On Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:01:44 -0400, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:


"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
.. .
On Sun, 29 Aug 2010 20:49:48 -0500, Ignoramus4078
wrote:

I have to admit to having almost never ridden a skateboard, certainly
I am a complete novice. My older kid started to learn it and I am
wondering, can an adult pick that skill up or is it too late.

If you ever surfed or skied, yeah, it's a piece of cake.

I've done quite a bit of both, and I don't think it's a piece of cake.


Same here. I was a decent skiier and surfer as a teenager, but found
skateboarding awkward. And mistakes hurt more.

But I have taken up surfing again this summer after a 35 year break.

--
Ned Simmons

On Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:26:00 -0500, Ignoramus24925
wrote:

On 2010-08-30, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:21:02 -0400, "ATP"
wrote:


"Ignoramus24925" wrote in message
...
On 2010-08-30, Gunner Asch wrote:


So I pulled a name off a tombstone, got a birth cert..joined up.
So you have a DD-214?

i

It would have the tombstone guy's name on it.

It certainly did. The "guy" was born in 1950 and died in 1950, age 6
weeks.

But, still, you have the actual form with that guy's name, right?

Ive got a copy of his birth cert tucked away at my dads place. Im pretty
sure, though its been...hum...30 yrs since I looked in the footlocker.
No need. That portion of my life is long, long, long over.

It was much easier in those days to establish alternative ID than it is
today, though it is still possible. In fact..I have, quite legally, 3
other packages of ID, all in different names etc etc, that I keep
current. All quite legal, as Im sure you know.

Someday..one might have/want/need to take off into the wild blue yonder.

The only hard part is fingerprints. Shrug

Gunner


i

Gunner


I am the Sword of my Family
and the Shield of my Nation.
If sent, I will crush everything you have built,
burn everything you love,
and kill every one of you.
(Hebrew quote)


I am the Sword of my Family
and the Shield of my Nation.
If sent, I will crush everything you have built,
burn everything you love,
and kill every one of you.
(Hebrew quote)

It certainly did. The "guy" was born in 1950 and died in 1950, age 6
weeks.

But, still, you have the actual form with that guy's name, right?

Ive got a copy of his birth cert tucked away at my dads place. Im pretty
sure, though its been...hum...30 yrs since I looked in the footlocker.
No need. That portion of my life is long, long, long over.

That means you're missing out on VA medical care. Top shelf in this
part of the country. There's a pecking order of sorts to VA benefits.
If you're a veteran of a war and have a purple heart or two they cover
almost everything.

Karl

Just a little update, I practiced skateboarding for about 2
hours. First just standing on one the board still for a while, then
barely riding down a super gentle slope, then down my driveway (not
all the way).

I am sure that I I looked ridiculous, but I still would look
ridiculous even if I had passable skateboarding skills. But it is like
any other balance sport, just takes some getting used to and some
patience. I did it on my son's skateboard, but since I liked I bought
my own online.

i

Karl Townsend wrote:
It certainly did. The "guy" was born in 1950 and died in 1950, age 6
weeks.
But, still, you have the actual form with that guy's name, right?
Ive got a copy of his birth cert tucked away at my dads place. Im pretty
sure, though its been...hum...30 yrs since I looked in the footlocker.
No need. That portion of my life is long, long, long over.

That means you're missing out on VA medical care. Top shelf in this
part of the country. There's a pecking order of sorts to VA benefits.
If you're a veteran of a war and have a purple heart or two they cover
almost everything.

Karl

My FIL is seriously ****ed at the VA. His records were part of the bunch
lost in the fire years ago and other than a couple of pictures and his
discharge papers he has nothing. He took what he has to the VA and they
basically said "Tough luck pal you don't show up in the system"
I told him that the lack of paperwork wasn't the real problem, it was
that he served in the quartermaster corps planning menus and food
service for many of the folks who now run the VA.....


--
Steve W.

Not from a closed head injury. At least wear a helmet if not all the other gear Gunner
recommended.

Wes

He aint kidding Iggy. Y'know how your ankle swells when you injure
it. The brain does the same thing except it doesn't have any place to
expand except down the hole where the spinal cord comes out. Guess
what's down there at the base of the brain where the cord exits - the
part that controls breathing and the heart. It gets squished by the
swelling and stops functioning - potentially within minutes if it's
severe enough. Don't even need a skull fracture; just shake the brain
hard enough.

On Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:40:14 -0500, Karl Townsend
wrote:


It certainly did. The "guy" was born in 1950 and died in 1950, age 6
weeks.

But, still, you have the actual form with that guy's name, right?

