jackp

The evidence is all based on macdonald because it is macdonald being tried for murder. The boot has been confirmed by forensics to be 9 to 11 based on the waves, so macdonalds pair fit that profile. The police have testified that they followed through with other leads but they didn't go anywhere. The police spent 9 months investigating so you're not going to get a sense of everything they have done based on the trial (even less so from media coverage of the trial). I think that realistically there is some doubt, but whether it's enough for the jury to consider reasonable doubt, only time will tell. I know that I'd have a hell of a time deciding if it were up to me

completely agree david. i'd compare this case to the scott watson case. i suspect watson was guilty but felt there wasn't enough solid evidence to get a conviction, yet the jury found him guilty. i guess the issue is that regardless of where reasonable doubt starts and ends it all comes down to the opinion of 12 people

there are other witness statements that only mention 2 shots, as well as only finding physical evidence of 2 shots.

I've been following it pretty closely. I suspect that he is guilty, but the evidence is all circumstantial. However I think it was very telling that the defences closing statement basically said that even if you think he probably did it, that's not enough. It's really going to depend on the jury. If I was a betting man I'd put money in them finding him guilty. While the evidence is circumstantial, it is certainly damning and it destroys macdonalds credibility. I guess we just have to wait and see

I got my api master kit off trademe for $23. Used it half a dozen times and heven't touched it since. Just be aware that they have a use by date if you do buy 2nd hand.

R4.0 should be heaps in terms of insulation, however you will lose quite a bit of heat with the window (unless it's double glazed). In terms of material thickness for the tanks, volume isn't really relevant, the most important dimension is tank height (short wide tanks don't need to be as strong as narrow high tanks. if you insulated the window (or even did a d.i.y double glazing job) you may well get away with useing the lights to heat it. it's also sometimes a good idea to paint the walls a light colour and use high gloss paint, this way you get better use out of your lighting as it reflects off the walls. if you're using extension cords make sure you use good quality ones (comercial grade), they will perform better when drawing higher currents. same goes with multiboxes. also with the glass see if you can get offcuts rather than whole sheets. it will work out a lot cheaper.

Mate, I gotta say I'm pretty jealous. Most exotic school trip I went on was to the zoo. Sounds like an epic trip

Auckland fish keepers have meetings on the 2nd Tuesday of every month. I'm sure Ryan will post details of the next meeting in a week or so.

ring them yourself and don't back down till you get the issue sorted. emails and letters are easy to ignore, an irate customer screaming down the phone at them, not so much. usually the problem gets sorted simply by being put through to talk to the right person. If they don't play ball tell them that you will take photos of the tank and do some free advertising for them.

come to the dark side. africans are where it's at

What about Mack

Here's the photo's. As you can see he was a particularly viscious individual. http://s1122.photobucket.com/albums/l54 ... hoto-1.jpg http://s1122.photobucket.com/albums/l54 ... =photo.jpg http://s1122.photobucket.com/albums/l54 ... ad7e85.jpg

haha, Ryan came round with his kids as well, so we were very restrained. It was actually pretty cool having kids laughing and playing in the house. They all stayed the night and in the morning I took the kids around the farm on the ride on lawn mower. They got to see a couple of lambs (mum must have let the ram in way to early as we have to lambs that are about a month old) and feed the chickens. It was pretty cool really (even if andy didn't get to sit on my knee and go for a ride). I have found some nice photos of bruce and will put them up once I figure out how to get them off my phone. As for getting another dog, it is a certainty, but probably not for a year or two. I am not too sure what I'm doing with my life at the moment and will wait till I am more settled. My mother will be back from England at the end of July and I am sure she will get a puppy (probably a collie) so I will be able to steal her dog as she did mine.

i'll be glad for the company

i'll post some more photos in the next couple of days. tonight i intend to do some damage to a bottle of rum

Bruce passed away peacefully. We were sitting in the sun in the lounge at my mothers house, his head on my lap. I buried him just down the hill from the house amongst the fruit trees. While I am sad, there is also relief that he is no longer suffering and battling to stay alive. He was a friend when I really needed one and will always be in my memories. Thank you everyone for all your support through this tough time, it meant a lot just knowing that there were people thinking of us. While today is certainly sad, it was not nearly as bad as I was dreading and I think the fact that I have been expecting this for so long makes it that much easier to cope with. Dealing with Bruces condition has been very hard at times, but I feel certain that I offered him the best life I could have and gave him the best death possible. I guess we both got lucky that day I brought him home.

