Good Morning Perth

Hi ho, here we go with another "Rangerdaze".  We hope you all had a nice Easter break and are back at work raring to go.

This is a very special issue of "Rangerdaze" because in this issue, you will see the first photo taken of the very first Ranger SWAT Team.  Yes, you saw it right.  Peter Oliver and Ray Sousa in conjunction with WARA have received special permission from the WA State Government and the Commissioner for Police to form between the City of Rockingham and the Town of Kwinana, the first Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) team in Ranger Services.

This is a specially trained, fully armed Ranger squad.  If you wish to join and be authorised under new Government legislation, you will be between 18 & 25 years of age, have passed Municipal Law Enforcement A & B and the Firearms course with C.Y. O'Connor TAFE.  If you are a male ranger, you must have brothers in your family to carry on the family name.

Please go to the very bottom of this Rangerdaze page and view the SWAT Team photo before making your decision!

 Hi I'm Tazzy

Check out this story I found about a "Blind Pilot"

rangerdazewarangers

A blonde, wanting to earn some extra money, decided to hire out as a "Handy Woman" and started canvassing a nearby well-to-do neighbourhood.

A short time later, the blonde came to the door to collect her money. "You're finished already?" the husband asked. "Yes," the blonde replied, "and I had paint left over, so I gave it 2 coats.

The little girl said, "She ran out of gas about halfway down the block, so another dog is pushing her home.

Box Brownie Camera

Normally here at Rangerdaze, when we receive photos they are manipulated through Photoshop to sharpen, colour and contrast them.  The following photos have only been sized to fit them on the page, they don't even have a colour border as we usually give other photos.

These photos were taken by an American serviceman at Pearl Harbour during the Japanese attack.  The Box Brownie camera used was left in a foot locker all these years and only recently found.  The film was developed out of curiosity and the results and quality of the pictures is astounding.

How to make WARA your "Home" page:

• Go to our "Index" page www.warangers.asn.au

• Now click on "Tools" on the tool bar

• Click on "Internet Options"

• Click on "General"

• Where it says Home Page, click on "Use Current" or delete the address already in the space and type in www.warangers.asn.au now at the bottom click on "Apply" and "OK" 

We encourage our members and friends to do this with your office and home PC's and even get your kids, family and friends to help out.

Kissie Kissie

According to a news report, a certain private school in Washington was recently faced with a unique problem.

A number of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom.

That was fine, but after they put on their lipstick, they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints.

Every night the maintenance man would remove them and the next day the girls would put them back.

Finally the principal decided that something had to be done. She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the maintenance man.

She explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors every night.

To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required.

He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned the mirror with it.

Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.

There are teachers.... and then there are educators.

Visit WARA Day

On Tuesday 1st May 2007, we hope to spin the visitors dial off the wall.  In an effort to build up visitor numbers to the WARA website, we would ask all members, friends & families to log on to the WARA website as often as possible on that one day in particular.

Many of our national & international friends and associates have given their support.  From this exercise it will give us an indication of the support we are receiving, where are visitors are coming from and other valuable information.

Some members have already said they will visit WARA between 5 & 10 times on the day, so your support will be much appreciated.

REMEMBER

1st May 2007

Visit WARA Day

Pack of Dogs Attacking a Crocodile near Cairns!!!

At times nature can be cruel, but there is also a raw beauty, and even a certain justice manifested within that cruelty.

The crocodile, one of the oldest and ultimate predators, normally considered the "apex predator", can still fall victim to implemented 'team work' strategy, made possible due to the tight knit social structure and "survival of the pack mentality" bred into the canines.

See the remarkable photograph below, courtesy of Nature Magazine.   Note that the Alpha dog has a muzzle hold on the croc' preventing it from breathing, while another dog has a hold on the tail to keep it from thrashing. The third dog attacks the soft underbelly of the croc'.

Not for the squeamish!  Scroll down to view photo.....

REMINDER

WARA MEMBERSHIPS 2007

WARA membership renewals are now due.  Your cooperation with this will be much appreciated!

WARA Membership Application & Renewal Forms are now online.

Click on "WARA Membership" under the WARA dropdown bar on the "INDEX" page.

Dedicated ambo saves pet with kiss of life

IT was lucky for Beethoven that Queensland ambulance officer Travis Comello didn't mind dog's breath.

If he had, the lively little collie would not be here today.

Mr Comello, a patient transport officer, went above and beyond the call of duty to give the kiss of life to Beethoven recently when the dog choked while playing with a ball.

A reluctant hero, Mr Comello said yesterday he did not even know if administering mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the apparently lifeless dog would even work "but it just happened".

He said the drama began just after he had arrived back from work at his home in Harris Rd, Kingaroy, when he heard his neighbour, Rosalie Rudd, yelling for help.

When he saw Beethoven lying on the ground, Mr Comello thought at first the animal had been hit by a car but was told he had choked on a ball.

Putting his fingers down the dog's throat to extract the ball, Mr Comello said Beethoven was still not breathing but he was able to detect a very faint heartbeat.

Cupping his hand into a fist, he put it against Beethoven's muzzle and blew in a few puffs of air and then pushed firmly on the dog's ribs.

"To be honest, I didn't think it would work but she (Mrs Rudd) was so upset that I thought I'm going to at least try," he said.

Mr Comello said Beethoven had been "completely out of it . . . not moving at all" but after he administered mouth-to-mouth the dog had gasped several times and regained consciousness.

"He was sitting up in five minutes," he said.

"He was a bit away with the fairies for a while – a bit dopey and disoriented – but in about 10 minutes he was fine. I was amazed."

Mr Comello, who has been with the ambulance service for nine years, admitted it was the first time he had saved a dog's life and only thought of trying the kiss of life "because I'd seen something like that on telly".

