targeted programs which communicate differently to different groups of young people. Prevention ads to Latinas are different than to white women because they respond to different media messages in different ways. These prevention approaches, which would not be allowed under PROP. 54, prevent teen pregnancies and save taxpayers millions of dollars.
Similar racial data is used in preventing tobacco use, HIV/AIDS and obesity just to name a few examples.
Do you mean to suggest that there are differences between whitey, hispanics and blacks? Do you mean that using racial data allows people to treat races differently? You are advocating treating people differently on the basis of race. I always thought that was wrong.
There are many cultural differences between people of different races. Taking CULTURE into account is not wrong. it is effective. Culture is a large part of who someone is, because it plays a large role in dictating how we react to certain situations.
People who are marketing anything, be it medical responsibility or a new brand of soda, have to take their audience into account.
3. Proposition 54 will hinder law enforcement efforts.
Hate crimes, racial profiling mitigation and community policing all rely on racial data of police officers, suspects and victims to carry out laws. Understanding and addressing hate crime patterns and racial profiling patterns are only possible if we have accurate information.
This one is a laugher! You are saying that if the state quits judging people on race, then we won't be able to make sure that cops don't racially profile! Yeah, we don't want to understand crime patterns. We only want hate crime patterns. Even funnier is that profiling is bad because it uses racial statistics, but profiling is good with community based policing.
If we know, for example, that many more European Americans are being pulled over for speeding, we can draw one of two conclusions....
1. European Americans speed more.
2. European Americans are being unfairly targeted for speeding tickets.
If the first is true, no worries... justice is being served.
if the second is true, there is a miscarriage of justice happening, and something needs to be done. Without racial statistics, we have no assurance that people are not being targeted unfairly because of their skin color.
It's too bad that dude that tried to mug me on Olympic Street never said he hated me. He just pulled a knife. No hate crime, no foul, I guess. Let's let the Eastside latino gangs shoot it out. Even though they kill Latinos, we know they don't hate Latinos.
if he was attacking you for your money and not your race, it wasn't a hate crime.
A hate crime, for example, is when three men drag another man behind a truck for miles until he's dead just because they are uncomfortable with the gender of the person he loves.
the penalties are different based on motive.
4. Proposition 54 will wipe out civil rights enforcement.
Without racial data, victims of discrimination in state employment or contracting won’t be able to address patterns of racial discrimination. This initiative makes discrimination protections impossible to enforce. That’s why even Prop. 209 author Tom Wood opposes the measure.
Wow! I always thought that rights belonged to individuals, and not to races or sexes. I always thought that the 4th Amendment protected individuals against unreasonable search and seizure.
Racial data gives us the opportunity to ensure that no discrimination is taking place, and that everyone is being treated equally. If more Asian Americans are targeted for search warrants than African Americans who are suspected of similar crimes, chances are there is some discrimination taking place on the part of the judge issuing the warrants. This problem needs to be analyzed and dealt with. Wtihout racial data, we would never know that the problem exists.
Here I believed that the 5th Amendment protected an individual's right against self-incrmination and gave the right to confront and jury trial.
It does. And racial data ensures that all individuals in the system are treated equally, regardless of race. Racial data permits us to look at patterns and make sure no malice exists on the part of the people in charge of administering justice.
Silly me for thinking that that 1st Amendment stated that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
I guess they could have meant "white people" or "black people" but they must have forgotten that word when they wrote it.
I guess I'm even worse for believing that the 14th Amendment stated that "No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
none of this is relevant other than to say that racial data enables us to ensure that EVERYONE is treated equally. It is a safeguard to ensure that no one group is a target, and that justice is spread equally across the nation rather than targeted at specific racial groups while others face no consequences.
Dang. I forgot that equal protection means that some are more equal than others. I guess that's my blond self again, thinking that civil rights are individual rights, when really the Constitution meant black rights, and women's rights, and white rights, all of which are different.
they're not different. we collect racial data to ensure that these groups are NOT being treated differently when it comes to justice and civil rights.
Thanks for pointing that out.
Anytime.
Boy, do I feel rotten that California wants to quit judging people on race.
