Do you want a GB with your steak, with a side of internet?

The other night I went out for dinner with a couple of people at a rather nice sit down pub to have a steak dinner.  I had been sitting there for a good ten to fifteen  minutes and chatting about things in general, work, life, the universe and everything when a family arrived at a table slightly to my left and to my front.  I decided that it looked like mum and dad, with a friend, mum and dads daughter, maybe 4 or 5 and son possibly 9 or 10.  I think they had sat down for less time than it takes to say "make mine a dry martini, shaken, not stirred and with an olive!" - when out came the electronic do-hickeys!. The iPhone, the iPod and some sort of electronic game.   

Dad and friend had oh so very smartly disappeared to the bar or to order meals.  Mum, daughter and son proceeded to sit at the table and attend to their respective electronic do-hickeys.  Daughter was given her game, son already had his in his hand, holding it up in front of his face and playing a game while being wired for sound and mum was typing away on her iPhone – possibly telling her friends on Facebook that she was splurging on a night out with the family and what a wonderful time she was having.  That is merely a guess of course.  

What struck me the most was the fact that none of them looked up at each other or said a word….call me old fashioned, I thought going out to dinner was a bit of treat or novelty and it is all about socialising and having some dinner chit chat and solving the problems of the world. 

What clinched it for me was when dad and friend came back to the table and promptly opened up iPads – I kid you not!   Dad and friend did sort of talk to each other at the same time – possibly to discuss some new app – they even showed eachother their respective screens – and I couldn’t help sort of staring.  I say sort of because I was doing my best to be covert – but I think the fact my beer kept dribbling out of my open mouth and dropped jaw might have been a bit of a give away! 

The most activity I noticed was when food arrived – it got hectic, what with logging off, shutting down, saving games followed by the piling of said gadgets onto the table as if it was some sort of homage to Apple.com.

I think I may have lost interest after that because I was still in a state of shock which only a good, stiff Scotch with two cubes, not three – but two - could wrench me from.  

I guess I didn't get it – there were real people at a table not a foot away from each other with real experiences (presumably), opinions and observations - but instead there was communication happening across cyberspace (in 100 characters or less), some sort of electronic warfare being undertaken in an electronic world or electronic sport being undertaken and a sharing of some sort of fabulous new app that one must have.  At the rate we are going restaurants will be full of little individual tables so we don’t have to suffer the inconvenience of being physically near someone while we chat and communicate on our i-things.   

       

Inductive and Deductive Reasoning - The sinking of the Kursk

Deductive	Inductive
A torpedo in the Kursk exploded causing the submarine to sink.  Upon hitting the seabed further torpedos inside the Kursk exploded and the crew were unable to be rescued or the submarine resurfaced in time and as a result all 118 sailors died.	The Kursk was involved in Navy exercises in the Barents Sea which was being observed by the United States Navy who were close to the Kursk at the time it sunk.
	The collapse of the USSR resulted in funding cuts to the Northern Fleet of which the Kursk was part of, resulting in poor maintenance and checks of equipment.
	Russia had inadequate rescue equipment and systems and delayed its response to the sinking of the Kursk claiming the submarine had experienced technical difficulties and the rescue operation was hampered by bad weather.
	Military standoffs, an after effect of the cold war, between the western powers and Russia resulted in Russia declining assistance from the Britain and the United States when the Kursk first sunk because protection of Government and military equipment secrets was of the utmost importance.
	An automatic emergency buoy was disabled during a previous mission due to fears of alerting the US Navy to the submarines location, resulted in no emergency buoy being deployed at the time the Kursk sunk.