Ive got a copy of his birth cert tucked away at my dads place. Im pretty
sure, though its been...hum...30 yrs since I looked in the footlocker.
No need. That portion of my life is long, long, long over.

That means you're missing out on VA medical care. Top shelf in this
part of the country. There's a pecking order of sorts to VA benefits.
If you're a veteran of a war and have a purple heart or two they cover
almost everything.

Karl


Yes, I am. As has been discussed with several individuals, including
the VA.

That rather surprising $250k medical bill brought it to mind and Ive put
some feelers out.

The VA claims its doable, but may take a few years.


Gunner


I am the Sword of my Family
and the Shield of my Nation.
If sent, I will crush everything you have built,
burn everything you love,
and kill every one of you.
(Hebrew quote)

On Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:59:31 -0500, Ignoramus24925
wrote:

Just a little update, I practiced skateboarding for about 2
hours. First just standing on one the board still for a while, then
barely riding down a super gentle slope, then down my driveway (not
all the way).

I am sure that I I looked ridiculous, but I still would look
ridiculous even if I had passable skateboarding skills. But it is like
any other balance sport, just takes some getting used to and some
patience. I did it on my son's skateboard, but since I liked I bought
my own online.

i

DID you wear proper protection?

If not...better order it online or shag your ass over to the second hand
stores.

Or you will look far worse than I did when they cut my heart out for 4.5
hours

Gunner


I am the Sword of my Family
and the Shield of my Nation.
If sent, I will crush everything you have built,
burn everything you love,
and kill every one of you.
(Hebrew quote)

On 2010-08-31, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:59:31 -0500, Ignoramus24925
wrote:

Just a little update, I practiced skateboarding for about 2
hours. First just standing on one the board still for a while, then
barely riding down a super gentle slope, then down my driveway (not
all the way).

I am sure that I I looked ridiculous, but I still would look
ridiculous even if I had passable skateboarding skills. But it is like
any other balance sport, just takes some getting used to and some
patience. I did it on my son's skateboard, but since I liked I bought
my own online.

i

DID you wear proper protection?

No, I did not wear proper protection.

And try to guess how I became a father of two kids.

If not...better order it online or shag your ass over to the second hand
stores.

Or you will look far worse than I did when they cut my heart out for 4.5
hours

I will try to find some kind of a helmet.

i

On Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:30:46 -0400, "Steve W."
wrote:

Karl Townsend wrote:
It certainly did. The "guy" was born in 1950 and died in 1950, age 6
weeks.
But, still, you have the actual form with that guy's name, right?
Ive got a copy of his birth cert tucked away at my dads place. Im pretty
sure, though its been...hum...30 yrs since I looked in the footlocker.
No need. That portion of my life is long, long, long over.

That means you're missing out on VA medical care. Top shelf in this
part of the country. There's a pecking order of sorts to VA benefits.
If you're a veteran of a war and have a purple heart or two they cover
almost everything.

Karl

My FIL is seriously ****ed at the VA. His records were part of the bunch
lost in the fire years ago and other than a couple of pictures and his
discharge papers he has nothing. He took what he has to the VA and they
basically said "Tough luck pal you don't show up in the system"
I told him that the lack of paperwork wasn't the real problem, it was
that he served in the quartermaster corps planning menus and food
service for many of the folks who now run the VA.....


The St Louis fire....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationa...ds_Center_fire


A LOT of guys got ****ed over badly when that happened and many are
still not back in the system.

And then there was this from 2008.....

Shredding Our Trust in the VA

VA investigators find entire claims and other critical documents in
shredding bins at Detroit Regional Office. VA official will only say, "I
can't talk about that."

by Larry Scott

Many veterans who have filed disability claims with the Veterans'
Benefits Administration (VBA) of the Department of Veterans' Affair (VA)
will relate horror stories of misdated, misfiled or lost documents all
leading to delays in processing or an outright denial of the claim. The
mantra for veterans dealing with the VBA has become: "Delay, Deny and
Hope that I Die."

It has been assumed by many veterans, their Service Officers who help
file claims and attorneys who specialize in veterans' law that the VBA
operates in such a way as to deliberately stall or hinder the claim
process with the goal of frustrating the veteran to the point where they
just forget about the claim and go away. This isn't some grand plan to
purposely hurt veterans, but rather a combination of ignorance,
arrogance, incredibly bad management and non-existent oversight. While
this viewpoint has been labeled cynical by some and outright paranoid by
others, new information is surfacing that shows the cynics, and even the
paranoids, to be correct.

What We Know

The VA's Office of Inspector General (VAOIG) has been conducting audits,
or investigations, of a number of VA Regional Offices (VAROs). There are
over 50 VAROs around the country, each set up to handle the claims of
veterans in a particular geographical area.

