Alex earns a shotgun

After proving himself to be a safe and accurate shot with his air rifle, demonstrating firearm safety and awareness, Ali was ready for his first shotgun.

Ali tried one of my friends 410 shotgun and said he said he felt ready to have one himself.

We gave him a gift of a Yildiz 410 Hushpower single barrel and set him up with BASC  membership. The Yildiz is a big shotgun in dimensions, even for an adult, but it only weighs in at 4.5lb. This is due to the full sleeve moderator fitted to it.

On his first 20m shot he took down his target, then carried on doing the same over and over again as we moved back in steps to 30m. The boy has skills. He is incredibly accurate and acts like he was born to shoot.

Below are photos of some air rifle practice and shotgun practice.

Hey, dumbass, step away from that ballot box.

There are minds far greater than the general population can muster when it comes to major decisions such as the EU referendum – a decision that will impact the entire globe.

Giving the decision to the public (or even the government) is like asking a child if they want 5kg of jelly beans and 5 litres of Coca-Cola. Of course they want it, but it doesn’t mean it’s good for them.

Currently I foresee tears before bedtime, vomit, headaches, tantrums and regrets.

Reading and hearing a great number of comments and views on the referendum, I can’t help but think that the majority of people don’t have enough of a clue as to what’s going on, what will happen and what won’t happen, to be allowed to make such a decision.

Too many opinions, I believes, I thinks, what ifs…

I hear ‘I believe Britain will be better off if we vote leave, and in my opinion the EU is bad for us…’ (also the same for ‘remain’ and ‘good for us’).

Really?!?

You get someone saying that they believe in *insert deity here* and that *insert religion here* is the one true faith. It doesn’t make it real or true. Good for them though, believe what you will about religion or the EU, but don’t force you’re factless opinion and belief on the rest of us by making it into a cross on a ballot paper.

There are highly educated people who study, live and breathe these type of world influencing scenarios whose educated reasoning I’d rather trust on this topic before trusting my own findings.

You wouldn’t trust a newspaper story, or the views of a TV presenter, or an Internet meme, or a famous singer or actor when it comes to fixing your gas boiler, carrying out brain surgery, managing your finances, fixing your car, looking after your baby, neutering your pet… and yet you quite happily follow them on the choices they tell you to make about things they have no more knowledge than you about. Choices that, as I said before, will have global impact.

Democracy has its flaws. Allowing non-experts to make these decisions is one of them.

Before you blame…

I’m a Quality Professional – a Chartered Quality Engineer working on the most advanced airliners flying.

One of the tools we use helps us find why problems occur. It is this tool that I think more people should understand when dealing with any problems in life. Such as why the dinner is cold, why the TV won’t turn on, why your countries industries are failing, why a group of people have been gunned down in a night club. That sort of thing. Anything.

The tool should be used before you go off spouting fixes for problems, when in reality you don’t know what the real problem is. Your fixes are simply sticking plasters over some of the results of the problem, and not fixing the problem itself.

Sometimes the parts we make have faults, and have to be scrapped because they’re not fit for flight.

Scrapped parts mean lost money, time, labour and materials, plus all the overhead costs and facilities required to make the part.

When a part is scrapped we carry out Root Cause Analysis (RCA), because obviously we don’t want to make scrap!

It’s fundamentally a simple process of figuring out the fault, then listing out some of the main causes of the fault, and then figuring out the main causes of those causes, and so on, until you reach the real root cause of the problem.

A simple example would be why the cup of tea (or coffee) you’ve just made is cold.

The water didn’t heat up. WHY?
The kettle didn’t work. WHY?
Was it turned on?
Yes…
Did the switch click?
Yes…
Did the light come on?
Yes…
Did it boil?
Ah… I wasn’t there, but it was left on and when I returned to it and poured my drink, it was cold… So obviously the kettle doesn’t work.
Maybe the heater element failed.
Maybe the fuse blew when you left the kitchen.
Maybe there was a power cut.
Maybe you didn’t click the switch fully.
Maybe someone came in and nicked your hot water for their drink, refilled the kettle and didn’t turn it on again.
Let’s say the switch is faulty… Problem solved.
Nope…
Why was it faulty?
Poor maintenance?
Damaged?
Not made correctly at the factory?
Let’s say it was damaged…
We could ask why you didn’t fix it, but that’s not part of the cause.
Why did it get damaged?
I knocked it off the counter a few weeks ago. WHY?
It was close to the edge. WHY?
The cord won’t reach the socket if it’s moved back.
Okay… Apart from not looking where your going, it appears that had the power cord been longer, the kettle could have been positioned away from the worktop edge and the kettle wouldn’t have been damaged.