We're not judging people on race. We collect racial data to ensure that people are NOT being judged unfairly because of their race, but rather, by, as the great MLK Jr. said "the content of their character."
Now that I know that being colorblind is a bad thing, I'll make sure I vote no on 54.
please do.
QuoteThis might help you a little.
That was an awesome link!!! Exactly what I was looking for! Thanks so much!!!!!!!
{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}
-K-
QuoteQuotealso, how does the cutaway work,
You did do an AFF jump without doing a drill cutaway in a hanging harness???
Kick your instructor if that applies!
of course we did the drills in the hanging harness! lol.
what I was asking is...
how does pulling the little red pillow thing cutaway the main chute? what are the mechanics to make it work?
I know how to make it work, I just don't know why it works.
4 Reasons to Vote NO on Proposition 54
1. Proposition 54 will undermine accountability in school reform.
The California Public Schools Accountability Act of 1999 is the state’s central school reform program. It requires schools to set goals for student achievement and it demands accountability by instituting testing to measure achievement.
Racial data is a central part of the evaluation process. It allows schools to determine whether some groups are improving more than others and it allows schools to target resources for the best overall improvement. Without this measurement data, school reform would be stripped of accountability.
2. Proposition 54 will eliminate public health programs that save lives.
Public health prevention resources are targeted by race because some health problems affect different races disproportionately, and because cultural differences make different prevention approaches more effective with different groups. For instance:
Contra Costa health officials noted that African American women had a lower rate of detection of breast cancer than white women. Through targeted outreach, the county achieved its goal of equalizing the rate of detection between African Americans and whites. This preventative approach saves lives and taxpayer dollars.
California state programs for teen pregnancy prevention credit dramatic drops in teen pregnancy to targeted programs which communicate differently to different groups of young people. Prevention ads to Latinas are different than to white women because they respond to different media messages in different ways. These prevention approaches, which would not be allowed under PROP. 54, prevent teen pregnancies and save taxpayers millions of dollars.
Similar racial data is used in preventing tobacco use, HIV/AIDS and obesity just to name a few examples.
3. Proposition 54 will hinder law enforcement efforts.
Hate crimes, racial profiling mitigation and community policing all rely on racial data of police officers, suspects and victims to carry out laws. Understanding and addressing hate crime patterns and racial profiling patterns are only possible if we have accurate information.
4. Proposition 54 will wipe out civil rights enforcement.
Without racial data, victims of discrimination in state employment or contracting won’t be able to address patterns of racial discrimination. This initiative makes discrimination protections impossible to enforce. That’s why even Prop. 209 author Tom Wood opposes the measure.
1. Proposition 54 will undermine accountability in school reform.
The California Public Schools Accountability Act of 1999 is the state’s central school reform program. It requires schools to set goals for student achievement and it demands accountability by instituting testing to measure achievement.
Racial data is a central part of the evaluation process. It allows schools to determine whether some groups are improving more than others and it allows schools to target resources for the best overall improvement. Without this measurement data, school reform would be stripped of accountability.
2. Proposition 54 will eliminate public health programs that save lives.
Public health prevention resources are targeted by race because some health problems affect different races disproportionately, and because cultural differences make different prevention approaches more effective with different groups. For instance:
Contra Costa health officials noted that African American women had a lower rate of detection of breast cancer than white women. Through targeted outreach, the county achieved its goal of equalizing the rate of detection between African Americans and whites. This preventative approach saves lives and taxpayer dollars.
California state programs for teen pregnancy prevention credit dramatic drops in teen pregnancy to targeted programs which communicate differently to different groups of young people. Prevention ads to Latinas are different than to white women because they respond to different media messages in different ways. These prevention approaches, which would not be allowed under PROP. 54, prevent teen pregnancies and save taxpayers millions of dollars.
Similar racial data is used in preventing tobacco use, HIV/AIDS and obesity just to name a few examples.
3. Proposition 54 will hinder law enforcement efforts.
Hate crimes, racial profiling mitigation and community policing all rely on racial data of police officers, suspects and victims to carry out laws. Understanding and addressing hate crime patterns and racial profiling patterns are only possible if we have accurate information.