The latest series of VAOIG investigations centers on charges that VARO
administrators and employees deliberately falsified "timeliness"
statistics sent to the VA's Central Office (VACO). This would be
information that shows when a claim was received and how, with a
documented timeline including date/time stamps, it moved through the
process.

The first heads have begun to roll in this investigation. During the
week of October 6, 2008, four employees at the New York VARO, including
the Director, were placed on administrative leave. More accurately, they
were removed from their positions awaiting the outcome of the
investigation. Sources close to this investigation say that those
removed, and others, were found to have been fudging the "timeliness"
figures. And, there are allegations that documents, including paperwork
essential to the claim process had been destroyed.

Another VARO under investigation is Detroit. On September 5, 2008, VARO
employees were called to a meeting with the main topic being their poor
performance levels. They were told that the Director had been called to
Washington to answer questions regarding the poor performance.

At that meeting, VARO officials announced an "amnesty period" for anyone
who had old claims at their desk or stashed in other places around the
office, a direct procedural violation. Employees were told to turn in
paperwork so they could try to get the "timeliness" numbers up.
Officials also stated that a VAOIG team would be coming shortly to
inspect the VARO and urged all employees "to be prepared."

By mid-September the VAOIG team had arrived at the Detroit VARO. What
they found staggers the imagination. VAOIG discovered hundreds of
claims, documents critical to claims and other valuable information in
the shredder bins. Those bins were removed from the shredder area and
the documents were screened by upper management.

It is unclear if the VAOIG team actually "seized" any of the documents
in the shredder bins. What we do know is that after the VAOIG
investigators left the Detroit VARO, management continued to find more
critical documents in shredder bins. A meeting was called and the
Director told employees that it was known who had thrown out the
documents and that they would be fired. The "amnesty period" for turning
in mail kept at employee's desks was extended in the hope of turning up
all "lost" claim documentation.

On October 2, 2008, the Detroit VARO Director began a "no record mail"
program. This was meant to find all mail in the offices for which there,
literally, was no record. Quoting from an employee directly involved in
this process: "...discovered in the thousands of pieces of 'no record
mail' we found original applications, medical evidence for veterans'
claims that had not been included in the decisions, informal claims
(that likely could affect original dates of claims), and other relevant
identifiable mail items."

On October 7, 2008, quoting again from the VA employee, "...the
Director, Service Center Manager and other top management ransacked our
work areas in search of mail that was being stored/stashed at
individual's desks. They sent some individuals home, and the others were
told to wait in the break room until the end of their shift. I can't
attest to what they found in the work areas, but individuals were pulled
aside and questioned."

Then, on October 9, 2008, quoting again, "During a training session the
Director...stated that other regional offices have already placed
numerous supervisors on administrative leave in regards to 'cheating' on
their numbers, and that with as poor as our station numbers [are]...at
least we aren't cheating on our numbers, or at least not cheating well."

So, what is being done in the Detroit VARO to put an end to this mess?
Not much. The VA employee adds with a noticeable sadness, "...They don't
seem to have any answers yet. They have juggled the supervisory staff
around to different departments for some reason, and have been telling
us to stand by for further training on our job functions. There are
still items of mail at my desk currently that I have been told to hold
on station since they don't know the disposition of these types of mail
yet [and]...they keep finding new piles of mail that date back to March
of 2008 [and further] that's had no action taken on it."

What We Don't Know

At this time, we don't know how many VAROs have been caught up in this
investigation or if the VAOIG teams just went out to "sample" some VAROs
and hit pay dirt in New York and Detroit.

We also don't know what VACO is going to do about this. A highly-placed
VACO official, when told that this information was going public, gulped,
paused, and said, "I can't talk about that." And, one of the VAOIG
investigators who was at the Detroit VARO will not return phone calls on
this matter.

The worst part is, we don't know if any documents were actually
shredded. By its very nature, shredding would eliminate the evidence of
what was shredded. We may never know unless a VA employee comes forward
and says that they did it or saw it done.

CYA Time

We will have to wait for the VAOIG reports before we can get a handle on
how widespread this problem of "timeliness" is. Is this happening at all
50+ VAROs? A number of former VA employees have said that they believe
the "timeliness" issue exists in all VAROs. They are of the opinion that
there is widespread abuse of documents as they come in to the VARO. No
one felt that any VARO Director would actually tell employees to hide or
destroy documents, but the general feeling is that this is "winked at"
and a standard way of handling the paperwork crunch at the VAROs.

