beowulf

That really sucks. I had my first rig stolen out of my apartment, by whuffos who most likely pawned it for $50. My current rig is very unlikely to be stolen by another jumper, as it is very easy to describe and very noticeable. It is my avatar.

I certainly won't forget that next time I am in Ft Worth. SOB's That is just plain bull shit.

Because

till I just can't physically skydive at all or I die. Which ever comes first.

"Nobody gets outta here alive"

yeah I know all about FL drivers. I lived there for 5 years before moving to Texas. Stick around and you will see more weird tricks.

Really! haven't seen that yet. Guess I have to see it now.

Villalobos is a small town in Spain. That is about as much as I know other then the translation.

Yeah but less then common here in the US

I have a less then common last name, but I have noticed that hollywood has taken a liking to it. It has been used in "The Highlander"(it was part of Sean Connery's characters name), "Pulp Fiction"(the cab driver's last name that picked up Bruce Willis), and "The Manchurian Candidate" (it was used twice once it was an army desk jockey on the phone and also one of the brian dead washed vets). Anyon else notice their less then common last name being used in movies? by the way my last name is Villalobos. I think it is kind of cool.

Just because the student says it wasn't taught something doesn't meant it wasn't taught. I have taught people things that they promptly forget. Also people often forget things when they are under high stress. That is the risk they accept.

While I agree in principle, I believe one should draw a clear distinction between a student and the guy with 100 jumps. The student frequently doesn't even know what question to ask, let alone who to ask and how to evaluate the answer. Ignorance means that one doesn't know. It does not mean one does not want to know, nor does it mean one is unwilling to learn. I sometimes wonder if all the instructors and coaches out there realise the huge responsibility they have. This is an adult sport. These students are adults and are still responsible for paying attention and following all instructions. The only thing that the instructors (other then tandems) and coaches are responsible for is providing accurate information. The student can ignore instructions if they so want to. Is the instructor responsible for that? No, Hell NO. Bottom line if the student doesn't take responsibility for themselves and make sure that all their questions are answered, then shit happens. If they don't want to get hurt or die skydiving then don't skydive. It must be made clear to all students that they are taking their lives in their own hands when they choose to skydive. They need to make sure that have been listening and understand what the instructors and coaches have been trying to teach. The only person that is responsible for their life on a skydive is themselves. This excludes tandem passengers. No one will be with them to tell them what to do when something goes wrong. During AFF the instructors will do their best to be there with them to make sure they fall stable and pull at the correct altitude. But if the student panics and is flailing out of control the only thing the instructor can do is try as hard as he/she can till their hard deck to get that person under control or pull their main parachute. Still every jumper is ultimately responsible for their own life. No one is forcing anyone to jump. If the student can't deal with the risk then they should go home and watch TV or what ever.

I feel it is the responsibility of each person to make sure they are fully educated on skydiving and all the risks that it entails. If they don't take the time and effort to inform themselves then tough luck. Ignorance is no excuse. There are plenty of people and sources to get the latest information. All it takes is effort. It is the students responsibility to themselves to make sure that all their questions are answered. Instructors and coaches can only do so much. Everyone that jumps automatically assumes that they have enough knowledge to deal with all and any problems that come during that jump. When you are rushing towards mother earth at high speeds and something goes wrong 'I don't know' or 'I am not sure' just doesn't cut it. If you are not doing a tandem then ignorance is no excuse. I accept the possibility that I may or will die skydiving and guess what even if I made a mistake due to ignorance it is still my fault for choosing to skydive, just as it is for everyone that skydives, whether they acknowledge it or not.

It sounds like you were clicking on "I Agree" and it was opening the file immediately in Windows Media player. The better way to download it would be to right click on "I Agree" and click "Save Target As" then choose where on your hard drive you want to save it. Then you won't get the same problems and the download will be quicker. Once it is downloaded you can play it as often as you want.

Explain how the person that wrote the commentary doesn't know anything about Europe or Germany.

The Irish make great whiskey too.

Explain it to us stupid americans.

I think this commentary illustrates what I have always thought, that europeans in general would rather sit around talking and issuing resolutions after resolutions while sneaking money out the back door then take action. They gave Saddam way to much leeway. All the while Saddam was making money and living high on the hog while many of his people starved. Even though weapons of mass destruction were not found, the US still did the right thing.

Pisces here

I have only been to one DZ that I didn't like. They are out of business now. Guess a lot of people felt the same way I did.

If I committed the crime then I would have already accepted the cost of getting caught. I would probably just plead guilty and accept the punishment. If I were to go to death row I would waive all appeals and get it over with quickly. But I can't forsee ever being in a situation where I would commit such a crime.

They didn't send a "celebrity" over there. He went with out any fanfare or celebrity status. He went as just another soldier and that is the way he wanted to be thought of. If he wanted the celebrity status he would have done the tour thing and shook a bunch of hands and would have never seen combat. The Gov. has no obligation to the general public to fully disclose anything about the way he died. He died as a soldier and some times soldiers die in less then heroic circumstances.

That is a silly statement. It seems as though you are just arguing just to argue.

Those above average would sell them to everyone else.

It seems that you think that easy availibilty of a gun would make someone more likely to use the gun illegally. That does not make any sense to me. If some one did not have a gun they are just going to make do with a knife or any other weapon, especially if they are certain that their victim is unarmed.