4. Proposition 54 will wipe out civil rights enforcement.
Without racial data, victims of discrimination in state employment or contracting won’t be able to address patterns of racial discrimination. This initiative makes discrimination protections impossible to enforce. That’s why even Prop. 209 author Tom Wood opposes the measure.
thanks so much!
I'll pick up those books after AFF 2 on sunday.
-K-
I'll pick up those books after AFF 2 on sunday.
-K-
Ok...
I know that pull the cord, throw the pilot chute, which pulls the big chute out...
but what makes all that happen smoothly? mechanically, what makes it work?
also, how does the cutaway work, and the reserve? you don't throw out a pilot chute with the reserve...??
or are these questions that would be better answered by my instructor with a rig so I can actually see?
I know that pull the cord, throw the pilot chute, which pulls the big chute out...
but what makes all that happen smoothly? mechanically, what makes it work?
also, how does the cutaway work, and the reserve? you don't throw out a pilot chute with the reserve...??
or are these questions that would be better answered by my instructor with a rig so I can actually see?
Quote
Nice job on the website.(Nightingales nest)
Andrew
thanks! I had fun making the site...
www.nightingalesnest.net
-Kris
I've got a couple of things that motivate me...
the most obvious one is this little list I've been keeping since I was in second grade. I know its kind of a silly thing, but it helps me keep track of all those things that people say "I've always wanted to do that..." or "I'm going to do that someday". The title of the list is "101 things to do before I die." The list has rules. these are:
1. there is always 101 things on the list. once one goal is accomplished, another goal must take its place. life is easier when you know what you want out of it.
2. to add something else to the list, I have to remove something else. the only way to remove something from the list is to do it. Then, everything else moves up a slot, freeing spot #101.
I added skydiving to my list six years ago. Two weeks ago, I was able to remove "#46. Go skydiving." and replace it with "#101. Get an A license"
My second motivator to skydive is the amazing way my emotions go from abject terror (looking out the plane door!) to this rush (wow! lookit me! I can FLY!) to amazement (the world looks so peaceful from this high up...floating...wow...) to an awesome sense of accomplishment upon landing. It really puts life in perspective, especially when my boss is throwing budget deadline stuff at me that was supposed to be done last week (by someone else!)... its kind of a "heck... I survived falling out of an airplane at 13000 feet.... this budget shit is nothing!"
-Kris
lol...I'm weird...I admit it.
the most obvious one is this little list I've been keeping since I was in second grade. I know its kind of a silly thing, but it helps me keep track of all those things that people say "I've always wanted to do that..." or "I'm going to do that someday". The title of the list is "101 things to do before I die." The list has rules. these are:
1. there is always 101 things on the list. once one goal is accomplished, another goal must take its place. life is easier when you know what you want out of it.
2. to add something else to the list, I have to remove something else. the only way to remove something from the list is to do it. Then, everything else moves up a slot, freeing spot #101.
I added skydiving to my list six years ago. Two weeks ago, I was able to remove "#46. Go skydiving." and replace it with "#101. Get an A license"
My second motivator to skydive is the amazing way my emotions go from abject terror (looking out the plane door!) to this rush (wow! lookit me! I can FLY!) to amazement (the world looks so peaceful from this high up...floating...wow...) to an awesome sense of accomplishment upon landing. It really puts life in perspective, especially when my boss is throwing budget deadline stuff at me that was supposed to be done last week (by someone else!)... its kind of a "heck... I survived falling out of an airplane at 13000 feet.... this budget shit is nothing!"
-Kris
lol...I'm weird...I admit it.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
what are the requirements to get a packing certificate?
Have you ever jumped before? Do you know how you're going to react?
Its such an overwhelming feeling... Every time I've jumped, I'd had plans in the back of my mind to do a second jump the same day... and then I haven't wanted to. I love the feeling of jumping, but it takes me a bit to recover from the adrenaline dump on landing, so I don't want to get back into the air right away.
