Oh D or W, I thought, come and save me. Then I thought I might faint. I dropped the ball and ran behind the big bin like a cheetah.
You must be wondering how I got into this position. My name is Miss 8 and I like reading books. It all started when we were walking home from school we all had some money, so we went to a shop, W bought a frisbee, D bought a skipping rope and I bought a ball We saw Blue the Bully and paniked. He had a bag of snailes that he normally put in our lunch boxes, but we hid behind the book shelves were the big books of the two dollar shop. But I also say Black Eye the Bully, so we went home, we all went back to my house. D went to get some thing to eat and W got her frisbee and I saw Black Eye and Blue are standing in the shadow and it was so scary.
The End
*****************************************************************
This is a story that Miss 8 brought home from school yesterday. I don't know when or why she wrote it, but I guess they had to write a story about a bully.
The school, as far as I am aware, doesn't have a problem with bullying, but more and more this term they have been doing this type of study (anti-smoking, pro-recycling, anti-bullying, pro-healthy eating seminars). I must admit that I'm a bit annoyed with the amount of these (oops, I forgot the "Jump Rope for Health" day too) ... My girls are very active and healthy and seriously I send them to school to LEARN stuff that I can't teach them.
Anyway, getting back to the main reason that I posted this. She is scared and she is looking for someone else to save her! Is that the response and attitude that she really has? Time for a talk, I think ....
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Another Have A Go Day or Two ...
We had planned a second "Have A Go Day" for the month on Sunday.
However, during the week we were contacted by a club member who had two friends interested but they couldn't make the "Have A Go Day" dates, so we said that we would run a special one for them on the Saturday.
We ended up having four people on the Saturday afternoon. All except one had done some shooting before but we started with the basics. As there were only four of them, rather than standing at the table for all of the shooting we actually got them moving with the handguns - which they loved. So much so that two of them have applied to become members of the club. Again the shotgun shooting was one of the most popular activities of the day.
We had 22 people booked for the Sunday, however, only 12 turned up. I wasn't too sorry about this as I was fighting off the flu and brain wasn't really working! Luckily the Chief Instructor was there to keep me in line.
About half a dozen of this group had come to previous "Have A Go Days" but there were also a number of newbies both to our club and to shooting.
We did change a few things from previous days - we split the number of rounds we shot from Glock into two magazines to give them time to have a look how they were shooting and for us to help them more with their grip, stance and aiming.
We also had two bolt action rifles and two lever actions so we could split the group up and not spend so much time on the rifle section. One of the "helpers" also brought his pump action 12ga shotgun for the visitors to shoot and that was very popular (as was my tuffy!).
Here's a picture from the previous weekend showing us helping some of the participants with their grip:
Next month's "Have A Go Day" is already booked out ....
However, during the week we were contacted by a club member who had two friends interested but they couldn't make the "Have A Go Day" dates, so we said that we would run a special one for them on the Saturday.
We ended up having four people on the Saturday afternoon. All except one had done some shooting before but we started with the basics. As there were only four of them, rather than standing at the table for all of the shooting we actually got them moving with the handguns - which they loved. So much so that two of them have applied to become members of the club. Again the shotgun shooting was one of the most popular activities of the day.
We had 22 people booked for the Sunday, however, only 12 turned up. I wasn't too sorry about this as I was fighting off the flu and brain wasn't really working! Luckily the Chief Instructor was there to keep me in line.
About half a dozen of this group had come to previous "Have A Go Days" but there were also a number of newbies both to our club and to shooting.
We did change a few things from previous days - we split the number of rounds we shot from Glock into two magazines to give them time to have a look how they were shooting and for us to help them more with their grip, stance and aiming.
We also had two bolt action rifles and two lever actions so we could split the group up and not spend so much time on the rifle section. One of the "helpers" also brought his pump action 12ga shotgun for the visitors to shoot and that was very popular (as was my tuffy!).
Here's a picture from the previous weekend showing us helping some of the participants with their grip:
Next month's "Have A Go Day" is already booked out ....
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Just in case you weren't sure ...
Two guys decided to shoot each other in the buttocks with an air rifle to "see if it hurts" ... yes, alcohol was involved!
If you want to read the story it's at http://www.news.com.au/national/men-shoot-each-other-to-see-if-it-hurts/story-e6frfkvr-1225883054157 (silly computer isn't letting me post links again!).
If you want to read the story it's at http://www.news.com.au/national/men-shoot-each-other-to-see-if-it-hurts/story-e6frfkvr-1225883054157 (silly computer isn't letting me post links again!).
Reloading Challenge - Update
Following on from my post the other day ...
I reloaded 10 rounds at each of the following lengths:
- 28.88mm (current press settings)
- 29.12mm (which was a 1/4 turn)
- 29.42mm (another 1/4 turn)
- 29.70mm (another 1/4 turn)
- 30.06mm (another 1/4 turn)
- 30.38mm (another 1/4 turn)
and took them up to the range on Saturday to try.
The best result - good grouping and no tumbling (woo hoo!!!!!) was at both the 29.7 & 30.06 stage. So I have decided to set the press to just under 30mm and try 200 this Saturday.
Stay tuned!
I reloaded 10 rounds at each of the following lengths:
- 28.88mm (current press settings)
- 29.12mm (which was a 1/4 turn)
- 29.42mm (another 1/4 turn)
- 29.70mm (another 1/4 turn)
- 30.06mm (another 1/4 turn)
- 30.38mm (another 1/4 turn)
and took them up to the range on Saturday to try.
The best result - good grouping and no tumbling (woo hoo!!!!!) was at both the 29.7 & 30.06 stage. So I have decided to set the press to just under 30mm and try 200 this Saturday.
Stay tuned!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
June’s Have A Go Day
We’ve had so many bookings for our monthly “Have a Go Day” that we’re running two this month. The first of which was today.
We had 20 people booked in, however only 15 turned up, which isn’t a problem :) … Four club members had volunteered to help so there was a good ratio of helpers to visitors.
The Chief Instructor and I had spent some time during the week working out how we were going to run it and he was happy for me to take the lead today and just be there to keep me on track!
