Only Awarded Once - Victoria Cross For New Zealand:

Are you aware that The Victoria Cross For New Zealand has been awarded only once?  - to SAS soldier Willy Apiata in 2 July 2007.

Don't panic here - as this is a bit of a 'trick' statement .. There are 24 other New Zealanders who were awarded the original Victoria Cross - thirteen of these were from World War I .

- Both Australia (1991) and Canada (1993) have previously introduced their own V.C. replacing the British Honors System.

On 21 September 1999, Prime Minister Jenny Shipley announced that the Queen had approved the formal institution of a new range of Royal awards to recognise acts of gallantry and bravery performed by New Zealanders. The awards were designed to be the final major element in the development of a distinct New Zealand Royal honours system.

“	I am confident that the new system will serve us well and enable New Zealand to recognise the various acts of heroism performed in our community. The redevelopment of the awards for gallantry and bravery now means that we have a full range of awards and honours which are distinctly New Zealand.	”
— Jenny Shipley, Prime Minister of New Zealand, The New Zealand and Australian awards are still made by the jewellers Hancocks of the Burlington Arcade, London - from the gunmetal used for the originals. - The Canadian Victoria Cross also includes metal from the same cannon, along with copper and other metals from all regions of Canada. Charles Uphams Victoria Cross. Marty K.

Carnage By Royals & Other "Leaders":

I'm currently watching two made-for-T.V. series ..  'Apocalypse - World War I '  and 'Apocalypse - World War II '. on 'Bluetooth'.

Both are well made - & use original film footage and images that have been cleaned-up, colored, and sound tracks added to explain how it all happened.

While we need to realize that all video producers will tell the story as they want to - and that their editing and commentary is designed to present their view-point - I have no complaints about the integrity of either war documentary. - The facts of stupid - unnecessary, bloody slaughter are obvious.

British Machine Gun Team - Somme.

I think that we ordinary folk need to be reminded from time to time .. that the military and political leaders we elect & allow to control us - are capable of massive uncaring carnage in their efforts to maintain their own privilege, wealth and status.

World War I - or "The War to End All Wars" lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918 - and is reckoned to have slaughtered more than 18 Million of us from a total of some 41 million casualties.

World War II that lasted from 1 September 1939 to 2 September 1945 is recorded as causing over 60 Million Deaths .. it is more likely that figure is above 80 Million including deaths from disease & famine. - Did you know that more than 5 million prisoners-of-war were starved to death?

Released Australian Soldiers - Singapore 1945.

Only some 21 years separated these two insane wars - some men fought in both. - Some men even fought for both sides - changing sides after having been defeated!

- Since the end of WWII in 1945 - 73 years ago - we have continued to kill at the rate of around 1 Million every year in multiple conflicts .. such as Korea, Malaya, Congo, Biafra, Rwanda, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Myanmar, etc, etc.

Racism, Religion - Riches & Royalty.. 
the real causative "3Rs of war". - Ah - is that four?

Well worth taking the time to see how vicious & bloody stupid governments can be - in between watching the latest inane bollocks from Trump. "Genius" my ass.

Marty K.

'Snake Loads' - Duplex & Others:

A 1911 tale from a 2011 Shooting Illustrated story (March 31) indicates a need for shot loads for handgun cartridges when in snake country..
"The only thing I could brag about after my first gun battle with a snake was that the timber rattler I eventually killed was almost as long as me. After a magazine full of hardball from a 1911, it was wounded and I was deaf. When the snake coiled up under a laurel bush, I fetched a .22-caliber rifle and finished the job. Lesson learned: It's hard to hit a moving target the size of a water hose."

I'd say that so called 'snake loads' can join 'duplex loads' as effective & versatile variations of handgun cartridges. - Further more - the home hand-loader will have fun dreaming-up combinations that may raise many a surprised smile on the range when shared with mates.