Several former VA employees have postulated about how the VAOIG reports
will turn out. They feel that the VA will claim that any hiding or
destruction of documents was done at the lowest possible level and
without the consent or knowledge of anyone above that person's grade,
then make promises that it will never happen again. A former VA attorney
decided that it is impossible for such "widespread abuse to occur"
without knowledge of its existence at all levels of the VARO.

We can expect statements of outrage from VA Secretary James Peake. We
can expect hearings from the politicians on Capitol Hill. But, what will
this really accomplish? Will any of this change the way the VAROs
operate? Don't count on it.

Shredding Our Trust

Although it is not clear at this time whether any documents related to a
disability claim were shredded at any VARO, it is safe to assume that
they weren't sitting in a shredder bin waiting to be processed by a
claims representative. What has been shredded is veterans' trust in the
VA.

By deliberately hiding vital documents and delaying claims, the VBA has
lived up to its reputation and to the slogan so many disgruntled vets
hate to say but know is true: "Delay, Deny and Hope that I Die."

VA executives are fond of touting their agency as "non-adversarial" when
it comes to the disability claim process. Prior to his confirmation as
VA Secretary, Dr. James Peake promised the Senate Committee on Veterans'
Affairs that he would "do the right thing" for veterans. It appears he
missed the mark.

The VA's biggest fear is that the VAOIG investigations will open the
doors to, perhaps, tens of thousands of re-filed claims from every
veteran, Service Officer and attorney who has had a claim or appeal
timed-out because their paperwork was "not received in a timely manner."
While that would add to the huge backlog of claims facing the VBA at
this time, it may be the only solution.

The VBA has shredded veterans' trust in the disability claim process.
It's time for them to re-earn that trust.

It is election time and our elected officials need to hear that we
demand accountability, that we do not want the government to sweep this
under the rug again, hold the employees accountable, fire the managers
in charge for failing to do their jobs.

We OWE the veterans and their families swift handling of their claims
for compensation, the VA is given a generous budget to do their jobs,
why can't they do it? If these people are unable to manage their offices
replace them with competent managers and care for our veterans, nothing
more and nothing less will do......

Keith my own claim was filed in Nov 2002 in Columbia SC and is still
ongoing timeliness is not a thing the VA is good about they hold us
to time standards but this is common for them Mike Bailey

I am the Sword of my Family
and the Shield of my Nation.
If sent, I will crush everything you have built,
burn everything you love,
and kill every one of you.
(Hebrew quote)

On Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:45:28 -0500, Ignoramus24925
wrote:

On 2010-08-31, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:59:31 -0500, Ignoramus24925
wrote:

Just a little update, I practiced skateboarding for about 2
hours. First just standing on one the board still for a while, then
barely riding down a super gentle slope, then down my driveway (not
all the way).

I am sure that I I looked ridiculous, but I still would look
ridiculous even if I had passable skateboarding skills. But it is like
any other balance sport, just takes some getting used to and some
patience. I did it on my son's skateboard, but since I liked I bought
my own online.

i

DID you wear proper protection?

No, I did not wear proper protection.

And try to guess how I became a father of two kids.

That just put your wife off her feed for 18 months. It could be a life
time for you.

Shrug.

If not...better order it online or shag your ass over to the second hand
stores.

Or you will look far worse than I did when they cut my heart out for 4.5
hours

I will try to find some kind of a helmet.

i
And elbow pads, knee pads and wrist protectors.

Once you get the hang of it..you can go naked..but while your
learning......

Think of your body as a machine tool. A very very expensive and very
complicated 6 axis milling machine. And you just got it.

Gunner


I am the Sword of my Family
and the Shield of my Nation.
If sent, I will crush everything you have built,
burn everything you love,
and kill every one of you.
(Hebrew quote)

"Gunner Asch" wrote

The only hard part is fingerprints. Shrug

Gunner

And now with AFIS, even tougher.

Steve

read about heart surgery and how to prepare for it at:
http://cabgbypasssurgery.com

The St Louis fire....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationa...ds_Center_fire
\

My sis and I are still working two years later to get my father's medals,
several distinguished service medals and crosses, and some others. When
they sent us the copied documents, all of them had singe marks on them. We
got lucky. Now if we can only get them off their asses.

Anyone know how to speed up this process?

Steve

read about heart surgery and how to prepare for it at:
http://cabgbypasssurgery.com

"Steve W." wrote:

Karl Townsend wrote:
It certainly did. The "guy" was born in 1950 and died in 1950, age 6
weeks.
But, still, you have the actual form with that guy's name, right?
Ive got a copy of his birth cert tucked away at my dads place. Im pretty
sure, though its been...hum...30 yrs since I looked in the footlocker.
No need. That portion of my life is long, long, long over.