Yesterday after training we had spent some time setting up the range, which was good as everyone decided to turn up early! We quickly got them signed in, checked them for ‘eyes and ears’ and were ready to get underway by noon.
I welcomed them to the club and gave them a quick run down on how the day was going to go and the basics of safety. We then had them shoot Glocks, Tanfoglios and Revolvers as we did last month.
We had decided to change the rifle section a bit from last month and this time we went with a bolt action .22 rifle and a .22 lever action. Last month we had four rifles and they had 10 rounds for each one and things really seemed to drag … This time we went down to the two and with 5 rounds each. It worked better, but it still dragged a touch. Next Sunday we’ve arranged to have another lever action and another bolt action so we can split the people up and get them through this section a bit quicker.
The visitors however seemed to enjoy the rifle shooting and there were some very good shots amongst the group.
Once we had put the rifles away we brought out the shotguns, and a .357 rifle. We had three shotguns for them this month – the over/under; semi-auto; and my Tuffy.
Prior to shooting the shotguns we pulled a shell apart, burnt the propellant and fired off the primer. I think this is a great thing to do with ‘newbies’ as it gives them a very good idea of what they’re actually shooting.
We used paper targets for the .357 and Tuffy, but at the suggestion of a member of the GBC chat – Caleb – we decided to use pepper poppers for the other shotguns. It worked brilliantly!
Once they finished the shooting we thanked them for coming and they headed up to the club house.
My brother had rung up on the Friday to see if he could bring his family up to the “Have A Go Day”. As we were expecting 20 people I suggest that they come up afterwards and we do a mini one for them followed by a BBQ.
They arrived just after 2.30pm – giving us enough time to grab a cuppa :) He had stopped off and bought some KFC for us as well, which was gratefully received.
Once we finished eating we got the guns out. My brother has two kids – a 12 year old girl and a 15 year old boy. So I decided to start with the .22 pistol.
Again we started with a safety lecture, then moved onto holding and aiming the pistol. I then loaded one round for them and let them shoot that. Once I knew that they were going to be okay with the gun we gave them 10 rounds. They all shot the .22s and then we moved onto my 9mm Springfield.
Then the 9mm Glocks and Tanfoglios. By this time my husband had turned up with my two girls and they were interested in shooting as well. Both girls shot the Springfield and the Chief Instructor got out his air pistol which Miss 6 absolutely loves so she shot off 20 rounds before letting anyone else have a go. I think everyone of these hit the centre area of the target!
While she was shooting the Air Pistol, we had moved onto the revolvers with the others. I got out two revolvers, one was quite small and the other was huge. I gave them a choice as to which one they wanted to shoot and I was surprised that they all decided to shoot the large one! Apparently it looked like a “real gun”.
After Miss 6 had finished with the Air Pistol she too wanted to try the revolver, luckily she chose the small one! I was very surprised that she actually shot three rounds, normally she doesn’t like “loud guns”.
The rest of the group had moved onto trying the Air Pistol. They were quite surprised how difficult it was to actually fire accurately (they were all trying the one handed approach).
We then put all the handguns away and got the rifles out.
We decided to bring out three .22 rifles, the single shot; lever action and bolt action. Miss 6 LOVES the single shot (well it is hers and her sister’s) and took her time lining it up and shooting. She insisted on doing everything herself – loading it, aiming it and working the bolt. She was very accurate too (she shoots resting on sandbags!). After she had shot 5 I dragged her away so her sister could have a shoot. Miss 8 likes shooting the rifles as well, but she didn’t want to rest on the sandbags. We negotiated a compromise (as the gun is too big for her to hold unaided) and she lined it up and then would tell me that it was right and I would just support the front. Her shooting was very accurate as well.
Everyone switched around and tried all the rifles. The bolt action seemed to be the favourite. Once everyone had finished Miss 6 HAD to have another go of HER rifle.
We then put the rifles away and got out the three shotguns we had used in the morning.
My girls don’t like the noise of shotguns so they left the range to go play with some other friends who had turned up for the BBQ.
We again opened up a shell and explained all the different bits and burnt the propellant etc. And then they got to shoot! My niece fell in love with the Tuffy and shot it three times (the Tuffy does kick like a mule so I’m hoping she’ll be okay tomorrow). My sister-in-law was hilarious when she shot it (after she had shot the over/under and semi-auto and was already sore), the Tuffy really didn’t make it any better! The boys had to shoot it at arms length as well as off the shoulder but they didn’t like it as much as my neice.
By this time my husband had the BBQ ready, so we put the guns away, cleaned up the range and headed for some food and much needed beer.
Long, long day but lots of fun!!!
AND we get to do it again next weekend ......
We had 20 people booked in, however only 15 turned up, which isn’t a problem :) … Four club members had volunteered to help so there was a good ratio of helpers to visitors.
The Chief Instructor and I had spent some time during the week working out how we were going to run it and he was happy for me to take the lead today and just be there to keep me on track!
Yesterday after training we had spent some time setting up the range, which was good as everyone decided to turn up early! We quickly got them signed in, checked them for ‘eyes and ears’ and were ready to get underway by noon.
I welcomed them to the club and gave them a quick run down on how the day was going to go and the basics of safety. We then had them shoot Glocks, Tanfoglios and Revolvers as we did last month.
We had decided to change the rifle section a bit from last month and this time we went with a bolt action .22 rifle and a .22 lever action. Last month we had four rifles and they had 10 rounds for each one and things really seemed to drag … This time we went down to the two and with 5 rounds each. It worked better, but it still dragged a touch. Next Sunday we’ve arranged to have another lever action and another bolt action so we can split the people up and get them through this section a bit quicker.
The visitors however seemed to enjoy the rifle shooting and there were some very good shots amongst the group.
Once we had put the rifles away we brought out the shotguns, and a .357 rifle. We had three shotguns for them this month – the over/under; semi-auto; and my Tuffy.
Prior to shooting the shotguns we pulled a shell apart, burnt the propellant and fired off the primer. I think this is a great thing to do with ‘newbies’ as it gives them a very good idea of what they’re actually shooting.
We used paper targets for the .357 and Tuffy, but at the suggestion of a member of the GBC chat – Caleb – we decided to use pepper poppers for the other shotguns. It worked brilliantly!
Once they finished the shooting we thanked them for coming and they headed up to the club house.
My brother had rung up on the Friday to see if he could bring his family up to the “Have A Go Day”. As we were expecting 20 people I suggest that they come up afterwards and we do a mini one for them followed by a BBQ.
They arrived just after 2.30pm – giving us enough time to grab a cuppa :) He had stopped off and bought some KFC for us as well, which was gratefully received.
Once we finished eating we got the guns out. My brother has two kids – a 12 year old girl and a 15 year old boy. So I decided to start with the .22 pistol.
Again we started with a safety lecture, then moved onto holding and aiming the pistol. I then loaded one round for them and let them shoot that. Once I knew that they were going to be okay with the gun we gave them 10 rounds. They all shot the .22s and then we moved onto my 9mm Springfield.
Then the 9mm Glocks and Tanfoglios. By this time my husband had turned up with my two girls and they were interested in shooting as well. Both girls shot the Springfield and the Chief Instructor got out his air pistol which Miss 6 absolutely loves so she shot off 20 rounds before letting anyone else have a go. I think everyone of these hit the centre area of the target!
While she was shooting the Air Pistol, we had moved onto the revolvers with the others. I got out two revolvers, one was quite small and the other was huge. I gave them a choice as to which one they wanted to shoot and I was surprised that they all decided to shoot the large one! Apparently it looked like a “real gun”.
After Miss 6 had finished with the Air Pistol she too wanted to try the revolver, luckily she chose the small one! I was very surprised that she actually shot three rounds, normally she doesn’t like “loud guns”.
The rest of the group had moved onto trying the Air Pistol. They were quite surprised how difficult it was to actually fire accurately (they were all trying the one handed approach).
We then put all the handguns away and got the rifles out.
We decided to bring out three .22 rifles, the single shot; lever action and bolt action. Miss 6 LOVES the single shot (well it is hers and her sister’s) and took her time lining it up and shooting. She insisted on doing everything herself – loading it, aiming it and working the bolt. She was very accurate too (she shoots resting on sandbags!). After she had shot 5 I dragged her away so her sister could have a shoot. Miss 8 likes shooting the rifles as well, but she didn’t want to rest on the sandbags. We negotiated a compromise (as the gun is too big for her to hold unaided) and she lined it up and then would tell me that it was right and I would just support the front. Her shooting was very accurate as well.
Everyone switched around and tried all the rifles. The bolt action seemed to be the favourite. Once everyone had finished Miss 6 HAD to have another go of HER rifle.
We then put the rifles away and got out the three shotguns we had used in the morning.
My girls don’t like the noise of shotguns so they left the range to go play with some other friends who had turned up for the BBQ.
We again opened up a shell and explained all the different bits and burnt the propellant etc. And then they got to shoot! My niece fell in love with the Tuffy and shot it three times (the Tuffy does kick like a mule so I’m hoping she’ll be okay tomorrow). My sister-in-law was hilarious when she shot it (after she had shot the over/under and semi-auto and was already sore), the Tuffy really didn’t make it any better! The boys had to shoot it at arms length as well as off the shoulder but they didn’t like it as much as my neice.
By this time my husband had the BBQ ready, so we put the guns away, cleaned up the range and headed for some food and much needed beer.
Long, long day but lots of fun!!!
AND we get to do it again next weekend ......
Friday, June 18, 2010
Reloading Challenge
Some of you (esp those on GBC) are aware of my reloading saga ... for those not familiar with it, the story to date is:
Shooting buddy and I split 5000 proji (125gn conical, 356dia) & 5000 (federal) primers.
He reloaded these in 9mm cases first and had tumbling issues. I've been using these proji & primers for years and never had a problem. However, when I eventually got around to reloading some I also had tumbling issues.
He increased his crimp, went up to 4.1grns of AP70N (which is what I'm using) and used only winchester brass and the tumbling stopped. I put some of his loads through my gun - great grouping and NO tumbling.
I used winchester brass, 4.1grns of AP70N and still had tumbling issues. On Monday night I reloaded 50 or so with more crimp, took them to the range on Tuesday and they still tumbled.
So back to the drawing board. OAL of his & mine are 5 1000's of an inch different. However, there is a marked difference in the width of the case at the base. So I got him to run 50 through his press doing the first stage only (primer out, resize) and then loaded them last night with different crimps.
I backed the crimp right off and then increased it by a quarter turn and loaded 5 at each point, taking it harder than it was originally.
Took them to the range today, and saw a marked difference in grouping but not in tumbling. I will now set the crimp to the best grouping and start looking at length as being the issue.
We tested the gun and the max length that I can load is 1216 OAL, his rounds are 1143, mine were 1138 (not sure what units these are - it's whatever his calipers measure!).
So I guess my next challenge is:
a) measure the rounds in mm on my calipers
b) load different test loads at 5mm increments from 1140 to 1210, using the best grouping crimp above and see if we can solve the tumbling issue.
If it's not this then I'm not really sure what to do next. (Oh, we pulled some rounds apart and double checked the powder - mine was exactly 4.1, his varied between 4.3 and 4.5, so maybe I could increase my powder just a touch).
It's been an interesting and educational challenge - but I really would like to find a solution :)
Shooting buddy and I split 5000 proji (125gn conical, 356dia) & 5000 (federal) primers.
He reloaded these in 9mm cases first and had tumbling issues. I've been using these proji & primers for years and never had a problem. However, when I eventually got around to reloading some I also had tumbling issues.
He increased his crimp, went up to 4.1grns of AP70N (which is what I'm using) and used only winchester brass and the tumbling stopped. I put some of his loads through my gun - great grouping and NO tumbling.
I used winchester brass, 4.1grns of AP70N and still had tumbling issues. On Monday night I reloaded 50 or so with more crimp, took them to the range on Tuesday and they still tumbled.
So back to the drawing board. OAL of his & mine are 5 1000's of an inch different. However, there is a marked difference in the width of the case at the base. So I got him to run 50 through his press doing the first stage only (primer out, resize) and then loaded them last night with different crimps.
