opurt

I gotta tell ya... the jump was a glorious experience. Had I not had an incident, I feel like I would have almost certainly pursued it further. But... I'm a little gun-shy right now. On the one hand, the ride to altitude, the freefall, the parachute ride - wow. But, there's that final part with the accident. I'd always be thinking about that. I've read of people who are farther along and have incidents like this. They frequently continue since they have a lot invested in the sport, and associate a lot more with skydiving than just the incident. For me? Well, it's only 3 weeks beyond the incident. My current goal is to avoid loading the ankle so it heals properly and quickly. But I only had one jump. Who knows though. It was a compelling experience. I don't know at this point. I guess it'll be a combination of factors - how strong the ankle feels when it's healed, how compelled I feel to do it again, how could I avoid such an incident in the future... I guess only time will tell. It was a very rich experience though, one which I don't regret at all.

Indeed! Thanks much for suggesting it, that was excellent

I have more! Along the same lines though. Next time we're on chat, I can share the URL. I was laying in the ER thinking, "I'm going through this, wouldn't it be great to get some pics?" I was still surprised the pain was tolerable. I hadn't had any drugs till this point. So, I asked several people if they could snap a pic. Fortunately someone had a camera phone, and voila! Vogueing in the ER

So I finally did it. Made that first jump. A tandem. A couple of years after I first contemplated going skydiving, I finally did it. For 2 summers, I casually thought about it, but it was a scary proposition. So excuses always won out. Finally, a few weeks ago, the summer was coming to an end, the weather was good, so I finally committed to doing that first jump. Making the phone call to place the reservation was the most difficult part of the process. August 26th. An overcast morning. Two hours of driving, and I pull into parking area at Skydive Delmarva around 8:30 AM. The dropzone is begining to rouse. I walk over to the manifest building and check in. I fill out my waivers. Then wait for the fun to begin. I'm rather calm. I've committed to doing this, so now, it's a question of executing well. Finally, 20 minute call. Things start moving. I meet the Tandem Instructor, we suit up, and go to the loading area. The videographer stops by for a quick interview. The big Otter fires up, rolls around to the loading area. The TI and I are the first two people on. I'm a little nervous but also trying to take in the sights and sounds. Take off and the climb to altitude. Unbelieveable. I've never been in anything smaller than a 737. This time, we're sitting on the floor, cheek to jowel in this loud, rattling prop-driven plane. Seems pretty small now that I'm actually inside. Holy crap, I'm really going to do this. Finally, I hear a buzzer and see the famous green light go on next to the door. People are jumping out of that door. The plane is emptying fast. Just do it. The Tandem Instructor tells me to get up on my knees, one last adjustment and we waddle up to the door. Holy crap, here it is, standing in the door. Whipping wind, clouds, the ground so far below. I'm about to jump out of a f*cking plane. Just do it. TI tells me to cross my arms, look up, remember to arch. Then, incredibly, we're out of the aircraft. I'm trying to take it all in. Remember to arch. I see the Otter getting smaller and smaller as we're falling away. Then, soon, we're face down, rocketing towards the earth. Like jumping off the highest high dive ever. Falling through the clouds gives me a sense of incredible speed. Then, several seconds later, sudden deceleration, and quiet. What a view. Hanging under this piece of nylon several thousand feet up. Not many people get to see creation from this perspective. Glorious. The TI points to a light brown circle and says we'll land there. We get closer to the ground. We're coming in fast. The toggles are pulled all the way down. Can't PLF a tandem. Gonna have to run this one out. I put one foot down, concussion, a confusion of lines, and we're down. The TI unhooks me. Asks if I'm okay. I feel the concussion, and the dull ache setting in, and realize my foot isn't quite pointing in the right direction. He asks if I can get up. I am now unhooked, and realize there's no chance I can stand up. I say no, and lay down on my side. Then once I'm clear of the lines, I roll on my back. So much for my Saturday schedule. A few jumpers move into action. One skydiver, identified himself as a paramedic, supports and elevates my ankle. He and another jumper carefully remove my shoe and sock. No pain from that. Surprising, the injury is gross-looking (caution, somewhat graphic - me in the ER), but I'm not feeling much pain at all. I remark on this. A thoughtful skydiver says, Oh, it'll start to hurt soon. Gee, thanks for that tidbit. I'm looking up at the clouds. Wow, I haven't done this in a long, long time. Beautiful. I ask for water. I realize I'm suddenly parched. Someone hands me a bottle of ice cold water. One of the sweetest bottles of water in my life. Then they take it away. The paramedics say I can't have any. I hear the ambulance. My jumpsuit is carefully removed. Ahhh, coolness. Then I'm loaded on the ambulance. Then I'm in the ER. I'm fortunate to have an excellent doctor, and fortunate to have gone to a good hospital. The doctor skillfully anesthetizes the ankle with a hefty dose of lidocaine directly into the joint. He comes several minutes later and says it's time to reduce (relocate) the joint. I grasp the edge of the bed, clench my teeth, and think of civil war infantry. Doc says it won't be that bad. Prior experience contradicts his statement. A quick pull and I feel it go back in. Not much extra pain. In fact, now, it feels a bit better. Thanks for the skill and the anesthesia, doc. Then it's off to surgery. Uneventful. I come out with hardware. Nine screws and a metal bar. A night spent in the hospital. The drive back to my place. Now, with the staples removed, and a hard cast on, I have probably 5 more weeks of not putting load on the ankle. I did it. I f*cking did it. Do I regret it? No. It was a rare experience. I experienced jumping out an airplane for the first time. I suffered a serious injury. I had emergency surgery for the first time. I get an ankle full of hardware. I get time off work. And, I get one heck of a story. As I was being worked on in the field, a jumper said that skydivers owe beer when there's a first and that I owed beer. Do I owe beer? I know I owe the people who kept my ankle elevated something. As badly as the jump ended, I was lucky to be assisted by skillful and helpful jumpers, a great paramedic team, an outstanding hospital staff, and an outstanding orthopedic doctor. And friends and family have been great too. A freak accident, it could have been much worse. First jump. First metal. Do I owe beer?

