Baksteen

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Posts posted by Baksteen


  1. On 12/15/2022 at 9:01 PM, riggerrob said:

    Dear Stumpy,

    Execution is more expensive than life in prison because ^%$#@! lawyers drive up the cost of execution with lengthy mandatory appeals, etc.

    ^%$#@! lawyers also drive up the cost by trying to make execution "humane." I suspect that "humane" means less trauma for prison staff ... the same reason that the SS switched to gas chambers during World War 2. It seems that too many SS prison guards suffered PTSD when they simply shot Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, communists, political prisoners, etc.

    Hah! Compared with what? Compared with the ways that their victims suffered?

    Police and soldiers have long had rifles capable of executing someone quickly and inexpensively.

    I believe that a handful of the worst serial killers deserve execution because they are too crazy to ever be rehabilitated.

    The rank and file of the German army - even of the SS - weren't all psychopaths (though far too many of them were).

    Also, the person giving the order for mass-murder is not necessarily the person being forced to actually perpetrate it.

    • Like 1

  2. I agree with Gowlerk, but I also think that the death penalty is 'too easy' for the perpetrator.

    But having said that, a lifelong incarceration for crimes currently punishable by death should indeed be lifelong. Not 30 years with option of parole.

    I also feel that punishments for what I view as truly heinous crimes such as rape and pedophilia are way too light. But that is a different discussion.

    • Like 2

  3. 5 hours ago, JoeWeber said:

    That, dear readers, is why no one should pretend for a single second that Trump is a forgotten person. It ain't over by a long shot.

    Well, I mean of course nobody disavowed Trump. It wasn't as if he was talking to a non-Caucasian person, now was he?

     

    Sarcasm aside, we have our own political party of insanity as well now. The Forum for Democracy panders to conspiracy theorists, racists, Putin and every other unsavoury crap out there.


  4. 23 minutes ago, Phil1111 said:

    What were the ex-CEO and executives doing that you disagreed with?

    I said I don't like *Musk* and anything he stands for. But calling himself the Chief Twit, now *that* is self-awareness.


  5. For me personally, it depends.

    How many other people are in the air, what are we doing, how current am I etc.
    After a sequential jump I have had no problem with accepting a center dock at, say, 2K or 1500 if we're doing 2-way.
    I've also been known to be part of a "post-stack" which is complete at the altitude previously indicated, but flown down to 100 ft or so. I do that only with people I really know and trust.

    Offset docks, that ends at 3-3.5K if we're doing 2-way and isn't happening at all after a larger sequential jump.

    I don't coach people for their first canopy formation jumps (I'll leave that to @IJskonijn) , but I'd like to submit that the minimum docking altitude would also greatly depend on what gear everyone is on. For the purpose of this discussion I regard bumping endcells as "docking" where newbies are involved.

     

    The most important thing to know is, cross your legs once you reach the minimum altitude you're comfortable with and people know to stay away.

    • Like 3

  6. 8 hours ago, gowlerk said:

    By "nanny state" I mean where the local association has been given the power of the law. In nanny states you must belong to and abide by the association's rules or the government will not allow you to operate a DZ. Both Canada and the USA do not give that kind of power to either CSPA or USPA. If either of those organizations had that sort of power that the BPA for instance has, they would certainly have tighter rules and paid bureaucrats to enforce then. Meaning Big Brother would "nanny" you. 

    I see. Well as I have been told, in a nutshell, back in the good old days a lot of Dutch skydivers were getting hurt under then-modern canopies. IIRC that was around the time the original Sabre came out. The Dutch authorities took note and told our national association to regulate ourselves - or they would. So, since we don't sue as easily as the US, we got 'rules' instead of 'recommendations'. The association, however, does not have the power of the law.

    • Like 1

  7. 19 minutes ago, wmw999 said:

    The problem with the number of fatalities is that the number of jumpers overall in Holland is probably small enough that there isn’t a valid statistical comparison. But it’s still an interesting thought. I think the real thing is that the US is so focused on their internal view of profit and personal freedom that giving the chief instructor that much power is unlikely — if nothing else, a few DZOs will just overrule them because they’re pissing the customers off with all those rules

    Wendy P. 

