peregrinerose

Ok, geography and price... I'll break it down. Spend $250/night in State College vs. $100/night 35 miles outside of State College for a hotel room. Yes, many people will still be staying outside of State College due to the lower price point. Heck, when I do CE in Atlanta, I can stay at the area hotels for $250-300/night, or go just outside the city for $80/night. I take the cheaper option. It has nothing to do with availability of rooms. No different with PSU football. Some people do care about price. Next... how much will the crowd decline? Given the We Are Penn State support, many may actually go to games when they would not have otherwise to support the school in the time of trouble. Plus you have reunion weekends, current students that go, homecoming, etc. How did you come up with the drop that you did? Regarding the 'innocent' facing consequences... that's life. As I said before... should a woman not go to prison because her children will suffer? No one lives in a vacuum. Everything we do affects other people. This goes for both good and bad. Many people profitted off of PSU, so reaped much good from the university in it's glory. The reverse is also true. That's just how life works. Sorry, I forgot for a moment that I was dealing with the snarky alterego, won't make that mistake again Brenthutch Given that you are clearly so invested in this topic, exactly what ramifications to PSU would be fair in your mind given that the coverup was vast, the oversight that should have been occurring did not, there was gross lack of compliance with a couple of legal acts (read the Freeh report for more details... have you read it yet?) From janitors on up to president the cover up was far reaching. At least some students had to suspect given the close knit nature of any football program. What would be 'fair' to you? Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

How do you know football attendance will drop by that degree? People don't stay oustide State College due to geography alone, but also due to price being much lower outside State College, so factor that into your calculations. A ten percent hit in income is manageable for a finite period of time to any reasonably run business. Heck, my household income took a 10% hit this year due to both of us being broken. We still manage to pay the bills. There are 153,000 people in Centre County. A 1,000,000 drop in income is $6.50 per person. Will there be an impact, yes, will it be a staggeringly huge impact that is irrecoverable? Not by a very long shot. The good that is done with that money, the hit to PSU as a whole, and the message it sends to other colleges and businesses is well worth it, and that is the intent of the repercussions to begin with. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Yes, Hutch, I did implicate myself. My money did help fund the cover up of pedophilia. It's sad, and I regret contributing to that culture of the almighty football team there (sent my son to football camp at PSU). Although very much on the periphery compared to some, I did indirectly contribute to the problem. At least I admit it. Retailers can sell more goods at Christmas than other times of the year. Hotels can only sell X number of rooms per weekend.. they can't just stock more goods like retail can. Seven weekends with marginally reduced business will not make a difference unless the business is not profitable to begin with. Remember that football games will still happen, people will still be there, and quite likely just as many as before... it is your logic that is off base there. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Let's be real here. Cheap construction is $100/ft. Hotel room might be 250-300ft^2, so gotta be at least 25k/room. How much can you charge in PA where 7 nights remotely covers it. 7 weekends, two night min. $350 per night. you do the math. $350/night is insane. Very few hotels can charge that, unless they are the Ritz Carlton (that is what I paid for a night at the Ritz, actually). Hutch, did you read the Freeh report? If not, you should. All 200+ pages. Blame for this goes all the way to the top, but it also goes all the way to the bottom. Those blue collar guys that you are defending? Well, at least two janitors (blue collar guys) witnessed abuse and chose to do nothing as well. Chances many more have similar experiences and did not come forward. Even the student culture, blind allegiance to PSU, particularly the 'do no wrong' aura around the coaching staff contributed to the cover up. What are the odds that no students or football players at least suspected issues? Nil. Sandusky and all of those who covered for him caused this problem. They are the ones that your rage should be directed at. They caused this clusterfuck. What about the hotel worker in Altoona who will lose her job this winter? The one who never went to a football game, because she was busy cleaning rooms 50 miles away to support her family? As far as Sandusky is concerned, may he rot in hell after a brief put painful visit to the general population of our penal system. Same with Schultz, Curley, and Spanier. It feels good to punish the “institution” but we all know the only ones who pay the price are the innocent. By your 'logic', a woman who commits a crime should not go to jail because her innocent children would pay part of the price. Everyone is effected by every decision, it is the rippling of the butterfly effect. Every person who supported PSU in some way, supported the cover up of pedophilia financially and contributed to the culture that made the football program beyond oversight and reproach (again, please read the Freeh report). Your hotel room cleaner is still going to have similar business as before. As you said, Altoona is 50 miles away. How many people actually stayed there for the handful of home PSU games? If 7 home game weekends employed her all year round, that is one lousy business model. Plenty of people will still be going to PSU... it's not going to be from a full house to zero attendees. There are still going to be plenty of people needing to go to PSU for various reasons. It is not going to destroy the economy in the region. Affect it a little, yes, destroy it, no. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

