just cos i can

[eggonlegs]

so any big plans for 2004????

[Tanky]

Yep! I'm off round the world in 6 weeks!
SIX WEEKS!!!!!!!
Gonna visit loads of friends in Melbourne, Sydney, Wellington, San Fransisco, Seattle, Cleveland(!) and Boston. and do loads of other stuff too! The really mad thing is that i have to do it in 3 months! Which is why i'm limiting my travels (this time)to Australia, New Zealand, and the USA. I'm at the 'scared shivless' phase at the mo, but i can't wait to get going!

Aunty travellin' Tank xx

[Queen Firey-Bou]

oooo you lucky lucky girl ! thats fantastic, watch our for the rad swamps, psychos & malaria & have a FANTASTIC ROCKING TIME ! don't be scared be very very exited ! my wee sis, whos quite & waif like has been off round world by herself twice, only tiny rucksack too, way to go... ceptn the psycho who she broke her knuckles on... but thats another story

[Pyroxian]

*jealous*

Don't forget to visit loadsa internet cafes and keep us updated you lucky person you.

    Steve

[Tanky]

Will do, bud! I have to write a journal, which'll be posted on the band's website as far as i know. More details as i have them!

[rc]

The worst thing about Australia is a policy in shops where the customer must prove upon request that one has not stolen anything.

This means presenting your personal bags for "inspection" by a spotty little prick before you can leave with your purchases.

This "presumed guilty" way of shopping would not be tolerated in England.

[The Amstor Computer]

"The worst thing about Australia is a policy in shops where the customer must prove upon request that one has not stolen anything."

Yep - it was one of the first things I noticed when I was in Oz. I was never asked to present my bags, but it does make you a little uncomfortable wandering around ChickenFeed.

[Dudley]

So make sure you carry some really nasty item with you at all times (be creative), nicely wrapped up so it doesn't stink out your bag, in such a way as to make sure it'll smear all over the first spotty geek to accuse you of shoplifting.

[judge dreddd]

planning to go live in nz so ...as its a long way and i may not be back for a long time...hols in nice, rome, anywhere else i can think is worth the visit in europe

alps ?
anyone got any ideas for my ...'last chance to see europe' tour ?

[Valhalla]

Funnily enough there is a reason for the bag checks.... Australians like to steal!!

Who'd have though this would happen in a country started as a penal colony!!

Still beats have your bags checked for (IRA) bombs on the way into a shop ;)


Val.

[rc]

One would still think the economy could cope with the "benefit of the doubt" approach instead of tarring everyone with the same brush!

[Valhalla]

"One would still think the economy could cope with the "benefit of the doubt" approach instead of tarring everyone with the same brush!"

I suppose you could use the same arguement for airport security. I like sevaral thousand other passengers daily have never carried semtex onboard a plane yet my luggage gets scanned along with all others; terrorist and non-combatant alike.

I know that terrorism is a lot more serious than theft however the same logic apllies.

In Australia shop theft is a very serious problem.

Here's and example:-

I manage a largish store in Sydney. Stock holding is around $3.5 million. Sales P/A $46 million. Profit P/A $6 million. Last finicial year we had a shrink of $470 000.

* All number OTOMH (of the top of my head)

This is a store with a 1.2% shrink. In Australia anything under 1% shrink is consider brilliant. I have worked in stores with 4% shrink and my girlfriend manages a store with 8% shrink.

Sure the economy can cope. but imagine how much better our society would be without the theft. Even with all our security measures (including the bag check policy) we "lose" 470k of stock. Thats money that comes of the bottom line. For that we could employ 10 managers, or 14 fulltime staff or 22 part time staff.

To be honest if you have nothing to hide there really shouldn't be a problem.

It's comparable to the arguement people had here went cameras where installed in the cbd after a spate of violent muggings. At the time Civil libertarians went nuts over privacy. Cameras went in the attacks went down! In my books a breach of privacy if a very small price to pay for not being stabbed.

val.    

[rc]

The policy oversteps the mark of... call it whatever you want, I would say something like "personal freedom". "Human rights" may also be appropriate.

That is to say there are lots of problems, crimes and injustices committed every waking second all over the world - but if we start passing policies and laws over everyone in an attempt to stop the minority then we risk offending the majority, as I have been when shopping in Australia.

A checkout geek said those very words ["if you have nothing to hide there really shouldn't be a problem"], and I still find them rather sinister.

[Valhalla]

May I ask why you find them sinister? Just curious.

There is one reason that the bag check policy doesn't overstep the mark of personal freedom or human rights.

The store is private property. By law each customer must be informed of the policy before entering the store. This is usually by way of a sign at the entrance.

Now by entering the store you have agreed to certain conditions ie displaying your bag upon exiting the store. The law prevents any employee from actually touching your belongings however they my ask you to move items for further inspection.

Put simply if you don't like the bag check don't enter a store with that policy.

As for offending the majority. I beg to differ. Stores in Australia have done this for at least 20 years. It's a fact of life here...like taxes. I find the only people who are generally miffed about it are a very small minority (including the thieves).

I just have to ask are you upset, angered or offended by:-

1) the xray at airports that scan for bombs?
2) closed circuit tv in public places and banks that protect against violent assault?
3) beagles that are found in airports searching for banned foodstuffs etc
4) RBT. Not sure if you have this in the UK. Its Random Breath testing. whereby the police stop and check randomly drivers blood alcohol reading.
5)speed cameras that check the speed of every passing car.

When you get down to it how intrusive is the bag check really? The "checkout geek" (as you so condescendantly put it) didn't bring out the rubber glove did he?

I hope not as that really does overstep the mark!

Val.

[rc]

Shopping is an essential part of human existence in civilised societies - one must purchase food to survive [unless we grow it], and stores know this.

Without custom, stores are forced to close. Without food, humans starve.

So we both need each other.

Entering a shop - where the owner will receive cash in exchange for goods, and at a profit to himself - should not mean also entering an area of automatic suspicion and accusation like it does in Australia.

Theft occurs, and theft can be damaging to businesses - but this measure is too extreme.

As you point out Australians are used to this way of life - I visited as an English tourist, and know that non-Australians are not used to these procedures but will comply with perhaps some bemused reluctance at first. And remember Australia does very well out of the foreign tourist industry.

There is a difference between this policy and the terrorist/risk of death security measures you are fond of comparing them to.

And a geek is a geek, condescending or not - "if you want to make a fuss sir, I'll just have to call someone".

Good job you have the best environments in the world to visit - makes up for leaving my bag at home each time I shopped, because I will not ever comply with this again.