The sinking of the Kurst

The sinking of the Russian Oscar II Class Submarine Kursk

12 August 2000 in about 100 metres of water, Barents Sea

 AcciMap

5. Societal

Military standoffs  – legacy of the Cold War

No assistance from the US or British Governments accepted

__________________________________________________________________________

4. Government/Regulatory System

Poorly funded and funding cutbacks in the Northern Fleet

Inadequate rescue equipment and systems

__________________________________________________________________________

3. Company

Russian Navy 

The protection of Government equipment and secrets of military equipment was foremost

___________________________________________________________________

2. Organisational

SYSTEMS	DESIGN	ENVIRONMENT
The tube door which should have withstood the first explosion was not closed properly due to poorly functioning electric connectors which did not always contact correctly.  This meant the door had to be closed mulitple times to have the connectors engage. Dummy torpedos manufactured in the 1990's never had their welds checked because it was unnecessary if not carrying a war head.	The service time of 3 torpedos had reportedly lapsed Poor maintenance schedules The automatic emergency buoy to show the location of a submarine in need of assistance, was disabled during a previous mission for fears of unintentioanl deployment and alerting the US Navy to the submarines location	Operating in a military exercise environment. Each individual ship in the exercise only knew its own movements, so it was unknown what the movement of the Kursk was   The exercise was being watched by US Navy vessels

 _________________________________________________________________________ 

1.Physical Accident Sequence

Hydrogen leaked from a weld on one of the torpedos fuel system, which escaped into the torpedo casing where it decomposed on the metals and oxides.
The torpedo exploded causing the submarine to sink

Upon hitting the seabed further torpedos inside the Kursk exploded

Sailors unable to be rescued or to escapefrom inside the compartment where they were trapped

118 sailors died

__________________________________________________________________________

References

Wikipedia n.d., Russian submarine K-141 Kursk, viewed 4 May 2012

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_submarine_K-141_Kursk

Wikipedia.com n.d., Russian submarine Kursk explosion, viewed 4 May 2012

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_submarine_Kursk_explosion

Telegraph.com n.d., Kursk, digital image, viewed 4 May 2012,

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01419/kursk1_1419012c.jpg

Reed, C 2001, Sinking the Kursk, Geotimes.org, February, viewed 4 May 2012,

http://www.geotimes.org/feb01/kursk.html

Gurin, I 2002, Why did the Kursk sink?, Kursk Submarine p2, 19 March, viewed 4 May 2012, http://www.wps.ru/en/pp/kursk/2002/03/19/1.html

Zarakhovich, Y 2001, The Kursk: Accidents Can Happen, Time.com, 14 September, viewed 4 May 2012, http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,174906,00.html

Fitness Training and The Biggest Loser

When I was at school I studied physical education.  When I was in the RAAF I underwent training as a Physical Training Instructor at the Defence Force Physical Training School.  I spent a significant amount of time learning anatomy, physiology, exercise biomechanics, exercise techniques and various training methodologies. All from reputable reference books, manuals and instructors.  I learnt exactly the same information as anyone else studying physical education and physical training.  Part of my training also required me to actually undertake all the training myself as well as instruct classes in a range of fitness and sporting techniques.  There were basic rules to follow such as exercise safety, type of exercise, intensity, duration and frequency which are a big part of any fitness regime or program.  

I have always used the basic rules as a starting point when training myself or others and then building specific and varied training onto the basic principles depending on the health, fitness and goals of the individual.  Safety always, is very important because without it all the best plans for training can amount to nothing without monitoring things like overall wellbeing, correct technique, previous or current injuries.   As a PTI and Personal Trainer I followed those rules to ensure I did not set someone up for an injury.  

Now, I have to put my hand up and admit I am interested in what happens in and do watch The Biggest Loser. The Biggest Loser, that reality television show where obese contestants undertake quite heavy and frequent training routines and challenges for a few months.  They compete against each other to lose the greatest amount of weight in order to win money at the end, not to mention improving their health.  They are trained by 4 personal trainers who appear passionate and well qualified.  I absolutely agree with the concept of the show, that is, to lose weight and get fit – and to entertain!  But what I do wonder about is some of the ways it is achieved.  

   

I know most people would have an image of a PTI in the military being quite authoritarian and quite hard on a class.  Yes, sometimes I was and I would quite often push my classes physically and mentally with training that involved running, circuits, log (yes you read that right!) and medicine ball drills, abseiling and climbing, canoeing and a whole range of other things at my disposal.  But one thing I was very strict on was safety which involved correct technique, knowing what hazards to look for in the training environment (such as trip hazards), and knowing personal limitations (such as lifting an achievable weight).   If there was and still is, something that always makes me cringe in a training environment it is poor technique.   