I backed the crimp right off and then increased it by a quarter turn and loaded 5 at each point, taking it harder than it was originally.
Took them to the range today, and saw a marked difference in grouping but not in tumbling. I will now set the crimp to the best grouping and start looking at length as being the issue.
We tested the gun and the max length that I can load is 1216 OAL, his rounds are 1143, mine were 1138 (not sure what units these are - it's whatever his calipers measure!).
So I guess my next challenge is:
a) measure the rounds in mm on my calipers
b) load different test loads at 5mm increments from 1140 to 1210, using the best grouping crimp above and see if we can solve the tumbling issue.
If it's not this then I'm not really sure what to do next. (Oh, we pulled some rounds apart and double checked the powder - mine was exactly 4.1, his varied between 4.3 and 4.5, so maybe I could increase my powder just a touch).
It's been an interesting and educational challenge - but I really would like to find a solution :)
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Wonder if the backbencher understands it now ...
From: http://www.news.com.au/business/the-duffers-guide-to-rudds-mining-tax/story-e6frfm1i-1225880647733
The duffer's guide to the Resource Super Profits Tax
OK, IT"S complicated. But given the role the controversial Resource Super Profits Tax may play in our nation's economic prosperity, it's important to gain some grasp of it.
The Government says the old tax system has failed to keep pace with the spiralling profits generated by the big miners. The miners believe the new tax is not a tax on "super profits" but on very mild profits.
This is how the tax would work.
Under the current system, mining companies pay 5 per cent of annual income to the state where they operate as royalties.
A company earning $300 million in revenue would pay royalties of $15 million.
It then pays federal company tax. This is calculated by deducting operating expenses of say $100 million, another $95 million for depreciation of equipment and $5 million for interest on money borrowed to pay for day-to-day running of the business.
It also subtracts the $15 million royalty paid to the state. That gives a figure of $85 million which is taxed at 30 per cent - a total of roughly $26 million.
When added to royalties it leaves a total tax bill of $41 million, (41 per cent tax.) Under the proposed super profits tax, companies still pay the same amount for royalties.
The super tax kicks in after a company earns more than the government long-term bond rate (currently 5.7 per cent).
To calculate the super tax on $300 million a company deducts the $100 million operating expenses, $95 million for depreciation and a capital allowance from the Government to offset set-up expenses of about $5 million.
That leaves a total of $100 million, taxed at 40 per cent - or $40 million. The royalty already paid is then deducted, leaving a total of $25 million.
Company tax at the new lower rate of 28 per cent is then calculated using the existing equation, except the $25 million super tax is also deducted, leaving a total of $60 million to be taxed.
That would mean the company owed $17 million.
When the royalty, super tax and company tax are combined it comes to $57 million - or an effective tax rate of 57 per cent.
If a company fails to turn a profit, the government would reimburse 40 per cent of its initial investment.
Lowering the company tax rate to 28 per cent means miners who make a small profit will pay less tax.
The tax is retrospective and will be applied to projects already underway. The Government will reap upwards of $12 billion in the first two years, with a third going to a scheme to lift superannuation levies from 9 per cent to 12 per cent.
************************
Go, check out the original article, there's a really neat graphical representation of the split up of the money. (I'ld post it here but this computer doesn't like putting pictures into blog posts?!?).
My concern over the tax is that living in WA, one of the two main states in Australia involved in mining, a lot of our prosperity and employment will be directly affected, I believe, if this goes ahead.
I believe that this will impact on companies' decisions to invest in Australia. There are many other places in the world where that investment capital could go, Canada being one, that I don't think the miners will just make noise, then settle down and get one with things.
Additionally, as the tax is retrospective and applies to current projects, I fear that there will be a down-scaling of these as well.
The other interesting thing is that this tax seems to be a tax on success. If you're a small miner who isn't doing too good you'll benefit. If you're a successful business / corporation you will be disadvantaged. This isn't therefore an incentive to be efficient. "Atlas Shrugged", anyone?
The duffer's guide to the Resource Super Profits Tax
OK, IT"S complicated. But given the role the controversial Resource Super Profits Tax may play in our nation's economic prosperity, it's important to gain some grasp of it.
The Government says the old tax system has failed to keep pace with the spiralling profits generated by the big miners. The miners believe the new tax is not a tax on "super profits" but on very mild profits.
This is how the tax would work.
Under the current system, mining companies pay 5 per cent of annual income to the state where they operate as royalties.
A company earning $300 million in revenue would pay royalties of $15 million.
It then pays federal company tax. This is calculated by deducting operating expenses of say $100 million, another $95 million for depreciation of equipment and $5 million for interest on money borrowed to pay for day-to-day running of the business.
It also subtracts the $15 million royalty paid to the state. That gives a figure of $85 million which is taxed at 30 per cent - a total of roughly $26 million.
When added to royalties it leaves a total tax bill of $41 million, (41 per cent tax.) Under the proposed super profits tax, companies still pay the same amount for royalties.
The super tax kicks in after a company earns more than the government long-term bond rate (currently 5.7 per cent).
To calculate the super tax on $300 million a company deducts the $100 million operating expenses, $95 million for depreciation and a capital allowance from the Government to offset set-up expenses of about $5 million.
That leaves a total of $100 million, taxed at 40 per cent - or $40 million. The royalty already paid is then deducted, leaving a total of $25 million.
Company tax at the new lower rate of 28 per cent is then calculated using the existing equation, except the $25 million super tax is also deducted, leaving a total of $60 million to be taxed.
That would mean the company owed $17 million.
When the royalty, super tax and company tax are combined it comes to $57 million - or an effective tax rate of 57 per cent.
If a company fails to turn a profit, the government would reimburse 40 per cent of its initial investment.
Lowering the company tax rate to 28 per cent means miners who make a small profit will pay less tax.
The tax is retrospective and will be applied to projects already underway. The Government will reap upwards of $12 billion in the first two years, with a third going to a scheme to lift superannuation levies from 9 per cent to 12 per cent.