That means you're missing out on VA medical care. Top shelf in this
part of the country. There's a pecking order of sorts to VA benefits.
If you're a veteran of a war and have a purple heart or two they cover
almost everything.

Karl

My FIL is seriously ****ed at the VA. His records were part of the bunch
lost in the fire years ago and other than a couple of pictures and his
discharge papers he has nothing. He took what he has to the VA and they
basically said "Tough luck pal you don't show up in the system"
I told him that the lack of paperwork wasn't the real problem, it was
that he served in the quartermaster corps planning menus and food
service for many of the folks who now run the VA.....


Some of those damaged documents have been recovered and returned to
the arcives in the last few years. If he hasn't requested them in the
last couple years, he should try again. A DOD database of names is
availible on the Military.com website. He should check to see if his
name, rank and MOS turn up.


--
Politicians should only get paid if the budget is balanced, and there is
enough left over to pay them.

Gunner Asch wrote:

On Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:40:14 -0500, Karl Townsend
wrote:


It certainly did. The "guy" was born in 1950 and died in 1950, age 6
weeks.

But, still, you have the actual form with that guy's name, right?

Ive got a copy of his birth cert tucked away at my dads place. Im pretty
sure, though its been...hum...30 yrs since I looked in the footlocker.
No need. That portion of my life is long, long, long over.

That means you're missing out on VA medical care. Top shelf in this
part of the country. There's a pecking order of sorts to VA benefits.
If you're a veteran of a war and have a purple heart or two they cover
almost everything.

Karl

Yes, I am. As has been discussed with several individuals, including
the VA.

That rather surprising $250k medical bill brought it to mind and Ive put
some feelers out.

The VA claims its doable, but may take a few years.


Gunner, the best way to deal with the VA is through a Sevice Officer
at a DAV post. If needed, they provide legal services to the
applicant. Using fake records to enlist was common in W.W.II, Korea and
Vietnam. From what I've heard, some enlistment officers gave
instructions on how to do it.


--
Politicians should only get paid if the budget is balanced, and there is
enough left over to pay them.

On Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:41:59 -0700, "Steve B"
wrote:


The St Louis fire....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationa...ds_Center_fire
\

My sis and I are still working two years later to get my father's medals,
several distinguished service medals and crosses, and some others. When
they sent us the copied documents, all of them had singe marks on them. We
got lucky. Now if we can only get them off their asses.

Anyone know how to speed up this process?

Steve


Know any Congresscritters very well?

Gunner


I am the Sword of my Family
and the Shield of my Nation.
If sent, I will crush everything you have built,
burn everything you love,
and kill every one of you.
(Hebrew quote)

On Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:39:00 -0700, "Steve B"
wrote:


"Gunner Asch" wrote

The only hard part is fingerprints. Shrug

Gunner

And now with AFIS, even tougher.

Steve


Its quite legal to call yourself Queen of the May. One cant do it
though to commit crimes, fraud etc etc. One doesnt even need to go to
court to have ones name changed.

Shrug

Gunner


I am the Sword of my Family
and the Shield of my Nation.
If sent, I will crush everything you have built,
burn everything you love,
and kill every one of you.
(Hebrew quote)

On Tue, 31 Aug 2010 01:18:47 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell"
wrote:


Gunner Asch wrote:

On Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:40:14 -0500, Karl Townsend
wrote:


It certainly did. The "guy" was born in 1950 and died in 1950, age 6
weeks.

But, still, you have the actual form with that guy's name, right?

Ive got a copy of his birth cert tucked away at my dads place. Im pretty
sure, though its been...hum...30 yrs since I looked in the footlocker.
No need. That portion of my life is long, long, long over.

That means you're missing out on VA medical care. Top shelf in this
part of the country. There's a pecking order of sorts to VA benefits.
If you're a veteran of a war and have a purple heart or two they cover
almost everything.

Karl

Yes, I am. As has been discussed with several individuals, including
the VA.

That rather surprising $250k medical bill brought it to mind and Ive put
some feelers out.

The VA claims its doable, but may take a few years.


Gunner, the best way to deal with the VA is through a Sevice Officer
at a DAV post. If needed, they provide legal services to the
applicant. Using fake records to enlist was common in W.W.II, Korea and
Vietnam. From what I've heard, some enlistment officers gave
instructions on how to do it.

Ayup. Im aware of several guys who went in young, or went in on a run
from the law and served with distinction.

Its not been of any concern to me for all these years and I seldom even
think about it. Shrug

Hell..the spooks didnt care, once they found out and did a check on me.

When I came home, I was lean, mean, rough, tough and nobody to ****
with..and when I put my old name back on...I had to think like the
original model. Harder than one thinks actually.