This sunday(Oct 5), I scheduled AFF 2 fairly early in the morning, with hopes that I can do level 3 in the same day. However, if I don't feel totally up to it, I'm not jumping again that day. AFF will be there when I'm ready for it. If I don't completely feel like both my brain and my body are ready for a second jump, I'm not going to do it.
People tell me that it takes some time to get used to the feelings of free fall, landing, and everything that goes with it, and that everyone reacts differently.
Please be careful and don't push yourself to do it all at once if you don't feel up to it, and remember that there's no shame in saying that you're not ready to go up again.
And heck, if you can do it all in one weekend, awesome! I admire that, because I know there's no way in hell I could do it that way.
Best wishes!
-Kris
Its such an overwhelming feeling... Every time I've jumped, I'd had plans in the back of my mind to do a second jump the same day... and then I haven't wanted to. I love the feeling of jumping, but it takes me a bit to recover from the adrenaline dump on landing, so I don't want to get back into the air right away.
This sunday(Oct 5), I scheduled AFF 2 fairly early in the morning, with hopes that I can do level 3 in the same day. However, if I don't feel totally up to it, I'm not jumping again that day. AFF will be there when I'm ready for it. If I don't completely feel like both my brain and my body are ready for a second jump, I'm not going to do it.
People tell me that it takes some time to get used to the feelings of free fall, landing, and everything that goes with it, and that everyone reacts differently.
Please be careful and don't push yourself to do it all at once if you don't feel up to it, and remember that there's no shame in saying that you're not ready to go up again.
And heck, if you can do it all in one weekend, awesome! I admire that, because I know there's no way in hell I could do it that way.
Best wishes!
-Kris
What do I need to do to learn how to pack? I noticed some folks at the dropzone making what looked to be quite a bit of cash packing other people's rigs... what are the requirements to be able to do this?
Get a second opinion from someone as accomplished or more accomplished in that branch of medicine (orthopedics???), and perhaps familiar with the sport of skydiving. If the two opinions contradict, get a third opinion.
best of luck!
best of luck!
Cars are pretty unforgiving too...
I wonder if it would be possible to correlate the number of skydivers and fatalities, and the number of auto drivers and fatalities.... I'd also be curious to know how many of either type of accident involved being under the influence.
might be interesting...
I wonder if it would be possible to correlate the number of skydivers and fatalities, and the number of auto drivers and fatalities.... I'd also be curious to know how many of either type of accident involved being under the influence.
might be interesting...
will do.
-K-
-K-
I went... it was AWESOME.
Shelly at Perris Valley was the AFF 1 instructor. we went through all the emergency stuff, and then after about 6 hours, got to jump.
I requested Shelly as my jumpmaster, because I felt really comfortable with her by then... and I was afraid that since my friend didn't go, that I might wuss, because nobody would know but me. When we lined up and were ready to jump, she asked "are you ready?" and I looked out the door and I was like "um...no." she just raised an eyebrow at me and said "do you WANT to do this?" and then I was like "oh! Hell yeah!" so we jumped out the door!
Freefall was a little scary, but fun. I found my ripcord on all three PRCs, but missed it when I was actually supposed to pull it. I was starting to grope for it (and would've found it... my hand was headed in the right direction!) when Shelly pulled it for me. Fine with me. Got the canopy open, which was what counts, right?
So, my canopy opened, and it was a little slower than I expected... it stayed in a ball for a second or two, and then unfurled. after checking for shape, spin, and float, and making sure nothing was twisted or broken or torn, I did my control check and tested turning and all that...
I like flying the canopy a little better than I like free fall at the moment... I think its because I have more think time under canopy. I'm not comfortable with free fall yet... still a little unnerving.
So... I landed my canopy relatively close (10 ft or so) to where I wanted to land, and I didn't fall down! It was a really easy landing!
The adrenaline rush was great... my hands were shaking for like an hour after landing! LOL. I imagine you get used to that, tho...
I'm signed up for AFF 2 next sunday!!!!
-Kris
Shelly at Perris Valley was the AFF 1 instructor. we went through all the emergency stuff, and then after about 6 hours, got to jump.
