nigel99

No Direct access is not good. As a mid-thirties biker I went through DA, although as a teen-ager I rode dirt bikes alot and at one stage skydiving budgets meant I rode a 49cc scooter (actually 2 up with our gear

A big problem here is that there are no "sexy" smaller bikes. I really wanted a 250 sport bike as my first bike as I like the look and I had a choice 125 look-alike or a 600! I ended up going with a Fazer 600 which was bigger than I wanted, uglier than I wanted and actually as it turned out better. I also disagree about culture as lots of UK bikers do Direct access and their first bike is a 600/1000 litre and in general the cruisers are unpopular to they are very fast bikes. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

I have had a blackberry and found myself checking and responding to e-mails while driving. I used to believe that connected equated to good, however I find that it drastically decreases my productivity. I have now shifted focus and no longer have the blackberry and my next business cards will not have my mobile number on them either. A friend has no mobile and no personal e-mail but gives out the reception e-mail address - his stress level is much lower than most peoples. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

This article if you can follow the poor english is from Zimbabwe's government paper. The government are sorely upset with the US ambassador's intervention (he forced his way into rural strongholds with cameramen to video the state sponsored violence a few weeks ago, and the "clever" policemen and militia threatened to beat him to within an inch of his life) http://www.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=34274&cat=10 This article may show some insight into how warped some people view of the US is, and possibly highlight the fact that as outlined in previous threads it is not driven by jealousy. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

Was the US "liked" in the 2nd world war? I know that my grandfather was in "awe" of the US. He was commander of a Royal Navy ship and got taken on a tour of a US ship and it blew him away. I do think the hypocracy argument resonates for me. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

No it is definately not jealousy. Believe it or not the "popular" consensus that comes across is that the US are loud bullies that can't match their rhetoric. A simple example of this is the misunderstanding of how the UN works. During the 1st gulf war - Saddam was a hero in parts of the world because to quote "he is so powerfull all the western nations need to gather together to fight him". This is from first hand experience. Skyrad is correct in that people who go to the US - tend to change their views: I did. US tourists and the public image tend to rub people up the wrong way for some reason. I think this is partly due to a sometimes condescending approach that is taken - another example either here or on BBC comments section an american claimed that 'only' the US has free press and that even the UK was censored as the BBC is a public broadcaster. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

With the ongoing saga in Zimbabwe I have been spending alot of time on a forum that monitors events there and what has shocked me is the level of hatred against the US (or as they commonly spell is AmeriKKKa). A couple of US freaks don't help the situation by becoming mascots of the hate the US cause - a couple of links below that seem to be a favourite... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PpMdTmVMpo&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMaaDbGgsKA Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

It is not Bob that is doing it. There has been alot of debate about whether it is right or not. Some people see it as cyber warfare - I think it is a brilliant form of "passive resistance". The person who started the telephone war - has advised people to be polite, not to be abusive, not to make prank calls (silent treatment) but purely to ask for the results to be released and the will of the people to be obeyed. In light of this I think it is perfectly legitimate (at first this was not clear). It is also bound to wear people out having their phones ringing non-stop 24 hours a day - so far people from the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand are calling in. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

In Zimbabwe the government is still refusing to release the results of the elections. Someone has started a campaign where Zimbabweans outside of the country are continously calling a number of government ministers day and night demanding results be released. People have published and are circulating ministers mobile numbers, home numbers and office numbers so there is literally no break in the barage. I think it is a brilliant form of protest for a country where local people can't voice their feelings. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

the article is a load of drivel. Britain has far from "lost control of its borders" to pick a statement, however there is probably a rising level of resentment towards immigrants amongst a fairly large portion of the British public. I think there is also a major split between the government who appear to try and appease minority opinion at all costs (it is not limited to islamic fundamentalists), and a public who I at least perceive as becoming more vocal in the resentment of the preferential treatment provided. I live in a "terror" hotspot where at least 2 of the UK terrorists originated (1 house is aproximately 200 meters from us) and I can say with certainty that the perception amongst local muslims is that the government is victimising innocents. The lack of speedy public trial of the terrorists has probably been largely to blame as I know that the locals don't believe the accusations against the person. Added to this some drunken fools smashed up muslim families cars in the area because they were all "terrorists" and you start to see why divisions grow and how they are fed. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

