Subject: Re: Dutch provincial North sea<br/>
Date: Dec 18, 2001 @ 01:18<br/>
Author: granthutchison (&quot;granthutchison&quot; &lt;granthutchison@...&gt;)<br/>
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<div id="ygrps-yiv-356305362">Michael: <br/>
<blockquote><span title="ireply"> &gt; &gt;But there have been two GPS surveys of Everest in the last few years.<br/>
&gt; &gt;In 1998 it was nailed at 8838m. In 1999 it was nailed at 8850m. Both<br/>
&gt; &gt;surveys claim accuracy to a metre or so. Take your pick!<br/>
&gt; <br/>
&gt; yeah right thanx<br/>
&gt; do you mean my ice pick<br/>
<br/>
 </span></blockquote>No, no, no. That&#39;s an ice-*axe*. An ice-pick is the pointy thing you<br/>
use to break ice for drinks. <br/>
The security folk at London Heathrow once noticed that my hold luggage<br/>
contained a three-foot ice-axe. This seemed to cause a<br/>
disproportionate amount of excitement (it was going in the *hold*,<br/>
after all). So there was a lot of conferring by radio saying: &quot;The<br/>
passenger has got a bloody great ice-pick in his luggage, over.&quot;<br/>
And I kept pointing out that really it wasn&#39;t a pick, it was an *axe*.<br/>
I had said &quot;axe&quot; several times at increasing volume before my wife<br/>
nudged me and said: &quot;I really don&#39;t think that&#39;s making them any more<br/>
likely to let you on the plane with it.&quot;<br/>
Which was a fair, helpful and timely point.<br/>
<br/>
But it&#39;s still an axe (he mutters sullenly).<br/>
<br/>
Grant</div>