I am pondering selling a Nitro 120 and just sold a Sabre2 135. The first question I ask of potential buyers is 'how many jumps do you have, what license do you have, and how current are you'. I had a guy with only a couple hundred jumps try to buy the Nitro. He assured me that he is a 'really conservative canopy pilot' and that several instructors at his DZ would vouch for that. Really? What kind of DZ encourages that kind of canopy for a low timer?? I very politely said no. I would rather not sell the canopy at all than have someone get mangled on it. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Are they breaded and fried, or are they grilled? And yes, us Americans are really that fucked up. We like to whine and complain and blame everyone else for our problems or lack of success. Not many of us as individuals, but our society as a whole. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Maybe I'm being naive, but I'm inclined to give a pass to those janitors. Powerlessness plus fear of lifetime unemployment is a powerful straitjacket. I'm not inclined to give a pass to anyone. All it takes is a phone call to childline, which is anonymous, and years of abused children would never have happened. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Let's be real here. Cheap construction is $100/ft. Hotel room might be 250-300ft^2, so gotta be at least 25k/room. How much can you charge in PA where 7 nights remotely covers it. 7 weekends, two night min. $350 per night. you do the math. $350/night is insane. Very few hotels can charge that, unless they are the Ritz Carlton (that is what I paid for a night at the Ritz, actually). Hutch, did you read the Freeh report? If not, you should. All 200+ pages. Blame for this goes all the way to the top, but it also goes all the way to the bottom. Those blue collar guys that you are defending? Well, at least two janitors (blue collar guys) witnessed abuse and chose to do nothing as well. Chances many more have similar experiences and did not come forward. Even the student culture, blind allegiance to PSU, particularly the 'do no wrong' aura around the coaching staff contributed to the cover up. What are the odds that no students or football players at least suspected issues? Nil. Sandusky and all of those who covered for him caused this problem. They are the ones that your rage should be directed at. They caused this clusterfuck. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

To be fair she is not too lazy to vote. She "managed to find a way voting place on the right day vote." She is just too lazy to get a f'n ID over a period of 94 years. Either that or her lazy-ass son couldn't take a little time to get her down to the DMV to get her an ID. No, she's too damn lazy to get an absentee ballot and mail it in. ID on there is the last four of the SSN. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

As a fellow Central PA resident, I see no problem with the sanctions. They are more than appropriate. I am sickened that my taxes go to support a business known to have an atmosphere that can allow child abuse to happen for over a decade. Last I heard, Sandusky is still receiving a $60K pension from PSU, which means that those of us that support PSU are also funding a child abuser. I have been to PSU for many things, and sent my son to football camp there. I am as guilty as the rest of us that contributed to the PSU as supreme institution that can do no wrong mentality. I was a part of the problem, indirectly, tangentally, but part of it nonetheless. As a result, whatever financial repercussions that trickle down to me, which is unlikely to be substantial, I accept that. If McDonald's was in this situation and was hit with a $60M fine, I could choose to pay more for a big mac, or I could choose to support a different business that does not have a history of covering for child abusers. PSU is no different. Any financial effects on central PA be what they will, but like anything else, we will adapt and move on. That is what life is all about. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

She was my hero as a kid, so sad that she is gone. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