    The Netherlands. :-)

    In 2019 we made ~86.500 jumps total, with ~175 reported incidents. Two incidents were fatalities.

    Two fatalities (or any fatality at that) is a lot for us; but as Wendy indicates there can be no meaningful comparison to the US due to the difference in absolute jump#s. 

    • Like 1

  8. 4 hours ago, pchapman said:

    Interesting to see those rules! -- including how they classify their canopies into levels 1-7.

    But, oh man they're strict. At least regarding recent experience. If that calculator does cover all the parts of the Dutch rules, looks like I could have thousands of jumps on my swooping canopy, and not be allowed to fly it unless I had a hundred jumps in the last year. Or similarly, if a national champion swooper took a break for a year, next year he would be down to flying stuff like a Pilot at 1.05 wing loading max until he built his 1-year jump numbers up. Unless he could grovel for a waiver. Bizarre.

    (As we digress from Opening Altitude rules to those about Wingsuits and about Wing Loadings...)

    No, I probably didn't explain myself well enough. The rules are basically for when you want to downsize.

    Look at me: I have a D-licence, ~1050 jumps, 0 in the last 12 months and I estimate that my exit weight is now 105 kg.

    I typically jumped a L160 loaded at 1.35.

    The calculator would put me on a skymaster or something, but since I already have experience with that canopy, the calculator does not apply. Instead, I would have to discuss with the instructor on duty what my "reintegration plan" is.
    Maybe a couple of solos, then some two-way CF with center docks only.

    Of course there are still grey areas, such as the infamous jumpers who'd feel restricted by the downsizing rules and go to a neighbouring country to jump the canopy they wanted. They would return triumphant saying they now already jump the canopy so the rules do not apply anymore. Unfortunately for them, the instructor still has the authority can keep them on the ground - no matter their experience/license.

    • Like 2

  9. I have no problem living in a nanny country.

    Your right to kill yourself doing shit you are not ready for is to me way less important than:
    1) the grief you cause an instructor (who is a whole different animal from the US-version) who has to reason with a bull headed jumper without being able to throw the rulebook at him
    2) traumatising everyone who you force to watch you femur in
    3) the bereavement of those you leave behind
    4) the bad image you project onto the sport
    5) and even the paperwork you cause the emergency responders.

    The Dutch rules limit your canopy choice and wingloading based on the canopy model, your total number of jumps, the number of jumps you made in the past twelve months. (https://skydivekompasroos.nl/en/).

    They are complained about by many, but I have never found them too restrictive. These days a Chief Instructor can allow a jumper to jump a canopy one size smaller than the rules mandate. If more leeway is wanted, you can apply to the national organisation (KNVvL) for a waiver.

    This obviously applies to normal progression. If, say, I was to start jumping tomorrow after the corona-break, the guide posted would put me on a first jump canopy (which I would seriously consider anyway). The rule however is that I have to make my first jump(s) in consultation with an instructor (been a while though since I read the exact procedure).

    • Like 3

  10. In a large aircraft I might -just might- overlook people jumping if the open parachute is contained far away from the door by more than one person.

    In a small aircraft like a 182 or 172 not so much. IMO the risk of fabric escaping containment and inflating is much larger. You'd get at least a talking to.

    I'm no S&TA, but if you'd close your container and jump, I guess you'd get your ass grounded.

    But then again, I've always been known as a cautious jumper.

    • Like 1

  11. 9 hours ago, BMAC615 said:

    I remember the ‘90s :)Now, I’m pretty consistently open by 3,500 ft in my wing suit. In terminal BASE, opening at 750’ is “In the stratosphere.” Why wouldn’t USPA consider allowing people jumping BASE canopies in dual harness rigs to open at whatever altitude they want?

    Given the nature of your continued questions in light of the excellent responses you got made me wonder what answer you were shopping for. Thanks for clearing that up.

    What, in your opinion, would be the added value of allowing "people jumping BASE canopies in dual harness rigs to open at whatever altitude they want?"


  12. 12 hours ago, riggerrob said:

    I disagree.

    Mammals are born with three instinctive reactions to danger: fight, flight or freeze. Politicians later learn a fourth response: filibuster.

    "Fight" means pulling more handles to improve the main canopy overhead ... or replace it with a better reserve canopy.