************************
Go, check out the original article, there's a really neat graphical representation of the split up of the money. (I'ld post it here but this computer doesn't like putting pictures into blog posts?!?).
My concern over the tax is that living in WA, one of the two main states in Australia involved in mining, a lot of our prosperity and employment will be directly affected, I believe, if this goes ahead.
I believe that this will impact on companies' decisions to invest in Australia. There are many other places in the world where that investment capital could go, Canada being one, that I don't think the miners will just make noise, then settle down and get one with things.
Additionally, as the tax is retrospective and applies to current projects, I fear that there will be a down-scaling of these as well.
The other interesting thing is that this tax seems to be a tax on success. If you're a small miner who isn't doing too good you'll benefit. If you're a successful business / corporation you will be disadvantaged. This isn't therefore an incentive to be efficient. "Atlas Shrugged", anyone?
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Stop and Search Legislation Delayed - Yippeee
From today's news: http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/stop-and-search-laws-face-set-back/story-e6frg13u-1225880394986
Stop-and-search laws face set back
THE State Government's plans to introduce stop-and-search laws in Western Australia have received another serious set back.
A parliamentary committee investigating the laws has asked for yet another extension to its reporting date.
The committee was supposed to release its findings this week but will now table its report in parliament on October 21 - eight months after its original March deadline.
The delays mean the Barnett Government's hopes of introducing the laws before spring are gone and there is now a possibility the legislation will not be considered this year.
Shadow Police Minister Margaret Quirk said she was not surprised that the committee had reservations about the bill.
"The legislation itself is not complicated, which means the delay could only be as a result of serious questions being asked of the fundamentals and justification for these draconian laws,'' Ms Quirk said.
"I commend those committee members who are ensuring that the legislation is getting the scrutiny it deserves and not just rubber stamping (Police Minister) Rob Johnson's bill.
*****************
It's good that this legislation has been delayed.
The idea of allowing the police to stop and search people WITHOUT cause is abhorrent to me.
Hopefully, it will be delayed so long that we can vote out the supporters of the bill before it is tabled in parliament.
Stop-and-search laws face set back
THE State Government's plans to introduce stop-and-search laws in Western Australia have received another serious set back.
A parliamentary committee investigating the laws has asked for yet another extension to its reporting date.
The committee was supposed to release its findings this week but will now table its report in parliament on October 21 - eight months after its original March deadline.
The delays mean the Barnett Government's hopes of introducing the laws before spring are gone and there is now a possibility the legislation will not be considered this year.
Shadow Police Minister Margaret Quirk said she was not surprised that the committee had reservations about the bill.
"The legislation itself is not complicated, which means the delay could only be as a result of serious questions being asked of the fundamentals and justification for these draconian laws,'' Ms Quirk said.
"I commend those committee members who are ensuring that the legislation is getting the scrutiny it deserves and not just rubber stamping (Police Minister) Rob Johnson's bill.
*****************
It's good that this legislation has been delayed.
The idea of allowing the police to stop and search people WITHOUT cause is abhorrent to me.
Hopefully, it will be delayed so long that we can vote out the supporters of the bill before it is tabled in parliament.
My Office Doesn't Like Me .....
Got to work today - left a bit early so the drive wasn't that painful (traffic has been pretty awful for the last couple of days due to the rain!).
Anyway, I get to work in a non-stressed, happy sort of mood. Walk to the staff entrance, swipe my card, push the door ... push the door some more ... mmm, swipe card again, push door, swipe card (it's beeping at me and the light's turning green, so it's reading the card), push door, push door some more. There's a staff member now standing on the other side of the door watching me, but he can't help as this door doesn't have a turn & open type handle - it has to respond to the card swipe.
Just wondering about options, when I try yet again and to my stunned amazement it worked this time.
Walked up the stairs, straight to the coffee machine, as is my usual habit and the coffee machine has a 'service me' message flashing and won't give me coffee :(
That's two things ... hope there's not a third .......
Anyway, I get to work in a non-stressed, happy sort of mood. Walk to the staff entrance, swipe my card, push the door ... push the door some more ... mmm, swipe card again, push door, swipe card (it's beeping at me and the light's turning green, so it's reading the card), push door, push door some more. There's a staff member now standing on the other side of the door watching me, but he can't help as this door doesn't have a turn & open type handle - it has to respond to the card swipe.
Just wondering about options, when I try yet again and to my stunned amazement it worked this time.
Walked up the stairs, straight to the coffee machine, as is my usual habit and the coffee machine has a 'service me' message flashing and won't give me coffee :(
That's two things ... hope there's not a third .......
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Range Report
One of my regular readers mentioned to me recently that I hadn’t done a range report on the trainees for a long time.
He’s right. I haven’t. The main reason was that nothing newsworthy had happened with them. We were training two sessions a Saturday, one starting at 9.30am and one starting at 2pm. And basically we were just running through the list of competencies and trying to ensure that they were thinking about safety all of the time. However, as we are coming to the end of the training for the first half of the year I thought it was a good time to revisit this topic.
All of the training last year was conducted on the Saturday afternoons. This year, due to the numbers that started in February, we decided to start training in the mornings as well. We have found that training in the morning much preferable to the afternoon, as you do not have the noise of the regular squads shooting so that you can actually talk to the trainees.
Of the 15 people who were carried over from last year:
- 9 have passed their safety test and can now shoot with the regular squads
- 1 other will be doing their safety before the end of the month
- 5 have not completed their training
Of the 19 people who started in February / March this year:
- 12 have passed their safety test and can now shoot with the regular squads
- 3 will be doing their safety before the end of the month
- 4 have not completed their training
It’s very pleasing to see the progress those that have completed (or are soon to complete) their safety. Seeing many of these students progress from never having held a pistol to being a competent practical pistol shooter is gratifying.
It is sad that there are 9 people who have not completed the training course. Most just stopped turning up to training without letting us know why. One however was involved in a serious car accident and another’s wife was diagnosed with cancer. Our thoughts are with both of these.
It’s been very interesting working with these trainees. The Chief Instructor has allowed me to pretty much run the training course and has been there to back me up and help when I’ve needed it.
I’m a bit sad that the training is coming to an end, but I am seriously looking forward to having some of my Saturday’s back.