The fine, the bowl ban, and the criminal prosecution of Sandusky all seem reasonable under the circumstances. Where the sanctions go too far, IMHO, is when they vacated all of Penn State's wins from 1998-2011. The accusations against Sandusky and Paterno--serious though they are--have nothing whatsoever to do with performance on the football field. This sanction formally takes away all on field accomplishments achieved by Penn State players for a period of 14 years--putting a retroactive mark of shame on the careers of players who had nothing whatsoever to do with this scandal. reply] Do you really think that the negation of wins has any practical effect on the players from that time? What is going to happen, that former 1999 PSU graduate/football player is going to lose his assistant coaching job at the local HS because of it? Hardly. The only thing that it does from a practical stance is take JoePa out of the record books, as it should be. Football teams are a close knit group.. is it really conceivable that there wasn't at least suspicion on the part of the players at the time of Sandusky's actions, given that so much of it happened in the locker room and on PSU football trips? I find that unlikely as well. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Time's running out and the class is getting full! Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Brian Germain will be teaching a Canopy Piloting Course at Keystone Skydive Center on August 4th and 5th, 2012. (Details of the seminar are below) The cost of the seminar is $195 plus the cost of your jumps from 5,000 ft ($22 cash per jump or $23 by credit card). Cash or checks will be accepted (make checks payable to Brian Germain) and must be paid in advance to reserve your spot. The seminar will begin at 9 AM on both days. It will run till sunset. It will be held rain or shine as Brian believes it has been aptly said: “The sky makes a terrible classroom.” That is where we test new concepts, and create concrete experiences that deepen our understanding. Even if the weather prevents us from jumping, the course is very effective in creating long-term change. If you are interested in participating, please contact Teri Bryan at [email protected]. Seats will fill fast so please let me know as soon as possible. The Parachute and its Pilot, A Seminar Series Learn Canopy Piloting from Brian Germain The course targets parachuting skills as the primary subject matter, from the perspective of a parachute designer, avid canopy piloting enthusiast, and transcending fear specialist. Brian will, however, adapt the class to incorporate anything the hosts believe to be appropriate, as well as shaping the subject matter to fit the needs of that particular group of students. General Topics Include Parachute Aerodynamics Dynamic Maneuvers Flying in Turbulence Navigation Pattern and Accuracy Landings Advanced Approaches The Psychology of Adrenalin Possible additional subjects include: Packing Secrets Gear Maintenance Freeflying Tracking Dives Yoga and Meditation Techniques to enhance your skydiving Brian's seminars are absolutely amazing and any skydiver, new or experienced will walk away with more than you already know. Hope to see you there! Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Rough year. I know more badly broken skydivers in the last 2 months than in the last 10 years combined. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

If it is something YOU want to do, do it for your birthday or some other reason, or for no reason at all. Don't superimpose your desires on him, as that's not what a relationship is about. His birthday should be about what he wants... he wants a weekend getaway, so plan one and have fun! It's just like golf. I have never been golfing. Lots of people absolutely love golf. It's just not my cup of tea, it has no interest for me at all, there are many other things I would want to try first. If someone got me a golf outing for my birthday, I'd realize that the person doesn't know me very well. I'd do it, may or may not like it, and in the back of my head, be thinking about the things I'd rather have been doing on my birthday. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

The DZ has been forced to cancel and reschedule a lot of students, including AFF FJCs. So any help during this season would be phenominal. The DZ phone number is in the top post, talk with Theresa, she is the one that schedules everything. The DZOs aren't on here at all, so Chad and I are trying to point folks in their direction. Thank you all for even giving them one day of help. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Email response sent

I am already emailing Faith to get more information on her vision, as I can help both with that and the instructor end of things. I have a good friend that's an instructor in her area that would most likely be willing to work with her, and I can take care of the visual mods if necessary. I have taught a legally blind skydiver. I'd do the jumps myself, but am out of commission til spring with a knee injury Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Double vision can be caused by a lot of things. It's impossible to advise you without knowing more. I would suggest an evaluation by one of the docs that's a member of COVD www.covd.org as this is right up their alley. They specialize in binocular vision, fusion, vision therapy, etc, and I make a lot of referrals to our local doc that does fusion therapy, with great success. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Get a good Omega 3 supplement (I recommend Nordic Naturals to my patients... it's triglyceride form, so absorbed by the body the best with the least side effects... Amazon.com is the best price I've found). Take 2 a day. It is a really good anti-inflammatory. Also take glucosamine/chondroiton, two of those a day too. Neither will be a miracle cure, but the anti-inflammatory and extra cartilidge support is a good thing and may help with your comfort a little bit. I also decided to experiment with the Assisi Loop that I bought for my dog (works on the NO system to help with inflammation) and I have to say, it works remarkably well. A couple of times a day with that has made the $250 I paid for it! Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Until you can explain the physiology of your 'human drive' directly enabling fast revascularization of a graft, I'm going to go with the biology and the science behind graft revascularization. Too many docs don't know what skydiving is about, some authorize too soon in that lack of understanding, others say 'don't ever do it again' in that same lack of understanding. So I go strictly with the science. Mine ended up being more complicated that was initially though too... my surgery was more than double the expected amount of time due to extensive cartilidge damage that needed to be cleaned up. My meniscus was salvaged, but is in bad shape, so I'm not allowed to bear weight for 4-6 weeks to allow the meniscus to heal. Bleh. So, I'm doing lots of isometrics, and once the incision can be submerged will be doing aquatherapy. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Having had ACL's replaced 3 times in my lifetime, I'm fairly familiar with the risks, rewards. Having broken nearly 60 bones between rodeo, motocross, and skydiving, I'm also somewhat familiar with my body. My risk mitigation was well-calculated, and as things turned out, it was worth it. Different strokes for different folks, I suppose. Had I listened to the hospital orthos, I'd have been in a wheelchair until December, and on crutches til at least February. I'm glad I didn't listen, and glad that the two orthos that I've worked with for nearly 30 years knew my body, my drive, and were willing to work with me. Fancy that....people not understanding how you can physically do something you shouldn't be able to do based on actuarials and traditional experiences. Be careful, they *might* even call you stupid. I can not damage myself any more right now... I was told it was good that I can do this as it keeps my flexibility and strength up. I was told post op that I will FEEL wonderful 2-3 months. Like you, I know my body well. If you can feel blood vessels growing into a graft, you're a freak of nature in that good kind of way. Muscle, bone, those tell you when you over do it... I've broken my fair share of things as well.... ligament is a different animal, particularly knee due to the vascular issues. Honestly, the only reason I'm arguing with you is because I don't want someone to do the same search that I did, see that you were fortunate in not getting re-injured and not even acknowledging that you pushed a very weak graft beyond what it was meant to do and were, as a result lucky. I don't want to see someone get hurt because they decide to follow in your footsteps. Months three through nine are going to be awful for me, as I'll feel ready to jump. The risk of re-injury is one you managed to escape... and I'm glad. If you were not so fortunate, your tune would be very different on here. Luck is not something I tend to go with when it comes to making medical decisions. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

You're right, I brain farted and went with injury date... yep, you are stupid when it comes to that. Look up revascularization of patellar autografts. All the rehab in the world will not make blood vessels grow quicker. You were lucky. I'm not generally quite so lucky, so not going to roll the dice on a graft that I know is not fully healed, despite the fact that according to my PT and surgeon, I'm going to feel perfectly fine in 2-3 months. They both know I'm bull headed and extremely compliant with rehab. Neither one can understand how I'm walking around including doing stairs now.... but as they both said, I already destroyed everything in there, so it's not possible for me to damage it any more!

Uh, June to nearly Nov is almost 5 months, not 2-3 months... My PT told me I'd feel great in 2-3 months, full strength and mobility, but the graft is weakest due to lack of blood supply, and from 3-9 months post op is when re-injury is most likely as a result of weakness in the graft, which the patient can't feel at all. This is based on autograft surgery, may be different for hamstring or cadaver. I'd rather be grounded an extra few months than re-injure and be out much longer. Besides, the extra few months are over the winter anyway. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda