mpohl

And let's not forget: THIS IS AMERICA! Not some fucking low-life country w/ adequate health care, housing, and food for ALL!

Absolutely! As a PhD/MBA, my vote should count at least 1,000 of your uneducated BS/MS/LE asses. Does that answer your ridiculous question?

Above all, I am my brother's keeper. If we let go on the basic right to live or help to survive, what is the point of living in a society/nation?

I for one love the "f*cking post office": fast, efficient, a bargain by any means when compared to its competitors...and they deliver on Saturday!!! Not sure what point you were trying to make, if any. P.S.: Suffice it to say that, in my opinion, just like health care, water, telecom, and electricity...postal service does not belong in the for-profit realm.

Surgeon removes healthy baby thru mother's vagina. Ouch, ouch ouch! Development of surgery thru natural orifices has been on-going for 10+ years on an experimental scale. It's just that some lame reporter picked up on it now... Well, there is always somebody who will fall for fake news. ?Como estas, mi amigo?

If Obama fails, I can only conclude that change cannot come from within the system. Let me be very blunt here for a second: in 200 years this country, for the first time, elects a nigger to the highest office. Rightfully so! What do we need to do to get real change! "Bush was a good guy"; does that constitute a change? I am just wondering aloud. P.S..: And yes, my black acquaintances refer to themselves all the time as "niggers". Well said. It took both sides of the aisle to get us into this mess, something that is apparently lost on several posters here.