Two deaf people get married. During the first week of marriage, they find that they are unable to communicate in the bedroom when they turn off the lights because they can't see each other using sign language. After several nights of fumbling around and misunderstandings, the wife decides to find a solution. "Honey," she signs, "Why don't we agree on some simple signals? For instance, at night, if you want to have sex with me, reach over and squeeze my left breast one time. If you don't want to have sex, reach over and squeeze my right breast one time." The husband thinks this is a great idea and signs back to his wife, "Great idea, Now if you want to have sex with ME, reach over and pull on my p****s one time. If you don't want to have sex, reach over and pull on my p****s......fifty times." At a big cocktail party, an obstetrician’s wife noticed another guest, a big, over sexed blonde, was making overtures at her husband. It was a large, informal gathering, so she tried to laugh it off until she saw them disappear into a bedroom together. At once she rushed into the room, pulled the two apart and screamed, “Look lady! My husband just delivers babies, he doesn’t INSTALL them A guy applied to join a nudist club. "Exactly what do you do here?" he asked. "It's quite simple," said the club secretary, "We take off all our clothes and commune with nature." "Cool," said the guy, "...count me in!!!" So he paid his membership fee, took off his gear and strolled off. As he walked along a path, he saw a big sign which read, "Beware of Gays." A little further along he saw another sign which read the same thing "Beware of Gays." He continued walking until he came to a small clearing which had a bronze plaque set in the ground. He bent over to read the plaque and it said, "Sorry,... You've had two warnings!" Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

Breaking news: Just heard on the Zimbabwean radio that South Africa has deployed troops to the Zimbabwean border. Unofficial election results show that Mugabe got hammered (unofficial results have been collated from the results posted outside polling stations). However the gov have waited >36 hours to start releasing results. Looking at Zim forums people are getting pretty angry - actually I have never seen so many death threats thrown around (and I thought SC was bad ) There have been a number of posts about children of the ruling elite who live in the US & UK who would be murdered if Mugabe "steals" the election. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

I don't think there was any paragliding in those days. AFAIK that sport started when people started using square parachutes to launch off mountains with - i have never heard of any paragliding under rounds, ever. (So he may have known about paragliding, but that would have years later?) Hang-gliders steer through weight shifting, whereas round parchutes that are vaguely steerable do not. Paragliding has no relevance to this jump. With all due respect I think that any confusion between hang-gliding/paragliding and a round parachute jump is purely based on a "whuffo" misunderstanding that they are all made of fabric and enable humans to be off the ground. A side note on the experience angle is that around that time you did not need many jumps to be "experienced" - it may be in the scary stories thread where at least once a person with 6 jumps was jump master. I am not familiar with the equipment in question, but I have jumped T10's and C9's and I don't believe it would be very difficult for a whuffo to kit up and understand the basic stuff - ripcord big silver handles, capewells would have no relevance, and then fairly simple leg straps and chest strap. This does not mean that I believe an inexperienced person would actually pull. Throughout history there have been idiots who believed they were able to do the impossible. However IF Cooper specified "back" parachute then it implies knowledge - a whuffo would automatically assume a parachute is a parachute. However this still does not need to be a jumper, perhaps a packer, lurker at a dz, or maybe even a storeman at a military establishment involved with paras? Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

Definition of a blond: A redhead with the fire f*cked out of her Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

A friend of mines brother was kicked out of med school because their were builders on scaffolding working on their floor. He asked the builders if they would "like a hand" and handed them a limb from a cadavar. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

Actually "official" inflation topped 100,000% percent 3 months ago. Inflation is going to skyrocket further over the next few months as government debt has increased by 65 times in 6 weeks!! Interesting fact - did you know that under Mugabe during the 1980's Zimbabwe had the highest literacy rate in Africa? Literacy was well over 80% and school exams were tied to UK "O" Levels so qualifications were world recognised. Ironically this has been part of the reason for the very rapid collapse as so many Zimbabweans were able to exploit highly skilled migrant programs and therefore leave the country. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

Your right & thanks for the links. One of Mugabe's "friends" http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3301361.stm Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

Yes racism is very much a two way street and white Zimbo's have their fair share. I disagree on the past though. Remember that prior to UDI (1961) there was no racial basis on which discrimination was made - discriminitation was based on financial ability and education. Ian Smith led the movement of the Rhodesian Front who were blatantly racist - yes he won slim majority and therefore had the backing of the whites - but it was far from all. Remember as well that there was no Apartheid in Rhodesia something that many people confuse with SA. Of course the hate was not manufactured by Bob, he is just the face of it. I do seriously believe that there are moral issues regarding a richer nation "invading" a poorer one as inevitable even without exploitation imbalance grows - this happens everywhere in the world. It is the reason that US companies will dominate the financial markets in Iraq in years to come. However it does not mean that these companies/people are abusing their position, just that they had a head start. In essence Colonialism was an "invasion" in case my point above seems detached. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

