kev35RE: How Stupid is David Blaine?
Only he knows….
I think David is right, he’s probably got some sort of a deal out of it. I wouldn’t be surprised to find him doing a tour soon and the media will have a new angle to gain publicity. I can see the interview now….
Interviewer “Mr. Blaine, please tell us what inspired you to stand 80ft up on a pole for 35 hours before jumping onto a pile of cardboard boxes?”
Mr. Blaine “It was an inner challenge that I had to conquer. By the way I’m doing a new show at ####### theatre in your city and the tickets are only $50 each.”
If he’s such a wonderful magician/illusionist, perhaps he could jump off the pole without the boxes to land on.
Regards,
kev35
kev35RE: Pic Of The Day-New Jet!!
Benair,
This is indeed a real image. Wildlife and in particular ornithological protection agencies from around the world are expressing grave concern over the impact of aviation on various species of bird. This is in fact a design by Airbus Industries to make their aircraft more ‘bird friendly’. Obviously this design is very reminiscent of the swan with passengers being carried in the ‘neck’ and in multiple seating levels in the body. As can be seen this is in fact a cargo variation which is specifically used for the transportation of giant toffee apples to the United States. This aircraft is rarely seen as it crosses the Atlantic via the Pacific following the migratory flight pattern of the swan. Airbus have yet to solve the problem of the aircrafts propensity to land on water.
Boeing are advancing their design of a 747 replacement taking the form of a golden eagle and are also lookong at designs based on the seagull, the main problem with the latter design is the amount od guano or excrement the aircraft will produce.
There is evidence to suggest that the manufacturers of commuter aircraft are to base future designs on the sparrow and the thrush.
Refards,
kev35
(Sorry guys, someone left the top off my medication.)
kev35RE: Culpability
If as the US Government now admits, warnings were received about potential al-qaeda hijackings, whether or not they were aware of the way in which these aircraft would be used, is the Bush administration culpable in any way? What are the feelings of the American people on these revelations? (PII, elp, any comments?)Is there now a likelihood as Mongu suggests that the families of victims could start legal proceedings?
As to my second point, is the use of photos of President Bush, taken on Sept 11th, (to raise money for his political campaign,) the cynical and unfeeling charade it appears? The president is giving sets of photo’s away to people who donate $150 to his campaign. He obviously wishes to promote his image now as a leader in the fight against terrorism, my question would be where was he in the immediate aftermath of the attacks?
Regards,
kev35
kev35RE: Records avaliable online
Merlin,
There are Australian records available online for Soldiers died during the Great War. These take the form of photocopies of a form filled in by families who wanted their deceased recorded on the Australian War Memorial. This database is very user friendly and the website has many other sections including a huge searchable photographic database. I think the address is http://www.awm.gov.au if that doesn’t work try a search for the Australian War Memorial, it’s well worth a visit.
Hope this helps,
kev35
kev35RE: British European new livery-pic here!!!!
A330,
Thanks for that. I know exactly where you mean as I used to stand there for hours in the mid 70’s (giving my age away now), I used to love seeing the Viscounts, Comets, Heralds and the BMA DC-9’s.
Regards,
kev35
kev35RE: Mr. Lott’s article
(BTW if you think beating them to death is a little harsh do you expect me to let them take control of the situation… “Yes, mister burglar, my guns are over there but you’d better hurry, I’ve called the police… they should be here in 10 minutes.”)
Garry, I don’t know about the situation in New Zealand, but here in the UK the Police advise us not to ‘hurt’ a burglar because in our upside down, back to front legal system, it’s highly likely that the house owner will end up receiving a far harsher sentence for assault than the burglar would for the burglary! Needless to say, most people here would defend theirselves and their families and worry about the consequences later.
As regarding the keeping and usage of guns, it is appropriate providing they are kept in the manner you describe. I’m not sure how you could ensure licensed gun owners are checked satisfactorily regarding their state of mind, after all, it only takes moments for someone to ‘snap’. It’s okay to say they would just find another weapon such as a knife, sword or club and that may be true. The problem with a gun is it is far more impersonal and unless you’re quite close to your victim you’re not going to get splattered with blood and brains. You just pull your trigger and move on to your next victim. The other problem with guns is that they are effective from a distance, you keep your hands nice and clean and you are not going to have to struggle with your victim. Sadly, this makes it all so much easier.
Regards,
kev35
PS There was a drug dealer shot to death in his car in a busy street where I live with a police station no more than 500 yards away. The response time for that incident was a magnificent 25 minutes. And the responding officer came from a town 5 miles away.
kev35RE: A340-600 max weight/max braking test results
Dazza,
superb pictures, if not slightly worrying…..
In the last photo, the legend on the side of the aircraft reads HIGHER QUIETER SM… Could that last word be SMOKIER?
Regards,
kev35
kev35RE: British European new livery-pic here!!!!
That is a smart aircraft in a very smart livery. I haven’t been to BHX for ages so can anyone please enlighten me as to exactly where the shot was taken and what the excavations are for in the background?
Thanks
kev35
kev35RE: Favourite Book
I’ve been thinking about this since it was first posted, and it’s really difficult, so, here we go…
Fiction
Watership Down. I know it’s about rabbits but these aren’t just fluffy bunnies, it’s one of the most violent books I’ve read and spawned a whole generation of similar stories, the best of these being Cold Moon, about Badgers, and the Duncton series about moles.
I’ve read all of Tom Clancy’s stuff and loved Executive Orders. All of the Ryan series are excellent.
