wolfriverjoe

Clicky fixed (click on the "Quote" button on my post to see how to do that). Seems like a nice deal, especially with the canopy downsize in the future, but why would you want to spend the money on new for your first rig? You probably won't be keeping it all that long, and you probably will be getting it biffed and stained while you perfect your landing technique. Just my $0.02 "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Because there are a lot better options out there. A rig that fits you, and will hold appropriate sized main and reserve canopies without being overstuffed would be the best option. Remember, that although you can squeeze a main and a reserve that's bigger than intended, it is a pain in the ass to pack, your rigger will not like it (the reserve is a pain to pack too) and it will put extra stress on the container. The flaps will be overstressed and the stitching may suffer. The stiffeners will be bent in ways they aren't supposed to and will break inside the flaps and need to be replaced sooner than they would otherwise. Why are you so set on getting this particular rig? Or did you already get it and are trying to figure out how to get it to work for you? "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Are you sure? I've heard you can get at least misdemeanors cleared off your record just by asking. I'm wondering if there isn't a way to do that with felonies too. I've also heard that you can be pardoned for felonies, thus clearing your record. Not sure who can do it, but the president did it in a case I heard of. Not to argue, for a change, just trying to get educated. Anyway, as for old stuff followed by years of no problems, I say forgive and forget. We all make mistakes, but not all of us get caught. Not that I'm aware of. A criminal record (even an arrest record) stays with you for life. There are exceptions. There are "deferred prosecution" agreements where the conviction isn't on your public record, but it is still there. Judges and prosecutors can still access the "removed" conviction, and the arrest never goes away. Pardons can be granted by the President and State Governors. The pardon doesn't remove it from your record, the conviction is still there, you just have the rights denied convicted felons restored. I know a couple guys that have had very old felonies pardoned so they could hunt again. It's a long, complicated and expensive process. And regarding the OP, I'm all for giving someone a second chance. Genuine remorse, honesty about the past, a clean record since "going straight" all merit forgiveness IMHO. But not everyone feels the way I do. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

He'll just drop it on his foot, break a toe, and sue you. Sorry, but this guy should take up cribbage. Bad idea. Paper cuts from the cards and you can put an eye out with those little pegs! Seriously, I think there is a difference between the release you sign for sending in a Video to America's Funniest Home Videos and being interviewed by a clip show. I could be wrong, maybe if all the shows were produced by the same company, and the interview was from a while back, and the release he signed back then gave all the rights away for the future. From the little I can find, the producers for the two shows are different. IIRC, though (and I admit my memory might be wrong) the interview from Max X and the one from World's Worst were different. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

I'm not sure which would be creepier for her. The fact that you turned "Bad Touch" up and sang along with it on a first date... Or the fact that you know enough of the words to sing along with it in the first place "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

With a bigger SUV figure 10-15 mpg realistically. Gas is currently running a bit under $3/gal. It will probably go up a bit over $3 during the summer. You could do better on gas with a more efficient vehicle. Minivans, crossovers and mid-sized sedans and station wagons will all burn less gas, but lose the "cool" factor (very imprtant for a Brit in Texas) The only toll roads in Texas are around Dallas/Ft Worth and Houston. They are more for convenience and there are good alternate routes (that will have more traffic on them). I'd go a bit higher for food if I were you. Unless the younger kids are willing to eat off the "Kid Menu", you'll be closer to $40/day each. Some hotels let the kids eat free with adult meal purchases, so you might do a bit better. Other hotels offer free breakfast, so that might help too. You can also eat cheaper by going with the "specials" at the smaller, local "family style" restaurants. The problem with those is that the quality varies quite a bit, and you lose the choice. There are usually only one or two items on special each day. Getting some trusted local advice on a good restaurant is useful. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Very cute! (I hope he isn't offended by my calling him "cute") It's very cool of you to get a rescue dog too. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Well, he keeps shoving this incident back into the public. Every time a new "video clip" show comes out, he's right there, showing his video and giving commentary. And continuing to deny any responsibility for it. RealTV, Max X, and most recently, Discovery Channel's "World's Worst Vacation Videos" (Or something like that) If he wants it to go away, maybe he should quit making money off of it. In fairness, I might be willing to adjust my feelings about the OP if Lutz was still making a dishonest issue out of it in recent times. Can you show us how recently he's done that? Show it? No, I can't find it. But it was on Spike TV's "Max X" back in 05 or 06. And I saw it (complete with interview) last summer on TruTV (not Discovery, my mistake) on the World's Worst Vacation Videos show. I don't know when the interview was done, but he looked fairly old. And even if it was an older interview, I think he still has to give permission and gets paid for it to be used in a new show (I could be wrong on that though). "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Well, he keeps shoving this incident back into the public. Every time a new "video clip" show comes out, he's right there, showing his video and giving commentary. And continuing to deny any resposnibility for it. RealTV, Max X, and most recently, Discovery Channel's "World's Worst Vacation Videos" (Or something like that) If he wants it to go away, maybe he should quit making money off of it. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

If I recall correctly, Obama voted against Bush's amnesty bill. McCain was in favor. Illegals get free healthcare already - they just turn up at ERs and the rest of us pay. Yep, and for the most part, they are young and healthy. If they paid for health insurance, then they'd help reduce the costs for the rest of us. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

No, but I bet if you tell the next cop that pulls you over how well you did on the tests, he will let you off with just a warning "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

That is only 3/4 of a rack. We need the camera to pull back a bit to take it all in. Dude, it is what it is. I'm happy to see this thread back in business. Amstadler. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

"Sexy & Tempting"? I never knew you felt that way about me. I don't play on that side of the fence but a appreciate the complement just the same. Nope, SICK AND TWISTED "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