He’s right. I haven’t. The main reason was that nothing newsworthy had happened with them. We were training two sessions a Saturday, one starting at 9.30am and one starting at 2pm. And basically we were just running through the list of competencies and trying to ensure that they were thinking about safety all of the time. However, as we are coming to the end of the training for the first half of the year I thought it was a good time to revisit this topic.
All of the training last year was conducted on the Saturday afternoons. This year, due to the numbers that started in February, we decided to start training in the mornings as well. We have found that training in the morning much preferable to the afternoon, as you do not have the noise of the regular squads shooting so that you can actually talk to the trainees.
Of the 15 people who were carried over from last year:
- 9 have passed their safety test and can now shoot with the regular squads
- 1 other will be doing their safety before the end of the month
- 5 have not completed their training
Of the 19 people who started in February / March this year:
- 12 have passed their safety test and can now shoot with the regular squads
- 3 will be doing their safety before the end of the month
- 4 have not completed their training
It’s very pleasing to see the progress those that have completed (or are soon to complete) their safety. Seeing many of these students progress from never having held a pistol to being a competent practical pistol shooter is gratifying.
It is sad that there are 9 people who have not completed the training course. Most just stopped turning up to training without letting us know why. One however was involved in a serious car accident and another’s wife was diagnosed with cancer. Our thoughts are with both of these.
It’s been very interesting working with these trainees. The Chief Instructor has allowed me to pretty much run the training course and has been there to back me up and help when I’ve needed it.
I’m a bit sad that the training is coming to an end, but I am seriously looking forward to having some of my Saturday’s back.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Awe Inspiring Drawings
These fantastic pencil drawings were brought to my attention today - go check them out and be amazed!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Government - The Alternative
I was chatting online the other day to some friends in the US. We were talking about the elections coming up. My question to my friends was "what are your alternatives for your politicians?" as here, I don't really see that we have a viable alternative.
Channel 7's Sunrise show basically asked the same thing in a poll they did the other day:
On the radio this morning I heard an extract from this commentary on the poll being read out:
Our leaders fail the test
Neil Mitchell From: Herald Sun June 03, 2010 12:00AM
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/our-leaders-fail-the-test/story-e6frfhqf-1225874710653
IN ALL those offices housing all those well-paid advisers plotting the future of all those politicians this must surely ring an alarm bell somewhere: as of yesterday, the most popular potential leader in Australia was a donkey.
It's true.
With their notorious sense of the absurd, Channel 7's Sunrise program ran the online poll. It asked simply: "Who would you vote for?" and listed Kevin Rudd, Tony Abbott, Bob Brown and Mr Don Key (independent). To avoid confusion the poll carried photographs of the leaders, including a distinguished-looking donkey with handsome ears and a greying muzzle.
But with all the silliness these results have a serious point. They should be enough to provoke one of those infamous Rudd-rants and send Abbott in search of a long hard run.
The Opposition Leader polled 24 per cent, the Prime Minister 20 per cent and Senator Brown from the Greens 12 per cent. The donkey won in a trot, with 44 per cent. And nobody in the real world would be the least surprised.
It seems unlikely that Australia has ever gone into an election campaign with such a poor selection. Kevin Rudd is disliked. Tony Abbott is not trusted. And Bob Brown is seen as inhabiting a planet that most of us have never visited or wanted to visit.
There's a serious crisis of political credibility in Australia, and the donkey is looking good. Political leadership has never been so evasive, nor has it ever been so blatantly dishonest. What's disturbing is that voters may have become so numbed by the spin and lies they've become accepting of mediocrity.
Because of their behaviour, the politicians are gradually losing the respect that once automatically went with the office. Even the incurably polite Laurie Oakes now shows his frustration during interviews as yet another pretender treats him as stupid.
So what's gone wrong?
Let's start with Kevin Rudd. The problem is him. It's his personality. He pretends to be things he is not, and is horribly awkward when doing it.
Remember that "fair shake of the sauce bottle"? This week he was trying to sound furious with words like "balderdash" and "bunkum". Do we look that silly?
Then he patronises the voters with a blizzard of evasion through confusion. There was this on climate change: "There has to be a greater synergy between, let's call it our policy leadership in this - which has been focused so much, legitimately on targets - and global architecture almost reverse-engineered back to the means by which you can quickly deliver outcomes."
Or this on the disastrous insulation scheme that may yet cost more lives: "I have no awareness of any document sent to me that said the scheme should be stopped until at the end of the day the advice came to stop it."
At first we thought he was over-educated, a nerd. That's wrong. He's trying so hard to say nothing that he says everything, usually in one sentence and without a comma. People thought they had his measure. Now they feel conned.
Then there are the lies. That's not a word lightly used. Bob Hawke and John Howard were often accused of lying and rarely did.
But the dishonesty of this Government is shameless. OK, it broke a promise to control taxpayer-funded political advertising and will throw away $38 million promoting the destructive mining tax.
That was a broken commitment, not a lie. But it then claimed the campaign was necessary because of the national emergency caused by false advertising by the industry. That was a lie. The dodgy exemption was sought well before any mining industry advertising campaign began.
Now to Tony Abbott. He's the troublesome nephew at a family barbecue. Most of the time he's well behaved but every now and again he goes silly and sets fire to his sister's hair.
He's unreliable, unpredictable and appears out of his depth. He creates unnecessary distractions for himself and every time the Prime Minister starts sinking in the polls, he throws him yet another lifeline.
He seems incapable of picking up what touches people and focusing on that. He has a scatter-gun approach to policy and a hesitant delivery that makes him sound like a struggling sixth grader rather than a Rhodes scholar.
He's not thick but at times gives a good impression of being so, and while his evasive skills are not as refined as his opponent, he's happy to talk endlessly and not say a meaningful word.
He too breaks promises and at the moment is not viewed as trustworthy. He would do better to sell the bike and buy a briefcase.
Finally, there's Senator Bob Brown, who may be taken seriously as people turn green in desperation. He should not be taken seriously. His policies are constructed in fairyland by incompetent elves. They would shut down Australia.