Blame the British Empire. Palestine was partitioned into a Jewish and Arab state, in November, 1947. A few hundred thousands people were displaced during this partition. India was partitioned into India and Pakistan, in August, 1947. In the Pakistan/India partition, about 15 million people were displaced. India to this day suffers from terrorist attacks from militant Islamists, in Kashmir, and other areas. Obviously so does Israel. I suspect that there may be more of a multi-religious, nationalistic element in the anti-Israeli violence. I don't know for sure. Here is a demographic breakdown of the Gaza Strip, and here is a demographic breakdown of the West Bank. The propaganda from the Islamists is the same - the desire to contain and destroy the infidel state. Hindus really annoy radical islamists as they completely reject all basic Islamic tenets, and are idolators to boot. To understand who is the aggressor, here is a simple thought experiment: If the Israelis laid down their arms, they would be destroyed. If the Palestinians laid down their arms there would be peace. Ditto with Islamist terror in south Asia. There seems to be an element in Islam (Wahabbism) that spawns this radical jihadi philosophy. Somehow it needs to be neutralized. It harms a lot of people. Of all the many wars going on in the world today, many times, one side is Islamist, the other side is something else. The rhetoric changes from conflict to conflict - Phillipines, US, Israel, Chechnya, India, etc - but the aggressors remain the same. Now please understand - I am not impugning regular Muslims or Arab Christians in the least. I don't mean to impugn average Christians when I criticize Fred Phelps. And I don't mean to impugn the average Muslim when I criticize the jihadists. I have seen that Arabs - Christian and Muslim - and people from other predominantly Muslim states - Persians, etc - tend to hold consistently anti-Israeli sentiments. I'm curious about why that is. Anyway, just my $0.02.

My god! I agree with you Amazon. Try thinking about it, if the Jihadists were so worried about what happens to their bodies after death they would hardly be blowing themselves to the four winds in suicide attacks Recall Atta's funeral instructions: The will has been translated by the FBI, and includes the following instructions. "I do not want a pregnant woman or a person who is unclean to come and say goodbye to me. I do not want any woman to come to my grave at all, during my funeral or any occasion thereafter." It seems like there might be a disconnect between what they think happens to them after a suicide attack and what actually does. Maybe, maybe not - a point to ponder. Why would this guy think there would anything left of his body after flying a jetliner full of fuel into a massive building? This will may have been written before Atta decided on auto-martyring with the jetliner. But, there may be some concern for the body. Like I say, a point to ponder. From day 1, we realized we would have to think "out-of-the-box" in order to defeat Al Qaeda. Many of our previous enemies were tigers. Our current enemy is a swarm of deadly disease-carrying mosquitoes. We musn't fall into the trap of trying to apply techniques that kill the tiger, to killing the mosquitoes. I have some concern that we are falling into that trap.