Watching some of the contestants on The Biggest Loser I note that in order to do things fast they quite often use poor technique.  With the weights I note there is quite often a limited range of motion used as opposed to a full range of motion which stretches, flexes and develops the muscle fully.  For example, dumbbell (bicep) curls which only go part of the way down, there is no full extension of the arm and, leg presses which are only done as a half movement.  I know the idea is to get the contestants heart rate up in order to burn more calories, but I think using part movement when using weights is a bad habit to get into.  Done consistently this will lead to injuries and poor muscle development which leads to a muscle imbalance.  Another exercise that pains me to see done incorrectly is push ups.  Watching contestants bounce off their bellies, well that is just not a push up!  Again push ups done incorrectly, such as sagging or dropping hips, can cause back injuries.  

    

Other things I noticed was a contestant holding a weight over their head while on a treadmill.  I don’t know, call me old fashioned, but I see a number of safety issues with that, particularly for someone who is not fit, is not familiar with the training concept or a treadmill.  Not surprisingly the result was the contestant fell off the end of the treadmill and dropped the weight.  A couple of weeks ago one of the contestants was told to train while suffering the effects of a cold.  He was told that it was just a cold and to train through it.  One of the things I was taught and always followed was that if suffering a significant cold it was far better to rest rather than train so your body was not put under any more stress, which it is when fighting an infection.   

   

I know contestants only have a limited time in which to lose as much weight as they can and ultimately it is a competition.  I just wonder what affects the show has on the everyday person who may have underlying health and injury issues and thinks they could just throw themselves into their own training program.  I know it is a television show – but I don’t think it should be underestimated as to its influence.  It definitely has the power to make people think about their own health and fitness as the health and fitness message is repeated by the trainers and the contestants, and you can buy the books and food products with the brand mark.  

I know that sometimes things don’t always go quite right in a training environment no matter how fit you are, or technically correct or safety conscious, but I just think by exposing unfit individuals with health or injury issues to some quite extreme, technically incorrect and unsafe practices (regardless if they are being monitored) then I think fitness training is going back to the bad old days of ‘no pain, no gain’.    

Habits, ’truth’ or other phenomenon that have grown from tradition or other source (e.g. family, disciplinary or cultural) and become part of our practice that may or may not have any evidence base for the practice. 

Parenting

My parents were born and bred in England from Irish folk and both from military upbringings.  My father was by trade a boat builder, a Fireman and then a Sailor in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.  After the war ended my father joined the Royal Australian Navy and came to Australia. 

My father was terribly English and he taught me - whether rightly or wrongly, to keep a stiff British upper lip and to pull myself up by own boot laces.  I learnt to do things in a military and orderly manner, we ate at set times, I learnt to polish shoes and not just any polish – spit polish no less (I had the shiniest shoes in school!), iron clothes with crisp sharp edges, maintain a certain organisation in my bedroom and when doing anything, start at the bottom and work my way up.  My mother, although a very good housekeeper and cook was not particularly maternal, definitely not Mrs Robinson from Lost in Space or Mrs Brady from the Brady Bunch!

As a family we did not hug each other in greeting, kiss goodbye or hello, sit on knees, ‘children were seen and not heard’and you definitely weren’t allowed to get sick (especially on a school day).  If ever an injury was sustained it was to be handled with a fair amount of restraint and intestinal fortitude!  Rolling around on the floor in feigned agony, or otherwise, like a soccer prima donna was not to be tolerated!

Not surprisingly before I finished school there were two things I knew.

1. I knew I never wanted children of my own so I never needed to think about parenting skills.

2. I knew the military life was where I was going because I believed it offered me the challenges, the discipline and the organisation I was familiar with.  I joined the Royal Australian Air Force and I have to admit I did not find it a difficult transition at all.

I think my parents were a product of their time, the lead up to, during and post Second World War in Plymouth, England which experienced some of the heaviest bombing raids in the country in 1941.  I believe they raised me to the best of their ability and were influenced by what they had experienced in their upbringings.  On a trip to the UK last year I met my father’s sister while researching my family tree.  She also chose not to have children and told me that my father and her were never allowed to be sick and were pretty well governed by the same rules my father applied to our family.  