Let my hair grow out, then one day went into the barber and had it cut
off. Been short haired ever since. I was in the barber shop with a
buddy, who had no idea Id been in..and the barber asked "how long you
been home?" (old vet seen em all) and I told him Id been a hippie living
in California for a few years. He looked at me..quirked his
eye..glanced over at the kid I was with...got a very small smile and
looked me right in the eye and said "welcome home".

He was my barber for a couple years after than, before I went on the
road.

Dead now. He had done Normandy in the first wave.
Quite a guy.

Gunner

I am the Sword of my Family
and the Shield of my Nation.
If sent, I will crush everything you have built,
burn everything you love,
and kill every one of you.
(Hebrew quote)

On 8/30/2010 11:41 PM, Steve B wrote:
The St Louis fire....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationa...ds_Center_fire
\

My sis and I are still working two years later to get my father's medals,
several distinguished service medals and crosses, and some others. When
they sent us the copied documents, all of them had singe marks on them. We
got lucky. Now if we can only get them off their asses.

Anyone know how to speed up this process?

Steve



Yes.

DON'T try to do it yourself. You would be dealing with the federal
bureaucracy at it's best.

That path leads to frustration, anger, and abuse of small animals.

Contact one of the representative agencies.
DAV, or better yet, if in Texas, contact the local Texas Veterans Commission



--

Richard Lamb

On 8/30/2010 9:34 PM, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:40:14 -0500, Karl Townsend
wrote:


It certainly did. The "guy" was born in 1950 and died in 1950, age 6
weeks.

But, still, you have the actual form with that guy's name, right?

Ive got a copy of his birth cert tucked away at my dads place. Im pretty
sure, though its been...hum...30 yrs since I looked in the footlocker.
No need. That portion of my life is long, long, long over.

That means you're missing out on VA medical care. Top shelf in this
part of the country. There's a pecking order of sorts to VA benefits.
If you're a veteran of a war and have a purple heart or two they cover
almost everything.

Karl


Yes, I am. As has been discussed with several individuals, including
the VA.

That rather surprising $250k medical bill brought it to mind and Ive put
some feelers out.

The VA claims its doable, but may take a few years.


Gunner


It WILL take a few years.

The system is designed to be that way.

All along the way there are traps for the unwary.

1) DON'T try to do it yourself. Not Possible.
Get a representative agency like DAV and have them do it.
You sign a power of attorney, and they take it from there.

2) If your claim is valid (AND HAS DOCUMENTATION TO PROVE IT)
you will receive a low percentage rating (in about a year).

At that time you have 30 days to protest the rating.

If you protest that rating (within 30 days!) then the next rating
percentage (in about a year) will backdate to the original claim date.

Back pay will be paid back to the date of the first claim -
each time you get an increase in rating -
IF you protest the rating within 30 days -
every time.

If you don't then come back later for an increase, it's basically a new
claim, dated starting them. Oopsie!

Generally they like to go 10%, 30%, 50%, 75%, and finally 100%.
So figure it taking 4 or 5 years.

"Ned Simmons" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:01:44 -0400, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:


"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
. ..
On Sun, 29 Aug 2010 20:49:48 -0500, Ignoramus4078
wrote:

I have to admit to having almost never ridden a skateboard, certainly
I am a complete novice. My older kid started to learn it and I am
wondering, can an adult pick that skill up or is it too late.

If you ever surfed or skied, yeah, it's a piece of cake.

I've done quite a bit of both, and I don't think it's a piece of cake.


Same here. I was a decent skiier and surfer as a teenager, but found
skateboarding awkward. And mistakes hurt more.

But I have taken up surfing again this summer after a 35 year break.

Don't tempt me. We have a hurricane coming in two or three days. I used to
*love* hurricanes. g

--
Ed Huntress

On Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:24:58 -0700, Gunner Asch
wrote:

On Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:45:28 -0500, Ignoramus24925
wrote:

On 2010-08-31, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:59:31 -0500, Ignoramus24925
wrote:

Just a little update, I practiced skateboarding for about 2
hours. First just standing on one the board still for a while, then
barely riding down a super gentle slope, then down my driveway (not
all the way).

I am sure that I I looked ridiculous, but I still would look
ridiculous even if I had passable skateboarding skills. But it is like
any other balance sport, just takes some getting used to and some
patience. I did it on my son's skateboard, but since I liked I bought
my own online.

i

DID you wear proper protection?

No, I did not wear proper protection.

And try to guess how I became a father of two kids.

That just put your wife off her feed for 18 months. It could be a life
time for you.

Shrug.

