Jasmin

Empire..and we know what happened to the empires of Rome and the Mongols.... 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 aussies won't recognise that name. I'd recommend Toogoolawah. Byron Bay is way too far to drive. 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 had a great time at Taupo in 2001. I'm not sure if its still the same, but there were two DZ's on the one airfield, if you couldn't get on a load quickly for one, you walk up and got on a load at the other!! But watch the weather there, its a bit like England at times- rain, rain, rain! 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."

Yeah I'm still working on the aerials clip, but my 'puter is off getting converted into a full editing suite. I should have it back by the end of the month. Hey Greg, yeah my memory's correct, it was a lanky bugger design. 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 thought that's the one you meant. Isn't that the one jimmy designed? 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."

D'oh!! What I meant to say, is it could be slightly limited fun if you intend to fun jump! If you can go to Wollongong, that'd be my pick! (It's my uni!) Feel free to PM me, if you'd like to get an off the cuff opinion on the merits of the uni's or their cities. 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's the old one look like? 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."

For Aust, my first choice would be Melbourne (Nagambie), if you need a second choice I'd put Perth (Skydive Express). NZ is beatiful, but the jump scene is a little smaller if you're not interested in being a TM! Good luck with your choice... 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."

Dear God! WTF! Anyone who would willingly put their family, friends and community through something like this needs some serious psychological help! We've had a bad 18 months for both skydiving and BASE here in OZ and I find faking your own death (and stressing everyone out like this) so unfunny it made me feel physically sick to my stomach. For once, I am utterly dumbfounded and speechless. 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."

It really annoys me when techies get on the stand and say that DNA evdence means that the chances of it being someone else is more than 1 in a billion. This is complete and utter bullshit- not because DNA is unique for all barring identical twins, but because the tests themselves are subject to the same errors as any other lab based test ie inherent error and possiblity for contamination. There was a horrific example here, of a DNA sample from a rape case being contaminated at the lab with a sample from a murder case....1 in a billion? I don't think so. 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."

This has been debated in this forum that many times, have y'all tried using the search function before posting something??!!?! Y'anyways, I'll repeat myself. I agree with Dwain Weston's old adage: It doesn't count unless you walk away from it. But if you reckon survival is all that matters, then Russian Denis has already "landed" a wingsuit. 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're both welcome anytime. Edited to add:Hopefully I'll be healthy and actually able to jump with you next time!! 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."

Ahhh I love the internet. It allows a seriously convoluted version of events to get propagated as fact. I'm going to presume we're talking about the same incident, please forgive me if we're not… A BMI or PFI cannot ground someone, it is not a nationally recognised instructor rating. However, a BMCI who is also a Chief Instructor and has the support of the CI and DZSO's of the dz they're on, most certainly can ground someone. Please note that the jumper was not grounded from jumping, merely from jumping his S3. He was again offered a loan of a GTi and free coaching, which he would not accept. If a relatively new jumper bought a high performance elliptical canopy and put a high-wing loading on it, we would all jump up and down if they were not counselled about it. If you have no problem with someone not being allowed to jump a high performance canopy and being asked to jump something safer and more suited to their current skill level, I question why it should be any different for a high performance wingsuit?? The jumper was not abandoned; he has been coached, counselled and helped since 2004 and if he feels that this is what has happened, then it saddens me greatly. It was never anyone’s intention to stop him wingsuiting, rather the opposite, we have all been trying to help him fly safely. He has been getting free coaching for over a year, from a very good wingsuiter/BMI/PFI. It was this instructor who first suggested he move back to a GTi and get his skill set up before progressing back to his skyflier. The jumper in question doesn’t deserve to have this aired online, and I’m similarly distressed at the manner in which the integrity and competancy of those involved has been questioned. I can understand that things can be hard to gauge when you are on "the outside", but there's a lot more to this than merely a "mature gentleman" being grounded because he asked for help with his exits. If Trae or anyone else has issue with what I've said, please feel free to PM me and discuss it. Call me old-school, but I don’t believe this is the place to be sledging/discussing people who aren't here to defend themselves. 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."

Hi all, I'm coming to Waterloo in May/June for a conference and should have the weekends either side free. Any help with DZ recommendations (And how to get to 'em) would be greatly appreciated! Blue ones! 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."

Mwaaaaaahaaaaahaaaahaaaa Thank goodness I'm not the only idiot who's burnt themselves doing that!! I now have a permanent scar on my belly to remind me not to! 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've said my bit here:http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1986991#1986991 But in a nutshell, race is not the problem, justice and police resources are. 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."