As life would have it, I became a step parent and have been for the last 11 years, so I can now look back and question some of theparenting methods used by my parents, such as: an unwillingness to be seen to be emotional; a lack of real interaction when it came to schooling other than completing all levels of schooling and ensuring good marks were achieved; minimal patience or tolerance for perceived failure or bad behavior; not taking the time in actually listening or asking what was happening in our lives.  I have however used some of the same approaches to parenting my parents used, such asbeing a parent and not necessarily a friend (I think it is important in order to maintain and enforce rules of the house), maintaining a certain level of discipline and expectations, encouraging involvement in outdoor activities and encouragement in learning and understanding.  I have chosen to modify some of the things I experienced in my upbringing such as involvement in the schooling and homework process, discussions about the good and the bad things in life and an open mindedness that the world is full of people who are different with different ideas, lives and beliefs.  I still believe in the theory of the stiff British upper lip but it is something that is not ordinarily understood now, so I prefer to encourage strength where required and that at times there is a need to pull oneself up by the bootlaces when the going gets tough.  

I can only judge if what I am doing is working by what I see and hear on a daily basis, but for now I can only do what I believe is right and apply my parenting skills based on the values and morals I was raised with.  The closest I have come to seeking more parenting information is by speaking with other people with children to see what they do or don’t do as well as having read the odd media article. 

I do not have any regrets about the upbringing I received because even though it has taken me many years to realise that I don't always have to have a stiff British upper lip, it taught me to be strong and to always keep going.  I don’t really think there is a book or a website or a TV show that can teach someone everything there is to know about parenting, I think we take things we experienced as a child and modify it to suit the times and the environment a child is being raised in as well as the good and bad experiences we have had in life.

When I cleared out my fathers garage after he passed he away I found this still standing on one of his work shelves

A problem considered

Problem

Pedestrians choosing to ignore active level crossing equipment which results in near misses with trains and a high potential for a fatal collision

Pedestrian Warning Sign

‘Use a bridge, wait for the lights or lose your life’

Context

This problem is predominant at level crossings in urban and suburban areas with a road/rail interface and a high concentration of pedestrian and cyclist traffic needing to cross anything from one to four tracks utilised by suburban trains and possibly freight trains. 

Politically, this shared environment can be very volatile if the crossing has been the subject of previous public complaints, near misses and collisions, particularly fatalities.   The community will become very vocal when they perceive the road/rail interface is not safe.    

Technically level crossings can be large and complex with an array of signs, alarms, gates and booms or a simple crossing over the track/s.  Either way pedestrian crossings on level crossings can cause a lot of conflict resulting in near misses or fatal collisions with trains.  These incidents can have quite devastating and long lasting effects on train drivers, passengers, witnesses, emergency services and rail staff tasked with attending the site to investigate what occurred.    

Pedestrian Level Crossing with a road/rail interface.

 There are 2 suburban tracks

and a third track (not in picture – situated behind the photographer).

Tragic train girl Teresa Ho was loving and always optimistic says friend

AUTHORITIES were repeatedly told a level crossing that yesterday claimed the life of a girl, 15, was a death trap.

Teresa Ho died after walking into the path of a V/Line train at Ginifer station, St Albans, yesterday morning, the Herald Sun reported.

Stunned witnesses had pleaded with the girl not to cross the line soon before she was hit, police said.

ST ALBANS RESIDENTS AND TRADERS SAID THEY HAD BEEN CAMPAIGNING FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS FOR AN UNDERPASS AT THE CROSSING.

In 1995, the family of Emmanuel Spiteri, 79, who was killed there, pleaded for a safety upgrade.

In 2008 - four years after three people were killed driving across the tracks at busy Furlong Rd - the crossing was ranked fifth on the Department of Transport's most dangerous list. But it is still waiting for a grade separation.

Police said yesterday Teresa, a St Albans Catholic Regional College schoolgirl, walked around a boom gate and tried to cross the tracks while a Sydenham-bound Metro train sat stationary at the platform when she was hit by a train travelling from Bendigo to the city.