The beheading of soldiers and the grotesque individual brutality videotaped for public consumption was predicted well before Zarqawi made his cinematic debut. In October 2001, on Hackworth.com, Article 01, an expert on military and political affairs wrote the following: "During the war with the Soviets [Afghanistan], videotapes were made of communist prisoners having their throats slit. Indeed, there did exist a "trade" in prisoners so that souvenir videos could be made by outsiders to take home with them. This practice has spread to the Philippines, Bosnia and Chechnya were similar videos are being made today and can be found on the web for those so inclined. We can expect our soldiers to be treated the same way. Sometime during this war I expect that we will see videos of US prisoners having their heads cut off. Our enemies will do this not only to demonstrate their "strength" to their followers, but also to cause us to overreact, to seek wholesale revenge against civilian populations and to turn this into the world wide religious war that they desperately want. This will be a test of our will and of our character. (For further collaboration of this type of activity please read Kipling). This will not be a pretty war; it will be a war of wills, of resolve and somewhat conversely of compassion and of a character. Towards our enemies, we must show a level of ruthlessness that has not been part of our military character for a long time. But to those who are not our enemies we must show a level of compassion probably unheard of during war. We should do this not for humanitarian reasons, even though there are many, but for shrewd military logic." From Hackworth.com, October 2001. An article well worth reading. FYI, the second link above, in Article 02 also has the somewhat famous Barry McCaffrey "We are going to disrupt these people..." email.

Try an anonymous note mailed to him or placed in his mailbox. Here's a possibility: ========================= , Your presence is enjoyable and your contribution to the organization is valuable. However, you have very strong body odor, by American standards. It creates a very negative image of you. It makes being around you uncomfortable. In the United States, most people shower daily. Additionally, they use a product called "deodorant", available in supermarkets. Please shower more regularly to eliminate your very strong body odor. Please do not take offense at this suggestion. This note is anonymous because I don't want to possibly harm our relationship. Warmest Regards. ======================== Ultimately, this individual will greatly benefit from this information and will be grateful.

I truly don't know if global warming is happening. I've been in hot button debates where it turns out the conventional wisdom is a result of junk science (won't state what it is to avoid threadjack). But... it seems like there are primarily two kinds of folks who vehemently deny global warming: 1) People whose livelihoods significantly result in CO2 emissions (e.g. fuel, car companies) 2) Highly religious people. I heard Rush Limbaugh say on his radio show that God wouldn't allow humanity to become extinct, thus global warming and its catastrophic consequences couldn't occur (paraphrased, but the gist is captured). My approach is this: In the 70's, scientists were wrong about the impending ice age. Thus, they might be wrong about global warming. So, it becomes a question of risk management. Truly a topic skydivers should be intimately familiar with. How best do we deal with the likely possibility, but not absolute certainty of global warming? Do we want to beggar the country for a possible willow-the-wisp? Or do we continue on like we are, making no adjustments for global warming? And having our children and grandchildren face the possible catastrophic consequences? I dunno. Inertia and path of least resistance and highest near-term profitability will probably guide the decisions.

GirlFallDown was a cornerstone of this community. I am not a skydiver - merely someone who regularly peruses the site. I had some interaction with her in the pub. I enjoyed her posts. I was shocked to read the news. I can imagine how much worse it is for people who knew her. My deepest condolences to her friends and family. "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." - Theodor Geisel.

I have some experience with having close relatives in the hospital. Some observations: 1) It's a good idea to have someone there with him/her to act as an in-room patient advocate. The patient can't advocate for himself. Keeping the patient comfortable, assisting with communicating information to the doctors and nurses. Be assertive but not abrasive to obtain the best care possible for the patient. Example: Friend's dad was in the hospital with massive head pains. His son was there with him. The hospital was just medicating him. The son kept insisting that this was more severe, the medicine was just covering up the underlying issue and that the son MUST speak with the father's doctor. He kept pushing, finally spoke with the doc, got him transferred via ambulance to another hospital, and they handled the underly issue - a potentially deadly aneurysm. 2) The in-room patient advocate can set up appointments with the patient's doctors. The hospital's job is to get the patient stabilized to a point where the patient can be released. The advocate can call doctors - hospital won't necessarily do this - and verify that the patient sees the doctors. 3) The in-room patient advocate can just make the patient more comfortable. Being in the room until the patient is stabilized can make you more comfortable because you understand the situation more fully. And it provides blowback benefits to the patient to have an advocate there. Sneaking in a nice meal every so often - if the patient is not severely diet restricted - can be a nice bonus. My $0.02. Best wishes. - opurt

From Merriam-Webster online, a sacrifice includes giving up something you value or enjoy (definition 3). Losing a limb or a life is by definition a sacrifice. Since most people value and enjoy their limbs and lives. The soldier may or may not have known this was a credible possibility. That doesn't matter. In the line of duty, he gave up something he values. Thus, by definition, he has made a sacrifice. And frequently, for many soldiers, they are giving up civilian freedom, ease and flexibility for the purpose of being a soldier. Thus they sacrifice merely to be soldiers. The severity of this sacrifice varies for different people. The thoughtful society values people like this. As it is people like this who are ultimately called on to defend and preserve that society. Here is an interesting article on Sheep, Sheepdogs, and Wolves to support that point.