This is from the Wall Street Journal. Now, of course, this does not make it gospel; but, it provides a different point of view. Suffice it to say that Russia has been around a lot longer than the USA...heck, come to think of it, most every country on earth has. 29, 2008 As if Things Weren't Bad Enough, Russian Professor Predicts End of U.S. In Moscow, Igor Panarin's Forecasts Are All the Rage; America 'Disintegrates' in 2010 By ANDREW OSBORN MOSCOW -- For a decade, Russian academic Igor Panarin has been predicting the U.S. will fall apart in 2010. For most of that time, he admits, few took his argument -- that an economic and moral collapse will trigger a civil war and the eventual breakup of the U.S. -- very seriously. Now he's found an eager audience: Russian state media. In recent weeks, he's been interviewed as much as twice a day about his predictions. "It's a record," says Prof. Panarin. "But I think the attention is going to grow even stronger." Prof. Panarin, 50 years old, is not a fringe figure. A former KGB analyst, he is dean of the Russian Foreign Ministry's academy for future diplomats. He is invited to Kremlin receptions, lectures students, publishes books, and appears in the media as an expert on U.S.-Russia relations. But it's his bleak forecast for the U.S. that is music to the ears of the Kremlin, which in recent years has blamed Washington for everything from instability in the Middle East to the global financial crisis. Mr. Panarin's views also fit neatly with the Kremlin's narrative that Russia is returning to its rightful place on the world stage after the weakness of the 1990s, when many feared that the country would go economically and politically bankrupt and break into separate territories. A polite and cheerful man with a buzz cut, Mr. Panarin insists he does not dislike Americans. But he warns that the outlook for them is dire. "There's a 55-45% chance right now that disintegration will occur," he says. "One could rejoice in that process," he adds, poker-faced. "But if we're talking reasonably, it's not the best scenario -- for Russia." Though Russia would become more powerful on the global stage, he says, its economy would suffer because it currently depends heavily on the dollar and on trade with the U.S. Mr. Panarin posits, in brief, that mass immigration, economic decline, and moral degradation will trigger a civil war next fall and the collapse of the dollar. Around the end of June 2010, or early July, he says, the U.S. will break into six pieces -- with Alaska reverting to Russian control. In addition to increasing coverage in state media, which are tightly controlled by the Kremlin, Mr. Panarin's ideas are now being widely discussed among local experts. He presented his theory at a recent roundtable discussion at the Foreign Ministry. The country's top international relations school has hosted him as a keynote speaker. During an appearance on the state TV channel Rossiya, the station cut between his comments and TV footage of lines at soup kitchens and crowds of homeless people in the U.S. The professor has also been featured on the Kremlin's English-language propaganda channel, Russia Today. Mr. Panarin's apocalyptic vision "reflects a very pronounced degree of anti-Americanism in Russia today," says Vladimir Pozner, a prominent TV journalist in Russia. "It's much stronger than it was in the Soviet Union." Mr. Pozner and other Russian commentators and experts on the U.S. dismiss Mr. Panarin's predictions. "Crazy ideas are not usually discussed by serious people," says Sergei Rogov, director of the government-run Institute for U.S. and Canadian Studies, who thinks Mr. Panarin's theories don't hold water. Mr. Panarin's résumé includes many years in the Soviet KGB, an experience shared by other top Russian officials. His office, in downtown Moscow, shows his national pride, with pennants on the wall bearing the emblem of the FSB, the KGB's successor agency. It is also full of statuettes of eagles; a double-headed eagle was the symbol of czarist Russia. The professor says he began his career in the KGB in 1976. In post-Soviet Russia, he got a doctorate in political science, studied U.S. economics, and worked for FAPSI, then the Russian equivalent of the U.S. National Security Agency. He says he did strategy forecasts for then-President Boris Yeltsin, adding that the details are "classified." In September 1998, he attended a conference in Linz, Austria, devoted to information warfare, the use of data to get an edge over a rival. It was there, in front of 400 fellow delegates, that he first presented his theory about the collapse of the U.S. in 2010. "When I pushed the button on my computer and the map of the United States disintegrated, hundreds of people cried out in surprise," he remembers. He says most in the audience were skeptical. "They didn't believe me." At the end of the presentation, he says many delegates asked him to autograph copies of the map showing a dismembered U.S. He based the forecast on classified data supplied to him by FAPSI analysts, he says. He predicts that economic, financial and demographic trends will provoke a political and social crisis in the U.S. When the going gets tough, he says, wealthier states will withhold funds from the federal government and effectively secede from the union. Social unrest up to and including a civil war will follow. The U.S. will then split along ethnic lines, and foreign powers will move in. California will form the nucleus of what he calls "The Californian Republic," and will be part of China or under Chinese influence. Texas will be the heart of "The Texas Republic," a cluster of states that will go to Mexico or fall under Mexican influence. Washington, D.C., and New York will be part of an "Atlantic America" that may join the European Union. Canada will grab a group of Northern states Prof. Panarin calls "The Central North American Republic." Hawaii, he suggests, will be a protectorate of Japan or China, and Alaska will be subsumed into Russia. "It would be reasonable for Russia to lay claim to Alaska; it was part of the Russian Empire for a long time." A framed satellite image of the Bering Strait that separates Alaska from Russia like a thread hangs from his office wall. "It's not there for no reason," he says with a sly grin. Interest in his forecast revived this fall when he published an article in Izvestia, one of Russia's biggest national dailies. In it, he reiterated his theory, called U.S. foreign debt "a pyramid scheme," and predicted China and Russia would usurp Washington's role as a global financial regulator. Americans hope President-elect Barack Obama "can work miracles," he wrote. "But when spring comes, it will be clear that there are no miracles." The article prompted a question about the White House's reaction to Prof. Panarin's forecast at a December news conference. "I'll have to decline to comment," spokeswoman Dana Perino said amid much laughter. For Prof. Panarin, Ms. Perino's response was significant. "The way the answer was phrased was an indication that my views are being listened to very carefully," he says. The professor says he's convinced that people are taking his theory more seriously. People like him have forecast similar cataclysms before, he says, and been right. He cites French political scientist Emmanuel Todd. Mr. Todd is famous for having rightly forecast the demise of the Soviet Union -- 15 years beforehand. "When he forecast the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1976, people laughed at him," says Prof. Panarin. That's different than him being evil. Obama may agree with you on that point. That's not what he said. Not nearly, nearly as many as MSNBC would have you to believe. Yes. Hitler believed in the extermination of races. If you fail to see the difference and honestly don't think Hitler was evil, then it's just plain sad. The US is done the way we know it or it will cease to exist? Apparently, you and others on this board would be happy if the US as we know it today was done. If you think Obama is the sole savior of this country then I think you're going to be very disappointed. If you think Obama is the last chance for this country to exist then that's even sadder. Obama is smarter and more professional than to say anything other than something positive about the out-going President. I hope you don't get this wound up over every little thing he does over the next 4 years. I also can't believe I'm defending Obama against a liberal. Back-asserds.

ad (1) To the 100,000+ Iraqi civilians or 4,000+ American Service Men, it does not make a difference whether they were killed by malice or incompetence. They are, for all practical intents and purposes, quite dead! ad (2) The pilot of an airliner has seconds or minutes to make a decision; cf. the Hudson river landing. The Bush administration spent months to built an intricate web of lies and deceptions to "justify" their invasion of Iraq.

Methinks, he deserves to explain his point of view in front of the International Court in TheHague defending himself as a war criminal and against accusations of crimes against humanity.

I am sure that Saddam was also an interesting person to get to know over a beer at a bar. So are Hitler and Jack the Ripper. I am sorry, but you cannot separate the man from his actions and consequences thereof. Suffice it to say that Obama was elected on a platform of CHANGE; I am beginning to hear undertones of more of the same.

Look it up at your favorite news site. Two things: (i) I want my money, that is, campaign contribution back; (ii) we are fucked, really fucked!!!