Politicians have always been cynical. Look at John Brumby's decision yesterday to suddenly embrace the case for a corruption commission, something he's resisted for years.
But in this era, nothing sticks. Leaders lie, trick and con, then pop up the next day expecting to be taken seriously.
Perhaps it was ever thus.
Consider these words from two commentators. One, a bloke called George Orwell (he wrote the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four) and the other a TV dork called David Koch.
In 1946 Orwell said political discourse was "designed to make lies sound truthful and to give an appearance of solidarity to pure wind".
In 2010 Koch said: "The donkey is a quirky way of focusing on the fact that all politicians have to pick up their game. They've forgotten we want honesty, vision and action on things important to us and not just them."
The unlikely but frightening prospect underlying all this is that if the two mainstream leaders continue to fail the country, Bob Brown could find himself invited to form a coalition government such as the UK model.
Suddenly New Zealand would become an attractive place to live.
Neil Mitchell broadcasts from 8.30am weekdays on 3AW. nmitchell@3aw.com.au
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unfortunately, I really agree with what he says :(
Channel 7's Sunrise show basically asked the same thing in a poll they did the other day:
On the radio this morning I heard an extract from this commentary on the poll being read out:
Our leaders fail the test
Neil Mitchell From: Herald Sun June 03, 2010 12:00AM
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/our-leaders-fail-the-test/story-e6frfhqf-1225874710653
IN ALL those offices housing all those well-paid advisers plotting the future of all those politicians this must surely ring an alarm bell somewhere: as of yesterday, the most popular potential leader in Australia was a donkey.
It's true.
With their notorious sense of the absurd, Channel 7's Sunrise program ran the online poll. It asked simply: "Who would you vote for?" and listed Kevin Rudd, Tony Abbott, Bob Brown and Mr Don Key (independent). To avoid confusion the poll carried photographs of the leaders, including a distinguished-looking donkey with handsome ears and a greying muzzle.
But with all the silliness these results have a serious point. They should be enough to provoke one of those infamous Rudd-rants and send Abbott in search of a long hard run.
The Opposition Leader polled 24 per cent, the Prime Minister 20 per cent and Senator Brown from the Greens 12 per cent. The donkey won in a trot, with 44 per cent. And nobody in the real world would be the least surprised.
It seems unlikely that Australia has ever gone into an election campaign with such a poor selection. Kevin Rudd is disliked. Tony Abbott is not trusted. And Bob Brown is seen as inhabiting a planet that most of us have never visited or wanted to visit.
There's a serious crisis of political credibility in Australia, and the donkey is looking good. Political leadership has never been so evasive, nor has it ever been so blatantly dishonest. What's disturbing is that voters may have become so numbed by the spin and lies they've become accepting of mediocrity.
Because of their behaviour, the politicians are gradually losing the respect that once automatically went with the office. Even the incurably polite Laurie Oakes now shows his frustration during interviews as yet another pretender treats him as stupid.
So what's gone wrong?
Let's start with Kevin Rudd. The problem is him. It's his personality. He pretends to be things he is not, and is horribly awkward when doing it.
Remember that "fair shake of the sauce bottle"? This week he was trying to sound furious with words like "balderdash" and "bunkum". Do we look that silly?
Then he patronises the voters with a blizzard of evasion through confusion. There was this on climate change: "There has to be a greater synergy between, let's call it our policy leadership in this - which has been focused so much, legitimately on targets - and global architecture almost reverse-engineered back to the means by which you can quickly deliver outcomes."
Or this on the disastrous insulation scheme that may yet cost more lives: "I have no awareness of any document sent to me that said the scheme should be stopped until at the end of the day the advice came to stop it."
At first we thought he was over-educated, a nerd. That's wrong. He's trying so hard to say nothing that he says everything, usually in one sentence and without a comma. People thought they had his measure. Now they feel conned.
Then there are the lies. That's not a word lightly used. Bob Hawke and John Howard were often accused of lying and rarely did.
But the dishonesty of this Government is shameless. OK, it broke a promise to control taxpayer-funded political advertising and will throw away $38 million promoting the destructive mining tax.
That was a broken commitment, not a lie. But it then claimed the campaign was necessary because of the national emergency caused by false advertising by the industry. That was a lie. The dodgy exemption was sought well before any mining industry advertising campaign began.
Now to Tony Abbott. He's the troublesome nephew at a family barbecue. Most of the time he's well behaved but every now and again he goes silly and sets fire to his sister's hair.
He's unreliable, unpredictable and appears out of his depth. He creates unnecessary distractions for himself and every time the Prime Minister starts sinking in the polls, he throws him yet another lifeline.
He seems incapable of picking up what touches people and focusing on that. He has a scatter-gun approach to policy and a hesitant delivery that makes him sound like a struggling sixth grader rather than a Rhodes scholar.
He's not thick but at times gives a good impression of being so, and while his evasive skills are not as refined as his opponent, he's happy to talk endlessly and not say a meaningful word.
He too breaks promises and at the moment is not viewed as trustworthy. He would do better to sell the bike and buy a briefcase.
Finally, there's Senator Bob Brown, who may be taken seriously as people turn green in desperation. He should not be taken seriously. His policies are constructed in fairyland by incompetent elves. They would shut down Australia.
Politicians have always been cynical. Look at John Brumby's decision yesterday to suddenly embrace the case for a corruption commission, something he's resisted for years.
But in this era, nothing sticks. Leaders lie, trick and con, then pop up the next day expecting to be taken seriously.
Perhaps it was ever thus.
Consider these words from two commentators. One, a bloke called George Orwell (he wrote the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four) and the other a TV dork called David Koch.
In 1946 Orwell said political discourse was "designed to make lies sound truthful and to give an appearance of solidarity to pure wind".
In 2010 Koch said: "The donkey is a quirky way of focusing on the fact that all politicians have to pick up their game. They've forgotten we want honesty, vision and action on things important to us and not just them."
The unlikely but frightening prospect underlying all this is that if the two mainstream leaders continue to fail the country, Bob Brown could find himself invited to form a coalition government such as the UK model.
Suddenly New Zealand would become an attractive place to live.
