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.
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.
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.
Yes, that’s right… Hefner has said there’ll be no more nudes in Playboy.
His reasoning is that the Internet has given access to all sorts of porn, 24/7, so it’s kind of redundant in his magazine anymore. Now it’ll be clothed models and in depth articles. I guess this does bring it off of the top shelf and allows the plain cover to be removed, giving it a wider audience.
Some of you will see the logic and understand, and probably find yourself in a position much like the one I’m kind of in right now.
I eat meat and I wear leather. I eat eggs too. The fact is there are many things that I encounter either knowingly or unknowingly that require an animal to be killed, or kept constrained, to enable me and you to do and have certain things.
I love animals. I’ve always had pets. Fish, cats, dogs, hamsters, rabbits, chickens, a snake and even a rescue crow.
I couldn’t bring myself to shoot one though. Even taking the decision to have one put down at the vets is unbearably tough, but I put the animal first and do what is best for it. Having a severely ill pet that is being kept alive on medication isn’t the nicest thing for an animal; It’s no way to live.
I’ve seen people at the vets with one legged cats whose backsides are prolapsed, cataract in both eyes, dribbling blood, breathing painfully and drugged up to the hilt to stay alive because the owner ‘really loves them‘. Bullshit; if you love them, then you really need to know when to let them go.
I’ve paid to have terminally ill chickens put down before; I could’ve physically done it myself, but it was a pet and I couldn’t mentally bring myself to do it. Did we eat it afterwards? Hell no! She was a pet. Even our hens that died naturally were never eaten. They had names!
My lad with our beautiful rescued hens.
It was keeping the chickens that made me question what we as a species do to other animals that we harvest for their various meats, skins, eggs, milk, shitty coffee etc. They were all rescue hens; ex-factory farm egg layers, beyond their useful lives and heading to a shredder whilst alive. We rescued many over time, and the eggs they gave us in their retirement were the best ever! Better than any top quality, top price ‘free range’ store purchased eggs. The eggs were vibrant in colour and so full of flavour. If you’ve not raised chickens and had real free range eggs, then you wouldn’t appreciate what they are like. Our girls had full freedom in the garden. They had great food, shelter, water, healthcare and love.
Even shop brought free range eggs are a con. To be ‘free range‘ each hen must have a minimum amount of room to itself.
Factory hens are so cruelly and closely packed together that they are wedged together and upon release (to be shredded)after a ‘useful life’ of about 18 months, some can hardly walk. Some even break their legs trying because they were so tightly packed their legs never developed. Sickening.
Battery hens. A few left to run around outside makes this ‘free range’…
But free range hens are okay, yeah? Well, a few are, but others egg producers bend the rules so that they can say that their hens are free range. They wedge most of their birds together in cages, but let a handful run around outside. Because a few run around outside, on average each bird at the factory farm has a lot more space – enough to legally say they are free range hens. Yeah, free range can be just as bad as non-free range, but at least you pay more and think you’re doing the right thing.
This is who your egg came from.
It’s the same with sheep, cows, pigs etc. There are some very good farms out there that really look after their livestock, and despatch them humanely, but a greater number of animal produce suppliers just do enough to be able to operate legally.
A nice bit of bacon?
I’m against hunting for fun. Killing something just because it is rare, or its a challenge, or just because you can, is not something I appreciate in the slightest. I’ll eat, wear, use animal products, but I detest those that hunt for fun.
Some people go to far with animal rights though. Some people don’t fully appreciate animal husbandry and the good it does for the animal population.
Foxes. Yes, they can do all sorts of damage, and sometimes need humane culling. Ripping them apart with dogs after baiting and chasing them on horseback is not humane.
Badgers, rabbits, rats, pigeons, crows, deer etc. They can cause all sorts of problems to livestock and agriculture. By letting their numbers get out of hand you can end up with a lot of sick animals with insufficient food sources for them to live, and the larger numbers cause detriment to the environment and other animals. By careful land and animal management the balance can be kept. Only an idiot cannot see this.
In certain countries animals are hunted and the meat & byproducts are put to use. The animals hunted are generally carefully selected from older animals that are no longer breeding, and injured, weaker animals. The stronger, breeding animals keep a herd healthy, and good genetic material is passed on, and the herd can grow.