In the end everything seems to have worked for everyone. Glad to hear it. P.S.: I still have to wonder how the original 4 or 5 PD factory pilots ever qualified for such a demanding job? In the absence of a skillz camp, and presentations on beer can chicken, that is.

You mean like this? Suffice it to say that my beer-can chicken beats all others. I still fail to see what that has to do w/ canopy piloting or professionally representing a company. "Day 2 became individual presentation day. Candidates were asked to prepare a 10 minute presentation on any topic they wanted. They came up with some interesting ones ranging from catching alligators, cooking chicken on a beer can, purchasing antique cars to building water towers!" But suffice it to say that, "This ultimate intimate setting is where teammates are making their final selection from 15 lucky and deserving swoopers, all vying for the ultimate dream job: a spot on the PD Factory Team." "This immediately began the tension that will surely carry throughout the selection process. Individuals are now thrust together in a working environment where The PD Factory Team members closely monitor reactions and responses." Everybody hail the PD factory team? Still looks like a collegiate hazing exercise.

And I think, it's total and utter bullshit, aka "Eat my shit". I venture to argue that the self-proclaimed best canopy pilots in the world, have a decent knowledge who (a) is capable skill-wise, and (b) would fit the PD culture and mission. They could have just made a couple of phone calls: e.g., are you interested, here is what's in for you. No need for a "Project-X" (!!); imho, it's unadulterated, unabashed self-aggrandization. As supported by the blog entries. Well.. it is.. they are representing the sport in many public events through demos, they are representing the company (PD) in public. I think it is only fair they have a very strict selection program as to who they let in. I think they'd pick an average canopy pilot who is extremely professional and has great people skills over a badass pilot who has no people skills any time.. You can teach someone to get better at flying their parachute, but it's a lot harder getting someone to act professional if thats not "who they are" I think its a great excercise they are doing. Iwan

From the blog, sounds like a corporate assessment/ hazing exercise. Which in turn supports the notion that skydiving has just become another business.

+1 for Super Mario Galaxy.

Just aim it point blank at your head and pull the trigger. If you see a tunnel w/light at the end it has done its job. Who needs a FUCKING gun as a hobby? How about getting a girlfriend? P.S.: This gun culture of ours is crazy.

The Fleecing of America continues at all levels. Here are two experiences of mine just from the last week, not quite on a Madoff-level though. (1) My long-time gym sends me a note in the mail, no postal address, no contact info of any kind on the letterhead, just the corporate logo. Paraphrased: "We think we have made so many improvements, hence we will charge you $1/ mo more starting Jan 2009." Never mind that they are party to a written contract that sets a certain, fixed monthly fee. WELL, THEY CAN TRY. (2) Had to take my Ford Explorer 2002 in for repair: turns out a vacuum hose was leaking. Fix it! Get a call that the fuel filter ($9.95 part) also needs to be replaced at $60. Location of the fuel filter on an Explorer is kinda inconvenient, so go ahead and do it. Looking at the invoice today line-by-line, they charged $60 for fuel filter replacement and a $55 non-descript Environmental Fee to dispose of the spent fuel filter. $115 for a freakin' fuel filter??? WELL, THEY CAN TRY. My point is that Madoff is just what happens on a much smaller scale daily. Unfortunately, the US seems to have turned into the premiere home for scam artists. P.S.: (i) the gym is Crunch, a minor national chain; (ii) the dealer is Tim Stewart Peachtree Ford, Atlanta, an Oval Certified Ford Dealer and Service Center. P.P.S.: Let's start to call out the crooks at all levels by name.

Sounds like a job for Richard Reid.

Female orgasm?

With all of the developments on Wall Street and in the domestic economy: with pure, unadulterated monetary greed being the main driving force. With the recent wrong-doings by Marc S Dreier, Bernard L Madoff, and "Blowdryovitch". With the fleecing of workers by CEOs on an epic scale over the last 20 years. I can't help to conclude that the USofA in itself is the biggest Ponzi scheme of them all.

What else would one expect from an insurance agent named Schnabel, living in Massillon, O-Hi-O. Case closed. P.S.: This is not a personal insult, just a recitation of the poster's profile.

Never felt that need; truth to be told, if I were 20 yrs younger I'd probably emigrate to Latin America rather than the US. I think Middle and South America are underrated: forget about Asia. And the women...need I say more? You are still an idiot, Jorge, but at least your Spanish is better than mine. Best wishes. You out of all people should know better ... Reseach .... Research... suppress your genetic need to feel superior

Only improper grammar by Hispanics decked out in in a suit and red tie...if you know what I mean, Jorge. P.S.: Bill Richardson you are not.