The first observation to note - especially by 'mericans' - is that there are in fact NO SNAKES in New Zealand - not even in the zoos... Our democratic government won't permit it 😁. - But while mentioning politicians - it is true that we do have here rats, possums, rabbits, ferrets & 'white-tail spiders' etc. -  multiple other undesirables that also stowed-away with the decent folk on arriving ships.

A 327 Fed. Magnum Shot + Slug Combo Load.

60gns of Shot + 60gns Bullet & Card Wad Over The Powder.

The Makings.

You don't need a flash / expensive re-loading set-up to make interesting rounds .. in fact the cheapest most simple press and die set is the best way for a cautious shooter to experiment with variations - but you must know what you are doing and first be confident with "normal" reloading techniques.

You could use a fired brass case as a punch to cut cardboard wads .. drill-through the primer recess for a push-out hole.

My 327 Fed. Magnum Duplex Load 

- 72 grain Plated Bullet plus 48 Grain Lead Ball

Over 'Trailboss' Powder.- Works Brilliantly.

REPEAT - You must know what you are doing and cautiously work up towards full power from gentle starting loads when experimenting .. and refer to the Loading Manuals for the propellant you are using.

Stupid folk have blown-up their guns .. *kaboom*

Speer Shot Capsules are an alternative way to build duplex & triplex loads or 'combination 'buck'n'ball' loads' - as well as their intended shot shell use. - They are available for hand-loaders in .357" and .44"? calibers.

Marty K.

Rocket Man Meet Cocket Man:

So "Cocket Man" and "Rocket Man" are sitting in the sand-pit playing 'Mine's Bigger than yours' with their non-existent nuclear buttons.

Aren't we entitled to expect better than this from our masters 'leaders'?

The Urban Dictionary says:  Cocket

The pocket created by your foreskin. The space between the head of your penis and the end of your foreskin.

- If the possibilities weren't so terrible it would be funny.

Marty K.

Aircraft Carriers Part 2 - How About Frozen PYKRETE & Project Habukkuk?:

- If  'they' are happy to spend 7 BILLION POUNDS  of their inmates money on x2 Queen Elizabeth Class 'Carriers' to float 12 only planes on top of the water (apparently there's no money to pay America for more) ..

HMS 'Queen Elizabeth' - Only Afloat as Long as Their 'Carrier Escort Fleets'

 Can Protect It's Ten Decks & 1,600 Bunks from Attack

.. Maybe someone should have first checked their history under "frozen sawdust" & "Project Habukkuk"

In 1943 the British built a 1,000 ton experimental  ice / wood pulp "Pykrete" vessel on Lake Patricia in Canada - that they maintained frozen by the use of a one horsepower motor. - Some say that when they abandoned the vessel it took three years to melt and sink.

However - the experimental Habukkuk craft seems to have been constructed using a lot of structural timber - check this dive report from Maryland marine archaeologist Dr. Susan Langley ..
Link:
http://divermag.com/habbakuk/

Pykrete Project Habukkuk.

Geoffrey Pyke's idea was that a huge "unsinkable" island aircraft carrier would be built and positioned anywhere it was needed to extend British air power beyond their then current capabilities.

Geoffrey Pyke rightly believed that he could solve every problem. 

http://www.inventricity.com/geoffrey-pyke-inventor-genius

Now don't scoff too loudly ... as some very important War Office folk signed-off on the project - Sir Winston Churchill & Lord Mountbatten no less - who played together in Winnie's bath tub.

Link:

https://99percentinvisible.org/article/project-habbakuk-britains-secret-ice-bergship-aircraft-carrier-project/

The facts are that ice floats but melts and isn't very strong - But blended with 14% wood pulp it is insulated & much tougher -  bullet-proof - and the mix melts very slowly.