Hi Jamil, You are right there is no "point" to my post, I was just blowing off steam. You are also right that it is an African problem. What has truly amazed me over the past 2-3 years is how staunchly the other African governments have stood by Mugabe - including South Africa. The general consensus does seem to be that Mugabe is seen as the brave crusader against the west. Actually I don't think that this is very new either, you may be aware that in Zimbabwean culture naming your child is a very significant and meaningful event. So calling your child Happiness is fine as it reflects what you wanted. Well the point during the 1st Gulf war there were LOTS of children called Saddam or more frequently Scud. In local logic this was because it took the West's collective power to fight 1 man. Scud because it was a symbol of defiance against the west. So you come to the point when the majority resents the west and do not want our involvement - are we still morally obliged to support them with food aid and the like? Shouldn't this be left to his supportive "friends"? I don't think we should. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

As elections loom in the country of my past (Zimbabwe) I have been reflecting on the situation that I have found myself in. Without going into the intricate details of it and historical rights and wrongs. 10 years ago I left home to weather the storm in the UK, the intention was to be here for 4 years and then return. We are some of the lucky ones who through british law and our ancestry were able to settle in the UK very easily. 10 years on and the sure knowledge that we will never go "home" as no african nation that has sunk to the depths that Zimbabwe has have ever revived. Almost certainly Zimbabwe will muddle along for another few years and then I assume that tribal violence will break out between the 3 major ethnic groups (already the 3 presidential candidates campaign on common hatrid for whites, and their own ethnic origins). The feeling of losing your roots is painful beyond what I imagined possible. The situation is such that enshrined in Zimbabwean law being white excludes you from the rights of citizenship.We try to be "british" but at the end of the day cultural differences and perspectives remain, other family are scattered all over the world (New Zealand, Australia, Canada, USA) and they all have similar feelings. Our children are growing up with different roots to us - they truly are British. It is odd being an outsider and following the sometimes xenophobic rants against "immigrants" where people are to stupid and naive to differentiate between legal and illegal immigrants. People with vague notions of southern african history are often quick to critise what was done in the name of colonialism, without being aware of the facts - that alone can really get under my skin. Over the years I have transtioned from optimistic about the future, to being retrospective and wanting to help what I saw as fellow countrymen. This has given way to an element of bitterness, the outright racism that is more the rule than the exception has changed my attitude to finally believing that if they are so happy to hate the british more than Mugabe let them. I resent our tax money going as "aid" to support a nation that hates us and a corrupt regime, if Zimbabwe does not want democracy and western involvement let them have their way. Lastly when I look at colonialism in Africa I wonder at the why the British feel guilt? They were quite happy to go to Australia and kill the locals wholesale, they did the same in the USA. Perhaps they morally offload the killing of locals to the Aussies and Americans? Granted it is a clash of cultures of tremendous proportions when the colonialists arrived with technologies some 3000 years ahead of southern africa (Prior to the mid 1800's Zimbabwe did not have the wheel). Death and disease were rampant hence the entire population of Zimbabwe 120 years ago was less than 500 000 - of course mistakes were made and peoples feelings were hurt but on balance I feel that the british were a force for good. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

Seated bogs are much better for reading the newspaper and posting to DZ.com on the laptop..... so, it's no contest, is it? Yes but this toilet always came to mind when TB's name was mentioned http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blair_toilet and to answer the original question these toilets did not smell and were much cleaner than many public toilets. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

No its not - its a variation on trekking... Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

Are those 2 different to the asian and black specific channels hosted in the UK? No you can argue they are not however Welsh is a nationality not a race and Wales recognises Welsh as an official language so it is different. Also everyone whether black/white or asian has kiddies so that channel is not really segmented either - unless in the interests of fairness you have teletubbies mingled with porno's? The aspect that specifically caught my attention was the fact that it is to be broadcast TARGETED outside the UK so it is not intended for local consumption. In an area that they say is already crowded. I don't have a problem that the BBC World-service is something that costs us taxpayers money, but it is targeted world-wide to provide informed coverage to people & countries where there is a vacuum of coverage. Admittedly I only listen to world service if I am driving pre-5am but the coverage is pretty broad and interesting. Turning the argument on its head - can you justify any positive benefits of the new channel? Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

This morning on the way into work the BBC were talking about the launch of their new Arabic channel http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7288062.stm I have always felt that the BBC were independant of politics and being publicly funded that they provided a balanced view to the public. Of course I have been irritated that their are Asian and Black channels as I don't believe in pandaring to minority interests - but I have always seen this as political correctness rather than "politics". However the launch of this channel got me thinking - WHY? It is going to cost the british tax payer lots of money in what they admit is an already crowded market? As middle eastern audiences "like" seeing beheadings on Al-Jazeera will the BBC do likewise? I see absolutely no value in this channel to either us or the potential viewers and therefore my suspicion is aroused that this is to be a pure propaganda move but why - is it to appease the Islamic radicals thereby potentially reducing our terrorist threat? Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

Hi Billy, Unless it has changed in the last 5 years since I went their the one at Huntsville is actually an A-12 which from memory is the precursor to the SR71 (I couldn't tell the difference) Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.