Mrs Rudd said Beethoven would probably have died if not for Mr Comello's quick actions.

Don't Forget Your 2007 WARA Conference Dates !

Thursday 27th & Friday 28th September.

Ring the Atrium now and book your room.  More details on the "Conference" page WARA drop down bar "Home" page.

Fighting Dogs - Big Business !!

HOUSTON--Among the grimmest jobs in the 71 years that the Houston Humane Society has operated an animal shelter was euthanizing 258 pit bull terriers in August 2006, seized from the property of murder victim and fighting dog breeder Thomas F. Weigner, Jr.

Investigators impounded 285 pit bulls in all from the Liberty County site. Twenty-seven puppies were initially to have been auctioned, without being sterilized first, by order of Liberty County justice of the peace Phil Fitzgerald, but the Houston Humane Society pointed out that Texas state law requires impounded dogs to be sterilized prior to adoption or sale. Most of the pups were later found to be ill with either parvovirus or the tick-borne disease babeosis.

Another seven puppies were believed to have been stolen from the crime scene during the initial investigation.

"Big" impoundments of alleged fighting dogs used to involve a few dozen. Three raids in December 1992 made page one of the January/February 1993 edition of ANIMAL PEOPLE after impounding a combined and then almost unheard of total of 97 dogs among them.

The Weigner case did in fact bring the largest seizure of alleged fighting dogs on record. The previous high total in Texas was 88, in January 2005. The previous U.S. record was 225, in a 2004 Oklahoma case that brought nearly 20 convictions, including five years on probation for former National Football League player LeShon Johnson, who has now been convicted twice of offenses related to dogfighting.

"Weigner Jr., 27, bled to death after being shot in the leg by three masked intruders," recounted Cindy Horswell of the Houston Chronicle. "His wife Julie Laban, their three children, and her parents witnessed the shooting while bound with tape."

Liberty County Sheriff's Sergeant Kenny Daigle told Horswell that the intruders were apparently searching for $100,000 in cash that Weigner had recently won at a dogfight in Brazoria County.
"Neither Weigner nor his wife had a job, other than the dogs," Daigle said. "But they had paid $215,000 in cash for their home and property, and were making payments on three nice new cars," he told Horswell.

In addition to the dogs, several thousand dollars in loose cash, and alleged dogfighting paraphernalia, investigators reportedly discovered a pound of marijuana on the Weigner property.

At least 13 dogfighting rings were broken up in conjunction with arrests for alleged traffic in illegal drugs around the U.S. in 2006. All 13 involved possession of marijuana, 11 involved possession of methedrine, and six involved possession of cocaine. None involved possession of heroin, although one convicted dogfighter had previous convictions for possessing both heroin and marijuana.

Camille Gann, convicted of hosting dogfights to which LeShon Johnson brought dogs, in December 2005 drew seven years in prison plus eight years on probation. At the time, just a year ago, that was an unusually stiff sentence. Since then, association of dogfighting with drug crimes has combined with the introduction of "three strikes" laws that increase the penalties for multi-time offenders to markedly increase the sentences meted out to convicted dogfighters.

The longest sentence for dogfighting-related offenses, so far, may be 16 years, given to Christoper D. Simmons, 26, in March 2006 by Circuit Judge Lee S. Alford, of Dorchester County, South Carolina.
Alford is to serve five concurrent sentences on state charges after pleading guilty to four counts of selling crack cocaine and marijuana, including near a school, and to animal cruelty. The state sentences will also be concurrent with a 20-year sentence that Alford is serving for federal drug offenses.

"The cruelty charges surfaced when a deputy found five pit bulls chained behind Simmons' residence. A sixth dog was found dead," wrote Schuyler Kropf of the Charleston Post & Courier. "The animals had injuries consistent with dogfighting, authorities said."

Cedric Tory Smith, 25, of Wedgefield, South Carolina, in September 2006 drew 13 years in prison after pleading guilty to 18 counts of dogfighting, plus charges of trafficking cocaine, manufacturing crack cocaine, and marijuana possession, the state attorney general's office announced. Robert Lawrence Bostic, 23, of the same address, drew 10 years in prison on similar drug charges.

Traditionally the stiffer part of sentences for multiple convictions involving dogfighting and drug dealing or possession has been for the drug offenses. Judge Ben McLaughlin, of Dothan, Alabama, reversed tradition in November 2006, sending Timothy McLeod, of Ozark, Alabama, to prison for 11 years in November 2006 for possession of marijuana and another controlled substance, and criminally neglecting 14 pit bull terriers at an alleged dogfighting arena in his back yard.

McLaughlin stipulated that McLeod was getting one year for each of the drug crimes, and one year for each of the nine dogs who were euthanized in consequence of his actions.

"Eleven dogs were bound with thick logging chains to strengthen their chest muscles, and had little or no food or water in their bowls," summarized Ebony Horton of the Dothan Eagle. "Three dog corpses with chains still wrapped around their necks were found behind the arena. Nine dogs were later euthanized, mostly because of behavioral problems. Two younger, less aggressive dogs were placed in homes."

"Life As A Parkie"

Life As A Parkie

You Must Be Joking!

Paddy was in New York

He was patiently waiting and watching the traffic cop on a busy street crossing.   The cop stopped the flow of traffic and shouted, "Okay, pedestrians."   Then he'd allow the traffic to pass.

He'd done this several times, and Paddy still stood on the sidewalk.

After the cop had shouted, "Pedestrians!" for the tenth time, Paddy went over to him and said, "Is it not about time ye let the Catholics across?"

On The Move

Person

Some hangovers last a lifetime.

Don't drink and drive.

Ranger "SWAT" Team

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