"Naval architects and engineers continued to work on Habbakuk with Bernal and Perutz during the summer of 1943. The requirements for the vessel became more demanding: it had to have a range of 7,000 miles (11,000 km) and be able to withstand the largest waves recorded, and the Admiralty wanted it to be torpedo-proof, which meant that the hull had to be at least 40 ft (12 m) thick. The Fleet Air Arm decided that heavy bombers should be able to take off from it, which meant that the deck had to be 2,000 ft (610 m) long. Steering also raised problems; it was initially projected that the ship would be steered by varying the speed of the motors on either side, but the Royal Navy decided that a rudder was essential. However, the problem of mounting and controlling a rudder over 100 ft (30 m) high was never solved."

What a fascinating story eh: Link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Habakkuk

- Only 6 planes each on HMS Queen Elizabeth Class Carrier - In the 21st Century !!

Marty K.

4 Knife Deaths in 15 Hours - London:

New Years Eve - London -  Two teenagers and two 20 year old men are stabbed to death in widely separated, unconnected attacks using 'Banned' edged weapons.

UK Law basically bans the carrying of all knives other than a small folding 'penknife' with a blade under three inches. - If a folding blade "locks" - It isn't a folding knife.. It's also illegal to sell any knife to an under 18 year old.

Knife Murder Scene In London's Leafy Suburb of Tulse Hill.

 South of Brixton.

These tragic & stupid killings further illustrate just how effectively 'banning' works.

The problem of angry violent killers is the people involved - and how they are (and have been) treated.

- So guns are banned there and guns are used increasingly by the criminal nutters ... and knives are banned there so are being used more & more by young men who can't get guns ... and when they can't get a knife they sharpen a screwdriver for stabbing each other.

Marty K.

UK's New "White Elephant" Aircraft Carriers. (Part 1?):

Before you next complain about the lacking IQ of any particular President or Prime Minister's Government - pause to count to 10 ... and look at this:

Forget about the reports that the first launched UK 'Carrier' is leaking badly - as they'll no doubt fix that .. but consider that these TWO new British aircraft carriers will cost the UK's inmates some 3.5 BILLION POUNDS EACH ... this being just about TWICE as much as they said it would cost. (more lies?).

New 3.5 Billion Pound 'Queen Elizabeth'

The real issue of concern here is that while these carriers were meant to carry some 36x  F-35C aircraft each that they initially specified - not the handful of downgraded F-35B fighters now to be carried ...  as they can only now afford to pay for six planes on each carrier !  Three and a half  BILLION POUNDS each to carry around SIX planes!

F-35B

F-35C

If you hold that situation in mind and add it to the intended replacement of the worn-out Trident nuclear submarines .. cost now guessed as being another 205 BILLION POUNDS  - then add to that lot the biggest financial cock-up of the century "BREXIT" 

- perhaps you can see the need for the disarmed UK inmates to be tolerant & patient about "austerity" - under-funding for their retirement pensions, policing & health care etc.

My personal concern is not the sheer stupidity of members of governments - which is perhaps understandable as they're only human after all - My concern is that these leaders of society LIE to us repeatedly and never seem to be held to account and jailed in disgrace. 

This business of "Parliamentary Privilege" is a totally corrupt license to lie and mislead the public.

Parliamentary privilege is a legal immunity enjoyed by members of certain legislatures, in which legislators are granted protection against civil or criminal liability for actions done or statements made in the course of their legislative duties.

Why is lying for political and financial profit not criminal ?  - Perhaps "Parliament" or 'Congress' might be elevated to the same status as a Court - then 'perjury' laws could be applied. Is that unreasonable?

That fable describing how to achieve honest effort is known as "Carrot and stick" - it seems to me that our privilege-holders have grabbed all the carrots and locked-away all the sticks.

Here's a sticky question - If the Brits decided to cruise into (British) New Zealand with their Vanguard class Nuclear powered & nuclear armed submarines - or with their replacements 'Dreadnought' Class updates - would we  NUCLEAR FREE Kiwis send-out one of our Wakas (canoes) to stop them?

Marty K.