For centuries, people like you have been the guardians of this society. Thanks for your service.

This video is the best example I've seen of the Mentos/Coke geyser.

Heckling dead soldiers and their families at the soldiers' funerals. I wonder if Fighting Words laws could apply. I support free speech, but there's an appropriate time and place for various speech. For example, it is illegal to shout "Fire!" in a crowded theater.

"January thru September 2006 will be the peak period of the insurgency --and the bottom rung of the new Iraq. The positive trend lines following the January 2006 elections (if they continue) will likely permit the withdrawal of substantial US combat forces by late summer of 2006." - General Barry Mcaffrey, USA (Ret.) - Memo to Senate Foreign Relations Committee 18 July 2005, reporting on his trip to Iraq, 4-11 June 2005 On page 3 of the report, in Section 4, titled "Top CENTCOM Vulnerabilities", he lists number 1 as: "1 st – Premature drawdown of U.S. ground forces driven by dwindling U.S. domestic political support and the progressive deterioration of Army and Marine manpower. (In particular, the expected melt-down of the Army National Guard and Army Reserve in the coming 36 months)" Just a few points to keep in mind.

The significant soreness while sitting lasted me about 9-12 months. It's 98% better today. The injury occurred in 1999. Look into getting a Coccyx Cushion . And you'll need a really good ergonmic chair if you're going to be doing a lot of sitting. One that has moveable back, seat angle, height, armrests, etc.

The caring that woman showed for that dog is probably one of the purest expressions of love on this planet. That dog was a grotesque, hideous creature that could do nothing for her. Yes, there has been the recent notoriety, but for most of the time, it was just her and and the creature. It wasn't related to her or anything. It was just a grotesque, helpless creature that needed someone to care for him. And she did. I'm really not the sappy sort. But the story was compelling. Reading about folks like the woman who cared for that creature really does improve my view of humanity.

Barry McCaffrey, a decorated soldier and Clinton's Drug Czar visited Iraq on a fact finding mission and wrote a very interesting memo to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the situation there, dated 18 July 2005 (PDF document). Being a military man with Democratic leanings seems to add credibility to his observations. The situation right now is at a crossroads, it seems.

Hating Bush is perfectly acceptable. Thinking that Iraq was pure folly from the start is also perfectly acceptable. But pulling out of Iraq now will leave the Iraqis to the tender mercies of Zarqawi and the insurgents. And that would be a real (blood) stain on America. Rail against the administration with all your might. But don't hearten the insurgents and discourage the troops in the process. Both sides - Republican and Democrat - are clawing for political advantage. But that should not blind anyone to what is best for Iraq, America, and the world.

Sounds like a wood rat (aka pack rat). See The Victor Pest site. It's at the bottom. "Also attracted to shiny objects such as glass and metals and collect small fragments of these objects giving them the nickname "pack rats". It's a very interesting site. I found a very effective and humane snap mouse trap on their site.

Check out http://www.imageshack.us. You've gotta create an account - free, fyi - if you want to keep track of your pictures. Otherwise, just a quick way to host pictures you'd like to share, without clogging up folk's mailboxes with big attachments.

They were sent to war on the basis of a lie. I do not consider that they are fighting for me. They are fighting and dying because a lying president and his lying cronies wanted to demonstrate how macho he is. Just about every single reason for the invasion that Bush laid out in his 2003 SOTU speech turned out to be a lie. Just so we don't get too revisionist, check out snopes.com for some opinions from Democratic leaders on Saddam's WMD. Also, the strategic goal of democratizing the region, right or wrong, was listed by Bush as a reason to go to war in Bush's Speech to the American Enterprise Institute a few weeks prior to the invasion. It's regrettable this war has gotten so politicized, as it stifles true debate and promotes simple sloganeering.

"Land Design Landscaping, Inc." "Landscape Designs, LLC" "Landscape Arts, Inc." "Enviroshaping, Inc." "Turf Management Systems, LLC" "Landscape Management Systems, Inc" I think you'd want something that will advertise well on the side of a vehicle. Something cute and clever enough to give folks a good feeling from the name. Not so cute and clever that they have no idea what the company does. thesaurus.reference.com is a good online Thesaurus. This particular link is set to bring up synonyms for "landscape."

HFS is back. They're broadcasting nights and weekends on 105.7 FM. Here's their website. And they've got some of their old flavor back.