Umm I'm with the other guy, she intentionally packed it "as a practical joke" knowing full well that it was a complete waste of resources. Its about as stupid, ill-conceived and nasty, as joking about having a bomb. Yes it wasn't for real, but playing a sick and pathetic joke on people who work tirelessly everyday to keep the community safe from drugs/bombs/criminals/etc, rates really low in my book. This all said, three weeks in jail (for essentially being stupid) is a bit much. I'd rather have seen her do some community service in a drug rehabilitation centre and apologise to the airport security staff who's time and energy she wasted. 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 set it on fire... 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."

Here's our pick... We need a new category for "Best quote". Our nomination goes to Johnny Utah talking to an aussie girl, whilst out at the Horner in Lauterbrunnen. He first proclaimed that he was the best BASE jumper in the world and when asked if he was serious, replied: "Hey, Einstein knew he was brilliant." For "Best Media Performance" our nomination is to MilesD for his 60 Minutes (Australia) cameo. "Dude, its like being born!!! Woo!!!" Need we say more? For "Best Cliff Strike (survived)", our nomination goes to one of Valery's Death Campers. He hit the Eiger on jump number five. But don't worry, he only sustained mild head injuries and was fine to jump the next day. edited to add:We'll get back to you with the rest of the nominations... 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! 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."

Ha, like we'd accept them these days!! They don't bathe (we're in a really bad drought and still manage to shower once a day!), think they're God's gift to sport for having won a cricket competition only once in twenty-three years, and let's not even start on the monarchy (least we can say Princess Mary has good dress sense and is beloved!). But all digs and jokes aside, the largest group of illegal immigrants in Australia are UK citizens!! 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 should ahve made this a poll! 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."

As a Shire girl, the only thing I give a rats arse about, is over what will happen when the hullaballoo dies down and the politicians have forgotten it all. My money is on the same damn thugs coming down to the beach and causing trouble. Australians are pretty apathetic people and so I find it ever so sad that a legitimate protest of thousands, was overshadowed by the dumb, alcohol-fuelled stupidity of a few hundred. On the police side of things. Until the sunday riots and the ensuing mayhem, I have NEVER, in three years, seen a single police officer walking the beat at the Cronulla Beaches or Cronulla Mall. But, when you cut police numbers by half, then cut a further seven, that doesn't leave many spares...and when it takes police up to two hours to respond to call outs, these little thugs know they can get away with it. Take the race/religious issue out of it and you have a simple problem, without the hype/racism/whatever:- Cronulla has a problem with gangs of young men, 'driving in' and harassing beach goers, particularly young women. This is a problem that has been escalating for years, unabated, unaddressed. I only hope that something good comes out of this mess and the local Police and state government end up being forced to do something about 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."

Apart from all the time i drove you down there. how soon they forget.... Hmmm Ditto!! I even drove BGill's sorry arse down to Nagambie in Vic to go jumping...and then he tried to break the plane on us!!! (This was the trip that Bobby earned his infamous 'Tailplane' nickname...) 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 from the area where this happened and perhaps some clarification is needed. This was sparked by an attack by thirteen "men of middle-eastern appearance" on three volunteer surf lifesavers a week ago. It follows on from years of abuse and attacks on locals by young thugs of "middle-eastern appearance" who train or drive to this particular beach and congregate and attack in packs. I myself have been verbally abused, intimidated and threatened. One mother I spoke to last week, had been slapped for asking them not to swear at her daughter- they called her young daughter a "f*cking slut," because she was wearing a bikini at the beach. Before someone starts up, I wholeheartedly condemn last sunday's riots, attacking people 50-on-1 and attacking ambulances is utterly, utterly low in my book. But since Sunday's riots, there have been a huge number of reprisals. In the Shire alone, two people have been stabbed, gunshots fired, many people attacked (including a man who was merely taking out his garbage), cars have been destroyed, shops attacked, one woman was assaulted in her car and another beaten. That's without even going into the 40+ cars destroyed at Maroubra on Sunday night with baseball bats and crowbars, or the infant that narrowly escaped injury when a glass bottle was thrown through the bedroom window. The violence has got to stop. The beaches belong to everybody, not us "locals" and not "the Lebs". We have been told to let the police do their job, but none of this would have occurred if the rule of law had been enforced over the last few years. If the original problem of gang/thug violence at Cronulla is not resolved, this will all flair up again in a few months time, I guarantee 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."