bruces gains were short lived. i think his body was just reacting to getting a slightly larger energy intake. i've just got home from work and talked to the people renting the other end of the house. they said that bruce collapsed a couple of times this morning and found it dificult to stand up again. he is better now, but his back legs tremble if he has to stand for too long. he still looks happy and greets me with a wagging tail and smiling face, but that's just bruce being bruce. the reality is his body is starting to fail him because he's not getting the nutrition he needs. if i drag it out he will suffer and he deserves better than that. i do not own him, he is not my possesion. i am merely responsible for his wellbeing. this means i have to be responsible in the choices i make for him. he has been an amazing friend and companion and as such i have to be the same for him. this is the hardest decision i've ever had to make, but i know it is the right one. i have done the best i could for him from the day i got him, and that has to be the case now. we have been through a lot together in the last 4 1/2 years. when i almost cut my fingers off with a skill saw and spent 6 months recovering, bruce was by my side. when my father was diagnosed with terminal cancer and i struggled through his final 8 months, bruce was at my side. when i battled through depression and life seemed so dark and difficult, bruce was at my side. every effort i have made for him has been in repayment for what he has done for me. the thought of him not being there is devastating, but when the pain is gone i will still have the memories, bruces gift to me.

quick update, bruce threw up a bit during the night, and his cough (pneumonia related) seems to be coming back. i'm not sure what i should do at this juncture, which means i will be holding off on having him put to sleep (that's not happening until i'm pretty damn certain). yes he's skinny and there is no real indication that he will be able to take on food properly again, but he is still pretty happy and certainly not in any distress. for now i will persevere with what i'm doing and hope for the best. my gut feeling is that i am just postponing the inevitable, but then my gut aint no veterinarian and he's beaten the odds before.

he was on antibiotics for the pneumonia (which would probably have been rough on his stomach) and several different pills to help him move the fluid from his lungs.

i don't know if i'm just seeing things that i am desperate to see, but bruce seems a little better today. a couple of days ago i bought a smoked chicken and boiled up a broth with it (bruce has always loved smoked chicken). i have been warming up small amounts of the broth for him, as well as giving him the nutrigel. i also stopped giving him all the pills the vet gave me, as i figured he wasn't improving and i was having to literally force them down his throat. when i got home from work today the first thing i noticed was that he seemed more lively and his breathing was easier. he also accepted a small amount of food (spca tinned food). only time will tell if he holds it down, but it may be a glimmer of hope. this is how his recovery occured last year. all hope seemed lost, he was booked in to be put down and then he miraculously turned around. i will keep a close eye on him and see how he goes. one thing that's certain is that i will not have him put to sleep if he is happy and there is any hope of a recovery. as i say, i may just be kidding myself, but death is pretty damn final. i want to be certain i'm doing the right thing.

185l is quite small for an african tank. what are the dimensions?

sadly things aren't good. bruce is bringing up the nutrigel and continues to fade. i have organised for the vet (a family friend) to come round on saterday to put bruce to sleep. if i think that he is sufferin at all i will bring it forward, but i think that the little energy he is getting from the nutrigel will keep him going till then. i am absolutely heartbroken, but i know i am doing the right thing by him. it isn't fair for me to keep him alive just because i can't bear the thought of losing him. thankyou everyone for your support and advice, i really do appreciate it.

i bought a couple of tubes of nutrigel today. i'm hoping that if i can get bruces energy up and give his throat a break from all the throwing up he may turn around. while i remain hopeful that it works, the vet told me that he has never seen a dog come back from this point. that said i was told the same thing 6 months ago. regardless, he still seems to be reasonably content, though getting quite lethargic. i have made the decision that if i can't get him to turn around with the nutrigel i will have to have him put down. it is not a decision i have made lightly, and i truly think that i have made it with bruces best interests in mind. while i can't think of anything else i can do to help him, i can't help but feel i've failed him. i just hope that with a bit more energy and no vomiting to irritate his throat he will start to feel better.

i have tried giving him stock, but he only laps up a bit and then refuses it. I haven't got any nutrigel, but will try to get some tomorrow. It doesn't seem like a long term solution, but hopefully it buys me enough time to sort something more permanent out.

he refused sardines, he ate tuna but brought it up again and wouldn't eat it any more. i've also tried fresh fish (cooked and raw).