Additionally other animals benefit from mans help. For a simplistic example; If deer numbers build up, they’ll eat too much vegetation and will be left hungry. Other animals, such as rabbits that depend on the vegetation will also become hungry and Ill, and often leave an area in search of food, never to return. The deer and rabbits that don’t leave get weak, ill and die or spread illness. Weak deer and rabbits make easy prey for wolves. Easy prey means the wolf populations increase due to an abundance of food.
If too many wolves are allowed to build up, then they’ll eat all the remaining rabbits and deer. You’re left with starving, ill wolves and no deer or rabbits and a decimated environment.
By carefully controlling the number of deer, rabbits and wolves you can actually increase each population and keep it healthy. Yes, hunting can enlarge the population and have them stronger and healthier.
Google the Yellowstone Wolves and you’ll see what an impact animal management can have. A couple of wolves reintroduced new animals and vegetation to the park, and even changed the flow of a river. Whole new species of fish, birds and forest animals came back. Plants that had died out in the area cane back – even down to lichen, insects, bacteria… All from careful animal management.
To recap: I love animals, I hate people hunting them for no good reason, and do not see it as a sport. If a cull is needed, then do it efficiently and humanely, and above a lot of this, don’t be that arsehole who is against any type of hunting if you haven’t bothered to research and understand the good that animal management can do when done correctly.
Back to my something new.
I do like my meat, milk, leather shoes, eggs etc, but I’m not thrilled at how the animals are treated.
So I’m taking up hunting on controlled land.
Hear me out.
I’m a good shot. A very good shot. Over 12 years of top division competition target shooting. I know I can take an animal out cleanly. One minute it’ll be minding it’s happy own business in the huge open fields and woodland , and that’ll be the last thing it’ll ever know. HOW CRUEL!!!!
My shooting a rabbit does two main things though: It keeps the number of rabbits down and reduces the burrows in the farmer’s cow field, which in turn means less cows being shot due to serious injuries from getting caught out by deep holes. It also means food for me and my family, as the rabbit will not be wasted.
I’m sorry, but Mrs Feathers the factory chicken had 18 months of hell before being thrown in shredder just so you could have some poor quality egg in your shop brought salad. At least the bunny I shoot will have had a life of freedom, sunshine, good food and free of suffering. Who’s worse? The people buying factory meat from a store, or me?
When we move I plan to hunt larger game in an area that uses hunting to increase the entire animal population by proper husbandry. I plan to only shoot what is sustainable, better for the future population of that animal species and other affected species, and only what I need and can use. I wish to avoid buying factory farmed meat and produce where possible.
MMmmmmmeat.
The difficulty for me is the killing. Yes, I know my shot will be true and clean, and I know it is better than buying from a store, but I’m face to face with my fluffy dinner; I’m not distanced from it like the anti-hunt people who buy their tortured slabs of meat in polystyrene trays, covered with clingfilm.
I’ll pull the trigger. I’ll take responsibility for that life. I’ll prepare and eat the meat and I’ll appreciate it all the more for knowing that I’ve not added to the supermarket demand for factory farmed animals.
So if you ask ‘how can you shoot a poor fluffy bunny?!?‘, I’ll ask ‘how can you buy inhumane factory farmed animal produce?‘
You buy from this, with unsold animals being thrown in to landfill – some still alive:
Once wrapped up and put on a supermarket shelf you’ll feel much better.
If you don’t see it, it makes it okay. Yeah?
But disagree with this – Free roaming rabbit – only shooting what you need:
Terrible. Fancy cleanly shooting a rabbit that’s lived in freedom and happiness.
So inhumane! You’d rather eat factory farmed, mechanically reclaimed meat…?
It is a catch 22 for me. I love animals and nature, and even though I’ve done my research & seen it for my own eyes, hunting for their greater good still doesn’t make it seem right; Even though it’s clearly working in certain countries, and is a damned lot better than force fed, cramped, mistreated factory animal produce.
At the time of writing this I’ve still to shoot my first rabbit, but rest assured! I have a well skilled country friend who is taking me through the humane hunting and despatch skills required to go with my already precise rifle work. I’m not half arsing this – I owe my doing it right to the rabbit.
Hello, is that Mr Black?
If you say so. I am from Habitat Lifestyle & I’d like a minute to talk to you and ask some questions please.