    "Flight" means running away from the problem ... pulling cutaway handle.

    "Freeze" means doing nothing and hoping or praying that the big nasty problem loses interest and goes away. S/L, IAD and AFF instructors try to screen for those reactions during ground school. Most of the time, ground-school instructors screen out the least competent students.

    Granted. I too see "freeze" as an involuntary response / panic. That is not what I meant and accept the change to "Flight". 

    I should not have called it "doing nothing", even though I can imagine it would feel that way to a student in that situation.
    You read all kinds of advanced stuff about changing stable two-outs into a downplane to cut it away. About canopy transfers. About hook knife use. About bloody standup bloody landings being the golden standard for a good landing. About sliding in on your arse.

    As a beginning student I do not want you to do any of that when the shit hits the fan. I want you to remember your decision altitudes and act accordingly.

    And I want you to PLF your first few landings, or I'll make you PLF all the way back to the hangar.

    • Like 1

  13. I think it's a good question.

    In my opinion the biggest issue you face is that someone is in a high-stress situation with a potentially fatal problem.
    Doing "nothing" (not cutting away) is against every instinct you possess.

    Also, I have not conducted any research into this, but I'm willing to guess that most people with a mal at low altitudes actually started with a mal at a reasonable altitude which they couldn't fix in time - adding even more stress / panic / sensory overload.

    • Like 1

  14. Well, I guess it would be country specific - or even dependent on the type of job you're looking for. From my experience (medical laboratory staff in the Netherlands) LinkedIn and Indeed are pretty heavy players. 

    But "networking" is the most important, yet most easily overlooked way of getting a new job.

     


  15. 11 hours ago, Slim King said:

    Hindsight is 20/20 for sure!!!! Just look at the insane way Obama left Iraq. Biden was right there with him. What a cluster that was!!!!

    And I just want to drop this cherry bomb ... The Taliban had reduced the worlds supply of heroin by 70%... Then BOOM 911... The we went after the guys who had saved millions of lives by reducing Heroin output and within one year the Obama administration had it back to full capacity and eventually much more. The Taliban had nothing to do with 911. If you have proof I'd love to see it.

    People like slim make me wistful for the Good Old Days, with quality trolls like Nipp1e_boy.

    • Like 2

  16. Damn. I am ashamed to have overlooked this thread.

    I jumped with Mark back in 2008, when I was a hundred jump wonder, with almost no FS-experience over 4-way. So it may be better to say he jumped with me. :-)

    I'm from a small Cessna DZ and this was the first time I jumped from a twin otter. I did jump from caravans previously, but unlike in the Netherlands back then, the Perris Otters had benches.

    For the life of me, I couldn't figure out the loading order. No matter where I was in the formation, I always seemed to end up in a (to me) illogical seat, where others would need to push past me from both sides.

    Until I overheard Mark telling one of the other Perris organisers to "put the Dutch guy in the cold seat. He won't notice". Which was very funny and true enough. The only way I could cope with the California heat was because I could look forward to the next jump, when the door was raised slightly and cool air was allowed into the plane. As I recall they kept a shoe in the plane for exactly that pupose.

    Mark also made a great impression on me by telling me the following: 

    Mark's coach at the time forgot Mark's lead vest and had to go back to fetch it. This caused Mark to miss the flight that would become the Perris crash.


  17. 14 hours ago, JoeWeber said:

     

    And, even better for society, provides that: "Any person has the right to defend his or her own life or the life of another person, even by the use of deadly force if necessary, from willful destruction by another person."  On passage each and every previously fertilized person shall have the absolute legal right to kill any other previously fertilized person found to be complicit, and just a good guess will be sufficient, in the act of de-fertilizing any suspected fertilization. For this quiz there will not be a bonus for guessing the political party of the authors.

    H158v1.pdf 17.61 kB · 1 download

    OK, so in order to protect the life of the mother, US-citizens are now allowed to shoot anti-abortion oriented politicians and "power brokers" (for want of a beeter word)?

    That's an unexpected turn for the good.


  18. Fluent in English or nearly so. 

    I can make myself understood in German, though reading/listening is a lot easier for me.

    I know the bare essentials in French (Donnay mwoh beer sil voos play, Carson) and can say at least "thank you" in Polish and Rumanian :-)