If not...better order it online or shag your ass over to the second hand
stores.

Or you will look far worse than I did when they cut my heart out for 4.5
hours

I will try to find some kind of a helmet.

i
And elbow pads, knee pads and wrist protectors.

Once you get the hang of it..you can go naked..but while your
learning......

Think of your body as a machine tool. A very very expensive and very
complicated 6 axis milling machine. And you just got it.

Gunner


How's that go... AHh... You can fool me twice ahhh

No not that one.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make 'em drink.

SW

On 8/30/2010 11:41 PM, Steve B wrote:
The St Louis fire....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationa...ds_Center_fire
\

My sis and I are still working two years later to get my father's medals,
several distinguished service medals and crosses, and some others. When
they sent us the copied documents, all of them had singe marks on them. We
got lucky. Now if we can only get them off their asses.

Anyone know how to speed up this process?

Steve, have your asked your congressman to get involved?
That's one of the few things they are good for, especially in an
election year.


--
I can see November from my front porch

On Aug 30, 4:27*pm, Ignoramus24925 ignoramus24...@NOSPAM.
24925.invalid wrote:
On 2010-08-30, rangerssuck wrote:





Don't know about skateboarding, but I am a pretty proficient ice
skater. I tried roller blading a few years back, and it scared the
crap out of me. Fall on ice and you slide. Fall on pavement and you
leave skin behind.

I would suggest, if you're going to go ahead with this, a helmet,
wrist elbow and knee pads (all available as a set from any skate
shop). And, by all means, be prepared to look silly. It's no where
near as easy as it looks - I know this from a few of the neighborhood
kids who are all excellent ice and roller skaters and have tried their
hand (or foot) at skate boarding. One of them has an interesting
device - a two-wheeled contraption called a wave board. It goes
amazingly fast and is very maneuverable, and it loooks easy enough to
build.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X70NitDFM4A

Good luck.

I am not looking to performing any feats worthy of YouTube, etc. I
would say, nothing where all wheels are in the air simultaneously.
Just riding around and such. I would not try to look cool in front of
skateboard savvy kids, and I have generally been careful.

A skate board is a whole new way of balancing and it just needs to be
learned. (or maybe I cannot learn it, boo hoo)

i

Agreed. But you should wear the appropriate protective equipment. You
wouldn't run your mill while "just learning" without safety glasses,
would you?

What I can tell you about skateboarding -

Adults don't bounce nearly as good as kids do.

HTH

Steve

read about heart surgery and how to prepare for it at:
http://cabgbypasssurgery.com

Gunner Asch on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:40:18 -0700
typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:

Guy I knew landed in country 9 Feb. '68. Had his own body bag 16 Feb.
'68. Remember what was happening then? No more voluntary enlistments
in my part of the world after that.

Karl - drew #312 in the lottery - Townsend

There but for the grace of God.....

older brother of a buddy of mine, about 68 or 69, got off the plane, got
on a bus, was blown up within 1/4 mile of the air base, was tucked right
back on that same plane and flown to Japan Total time in country..about
2 hours. He ultimately lost a leg. Shrug....some people have good luck,
some bad.

Sgt Armstrong had a buddy shot in the door of the Freedom Bird.
Absolutely the last possible moment to get shot.

Im still very much undecided as to what kind of luck Mike had.
He retired a couple years ago, after nearly 30 years selling insurance.
Did quite well for himself.

If you are happy, or just plan content, with your life; then it
was a good one. I joke, but there is truth - you're not getting out
of it, so you might as well enjoy it. Work, school, travel, chores,
life v- might as well enjoy the ride.


pyotr
--
pyotr filipivich
We will drink no whiskey before its nine.
It's eight fifty eight. Close enough!

Gunner Asch on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:28:59 -0700
typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:
On Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:39:00 -0700, "Steve B"
wrote:


"Gunner Asch" wrote

The only hard part is fingerprints. Shrug

Gunner

And now with AFIS, even tougher.

Steve


Its quite legal to call yourself Queen of the May. One cant do it
though to commit crimes, fraud etc etc. One doesnt even need to go to
court to have ones name changed.

I've known people who had one name on their birth certificate, but
everybody calls them by another name.
As the one guy put it "A is my legal name, D is well, 'not' ..."

Shrug

Le Shrug. Cie L'vie. Und so weiter.

pyotr
--
pyotr filipivich
We will drink no whiskey before its nine.
It's eight fifty eight. Close enough!

On Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:12:32 -0700, pyotr filipivich
wrote:

Gunner Asch on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:28:59 -0700
typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:
On Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:39:00 -0700, "Steve B"
wrote:


"Gunner Asch" wrote

The only hard part is fingerprints. Shrug

Gunner

And now with AFIS, even tougher.

