monkeysarefun

This used to be standard police issue here. Then in 1995 there was an incident in Crescent Head on the north coast where two police called to a domestic incident discovered that they had arrived at a house where the occupant was armed with a Ruger hunting rifle (this tragically was just before the Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania that led to weapons like that being removed from the community). They were out-gunned and tragically both were fatally shot. This incident directly led to a commision of enquiry which established that the police needed greater workplace protection and so were up-gunned to Glocks.

I was searching through my Tassie pics trying to find the closeup of the Tiger snake that I'm sure I took. No luck, but I did find these shots taken in the cutely named town of Penguin. The train line doesnt quite run along the road US style but a fair stretch of it does, (includes a rare shot of the other half since she's usually camera-elusive, I had to pretend I was taking a pic of the train line ) Then its off through a picturesque flower-lined stretch that follows the road. Tasmanian Railways are 3ft 6inch so I guess its narrow gauge, and most of it is unfenced. Despite this, Tasmanians generally seem to not get killed by trains. Unlike the wildlife. Tasmania - if you can ignore the dead things all over the roads, 5 stars.

I've had one Tiger Snake (that I know about!) in my back yard, - one Sunday morning the other half comes in from outside and says "Theres a snake down by the wall, I nearly stepped on it". Me being an Australian bloke and her not being one I instantly dismissed her evaluation of the scene by suggesting "Its probably just a stick, mate", but by throwing stuff at me and calling me names she finally convinced me to go and check it out for myself and indeed it was a Tiger Snake curled up enjoying the sun. Despite my magnanimous capitulation of "oh yeah , it IS a snake." , that didn't put an end to the blows raining down upon me, but during a pause while she was looking for bigger things to hit me with I discovered that snakes have an ability to escape the second your back is turned that is only equalled by toddlers who have just discovered the skill of toddling off at a fast pace. It took a few minutes of searching to discover it cleverly hiding in the track of the sliding door of what is now my 3D printing room. Although Tiger snakes are number 7 on the top 10 "worlds deadliest snakes!" lists, they aren't batsh!t crazy like Eastern Brown snakes are - in fact in comparison they have a Zen-like "dont bother me and I won't bother you. " attitude to life so I let it be and I guess it eventually moved on (snakes are nomadic). Other places where I've nearly trodden on Tiger Snakes - jogging through the bush at work - 3 times Walking in Tasmania - 1 time. Deadly snakes: domestic bliss disrupters. 3.5 stars.

Actually I was reading earlier that as part of the Free trade agreement signed with us, you send us doctors, nurses and the police, in return we send you Auspost posties. (Warning, contains high-level Australian language...)

I had a slight diversion to get to work today because I had to pick something up so while I was in the vicinity I checked out the state of Warragamba Dam, the main water supply for Sydney. After a couple of years of rain the reservoir is full to the brim and the floodgates were opened a couple of weeks ago when we copped that 170mm overnight. There's still a trickle coming out though the centre gate though its a bit hard to spot in the photos, and if we get the rain they are forecasting over the next 5 days or so, it'll be overflowing yet again! One of the 4 original emergency stop valves built in the UK in the 1950's - replaced in the early 2000's with some built in Germany instead.

Unfortunately a large proportion of those shot by police including the person in the Bondi incident had a history of mental issues. Theres obviously also a huge number of incidents involving the mentally disturbed where the police do not need to use their firearm but too often the end scene is a crazed individual armed with a knife or other weapon threatening the police where even tasering has been insufficient to bring them down. "Suicide by cop" where an individual deliberately places police in a situation where they have no choice but to shoot is also a phenomenon in several incidents here. After shooting the perpetrator Inspector Amy Scott performed CPR on him for several minutes but he was too dead and wasn't coming back.

its actually a frog that was on my front porch! ( Probably not venomous)

Noooo worries, apparently "F#*%$^&@k it again!" is rated a strong password so I'm all set for ages.

Apart from the ladybird plague of 1976 or whatever nothing says "hey overseas people - -this is what the UK is all about" better than that story.

At some point I assume my ancestors got here from the UK, maybe transported in chains , exiled from Mother England for 7 years due to a criminal act that sullied England so much - stealing a hankie or something?- that they were doomed to eke out an existence in this harsh barren land as a punishment. Please, when will our suffering here in this hell hole finally end?..

Thanks! Saves me getting my Margaret Fulton's cookbook out to see if anything rings a bell.

"Trouble with the Australians" In 1918 an average of 9 per 1,000 Australian soldiers in Europe resided in prison. Among Canadians, New Zealanders and South Africans there was an average of 1.6 per 1,000 men behind bars. Field-Marshall Douglas Haig was convinced this was due to the low standard of discipline among the Australian divisions. Picture: Slovenly Australian Soldiers It wasn't OUR war but they answered the call, all Australian troops up until Vietnam were volunteers and despite Haigs attempts to get it changed, were not allowed to have sentence of death carried out on them. "Take us or leave us, but if you want us don't whinge if we don't salute you"* *An account of an Australian privates exchange with a member of the British High command , 1917.

"Password must contain at least one numerical character" F#*%$^&@k it again!

Hey, I just realised from reading your reposting of my password attempt , if I just add say a special character like an ! at the end I reckon it'll let me use it. Thank you @iL Dottore

In the end it all comes down to pay, and in the UK probably the class structure. Here you can leave school early and get a job driving heavy plant in the WA mines and earn more than the local MP. There's heat and dust and flies but working FIFO (fly in fly out) you get one week on then 10 days off to spend back in your Perth mansion with your jetski and V8 ute.

Now you've brought it up can I just admit that I have not a clue what the *&$%$ they even are? At first I thought they were like "Deltics", which everyone on here seemed to use as a unit of money so I assumed that they too were some kind of cryptocurrency that you were all trading in. Turns out its some cake thing. Theres only 3 cakes in the southern hemisphere, the lamington, the Pavlova and the other one that I've forgotten at the moment due to it being after midnight.

I've been a civvie contractor for the Australian army then the RAAF for the last 27 years, all spent on military bases. Seeing the interaction between officers and troops has been interesting. Starting in WW1 there's been an unofficial "no d!ckheads" policy whereby if an officer is perceived as being too "officery" without first earning respect he is quickly pulled into line. Our armed forces are small numerically but pride themselves in being able to do whatever they are tasked with, and in return those in charge give them the resources and freedom to be able to do it. The same is true of the emergency services, hence why Amy Scott will no doubt get official recognition for her gallantry rather than have to justify her actions before some tribunal.

In contrast, the senior policewoman who by lucky chance happened to be on site and was quickly able to discharge 3 shots and drop the bloke who went on a stabbing spree, killing 6 people in Bondi Junction Plaza a couple of weeks ago has been praised by the PM down. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/apr/13/police-officer-who-shot-bondi-junction-attacker-wielding-a-massive-knife-hailed-as-a-hero NSW police carry a Glock and a Taser. No one here would think of questioning why she chose the Glock solution...

Tell me about it! I once tried to create a password by using the ingredient list on the back of a shop bought one: SugarFortifiedWheatFlourWheatFlourCalciumCarbonateIronNiacinThiaminPasteurisedEggLemonIcingSugarLemonJuiceHumectantVegetableGlycerineAcidityRegulatorCitricAcidLemonButtercreamButterCowsMilkSugarLemonCurdSugarGlucoseSyrupButterCowsMilkWheatStarchMaizeStarchDried EggConcentratedLemonJuiceGellingAgentPectinAcidityRegulatorsCitricAcidSodiumCitrateFlavouringSaltGlucoseSyrupModifiedMaizeStarchHumectantVegetableGlycerinePreservativeCitricAcidLemonCurdSugarGlucoseSyrupButterCowsMilkWheatStarchMaizeStarchDriedEggConcentratedLemonJuiceGellinAgentPectinAcidityRegulatorsCitricAcidSodiumCitrateFlavouringSaltRapeseedOilPalmOilPasteurisedLemonJuiceHumectantVegetableGlycerineRaisingAgentsDisodiumDiphosphateSodiumBicarbonatePalmKernelOilLemonZestEmulsifierMonoandDiglyceridesofFattyAcidsAcidityRegulatorCitricAcidColourCarotenes but it told me I needed at least one special character. " F$&* it!" I thought.

Finally got to go outside in the morning to get a sunrise shot. Today was the last chance, its rain for the next week which'll put out the hazard reduction burns that are providing the smokey filters. There used to be deadbeat horses in the way, taking heroin or whatever it is they do and spoiling the shot. My house valuation has gone up by at least 62% since they've been kicked out.

They've taken their guns off them these days so they are left with expandable batons. Actually the modern day ones have definitely cleaned up their act and have a happier customer face. They roam the trains and station platforms in pairs, mainly during the off-peak daylight hours and into the evening. Not that I've ever felt threatened on trains here or seen anything occur that made me feel unsafe even when riding at night, but then again maybe its due to these guys wandering the carriages.

Conversely if you asked the cops here if they should have their guns taken off them I'd be guessing that the result would probably be exactly the reverse, its just a case of what you are used to I guess! A serious question, do security guards there, ie the ones who drive money around in Armourgard cars to deliver payrolls, collect bank takings etc there have sidearms? Here they are invariably (or used to be, theres less of them apparent these days in our cashless society) older gents, looking close to retirement age, but they'd all have a Smith and Wesson on their hips. I remember when I was doing my traineeship in 1982, Wednesdays were tech college days AND paydays and halfway through the AC circuits course two old fellas would knock on the door and lug in a cashbox and dole out our paypackets. Both had sidearms but we never thought anything of it. I guess its something we are used to but when guys like that (and the NSW transit police!) are carrying a pistol then seeing the police armed is a complete non-issue and therefore the question of "should the police be armed" is not one that even comes up here, its certainly not the end of civilisation because they are and we aren't a police state because of it.

Never overlook the lead as a potential problem. Its amazing how many times a dodgy USB lead has let me down, whether charging my phone, transferring files to a 3D printer or laser cutter etc , thats now always the first thingl I check out.

"The Mob takes the Fifth.... If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?”* *Orange clown who later went on to take the fifth 440 times during a deposition before lawyers from New York Attorney General Letitia James' office in its probe into the Trump Organization's business practices.

Thats the other option, forget banning guns, just make buying the ammo a pain in the ar5e.