[Baldwin]

He gives a bad name to Christians... I am a Catholic and hope to study to be a priest. I don't believe in these rediculous concepts like 9/11 and Katrina being God's retribution. Inherent human stupidity is God's punishment. Anyway, I take the Augustian view that sex is an evil. It's not that a man and a woman having sex is evil. I see it as a problem of overpopulation that is evil. Reproducing at this point in human population is irresponsible in our governance of the world.

Anyway, perhaps Falwell will be forgiven, perhaps not.

Mixing religion and politics is dangerous. Catholics learned that long ago. Apparently evangelicals haven't.

[oowolf]

Her "Violetta" was awesome. She had real class. link

[Tanada]

Who is rising up from the younger generation to replace these greats? No offense meant but it seems like we are loosing about 3 cultural greats for every one we find any more, and no Paris Hilton is not a cultural great.

[fireplaceguy]

The bell tolls for Sir Edmund, at 88. Gutsy. Hemingway probably put it best when he said "There are only three sports - mountain climbing, bull fighting and motor racing. The rest are just games."

Ever humble, but used his fame effectively. Another one of the good guys, and a life worth reading about.

[SchroedingersCat]

I think they offed him to give Clinton a boost in the primaries. Get that name in everyone's head.

[Niagara]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SchroedingersCat', 'I') think they offed him to give Clinton a boost in the primaries. Get that name in everyone's head.

[jasonraymondson]

Damn you!!!!.. Be careful with your thread titles. Got my damn hopes up for nothing

[Graeme]

Edmund Hillary, first atop Everest, dies

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'H')e wrote of the pair's final steps to the top of the world: "Another few weary steps and there was nothing above us but the sky. There was no false cornice, no final pinnacle. We were standing together on the summit. There was enough space for about six people. We had conquered Everest.

"Awe, wonder, humility, pride, exaltation — these surely ought to be the confused emotions of the first men to stand on the highest peak on Earth, after so many others had failed," Hillary noted.

"But my dominant reactions were relief and surprise. Relief because the long grind was over and the unattainable had been attained. And surprise, because it had happened to me, old Ed Hillary, the beekeeper, once the star pupil of the Tuakau District School, but no great shakes at Auckland Grammar (high school) and a no-hoper at university, first to the top of Everest. I just didn't believe it.

He said: "I removed my oxygen mask to take some pictures. It wasn't enough just to get to the top. We had to get back with the evidence. Fifteen minutes later we began the descent."


His philosophy of life was simple: "Adventuring can be for the ordinary person with ordinary qualities, such as I regard myself," he said in a 1975 interview after writing his autobiography, "Nothing Venture, Nothing Win."

Close friends described him as having unbounded enthusiasm for both life and adventure.

"We all have dreams — but Ed has dreams, then he's got this incredible drive, and goes ahead and does it," long-time friend Jim Wilson said in 1993.

Hillary summarized it for schoolchildren in 1998, when he said one didn't have to be a genius to do well in life.

[I_Like_Plants]

Dammit and here I thought some hero had gut-shot the bitch.

[jboogy]

How did he get to the summit without bottled oxygen?

[Tanada]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jboogy', 'H')ow did he get to the summit without bottled oxygen?

[peaker_2005]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jasonraymondson', 'D')amn you!!!!.. Be careful with your thread titles. Got my damn hopes up for nothing

[katkinkate]

I have to admit, when I first saw the headline in the online news, my first thought was "Someone assassinated Hillary! I thought Obama was a more likely prospect for assassination..."

[TheTurtle]

Clever title and all, and I know some people have very strong feelings about some politicians, but let's please keep this thread focussed on the mountain climber and not illegal activities.

Thanks and carry on.

[jboogy]

When I first saw it I thought it was in reference to her losing in Iowa. Obama seems to be gathering some sort of momentum as well as endorsements , notably John Kerry , the reason?Supposedly there was a falling out between Kerry and Edwards after Kerries team chose not to challenge Bush's victory in '04.

My guy Kucinich is floating face down and starting to bloat-up. Edwards is my 2nd choice and it looks like he might lose everywhere except S. carolina. That leaves Obama and Shrillary, dear God don't let it be Bush's slightly less evil twin Shrillary.

I'm still holding out some hope for Paul , beat Ghouliani in Iowa but did poorly in New Hampshire , strange how you see Paul supporters everywhere but at the booth , he rakes in the cash and kicks ass in a lot of open polls ( like the one on AOL where he won every state except New York , Jersey and Delaware ) but for some strange reason does poorly in the vote count. Is the fix in ?

[Plantagenet]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tanada', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jboogy', 'H')ow did he get to the summit without bottled oxygen?

[jboogy]

Hi Plantain , I didn't know that. Every photo I've ever seen of Hillary climbing the mountain shows him and his party not wearing oxygen masks , even the ones with him at or near the summit, I wonder how he knew he'd need bottled oxy. since he was the first to go that high. Were previous attempts failures because the climbers couldn't breath properly? How do the sherpas do it without oxy.? Can you condition your body to perform at significantly lower oxy. levels? I wonder if NFL teams that travel to denver to play are at a disadvantage.

[Plantagenet]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jboogy', 'H')i Plantain , I didn't know that. Every photo I've ever seen of Hillary climbing the mountain shows him and his party not wearing oxygen masks , even the ones with him at or near the summit, I wonder how he knew he'd need bottled oxy. since he was the first to go that high. Were previous attempts failures because the climbers couldn't breath properly? How do the sherpas do it without oxy.? Can you condition your body to perform at significantly lower oxy. levels? I wonder if NFL teams that travel to denver to play are at a disadvantage.

[threadbear]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jboogy', 'W')hen I first saw it I thought it was in reference to her losing in Iowa. Obama seems to be gathering some sort of momentum as well as endorsements , notably John Kerry , the reason?Supposedly there was a falling out between Kerry and Edwards after Kerries team chose not to challenge Bush's victory in '04.

My guy Kucinich is floating face down and starting to bloat-up. Edwards is my 2nd choice and it looks like he might lose everywhere except S. carolina. That leaves Obama and Shrillary, dear God don't let it be Bush's slightly less evil twin Shrillary.

I'm still holding out some hope for Paul , beat Ghouliani in Iowa but did poorly in New Hampshire , strange how you see Paul supporters everywhere but at the booth , he rakes in the cash and kicks ass in a lot of open polls ( like the one on AOL where he won every state except New York , Jersey and Delaware ) but for some strange reason does poorly in the vote count. Is the fix in ?