That’s a long root cause for something that most people would’ve just stopped at ‘The kettle’s bust… Better get a new one…’

Sure, and in a week, a month, a year, the same thing will happen again because you didn’t fix the real problem… but next time it might have boiled, and your kid runs past and knocks it as it’s close to the edge…

What is my point?

The recent shootings in America have many people calling for tighter controls on guns.

Now whilst America does have very relaxed gun laws, the gun really isn’t the cause, it’s just a step in the root cause. Much like the broken switch… It doesn’t stop there.

Had there been no gun, a homemade bomb could’ve been used, a knife, gas, drive a truck into the crowd… So clearly restrictions on guns would not have stopped this from happening.

The question shouldn’t be HOW he carried out the attack, but WHY?

At the moment the news points to the person having said it was done in the name of ISIS & Islam.

Why was he so adamant on his actions?
What caused him to become this extreme?
Was it his upbringing?
Was it his education?
Was it how he was taught to behave?
Was it how he was taught to believe?

What enabled this to happen?

In this case it is the interpretation of a religion.

Maybe people are looking at restricting the wrong things.

You can take away some of the enablers, but without acting on fixing the root cause, the massacre would still have happened, just by different means.

EU – IN or OUT?

One EU comment I see Brexit people make is that trade won’t suffer, because Norway isn’t in the EU and it has great trade deals, so that’s brilliant.

Another comment I see is that leaving will give us control of our borders and get rid of immigrants, and we’d have more jobs etc.

Back to the Norway thing… Yes, they have a sweet deal going where they can trade and not be members.

Part of that deal is that Norway allow free movement of immigration, the same as the rest of the EU.

Oh… So… Free trade, but with immigration?!?

You mean both things go together, and not just one banner waving example to bias my decision based on a blinkered segment of information?!?

It’s about time some people left racism and knee jerk comments and banner waving at home, and looked at the bigger picture instead of focusing on one key thing that they *think* will change.

I see and hear too many people ranting, swearing, abusing, pros and cons based on heresay, poor or no research or simply because ‘BRITAIN!!!‘.

Others voting to exit because of WW2. Seriously, people don’t want to be close to Germany because of what Hitler did a lifetime ago.

Some want in/out because of what has happened (for example) to our diminished numbers of military personnel (or NHS or whatever…). You must be crazy to not realise that these things would’ve happened regardless.

Blaming the EU for things just because you need a scape goat. Ridiculous. It’s the same for people giving false credit to the EU for other things. Differentiate, people.

Others are looking to vote simply to spite or support what the political parties say, rather than what’s actually best. People not voting one way because ‘fucking Cameron‘ is voting that way, or ‘commie Corbyn‘ wants this way…

Who cares which way a political leader votes? I care about the outcome more than I care about some knuckle dragging thick-headed moron thinking I must be a supporter of Mr X because I voted one way or the other.

Looking and hearing some of the racist, hate filled and bigoted comments of people about this topic makes me think ‘does Europe even want us, if that’s the image we portray?!?‘

Some say who cares what Europe thinks of us? Fuck ’em! We’d be independent! BRITAIN!!!

Yeah, great attitude. We’d be right on the top of Europe’s ‘let’s trade with them‘ list, wouldn’t we?

‘Fuck off EU!!!….By the way… Do you want to buy some British cars, you bunch of immigrant loving foreigners?!?….  What do you mean ‘no’…?’

You know how we picture Trump and America…? We laugh at the idiot sheep that blindly follow him and his hype. Oh, how stupid Americans are! Look how they all rally around like idiots, Suckling on the teat of what that idiot spouts! Ha ha!

Yeah… Take a look at yourselves.

I despair at the increasingly misinformed, bigoted, rage fuelled reasons that people give for voting in or out.

Do yourselves a favour and actually do some proper research.

If we’re in or out, let’s be in or out because of intelligent fact based and fact checked knowledge, and not because a bunch of ignorant pricks voted due to whatever misinformed bandwagon they are hitched on to, or because a tabloid newspaper wrote some poorly thought out banner headline.

And that’s it.

Vote In or Out, but at least do yourself a favour and do some bloody research (that isn’t a tabloid, your mates or a politically biased website).

I did not know that!

The ass tuft that SHOCKED the WORLD!!!

You’ll be STUNNED!

That little tuft of hair on the donkey’s head has a remarkable purpose.