You've already learned that your scrawny ass isn't moving me anywhere I don't wanna go in freefall, what would you do if I had a plane to hold on to? Take your jumpsuit and pants with me. Alright! That's enough! The mental pic of Divot without pants definitely belongs in the S&T thread. I need some mental bleach "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Chuck Norris is FAR more interesting than that "Dos Equis" idiot. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

I guess I thought the country was founded on rights and freedoms more than moral values. And this is a clear example of that. Larry Flynt has pushed boundaries his entire career. Does the public's "right to know" trump the victim's family's "right to privacy"? In this case, the publication seems (to me at least) to be for publicity and sensationalism. But does that negate the rights of the press? That's for an impartial (I couldn't think of that word last night - too tired) court to decide. Balancing the various sides "rights" and reasons to make (hopefully) the best decision. On a similar note, do hate groups like the KKK have the right to parade (public assembly) and make speeches from the steps of the state capitol (free speech)? As repugnant as those groups are, the answer is yes. And Jakee - The GBI is a public institution. Funded by the taxpayers, performing a public service. Technically, the pictures were taken with public property, by public servants. That makes those pictures public property too. Whether or not they should be released to the public is a good question, but the ownership isn't. There's lots of "public property" like that. I can't go to the police station and demand use of "my" (as a member of the public) police car, but it is technically "mine", at least a little bit. There was a National Guard helicopter that stopped by my DZ a year or so ago. The pilots were very nice and let us sit in it. They clearly said that it belonged to us (as members of the public). "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Now you're just being a thilly gooth "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Determining whether or not a pic should be published based on what the family might think would stop a significant majority of news photos from being published. How about those accused of crimes? Or pics of car accidents? Or a house that burned down? Sorry, but the right of the public to know often trumps the right of the family to privacy. In this particular case, the purient interests of the publisher are simply to generate contoversy and sensationalism. Which is what Larry Flynt and Hustler do. I'd prefer to see them blocked (again, in this particular case). But I don't agree at all with basing this law on what you decide is moral or not. That level of emotionalism is why courts and juries are supposed to be neutral parties. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Not direct deaths from overdose. I really don't think that's possible. But I find it difficult to believe the claims that potsmoke is not as bad for you as tobacco smoke (although it's possible, I'm not an expert on it). And how about stoned stupidity? Traffic accidents, falls, drownings, that sort of thing. It isn't easy to detect so it may not show up in the reports (the dead guy's friends aren't going to tell the cops "He fell out of the tree becuase he was high"). I personally don't see a lot of difference between the two. Just one is legal and one isn't. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Because it's legal and "accepted", the use of it is far more common. So the abuse is more common. But pot isn't any less "abusable". Since it isn't legal, the use (and abuse) is a lot more hidden. Both can be used responsibly, both can be abused. And (for the most part anyway) someone who is going to abuse one will abuse the other (or anything else available for that matter) There's crime and death from pot as well as alcohol. Just not as much. Mainly (IMO) because the use isn't a much, and kept hidden. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

I'm just curious. Where do you think the real world exists? Somewhere between the right wingnut world (where Obama is a muslim born in Kenya among other things) and the left wingnut world (where the Rebublicans want gays put to death, among other thngs). Unfortunately, both the left and right wingnuts believe that their world is the real one Somewhere waaaaaay away from SC "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

As a mostly serious answer, I don't think the pressure changes have much long-term effects. My reasoning for that comes from the pilot perspective. The jump pilots are going up and down all day long. Other pilots fly at mid-high (non-oxygen) altitudes for extended periods (think FedEx). The oxygen rules (in the US) have been in place for a long time. They seem to do the job ok. The biggest breathing concern up high is hyperventilation. You don't get as much oxygen, so you think "I have to breathe harder". This purges CO2 from your system, without adding much extra O2. You still feel out of breath, and your system bases it's measurements on CO2 levels. So you eventually pass out if you don't normalize your breathing. As others have said, the massive increase in heart rate isn't because of the altitude (not directly anyway), it's because your brain is trying to come to grips with the fact that you're about to go against every instinct in your body and jump. We fart on the way to altitude because of Boyle's Law. As pressure decreases on the outside, the volume of the gas inside increases. Take a balloon up sometime. Watch how big it gets at jump altitude. As gross as it is to smell the farts in the plane, it would be a lot worse if someone were to explode, wouldn't it? "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

That's certainly true. But I'll ask again because no one ever seems to want to answer. What do you think the deficit would look like if someone besides Obama won the election? Probably about the same IMO. I don't fully agree with all the bailouts and aid programs and all that stuff, but I can't see any of it not happening, no matter who was in the White House. Or even congress to a certain extent. Despite their idealogical differences, both parties want to be (stay or regain) in power. They are going to do stuff that makes most of the populace happy. Even if it isn't the best in the long run. Kind of like feeding your kid candy to keep him happy. The kid likes you a lot more than if you made him eat his vegatables, but the long term health effects aren't really good. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Question - Who gets the ticket? She was behind the wheel, but he was driving. BTW, driving from the passenger seat is a handy skill to have. And anyone who thinks "Nothing will ever beat this" hasn't seen much. There's always someone wierder out there. Otherwise BV's S&T thread would have died a long time ago "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

You do realize that people have been complaining about "the new folks" for at least the last 200 years; no? Well, back in the mid-1800's, there were a lot of German immigrants in southern/southwest Wisconsin. By a lot, I mean to the point that German language newspapers outnumbered English language ones. Many (most) business contracts were in German. Most court procedings were held in German, and the court documents were written in German too. This went on until WWI when the anti-German sentiments put a stop to it. The more things change, the more they stay the same NPR "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo