Jasmin

I'm workign during this period but will definately be making an appearance...not to mention drinking! xj "I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."

One of our more memorable drinking 'games' was everytime he said a person's nominated word/phrase (eg "little ripper", "strewth", "crikey", "beauty") you had to scull. I swear we were all legless in about five minutes xj "I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."

most of my fav's are on the wwh website or phoenix's xj "I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."

You can always try.... xj "I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."

He he he. Go Dan!!! xj "I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."

Ain't no way in hell they're letting me off my (work) leash to come play Have fun. xj "I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."

I'm proud to say I was glued to the TV in our qualifying matches against Uruguay and ahven't stopped watching and yelling. GO THE SOCCEROOS!!!!! Should we not make it past Italy tonight the Brazilians are good, but my money is on Argentina. (even though they're to play Germany in the quarters.) xj "I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."

That over 120 convictions of death row inmates have been overturned in the US, proves the system is not perfect. Edited to add: As for your comments regarding journalists being ill equipped to investigate crimes AggieDave (ie "a better source for a criminal investigation then a newspaper may be needed"), you might want to read up on Dennis Williams who was convicted in Illinois in 1979 and finally released in 1996. Williams was convicted, along with three others including Verneal Jimerson (who was also sentenced to death), for a young couple's murder in 1978. Williams was released on June 14, 1996, having spent 18 years in prison, because new evidence pointed to the fact that all four men were wrongly convicted. Much of the investigative work which led to the defendants' release was done by three journalism students. Recent DNA tests indicate that none of the four men were involved in the crime, and another man has confessed to the murder. Interesting that three journalism students could figure out what the police, law enforcement and prosecuters couldn't. The prosecuter involved has since apologised to all four of the men wrongly convicted as a result of his prosecution. xj "I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."

There's a thread in the Women's forum about being bi or lesbian, would that better suit you? LOL But seriously, I'm with you on this one LJ. xj "I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."

LMAO Dancergirl you sure have a way with words!! xj "I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."

On the contrary, if you read the newspaper article at the top of this thread you'll find this line: He pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery and was sentenced to 18 years in prison as a repeat violent felon. Unlike the guantanamo bay detainees, this man has been convicted after being read his Miranda rights, given the right to his choice of legal representation and more to the point, given his day in court and with that, a possibility of appeal. Over 110 death row inmates in the US have had their convictions overturned due to new evidence that exonerated them. GB is a process that two of its own prosecutors described as being "rigged, fraudulent, and thin on evidence against the accused." So in a system less sturdy and fool-proof than the system that wrongly convicted and sentenced 110+ people to death, there is no avenue of appeal, despite death-penalty charges being involved? That makes me uneasy. edited to add:I fear we are risking becoming the very thing we are fighting... xj "I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."

Hmmm America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, where you are innocent until proven guilty? xj "I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."

Unfortunately we've got the same problem here. We're so focused on the rights of the criminals that I'm dying to know what happened to the rights of the victims??? The gene pool needs a heavy dose of chlorine... xj "I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."

Hmmmm beg to differ. But its 2am here, so whatever. British-genius???? In terms of oxymorons, that's right up there with army intelligence and Microsoft Works!! Feel free to keep flaming the Americans...I'm Australian. xj "I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."

I'm with you on this one Edited to add: On a side note, why is it that every thread in this forum that hints at anything nuclear or radioactive, rapidly becomes a pissing contest?! xj "I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."

No, Glenn and Heather are based in Sydney. xj "I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."

Jimmy didn't do the record jump due to illness. Congrats to Heather and Glenn, they deserve it. xj "I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."

Reminds me of when they bought out the (current) plastic forgery-proof notes here in Australia. In addition to giving us the novelty of being able to remove the Queen's face from the $5 note with some saliva and a 20c piece, the notes proved to be forgeable. Can we go back to paper ones now? xj "I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."

Jimmy lost 6kg on the climb. Hey James, I love your V2 profile shot xj "I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."

My former boss summed it up quite nicely when she said she got hell mad over people who would stare facts in the face and still deny that greenhouse warming was not happening. "Our grandchildren are going to look at us incredulously and say "What?! You weren't sure?!" She's one of the most cited scientists in the world with over 450 published papers (inlc 13 books) and is now director of the World Climate Research Program. Having worked with her, I can assure you the woman is not an idiot. Her research using radiotracers says its happening. xj "I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."

Now I get the radiation and spanish jokes, I find it even funnier! xj "I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."

Miranda Devine (www.smh.com.au)sums it up quite nicely: But as we heard reports yesterday that a rescue team of 12 sherpas was climbing up to Lincoln Hall with a stretcher and more than 20 bottles of oxygen, you wonder why the same wasn't attempted for Sharp. At the very least, why didn't someone stay with Sharp and hold his hand while he died? Inglis, who has probably been unfairly targeted because he was the most famous of the 40 climbers and the only one to speak at length, hasn't helped his case by trying to offload blame. "My sherpa sort of just pushed me on," he said in one interview. "I did everything that I possibly could, which was essentially nothing . . . I walked past David but only because there were far more experienced and effective people than myself to help him." Inglis also said it was his team leader at base camp who told him over the radio to push on: "Mate, you can't do anything." So he didn't even try. In other extreme human endeavours, a failure to render assistance is regarded as grossly improper, if not manslaughter, as Richard Purcell, skipper of one of the boats in the disastrous 1998 Sydney to Hobart yacht race, discovered before he was exonerated in a court settlement. The opprobrium heaped on him for not stopping to help the dismasted Sword of Orion in impossibly wild weather, showed how seriously sailors take the fellowship of the sea. But it seems on Everest, any excuse will do. Inglis probably isn't as despicable as selective quotes make him seem. But you do have to wonder how he can reconcile his own history with his pragmatic attitude towards Sharp. After all, Inglis lost his legs to frostbite in 1982 when he was trapped in a snow cave for 14 days during a blizzard while climbing New Zealand's Mount Cook. Rescuers didn't leave him for dead then. In fact, they risked their lives to save him, with a New Zealand Air Force helicopter flipping over as it attempted to land four rescuers, who then had to be rescued. Another helicopter later lifted him out. Perhaps it is too easy to be a Monday morning quarterback about a situation most of us will never face. But you don't need to have experienced life above 8500 metres to know the difference between right and wrong. xj "I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."

The discussions defending this behaviour talk about the 40 climbers going past not having enough supplies to stay or to help...I have serious issues believing this: the climbers who didn't have enough oxygen and supplies to stay and help him still had enough oxygen and supplies to summit???!!! I think the bit people take offence at, is not that they did not risk their own lives for David Sharp, but that they continued on to the summit and back without rendering assisstance or at least comforting a dying man. Am I missing something???! edited to add: As for the mid-freefall comment; I have known a number of instructors to chase students who were out of control and have friends who chased after a ff-er who had a mid-air collision. I have also seen a camera-man chase his teammate down to just under 2000ft after she became unconcious. That's without even touching on emergency personnel and everday heroes who step up to the plate. The world is becoming an increasingly selfish place, but it is nice to know that there are still people out there who will at least try to help others. xj "I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."

Hey Ronald, long time no see! I am off to Argentina in January/February so any contacts or recommendations from anyone on here would be much appreciated. edited to add: As for beautiful Argentinians....soy estudiante de español! xj "I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."

What kind of people plan a multi-day expedition on second hand advice, with no supplies, back-up plan, maps, phone or food!???? Not to mention, Eric is a cool guy. This doesn't sound right... xj "I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."