Sgt Rob Atkinson said the girl was wearing headphones and might not have heard the screams for her not to cross.

A distressed woman witness said: "She was running through the gates and got hit by the train - she just went flying. I just felt sick - this girl had no chance."

The secretary of the St Albans business association, Asip Demiri, who has written repeated letters to the State Government begging for action, said the solution was simple - an underpass.

At least 50 pedestrians have been hit by trains at level crossings in Victoria in the past decade.

A week ago a boy, 3, was struck by a train in regional Victoria and died in hospital the next day.

Last month, a 70-year-old woman was killed by a train at a level crossing at McKinnon railway station.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Realities

In the public space the road/rail interface can be the subject of much debate, particularly after a fatal or serious injury collision involving a train and pedestrian.   The media will quite often report on the top ten dangerous level crossings or similar which more often than not generates many on line responses to the topic, with authors commenting on incidents they know or were involved with.      

On a daily basis however there are multiple reported near misses each day when pedestrians push through activated gates, duck under or go around boom gates and ignore audible alarms.  These instances are reported as a matter of course by the train drivers to train control.     

Statistics reported in Toowoomba area newspaper The Chronicle, 28 March 2012

Relating to near misses between trains and pedestrians/cyclists

Actors

Pedestrians and cyclists using the level crossings

Train Drivers who must pass over a level crossing

Passengers using the train network

The Government departments and the train company who must share responsibility for maintenance and costs of the road/rail interface.  

The community, who live in the vicinity of the level crossings and have to use them as a road user, pedestrian or cyclist. 

Lobby groups that take particular interests in the rail industry.   

Tensions  

The biggest problems affecting the separation of pedestrians from a level crossing are funding and costs, station and road designs, overall use of a station and level crossing and the perceived danger of a level crossing resulting in the determination of which level crossing gets priority. 

The public, media and local lobby groups voicing concerns to the State and local Governments and the rail industry about a level crossing can cause tensions and friction among these departments because of the need to look after rate payers, voters and appease the media.  Negative media attention is a major cause of tension.   

Maintenance and redesigning a level crossing can cause tension to road users around the level crossing and pedestrians alike. Trains can also be affected by work being undertaken which effects on time running thus creating tension for rail passengers, train controllers, managers within the rail industry tasked with ensuring efficient train services and where applicable, the Government departments that oversee a rail company. 

A major tension is the perception by pedestrians that they do not need to wait for long periods of time at level crossings.    

Problem Definition

If the problem of conflicts between trains and pedestrians were solved then both parties would be separated.  This could be achieved firstly by actually removing the pedestrian from the level crossing by way of overpass or underpass. 

Another way of attempting to solve the problem was recently discussed in Toowoomba area newspaper The Chronicle, 28 March 2012 and involves a safety lock system on pedestrian gates preventing operating gates from being pushed open.

 Part of an article entitled Level Crossing Dangers contained in The Chronicle, P29, 28 March 2012

Concepts

The highest level solution for the separation of pedestrians from rail traffic would be a suitably designed underpass or overpass which could be used by both able bodied and disabled or elderly pedestrians.  This separation removes the risk of potential conflict with all and any rail traffic.   

What Would You Miss

There are approximately ten ‘near misses’ a week involving a motorist or pedestrian driving/running in front of a train at a level crossing or on the rail corridor. Frighteningly, the latest research indicates one in four drivers admit to engaging in risky behaviour at level crossings.

What Would You Miss? is a campaign which seeks to change perceptions, attitudes and behaviours at level crossings by asking people to stop and reflect on ‘what they would miss‘ – to encourage all road users to think about the consequences of their actions, and the risks involved at level crossings.

On 5 October 2010, Queensland Rail hosted an event at King George Square with hundreds of Queensland Rail employees, their families, representatives from the emergency services and other dignitaries holding placards outlining what they would miss. The crowd formed a ‘702’ on the ground to represent the 702 near misses which were recorded in 2009.

The event was a resounding success with prime time television coverage and articles in national newspapers. As time progresses, Queensland Rail is continuing to deliver these important level crossing safety messages.

