Celebrating Positives (offset of the Gripes Thread)

[old man emu]

Here's a problem facing law enforcement people in relation to protecting users from harm.

 

Let's say that a batch of pills comes onto the market, and they carry readily identifiable markings impressed into the pill.

 

Police begin to confiscate small numbers from end users. The pills become evidence in a prosecution and are "locked up" pending the completion of any prosecution. As part of the chain of evidence, the pills are sent to an analyst who supplies information as to the content of the pill. The constable who confiscated the pills and initiated the prosecution receives the information , but it is just part of many prosecutions for various offences that are being handled at the same time. That information is stored away in the Case file and doesn't surface again until months later when the matter reaches Court. 

 

If the analyst's information shows that the pills are contaminated with substances that are unhealthy, the constable is not going to raise a warning since that is something out of the constable's sphere of activity. Therefore these unsafe pills continue to circulate, placing so many more people at risk.

[red750]

1 hour ago, old man emu said:

to tell parents that it is likely that a person believed to be their child has died

Call me an A...hole, but I have no sympathy for thee parents, or parents of these young carjackers and housebreakers who may get killed carrying out their illegal activities. They failed their duty as responsible parents bringing up their kids to respect other people and the law. As a parent myself I understand what's required. And my parents raised seven kids who didn't stray from the straight and narrow.

[old man emu]

I got my car back this morning after the alternator had been replaced. Although the price of the alternator was a bit of a slug, the labour charge was very reasonable. The whole job came in about $50 less than what I expected. Luckily I paid for the alternator a week ago, so paying for the labour today didn't hurt so much. And I got the old alternator returned. I wonder if I can clean it up and trade it back for reconditioning.

[red750]

1 hour ago, nomadpete said:

The only way to reduce the harm to public is to legalise the drugs, and back it up with severe penalties for having any drugs in the system of people driving vehicles, etc.

And why not give them a can of petrol and a box of matches and say "Don't start a fire."

 

 

[old man emu]

1 minute ago, red750 said:

these young carjackers and housebreakers who may get killed carrying out their illegal activities.

But the ones dying from taking these pills are, for the most part, otherwise decent kids.They are just reacting to peer pressure and the culture of their times. Didn't you have a few sessions of getting rotten on alcohol in your youth, before you wised up? 

 

The carjackers and housebreakers are the retail sales force for the drug suppliers.

[red750]

1 hour ago, nomadpete said:

The only way to reduce the harm to public is to legalise the drugs,

Why? Drugs are not necessary.

[red750]

2 hours ago, old man emu said:

Didn't you have a few sessions of getting rotten on alcohol in your youth, before you wised up?

No. I have NEVER been drunk at all. I reckon I've consumed more alcohol from a Christmas cake than from a bottle.

[old man emu]

1 minute ago, red750 said:

I have NEVER been drunk at all.

You wised up early on, but I bet your mates didn't.

[red750]

I guess it's the way I was brought up. My father rarely visited a pub, and when he did, he'd drink pub squash or sarsaparilla. When I've had a meal at my son's pub, I've had lemon squash. 

 

Here's a photo of my son's pub. (He's part of the owner group, and manager.)

 

 

 

 

 

[octave]

42 minutes ago, old man emu said:

Here's a problem facing law enforcement people in relation to protecting users from harm.

 

Let's say that a batch of pills comes onto the market, and they carry readily identifiable markings impressed into the pill.

 

Police begin to confiscate small numbers from end users. The pills become evidence in a prosecution and are "locked up" pending the completion of any prosecution. As part of the chain of evidence, the pills are sent to an analyst who supplies information as to the content of the pill. The constable who confiscated the pills and initiated the prosecution receives the information , but it is just part of many prosecutions for various offences that are being handled at the same time. That information is stored away in the Case file and doesn't surface again until months later when the matter reaches Court. 

 

If the analyst's information shows that the pills are contaminated with substances that are unhealthy, the constable is not going to raise a warning since that is something out of the constable's sphere of activity. Therefore these unsafe pills continue to circulate, placing so many more people at risk.

 

I don't see how this relates to drug testing as it operates at an event.  Again the important thing is not our gut feeling on whether something is "right" or "wrong"  but whether the results are more positive than negative. If someone close to me tried drugs because of peer pressure or whatever I would prefer that the drugs had been tested for contaminants.

 

Harm minimization may not be perfect but neither is the alternative. I certainly do not believe it is a panacea and it has to be used alongside other strategies. Pill testing systems have been used in many countries and many studies have been done.  I have no interest in changing anyone's mind.  Public opinion seems to be for pill testing at events.

 

Two-thirds of Australians support pill testing at festivals: Survey

 

 

 

Pill testing really does reduce the risk of harm for drug users

 

 

 

 

[octave]

10 minutes ago, red750 said:

I guess it's the way I was brought up. My father rarely visited a pub, and when he did, he'd drink pub squash or sarsaparilla. When I've had a meal at my son's pub, I've had lemon squash. 

 

Here's a photo of my son's pub. (He's part of the owner group, and manager.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

If I mention your name will I get a discount?🙂

[octave]

I think we should try and prevent drift on this particular thread.   We are supposed to be celebrating the positives.  Other downbeat subjects could perhaps find a home in a new thread.

[facthunter]

An admirable bit of self control. Go to the top of the class. .