I requested Shelly as my jumpmaster, because I felt really comfortable with her by then... and I was afraid that since my friend didn't go, that I might wuss, because nobody would know but me. When we lined up and were ready to jump, she asked "are you ready?" and I looked out the door and I was like "um...no." she just raised an eyebrow at me and said "do you WANT to do this?" and then I was like "oh! Hell yeah!" so we jumped out the door!
Freefall was a little scary, but fun. I found my ripcord on all three PRCs, but missed it when I was actually supposed to pull it. I was starting to grope for it (and would've found it... my hand was headed in the right direction!) when Shelly pulled it for me. Fine with me. Got the canopy open, which was what counts, right?
So, my canopy opened, and it was a little slower than I expected... it stayed in a ball for a second or two, and then unfurled. after checking for shape, spin, and float, and making sure nothing was twisted or broken or torn, I did my control check and tested turning and all that...
I like flying the canopy a little better than I like free fall at the moment... I think its because I have more think time under canopy. I'm not comfortable with free fall yet... still a little unnerving.
So... I landed my canopy relatively close (10 ft or so) to where I wanted to land, and I didn't fall down! It was a really easy landing!
The adrenaline rush was great... my hands were shaking for like an hour after landing! LOL. I imagine you get used to that, tho...
I'm signed up for AFF 2 next sunday!!!!
-Kris
Now I'm scared...
I made the mistake of reading the "incidents" forum.
someone say something that will make me feel better.... please??
I made the mistake of reading the "incidents" forum.
someone say something that will make me feel better.... please??
I start AFF at Perris Valley Skydive tomorrow at 8 am!
I'm so excited...
and a little scared....
but more excited.
I'm so excited...
and a little scared....
but more excited.
I'm officially signed up now for AFF on saturday... dunno how much time I'll have for watching, but I'll try!
and if you see me... 5'7", redhead, long hair, say hi.
and if you see me... 5'7", redhead, long hair, say hi.
hehehe
Ok.... I just called Perris Valley and made my AFF appointment... 7:30 AM tomorrow.
I'm scared.
But VERY excited.
um.... how hard is it to steer a parachute? I didn't get to when I did my tandem.
I'm scared.
But VERY excited.
um.... how hard is it to steer a parachute? I didn't get to when I did my tandem.
see if ya like this one... I put the sky in the background.
I love it when moral crusaders are exposed for their true colors.
in The Bonfire
thank you.
An underlying theme throughout your remarks is a belief that race is a factor in everything.
Actually, I don't think race should be a factor in very many things. It will always be a factor in medicine, because there are different health risks associated with different races... for example, being African American puts you at a much higher risk of Sickle Cell Anemia than if you were any other race. Its a genetic protection... if you have or are a genetic carrier of Sickle Cell, you are immune to malaria.
The reason we need to continue to collect racial data is, frankly, that 1960 was not that long ago. There are still people out there who actively discriminate. Trust me, I've worked for one... I used to work in an apartment complex as a leasing agent. My supervisor actively discouraged us from renting to Latinos. He was of a firm belief that they would overoccupy their apartments, leave things a mess, and not pay their rent. I ignored him and followed the law (rent to anyone who meets qualifications, regardless of race, color, gender, handicap, country of origin, religion, familial status, or sexual orientation). but there were other people working there who were afraid of losing their jobs, and did what he wanted. Discrimination on the basis of race is illegal.... however if racial data is not collected, the authorities will never realize that, in an area that has a large Latino population, out of a building of 400 apartments, only 6 are occupied by Latinos. Without this data, the department of housing and urban development would have NO WAY to prove that a crime has been committed. That's why collecting racial data is important. Without it, this guy couldn't be prosecuted. (I have reported the situation to HUD... did so the day after I quit).
I do not share this belief, as you'll see if you read on. Race doesn't really mean a damned thing to me.
Yes. If, for some reason, Latinos and European Americans are performing at very different levels at the same school, the district needs to be able to analyze why this is and adjust methods accordingly... do they need to send notices home to parents in English and Spanish? do they need to re-evaluate their programs for English Language Learners? Is there some kind of discrimination going on that needs to be addressed? Schools need to be able to look at these things.
Race is the factor here?
no... race MAY BE a factor.