Steve


Its quite legal to call yourself Queen of the May. One cant do it
though to commit crimes, fraud etc etc. One doesnt even need to go to
court to have ones name changed.

I've known people who had one name on their birth certificate, but
everybody calls them by another name.
As the one guy put it "A is my legal name, D is well, 'not' ..."
My wife goes by her middle name but all documents use her first given
- confuses a lot of people. In secondary school, I was often asked how
I was related to the person bearing the short version of my first
given.

Shrug

Le Shrug. Cie L'vie. Und so weiter.

pyotr
Gerry :-)}
London, Canada

On Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:12:32 -0700, pyotr filipivich
wrote:

Gunner Asch on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:40:18 -0700
typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:

Guy I knew landed in country 9 Feb. '68. Had his own body bag 16 Feb.
'68. Remember what was happening then? No more voluntary enlistments
in my part of the world after that.

Karl - drew #312 in the lottery - Townsend

There but for the grace of God.....

older brother of a buddy of mine, about 68 or 69, got off the plane, got
on a bus, was blown up within 1/4 mile of the air base, was tucked right
back on that same plane and flown to Japan Total time in country..about
2 hours. He ultimately lost a leg. Shrug....some people have good luck,
some bad.

Sgt Armstrong had a buddy shot in the door of the Freedom Bird.
Absolutely the last possible moment to get shot.

Ouch. Then there are the guys who have had thousands of round go over
their heads in the field only to come home to be knifed by a junkie a
block away from his home in broad daylight.


Im still very much undecided as to what kind of luck Mike had.
He retired a couple years ago, after nearly 30 years selling insurance.
Did quite well for himself.

If you are happy, or just plan content, with your life; then it
was a good one. I joke, but there is truth - you're not getting out
of it, so you might as well enjoy it. Work, school, travel, chores,
life v- might as well enjoy the ride.

Uncle Abe had a nice saying 'bout that:
Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.

--
Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy
simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed.
-- Storm Jameson

Gerald Miller on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:44:20 -0400
typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:
On Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:12:32 -0700, pyotr filipivich wrote:
Gunner Asch on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:28:59 -0700
typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:
On Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:39:00 -0700, "Steve B" wrote:
"Gunner Asch" wrote
The only hard part is fingerprints. Shrug
Gunner
And now with AFIS, even tougher.

Steve

Its quite legal to call yourself Queen of the May. One cant do it
though to commit crimes, fraud etc etc. One doesnt even need to go to
court to have ones name changed.

I've known people who had one name on their birth certificate, but
everybody calls them by another name.
As the one guy put it "A is my legal name, D is well, 'not' ..."
My wife goes by her middle name but all documents use her first given
- confuses a lot of people. In secondary school, I was often asked how
I was related to the person bearing the short version of my first
given.

The best story I've heard was of the Colonel traveling to his new
assignment, and as they were enroute, his wife decided that she didn't
want be called by either her first name, or her nickname, but by
something else. Okay, it is a free country. But when they arrive at
the base, and he meets the other officers of his new command, during
the introductions he forgets what she wants to be called, and so turns
to her and asks "What did you say your name was, dear?" Just the
thing to make that all important first impression.

--
pyotr filipivich
We will drink no whiskey before its nine.
It's eight fifty eight. Close enough!

On Sun, 29 Aug 2010 20:49:48 -0500, Ignoramus4078 wrote:

I have to admit to having almost never ridden a skateboard, certainly
I am a complete novice. My older kid started to learn it and I am
wondering, can an adult pick that skill up or is it too late.

A related question is what skateboard would be good for an adult sized
beginner. I just want it to be easy to use.

Why a skateboard? Why do what everybody else is doing?

Learn to ride a unicycle!

For a skateboard, strap a thick pillow to your butt. ;-)

Have Fun!
Rich

On Mon, 30 Aug 2010 09:18:09 -0700, rangerssuck wrote:
On Aug 30, 12:06*pm, "Buerste" wrote:
"Ignoramus4078" wrote in message
On 2010-08-30, Buerste wrote:
"Ignoramus4078" wrote in message
...
I have to admit to having almost never ridden a skateboard, certainly
I am a complete novice. My older kid started to learn it and I am
wondering, can an adult pick that skill up or is it too late.

A related question is what skateboard would be good for an adult sized
beginner. I just want it to be easy to use.

Got superior health insurance?

It is relatively decent, yes.

Go for it! *(knee pads, elbow pads and a helmet)- Hide quoted text -

wrist guards and gloves, too.

And a big one for the butt. ;-)

Cheers!
Rich