  Red, you've had a bit of luck. Don't be so self righteous. There is much more influence on kids than the immediate family or strict Parents. The wildest kids are often the Parsons Daughter or the Local Copper's Kids.    Nev

[old man emu]

13 minutes ago, facthunter said:

Local Copper's Kids

And with my kids around 40-years-of-age, the truth is coming out. My wife sure kept mum about their antics.

[nomadpete]

33 minutes ago, old man emu said:

And with my kids around 40-years-of-age, the truth is coming out. My wife sure kept mum about their antics.

That's the curse of being a father. We are always the last to find out.

 

Edit...

Oops sorry Octave.

The positive side ?

I was so often blissfully unaware of many things that would have otherwise made me miserable.

Edited January 10 by nomadpete

[octave]

4 minutes ago, nomadpete said:

Edit...

Oops sorry Octave.

The positive side ?

I am as responsible for the drift as anyone else😁

[facthunter]

You've already owned up.  Nev

[spacesailor]

Hypothetical 

My ' old ' six shot revolver is deemed illegal. 

Can I get it tested to make sure it works properly & won't blow my hand off . Just asking ! .

spacesailor

[facthunter]

THIS IS the "Opposite of GRIPES", thread. Nev

[onetrack]

Well, my days are usually full of positives and negatives, and it's a good day when the positives outweigh the negatives.

 

This is todays positives and negatives for me;

 

1. NEG: I had to have a tooth pulled. I previously had a crown on it, but the crown started to fall off about 4 weeks ago, and my dentist put a temporary cap on it, until she could pull it in today.

2. NEG: The tooth extraction took her an hour, the tooth broke up, and the tooth root is still in there, so now I have to see an oral surgeon to get the tooth root out.

3. POS: I got an appointment with an oral surgeon for next Tuesday. I got told by my dentist it could be up to 3 mths before I could get a slot.

4. POS: The oral surgeon takes my DVA card, so it's not going to cost me a fortune. Thank you, DVA.

5. POS: The tooth extraction wasn't as painful as I expected. I don't think there was a lot of the original tooth left.

6. NEG: It's still bleeding after 3 hrs. I was hoping it would've stopped bleeding by now. I'm using a cotton wad to staunch it and regular salt mouthwashes, as recommended.

7. NEG: I can't eat any hard, tough or chewy food. I'll have to make some soup - and eat it warm. I can't have hot drinks or hot food.

8. POS: I'm not allowed to do any strenuous work for the rest of the day. So it's Light Duties day, like the ones we used to enjoy in the Army.

9. POS: The dentist is a lovely lass in her late 20's, and very easy on the eye. Plus, she seems very capable. And she's very kind to old blokes.

10: POS: The tooth not is causing me any problems any more, and as a further upside, I'm going to get a whole new top denture to provide for the missing tooth.

 

Overall, the positives have outweighed the negatives today, and I'm probably happier than most others, who have visited a dentist today.

 

 

Edited January 10 by onetrack

[Jerry_Atrick]

Just getting back to the drugs thing.. There is a positive to celebrate, and it rather vindicates those advocating decriminalisation. It does have to be done right way, and moved from a criminal to a health issue. But it seems to have led to improvements: https://transformdrugs.org/blog/drug-decriminalisation-in-portugal-setting-the-record-straight.

 

Positives yeterday:

• I got to the train station early enough yesterday to get the earlier train than I normally catch. There's inly 6 minutes between them. As I hopped on, there was an announcement, "We're sorry, but due to polica action, the 5:56 train (which is the one I would have caught) has been cancelled. We apologise for the delay this will cause to your journey." Of course, for those coming a couple of minutes later, that would not have been a positive.
• Driving home this evening, I was taking it easy and decided to stop for a refresh and dinner at one of those motorway services. It may well have saved me from being invovled in a multi-car pile up as one occured further down the motorway at about the time I would have been passing and I would have been tired to boot.
• A project I am working on ran into some issues yesterday, but while we couldn't solve them, we came up with a nifty solution to work around them.. I will find out tody if it is going to work with our stakeholders.

 

 

 

 

[facthunter]

People putting these dangerous concoctions together are nothing like the Nice People who put their heart and soul into making wines they are justifiably proud of and would be appalled if the  consumer was just trying to get rotten drunk. Good wine is a work of art and something to be savoured and appreciated till the Last drop. Not till you drop. Drugs must be treated as an educational and health issue. Rehab before incarceration. Look how addictive smoking tobacco is. It  takes years before those PANGS disappear. Your brain HAS to say "I'm not a smoker" and Bl@@dy Mean it.  Kick Cold Turkey. Nev

[octave]

7 minutes ago, facthunter said:

Good wine is a work of art and something to be savoured and appreciated till the Last drop.

I'll drink to that! 🍷

[pmccarthy]

Positive is I got  car painting job done today. Negative is that it turned out crap, I will have to sand it back in a couple of weeks and recoat it.

[willedoo]

3 hours ago, onetrack said:

6. NEG: It's still bleeding after 3 hrs. I was hoping it would've stopped bleeding by now. I'm using a cotton wad to staunch it and regular salt mouthwashes, as recommended.

7. NEG: I can't eat any hard, tough or chewy food. I'll have to make some soup - and eat it warm. I can't have hot drinks or hot food.

It all depends on how you look at it. Both of those could be positives. Soup is good for you, and the more blood you lose, the less chance you have of getting cancer.