Sure. A minute. Is your address 123 Fir Drive?
You tell me… And is your phone number 0123 456789?
You called me… Okay, thank you.
No problem. My pleasure. Please can you tell me, is your age group between 45 and 55?
Well, first can you verify who you are? Excuse me?
I’m about to answer personal questions, so I’d like to verify who you are. I’m from Habitat Lifestyles…
Yes, but I need to know who YOU are… I… Me… (now confused) I… I’m Daniel…
Okay Daniel. Hi. Hello…
What’s your mother’s maiden name? My mother’s…
…maiden name. Yes. Why do you need to know?
I need to verify who you are. Please tell me so I can check on my computer. It won’t take a moment. I can’t give you…
Sure, it’s just for verification. I need to check your details… You can check that..?
I have my computer system waiting… Estelle Limehouse… (now really unsure).
And the name of your first pet? I’m from Habitat Lifestyles…
Yes, and I just need your first pet’s name… You understand? I’m just calling from Habitat Lifestyles…
I know you say that, but I need to verify it. I mean I could be calling you from the Moon! You’re on the MOON?!?
Of course not. You asked my address earlier. That would be silly Daniel, wouldn’t it? I, erm… Yes?
Ha! The Moon! Imagine that! Can I ask my questions now?
Well, not really… You’ve been over a minute already.
On this day in history in 1941 a Nazi scientific research team of the Atomic Weaponry Unit (Erfundene Geschichte Einheit), lead by two scientists (Doctor Ernst Falschenamen and Doctor Torsten Alleslügen) protected by two squads of Gestapo SS (Geschlechtsorgane) made a dramatic discovery in Southern region of the Belgium Congo.
After many years, the truth is finally coming out about the potential leap in technology that the Nazi’s almost had, that the British lost to American espionage, and how the Russians managed to save a man just too late to make a difference.
Belgium Congo
During research into cold reticulated fusion (Bestehend aus Müll) they discovered a form of atomic chain reaction that formed stable perpetual energy creation (Schlucken Sie diese). What made this new energy even more remarkable was that it could be created using very basic equipment and left no damaging waste. It could power a new generation of giant long range bombers capable of hitting New York from bases in Berlin. If weaponised it could form the basis of a bomb calculated to be 28.5 times more powerful than that of the one dropped on Hiroshima.
One of the only known photo’s of Doctor Ernst Falschenamen and Doctor Torsten Alleslügen together. Falschenamen on the right.
The discovery was hushed up to keep the Allied forces unaware of Germany’s potential new advances. All of the data was packaged securely and sent by submarine (U-617 Night Warrior – Nicht Wahr) via the sea port at Providenija. Travelling with the package were the two lead scientific officers.
Unfortunately for Hitler the submarine was intercepted by a British RAF crew retrieval launch looking for downed aviators. Before the RAF launch crew could act, the Gestapo SS teams started gunning down the submarine crew as a matter of security, then the submarine was set to sink with all on board. Before it sunk the RAF launch crew boarded the submarine and after a short but fierce gun fight the packages and two lead scientists were transferred to the RAF launch and shipped back to England.
RAF Rescue launch of the type that captured the two lead scientists.
Once back in Britain the package and the lead scientists were picked up by a transport from a UK based American forces garrison to be taken to London and for attention of the War Ministry & the PM, Winston Churchill.
Churchill was fascinated by what rumours he had heard of the new technology and wanted to see if he could use it to supply clean cheap energy initially to England, and then the rest of the Allies, with plans to then supply the rest of the world once the war had ended. His view was that the world infrastructure would take a lot of time and money to recover from WW2, but with cheap free energy the focus could be on putting the effort and finance into helping people recover from the war and then develop for a better peaceful future.
The package and the two lead scientists never made it to London. A German air raid took place during the transportation to London. One of the scientists was discovered torn in two in a bomb crater near Bethnal Green.
Bomb crater from Luftwaffe night raid.
No more was heard of the package and the lead scientists until 1987 when a German arrived in Russia from America. He had been smuggled out by Russian agents (Бык дерьмо) operating in America.
The German said that he had been part of an expedition to the Belgium Congo in 1941 and had lead a team of scientists who had researched a new form of energy. British and German scientific historians were contacted to ask to corroborate information given by this American/German escapee.