Of the Vietnam novels I particularly liked The 13th Valley. Anything like James Webb’s work or Caputo or Dale Dye and Tim O’Brien are well worth reading.
The best war novel of all time for me has to be A Covenant With Death by John Harris. This is a First World War novel about a ‘Pals Battalion’ and their journey from inception to destruction on the 1st of July, 1916.
Non-fiction
Biographies, squadron histories, war diaries are all worth reading. Anything by Middlebrook is worth reading. Lyn MacDonald writes wonderful accounts of the Great War.
Richard Bach is wonderful from his factual, almost spiritual accounts of flying such as Biplane or Nothing By Chance to his amazing fantasies such as Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, There’s no such place as far away and the totally amazing Illusions, the confessions of a reluctant messiah. If anyone out there is interested in an aviation romance, try his Bridge Across Forever. Anything by him is emotional and inspirational, with more than the odd surprise thrown in.
One final pair of writers are Michael and his son, Jeff Shaara.
These are a trilogy about the American Civil War, the centrepiece being ‘Killer Angels’ which, almost word for word, became Gettysburg. Amazing in it’s characterisation and it’s ability to draw the reader in. The first time I read them I read all 3 together, one after the other, in about 36 hours.
I could probably go on forever as I have always had a love of books.
Regaeds,
kev35
kev35RE: What the????=Austrian GP
Garry and Rabie,
Reubens could have used radio trouble as an excuse, but he could never say he was hard of hearing. After all, he heard everything that was said when negotiating his new multi million pound contract!
Perhaps it is time to change the rules regarding teams in F1. How about limiting the teams to one car each and encouraging more manufacturers to take part? Or make it a single manufacturer formula, like Formula Vauxhall of a few years ago. Then each team has identical cars and powerplants and perhaps we could then find out who is the BEST driver.
Regards,
kev35
kev35RE: Two in a fighter. Did it ever happen?
The incident during the Battle of France is recounted in great detail in Nine Lives by Al Deere.
Hope this helps
kev35
kev35RE: What the????=Austrian GP
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 13-05-02 AT 07:44 PM (GMT)]Snowman,
I agree that Ferrari have done immense damage to the sport by taking this action and, if it does come down to Michael winning the championship by just 4 points (which I doubt) it would definitely have robbed another driver of the title.
If Ferrari’s domination of the sport continues in this fashion I think there might be calls for changes to the rules and specification of the cars to try and bring the top teams at least back in to competition.
And just to compound the ludicrousness of the whole situation I just heard on the news that the FIA are now looking at punishing Michael Schumacher for giving the trophy to Reubens. This punishment could take the form of a fine, or, wait for it, a deduction of points!
Regards,
kev35
kev35RE: What the????=Austrian GP
I think Reubens said it all at the press conference. He’s just signed a new 2 year contract with Ferrari worth millions of pounds and he obviously feels a certain amount of loyalty needed to be shown to the team. This contract lasts until just short of his 33rd birthday and will probably be his last contract with a major front running team.
I’m not altogether convinced that Michael was aware that team orders had been imposed, and if so, why were they not imposed earlier? The ITV commentary noted that a written message was passed from Jean Todt to Ross Brawn just a couple of laps before the end. Could this have been a message from even higher, maybe even Luca Montezemolo?
Having said all that, the final points awarded have made little or no difference to the drivers championship, Michael being just 4 points better off than if he had come second, and absolutely no difference to the constructors championship. Therefore I see no reason why this tactic was adopted. I could understand if it was later in the championship but not this early in the season.
As for the gestures by Michael at the end of the race, I think he seemed embarassed at the reaction of the crowd and I believe his congratulatory attitude towards Reubens was genuine and sincere. I certainly think both Michael and Reubens will have something to say to the management at Ferrari.
Another comment by Michael in the press conference was that he hoped the championship was won early so that Reubens could win some races, or words to that effect. This seems to indicate that Ferrari’s aim for this season is to win the constructors championship and ensure a 5th title for Michael.
A final comment about the team orders situation is that if some of the other teams were more competitive and could get in amongst the Ferrari’s the problem of team orders and when to impose them may no longer arise.
Finally, I think we should all breathe a heartfelt sigh of relief that no serious injuries resulted from the horrific accident between the Sauber and the Jordan. Let’s hope both drivers are fit for Monaco.
Regards,
kev35
kev35RE: What was your favourite airshow and why?
Many spring to mind.
My very first airshow was Old Warden in the early 70’s. Most memorable things were the smell from the WWI aircraft and the Vintage Pair arriving unannounced over the treetops. A sight which my Dad, who’s now 75, still remembers vividly.
Other shows also have exciting or interesting memories, arriving early at Cosford to see the airfield being ‘beaten up’ by a pair of RAF F-4’s, the tragedy of a USAF F-4 crash at Brawdy, the meeting with a B-17 gunner which I’ve mentioned before, and again, being too young to realise the importance of the opportunity, meeting Sir Douglas Bader in company with a German chap I now know to be Adolf Galland. Highlights of many such events now hold pride of place in my treasure trove of memories to be edited into my own personal ultimate airshow.
As for one particular show, I think it would have to be any of the Great Warbirds shows at West Malling.
Regards,
kev35
kev35RE: The European Union bar code……..
I think Domin’s comment is about right. It looks as though one delegate from each European country has vomited on a canvas and after careful combing this is the effect. I hope the Dutch Architect who designed this has more success with his buildings!
Regards,
kev35
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