Neil Mitchell broadcasts from 8.30am weekdays on 3AW. nmitchell@3aw.com.au
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unfortunately, I really agree with what he says :(
Any pretence that Australia is a free country has now been removed ....
From today's news ... http://www.news.com.au/technology/nsw-government-recording-features-for-facial-recognition/story-e6frfro0-1225874819392
NSW Government recording features for facial recognition
THE New South Wales Government is quietly compiling a mathematical map of almost every adult's face, sharing information that allows law enforcement to track people by CCTV.
Experts said yesterday few people realised their facial features were being recorded in an RTA database of drivers licence photos that the Government has allowed both state and federal police to access, The Daily Telegraph reports.
The federal body CrimTrac has asked NSW for its database so it can be mined nationally by police using the facial recognition information contained in it.
University experts in facial recognition said the correct match rate was as low as 90 per cent, meaning the names of people with faces sharing a similar structure to criminals could be returned in searches.
Dr Carolyn Semmler from the University of Adelaide said police wanted to eventually use facial recognition in smart CCTV cameras allowing people to be tracked anywhere there was a camera.
Some airports, such as Singapore, employ facial recognition technology and the US is considering using it at border crossings.
"Police hope that at some point an individual can be tracked," Dr Semmler said yesterday.
Professor Sowmya Arcot from the University of NSW said a "matrix of numbers" based on features and the distance between facial structures was derived using an algorithm applied to a photograph of a face.
That could then be matched to other faces stored in a database.
NSW Opposition police spokesman Mike Gallacher said most people were unaware their face had been mapped when they applied for or had their licences renewed, allowing them to potentially be tracked.
"Over 20 years ago we had a debate about the Australia card and the people of this country showed where they stood in relation to the government knowing people's movements," he said.
"The push for this into the future has far greater ramifications than some old Australia card.
"I have a concern about a lack of public debate."
The RTA began compiling its facial recognition database last December.
Roads Minister David Borger said it would be shared with other government agencies.
"While the facial recognition system is in its early stages, the RTA will co-operate with other agencies wherever possible," he said.
"The RTA already provides information to the police, and will co-operate with other state or federal law enforcement agencies."
He said the technology was also preventing fraud and stopping people obtaining multiple licences.
A spokeswoman for CrimTrac said its board of management had granted approval for a project proposal for a nation facial recognition capability.
------------------------------------------------------------
Seriously thinking of moving ...
NSW Government recording features for facial recognition
THE New South Wales Government is quietly compiling a mathematical map of almost every adult's face, sharing information that allows law enforcement to track people by CCTV.
Experts said yesterday few people realised their facial features were being recorded in an RTA database of drivers licence photos that the Government has allowed both state and federal police to access, The Daily Telegraph reports.
The federal body CrimTrac has asked NSW for its database so it can be mined nationally by police using the facial recognition information contained in it.
University experts in facial recognition said the correct match rate was as low as 90 per cent, meaning the names of people with faces sharing a similar structure to criminals could be returned in searches.
Dr Carolyn Semmler from the University of Adelaide said police wanted to eventually use facial recognition in smart CCTV cameras allowing people to be tracked anywhere there was a camera.
Some airports, such as Singapore, employ facial recognition technology and the US is considering using it at border crossings.
"Police hope that at some point an individual can be tracked," Dr Semmler said yesterday.
Professor Sowmya Arcot from the University of NSW said a "matrix of numbers" based on features and the distance between facial structures was derived using an algorithm applied to a photograph of a face.
That could then be matched to other faces stored in a database.
NSW Opposition police spokesman Mike Gallacher said most people were unaware their face had been mapped when they applied for or had their licences renewed, allowing them to potentially be tracked.
"Over 20 years ago we had a debate about the Australia card and the people of this country showed where they stood in relation to the government knowing people's movements," he said.
"The push for this into the future has far greater ramifications than some old Australia card.
"I have a concern about a lack of public debate."
The RTA began compiling its facial recognition database last December.
Roads Minister David Borger said it would be shared with other government agencies.
"While the facial recognition system is in its early stages, the RTA will co-operate with other agencies wherever possible," he said.
"The RTA already provides information to the police, and will co-operate with other state or federal law enforcement agencies."
He said the technology was also preventing fraud and stopping people obtaining multiple licences.
A spokeswoman for CrimTrac said its board of management had granted approval for a project proposal for a nation facial recognition capability.
------------------------------------------------------------
Seriously thinking of moving ...
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
HOTD (Headline of the Day)
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
How many sheep can you get in a Mazda
14 apparently ....
From today's news
Men arrested with 14 stolen sheep in car
TWO New Zealand men caught with 14 stolen sheep stuffed inside a car have been charged with animal abuse.
Police said the pair, aged 23 and 16, from Hastings on the nation's North Island, were accompanied by two sheep rustlers who fled the scene when their getaway car was stopped by officers, the New Zealand Herald reported today.
Senior Sergeant Eden Sewell told the newspaper that the sheep were distressed and had been bound by the legs.
Two of the animals, which were believed to have been stolen from nearby farms, died as a result of the stifling conditions in the car, a four-door Mazda sedan.
Snr-Sgt Sewell described the treatment of the sheep as a "disgusting and an unnecessary act of cruelty".
The two men who were arrested will appear in court on Thursday, while police continue to hunt for their alleged co-offenders.
From today's news
Men arrested with 14 stolen sheep in car
TWO New Zealand men caught with 14 stolen sheep stuffed inside a car have been charged with animal abuse.
Police said the pair, aged 23 and 16, from Hastings on the nation's North Island, were accompanied by two sheep rustlers who fled the scene when their getaway car was stopped by officers, the New Zealand Herald reported today.
Senior Sergeant Eden Sewell told the newspaper that the sheep were distressed and had been bound by the legs.
Two of the animals, which were believed to have been stolen from nearby farms, died as a result of the stifling conditions in the car, a four-door Mazda sedan.
Snr-Sgt Sewell described the treatment of the sheep as a "disgusting and an unnecessary act of cruelty".
The two men who were arrested will appear in court on Thursday, while police continue to hunt for their alleged co-offenders.
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