German medical records proved his credentials, and scientific data only he could know proved he was one of the lead scientists.
He explained that during transportation to London, the Americans had changed course to a naval base on the West coast. They were going to smuggle the scientists and the data for American use, as President Eisenhower wanted to use it for a super weapon.
American destroyer of the type believed to have transported the Doctor to America.
They knew the British would be suspicious so they sent a vehicle to London with one of the lead scientists, who they threw in a bomb crater under the cover of a Nazi air raid. They threw in a hand grenade to kill him & make it look like he had been caught in a bomb blast.
The package and remaining lead scientist were taken to Nevada (America) to restart the research process. Unfortunately the scientist they killed had the knowledge about the precise formulation of the experiment as even when the discovery was made they knew it could not be trusted to any one source.
For security reasons only part of the data was recorded on paper, with one formula left out, half of which was memorised by three scientists and a lead scientific officer, and the other half by three more scientists and a lead scientific officer. Only the two lead scientists survived the submarine trip (all the others having been shot & sunk with the submarine), and then the Americans foolishly killed one lead scientist to cover their own espionage.
Captured U-Boat.
From 1942 until his escape in 1987 the German Lead Scientist had helped America develop more and more powerful weapons, but he wanted to use his research to help people. In the early 1980’s he had made progress and had demonstrated the initial designs for a clean and cheap energy source based on the 1941 research. With a little development and funding he could change the face of the world, but people in high office did not want this.
American security analysts saw this free and clean energy as a potential threat. Oil companies and motor companies saw it as disastrous for their profits. They had the project cancelled. For all we know they still have all the data locked away.
The lead scientist was approached by a woman in the mid 1980’s who said she could help him. She was the Russian agent who managed to help him escape to Russia.
Doctor Torsten Alleslügen in 1987, 3 days before he died.
Sadly not long after his story had been verified he was taken ill. It turned out he had well established stomach cancer and was already beyond help. He died in 1987 taking with him the final key to a Nazi secret power source that could have potentially replaced the climate destroying energy sources in use today.
Was all the data really lost? It is highly likely from what Doctor Alleslügen reported after his escape to Russia, that the American Government didn’t actually destroy data and designs produced in the early 1980’s, and that they are keeping it from becoming public, still stating it as a security threat and a potential financial minefield for their big oil and automotive companies.
The death of innocent bystanders is never, ever a good thing. So why do they compound this by baying for blood & going of on witch hunts? In the end they’ll hurt more people that the actual bombs.
Well there you go. I called it. Those that know me know that I said it wasn’t the M.O of one of the known terrorist organisations from the very start, and it was an individual loner or small group.
Being a highly religious Christian country, America will no doubt treat the Boston Bombers as the a bible dictates. They will not judge, but they will let God judge. After all, humans judging people is against God’s will… “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37)
Although in a common biblical contradiction (shock!)… If you do judge… “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” (John 7:24)
So there you go… American Christians will be balanced & sensible, and if they do judge, they
I was listening to Adagio for Strings, Op.11 whilst I was going through news sites on line.
I watched some footage of both the Boston bomb & the Texas explosion… and the haunting violin music played on…
….and wondered why Fox News hadn’t already done this… Just slowed the video footage down & played Adagio for Strings over the top of it, pulling focus & then panning the scene, going in tight on a scared child’s face… You know, just to really pander to America’s heart strings. They seem that sort of a news network.
In fact, even a slow motion video of a big dog crapping becomes an epic emotional event when Adagio for Strings is played over it.
I expect Fox will realise this soon & use it in every news item they air.
…. AND THEN…. I go to look for a clip of the music to add to this blog entry for those who don’t know it, and I straight away find it … played over pictures of the 9/11 attacks…
My dad was 75 when he was called in on this. It caused one hell of a shake up.
Hugh was in the same mould as my dad. Boffins… Both contributory scientists that weren’t just text book perfect in their roles, they wrote the books… (Not just a play on words, they did write them…).
He was accused by one of the investigators of being too old and they inferred he was past it…. and then dad dropped some undeniable evidence in the case. Next thing he knew they had asked him to fly overseas to help & discuss his findings… He said ‘I don’t think I could possibly do that journey… I’m far too old, apparently…‘
Sometimespace 