That purpose? Well, you’d be surprised.

Stunned even.

I bet you didn’t even realise you were so interested in donkeys.

You must be really interested in donkeys if you’ve stopped whatever else you’re doing with your awesome life right now, just to look at a hairy ass and expect answers.

Just be thankful I couldn’t find a picture of a young, bleached and shaven ass. That would’ve messed with your browser history for sure.

Clickbait is Never Gonna Give You Up…

You’re letting them win.

When an Internet troll starts posting rubbish, or you get spam emails etc, the best advice is to ignore them.

They just seek attention and/or recognition. By ignoring them, blocking them, paying them no attention, you render their actions powerless.

They may keep trying, but after a while they generally realise that it’s not working, that their actions are being seen as background noise rather than the focus of attention they desire.

So?

Whilst it is very sad that there have been more deaths in the recent ‘terror*’ attacks (*terror my arse. It’s plain and simple murder), the constant media frenzy (that goes beyond simply reporting the facts), the social media outrage and anger, the ‘solidarity profile pictures’ and support statuses, are feeding the attackers ego.

With all the good intentions in the world, your flag colours on your profile picture show both support to those involved, and that the attackers have got the message out. What they are doing is working. Look how many people know about us!!!

They incite hatred, they fuel anger, and they do it by using the news and social media.

‘There was an explosion in Brussels which lead to deaths and serious injuries. The incident is being investigated by the relevant authorities.‘

That’s all you need to know.

I’m not being cold hearted about this, and I’m not suggested a media blackout, but if you have anything to do with anyone involved, you’ll be kept informed any way. The rest of us should just leave well alone and stop fuelling the ‘advertising‘ of what happened.

If you know people and you want to let them know you are thinking about them, then do it privately, call them!

Hell, if I’d been injured or something terrible had happened to me, I’d want to either shut myself away or physically talk to someone, not openly chat about it on Facebook or Twitter.

So whilst I can only imagine the pain, suffering and loss from such attacks, I believe the majority of people should quieten down and stop feeding the trolls.

Donate money. Do something to help, just don’t shout about it.

Whilst on the ‘so called terror‘ subject, If you don’t think the terrorists are winning, then think about this…

I never had to worry about carrying a bottle of shampoo and some water in my carry-on case when flying abroad in my younger days. I never took my belt off and I kept my shoes on as I walked through to the aircraft.

I could drive right up to airports and park out front of them. You had lots of access to areas   to view the aircraft flying about – just as a visitor, not a passenger.

You could visit the flightdeck with your kid (or visit it yourself, you big kid!).

There weren’t parking restrictions and entry restrictions around public displays or gatherings.

A policeman with a gun?!? In public?!? In ENGLAND?!? Never saw that.

They aren’t winning though.

Happapapapapay New Year!

Have a Happy New Year!

Man Buns

Hurrah. The fixed gear bike riding, speciality pumpkin spice coffee supping, hackie sack and mandolin playing hipsters and fashionistas are dropping big beards!

They can now sod off and leave the beards to people who have beards simply because they want them, and not because it’s the new cool.

Now it’s Man Buns. Jesus H Christ, you hipsters are real douches.

Not man’s buns. Many people like a blokes arse. All men have them. Can’t be without mine.

I mean the head hair type bun.

Mind you, at least I won’t be mistaken for a Hipster now they’ve moved to a top knot instead of face fur.

That’s all I have to say about that, as Forest Gump would say.

Bang, and the bolt is gone!

There are some who swear that the best and fastest way to remove seized nuts and bolts on a Land Rover, is to use an angle grinder, and then just replace the bolts afterwards.

I say nope. Use the right tools and most of the time the fasteners will free up.

Don’t use the angle grinder as your ‘go to‘ fix it all…

Especially if the bolts are holding on the fuel tank and are covered in fuel, and the metal they are bolted through is also saturated in fuel…

Sure, the angle grinder *will* remove the bolt, but it will also, vigorously, remove the fuel tank, most of the rest of the vehicle (from itself), sections of garage and garden, limbs and most definitely any body hair.

Watch “FRANK LIVES!!!” on YouTube

It’s taken 18 months of an hour here, an hour there, but finally Frank the Tank has blown the dust out of his figurative lungs and grumbled into life.

Me and a few friends pulled him apart primarily to fix a broken ring gear, but then additional tweaks were carried out. Purely functional ones, like the new manifold and stainless exhaust system, and new hand brake.

A little bit still to do (obviously!), but this was a great day!