Insert Witty Title Here

I can't think of an appropriately witty title for this post, so I've decided not to give it one. Or, to be more specific, I'll let you, the reader, insert whatever title you wish.

This week has been one big readjustment as university classes returned. We only have 3 more weeks until exams begin and it's a real process trying to finish off the school year in a few weeks after a 2-week break. Luckily, I don't have many assignments due and the two that are due are spaced well apart. This will give me enough time to consolidate what I've learned in preparation for my 2 exams. Thankfully, this isn't too onerous a load and I'll be happy once everything's done.

A while back, ACTTAB changed its policy regarding cancelling tickets. It used to be that we could cancel a ticket up to the point that a race concluded if we called the control centre. Now we can only cancel up to 30 seconds after the race has started; this effectively negates our ability to cancel a ticket if a customer feels they made a mistake and goodness knows what the justification is. Last Saturday a customer attempted to put a bet on with me and tried to pay with a winning ticket. Unfortunately the dividends hadn't come through yet, officially, so the ticket isn't worth anything. He then asked my manager to "hold" the ticket, that is hang on to it until the official dividends come through. This is not only a violation of ACTTAB policy but also the law as it counts as betting on credit. The man then told me to cancel the ticket just as the race started so I was unable to do so. The customer became very irate when I explained this to him and after a quiet heated discussion with my manager stormed out of the outlet saying he'd never be back. To which I reply, good. If you can't follow the rules (knowing the tickets can't be held), then go bet someplace else. Actually, he'd been giving us problems before and now I look forward to never having to see him again if I can help it.

On a somewhat better tone, I went back to the doctor with the results of my ultrasound. the doctor's advice was to leave my little fluid pouch alone. It's completely benign and poses no threat whatsoever. If it were causing me discomfort, as I would explain to my mother, then I should have it drained but as it's not, there's no utility. I may one day get it drained, but only after I finish uni I think; it's not worth the hassle.

Some other news out of Australia is the story of a girl named Jessica and her boat, the Pink Lady. Jessica, at 16, is trying to become the world's youngest person to circumnavigate the world. Her trip has caused media interest not only because of her age but also because of a close call. In the first few days, Jessica had to abandon her trip after she collided with a larger vessel. For some reason, her GPS and collision avoidance system were not working. There was a brief report on the incident and after making a few modifications to her schedule and equipment, Jessica is back on course. She's just left Australian waters and is somewhere in the Pacific. I wish her luck and she'll join great adventurers like Sir Francis Drake, Henry the Black (possibly the first person to go around the world), Juan Sebastian Elcano (the first person to go around the world in one trip), William Dampier (the first Englishman to visit Australia) and James Cook.

I'll explain my list. First of all, Ferdinand Magellan never made it around the world as he was killed in the Philippines. It was his first mate, Elcano, who completed the circumnavigation with 18 survivors on the only ship of the expedition, the Victoria, to make it back to Spain. Elcano was given a crest by the King of Spain that showed the globe with the motto "You circumnavigated me". Harry the Black, who almost no Westerner has ever heard of, is regarded as a hero in the Philippines, and it wasn't, in case you're wondering, because he killed Magellan, which he didn't, although he may have had cause to. Not much is known about Henry except that he may have been a native of Sumatra, Malacca or Cebu and was acquired as a slave by Magellan in the Malacca, Malaysia on one of his earlier voyages there. Magelland then brought him back to Spain and when he set out on his grand expedition, he brought Henry with him. The remnants of the fleet eventually made it Cebu in the Philippines after crossing the Atlantic and the Pacific, thus, possibly, making Henry the Black the first person to go around the world. Since so little is known of him, there's no conclusive evidence one way or the other.

And finally, on a lighter note, I'll just mention a case I've come across in my constitutional law studies, and one that is an example of the Commonwealth's constitutional defence power in time of war. The case is Andrews v Howell and the legislation involved has the rather pleasingly unexpected name of the National Security (Apple and Pear Acquisition) Regulations. The case involves a person surreptitiously selling apples that had been acquired by the Commonwealth to prevent a surplus during war. It's pretty serious but has a funny bit of legislation behind it. I guess even the driest law subjects have their moments.