I'd say parents' tax returns and education levels would show a much stronger correlation with student performance than race. Only those who adhere to the common stereotypes of minorities would believe otherwise.
parents education levels are a good indicator. However, without tracking racial data, we would not know that sending handouts home written in English and in Spanish would help the situation... we wouldn't know that the school may need to hire a translator to help teachers communicate with parents.
They do. However, they also need to say WHY the school is not meeting standards. They need to analyze which areas they are having problems with, and which groups are having the problems... if, for example, females are performing at a much lower rate than males in science, perhaps teaching methods need to be re evaluated... without the gender data, they can't do that. If you don't know who to target for assistance, you can't make appropriate improvements.
Again you break people into groups based on race. There are poor performers from all races. Who cares what race they are? The students should be targeted for extra assistance by performance - not race. Academic tests determine who needs to be targeted. Race is irrelevant.
um... I broke people into GENDER in the above example... not race. The law also prohibits collecting data based on gender. Those of us who are female and have been routinely passed over for promotion know this kind of discrimination is alive and well. Women still make less than men. Without the data, we can't track that.
No... what I see is WHY certain children can't read...
Children who are members of ethnic minority groups other than Asian statistically perform at a lower level than those children of Asian or European American descent. There has to be a reason for this very clear breakdown... Analyzing the racial data gives us some clues as to why.
The race of a child has nothing to do with their academic success.
It has been shown in study after study that CULTURE has much to do with academic success... Read up on the Kameamea Schools in Hawaii if you want more information there. Tracking someone's race is a fairly reliable way of tracking culture.
You can possibly show a correlation between the two statistically, but those using such a statistic are using statistics as a drunk does a lamp post - it sure as HELL isn't for illumination. The amount of motivation they get from their parents - regardless of color - along with the child's work ethic determine his/her academic cuccess.
I feel it is safe to say you are not a teacher. A child's culture has quite a lot to do with his or her academic success... again, read up on Kameamea. Focus on why the Kameamea schools came about (native Hawaiians were failing in public schools across the board in Hawaii) and what happened (the state, with assistance, designed programs that took into account the culture of native Hawaiians... academic success took off)
Analyzing racial data for a reason would be beneficial only for those who believe race is a factor adhere to your tenets.
see above example of kameamea
I do not believe this and see absolutely no logical argument to change my belief. Again - try parents' tax returns as a metric.
again, see kameamea
If we know, for example, that many more European Americans are being pulled over for speeding, we can draw one of two conclusions....
1. European Americans speed more.
2. European Americans are being unfairly targeted for speeding tickets.
If the first is true, no worries... justice is being served.
if the second is true, there is a miscarriage of justice happening, and something needs to be done. Without racial statistics, we have no assurance that people are not being targeted unfairly because of their skin color.
And without checking underneath my bed every single night, I have no assurance that a one eyed one horned flying purple people eater isn't there. The argument you present is one based on fear.
I've seen discrimination in action. see above example of the apartment complex. I assure you, race is still an issue in many things that it shouldn't be an issue in. Tracking racial data is the only way to fix this.
I don't buy it. Cops do their jobs well and 'tis the few bad apples that give cops some bad publicity. Unfairly targeted because of their skin color my ass. Contrary to the garbage put out by the left and their syncophant organizations, racism isn't prevalent in America today.
its much more prevalent than you think.
So much for equal protection under the law.
Nightingale, all throughout your well written and thought out post we see your assumption that race is the predominant factor in this, that, and the other. It isn't. Individuals determine who they are and what they do. Some choose to identify themselves by their race and blame their failures on everyone else being racially prejudiced.
sometimes, they are being discriminated against. sometimes they're not. tracking racial data gives us the information to accurately determine whether or not the person has a case.
These are weak individuals who don't have the courage to face life and deal with it head on. Those are the ones who support racially discriminatory programs and scream 'racism' every time they lose or come up short in anything - it gives them an ez out from reality. They are cowards and I want no law on the books that will enable them to take this ez out in any manner.
sometimes people take advantage. sometimes there is legitimate discrimination. tracking racial data enables us to know the difference.