References

News.com  ‘Tragic train girl Teresa Ho was loving and always optimistic says friend’

http://www.news.com.au/national/teenage-girl-hit-and-killed-hit-by-train-at-st-albans/story-e6frfkvr-1226163478937#ixzz1qDiImVWU

The Chronicle, 28 March 2012, Level Crossing Dangers, Safety System, P.29 

Queensland Rail Internet

http://www.queenslandrail.com.au/AboutUs/MediaCentre/Campaigns/Pages/WhatWouldYouMiss.aspx

Good morning Yvonne,

I read with interest the article in relation to the building of the Burnley Tunnel and the deaths of the two workers which was quite tragic and absolutely preventable.

What I found particularly frustrating was the fact that the ambulance officer and experienced trench rescuer – who was accepted as the trained and experienced expert in the field would not accept the observations of O’Connor who was only a worker and therefore in his then current dilemma was not an expert.  Even though O’Connor continually advised there was water in the hole his observations were ignored without questioning the validity of what he was saying.

What was it that stopped the rescuer from accepting that what O'Connor was saying was the truth and fact?  Although probably a harsh judgement, I think there was a certain type of arrogance and even apathy to the incident, as written in the article, not only was a video of the rescue operation made for training purposes by the fire brigade, there was also an ‘air of confidence that it would be a successful textbook operation’.   Therefore, with a belief that the rescue was going to be a textbook operation anything outside the norm of the textbook would have been excluded and considered an irritation. 

I attended a fatal road crash involving a woman (pedestrian) and a B-double truck on a major 4 lane highway in a 100km zone.  As a Crash Investigator I was called to the scene and even before I arrived the general duties police had decided and reported it to the Duty Supervisor as a suicide and it was recorded on the police computer system as one.  When I arrived the general opinion was why was I bothering surveying the scene, conducting measurements and so on.  One thing I did pick up along the roadway was the woman’s mobile phone which I put back together and it worked, even ringing a couple of times while I was there. 

As this incident happened in the very early hours of the morning, at the completion of the job I went home and didn’t return to work until late the next afternoon.  I was asked by my officer in charge why I was dealing with a suicide matter because he had been told what had happened.  I told him that I had concerns it had not been investigated and I disagreed with the opinion of everyone at the scene.   The initial report entered into the reporting system was based on the very short version supplied from the truck driver who had said the woman had come out of the bushes onto the road so therefore she must have done it deliberately.     

It took me a number of weeks and into a few months and many statements, and many conversations with friends who had been out with her that night; conversations with her family of what she had to look forward to; a detailed statement from the truck driver and; conversations with her Doctor to finally arrive at a conclusion for the Coroner.  There were two particular findings I reported to the Coroner.

The first being in relation to a prescribed and somewhat new medication for assistance in the treatment of cessation of smoking, which was recorded at abnormally  high levels in the system of the woman by the pathologist.  After researching and reading some case studies, I found the medication produced some behavioural side effects including a distorted view of reality which was mentioned and described by her friends and husband in their statements.   

The second and most significant finding was that the woman was a bit of a prankster and had always threatened to go to an overpass situated on the highway which was visible to one of her best friends if she sat on the back deck of her house and ‘moon’ her.  The particular part of the overpass which was visible was across the highway, on the opposite side to the suburb where they both lived.  Immediately prior to the incident the woman’s best friend told me she had received a phone call from the woman asking if she were on her back deck, which her friend had said she was.  The friend had told me that the phone was still open and she heard a loud sound getting closer and then the phone call stopped. 

My conclusion to the Coroner was that the incident was the result of misadventure and not suicide, with the distinct possibility that the medication along with the alcohol she had consumed on the night had an effect on her judgement, perception and reaction.    

What I found was that the incident was treated as a ‘text book suicide’ from the moment the incident site was attended and a short version obtained from the truck driver only.  I don’t believe things are ‘text book’, no two things are ever the same in incidents that appear similar on the surface. I think as an investigator - and in the reported case in Melbourne, a rescuer, needs to take everything into account and then discount it only after an assessment has been made.       

Theresa     

     

Welcome to the view from the ballast where you never know what might pop up!