User:WLRoss

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“	The ink of the scholar is holier than the blood of the martyr.	”
—Prophet Muhammad

“

Western journalist: What do you think of Western civilization?
Mahatma Gandhi: Yes, that would be a good idea.

”

Userboxes

This user is proud to be Australian.

This user comes from Adelaide, South Australia.

This user is of Welsh ancestry.

This user is a Jain.

X	This user is neither a Republican nor a Democrat.

A	This user is an adult.

This user strives to maintain a policy of neutrality on controversial issues.

This user accepts Karma.

This user advocates pacifism.

This user is interested in history research.

CSB

This user is a member of the Wikiproject Countering Systemic Bias

GMT
?

This user's time zone depends on whenever they decide to get up today.

This user loves deadlines. He or she loves the whooshing sound they make as they go by.

This user believes that the Flying Spaghetti Monster is as likely as creationism.

According to the Political Compass this user is:
Economic Left (-6.75) and
Social Libertarian (-3.69)

INTP

This user has an INTP personality
per the Myers-Briggs typing system

This user scored 2353 on the Wikipediholic test (revision 183169873).

C+	Comedy Central has more credibility than Fox News

1 Who I am
2 Achievements such as they are
3 My hobbies
4 Strange but Interesting Facts
5 What interests me
6 What I’m doing here
7 What you can do
8 What I hate
9 CT Beliefs
10 Barnstars
11 Articles

[edit] Who I am

I live in South Australia.

My family is of Welsh origin and due to skills were paid to immigrate to Australia, arriving here in 1849, some 13 years after settlement of my state. Eventually my ancestor was among the wealthiest of the colonists in the state and a major landholder. Unfortunately none of this wealth made it to his children (or me), which is what can happen when a rich relative remarries late in life to a woman half their age. The first wife of this ancestor was related to Mary Shelley. The second wife was the woman half his age (apparently the daughter of his coachman). The children of her first marriage inherited his entire fortune leaving his own children destitute. My mothers family emigrated from Scotland.

I am related to three well known Australians. My grandmothers cousin was Roy Inwood VC, my mothers cousin married Meg Lees and my fathers cousin was Sir Leonard Mallen Kt. O.B.E. M.B. B.S. F.R.A.C.G.P. F.R.C.G.P. My grandmother was also an athelete who won many marathon swimming races and had a minor part in the first full length feature film ever made. She was related to the films director Charles Tait. After she married she went on to a short career playing the organ music that accompanied films in movie theatres before sound. There must be a thing about cousins as one of my own (distant) cousins is former Port power player Josh Francou and I also have a nephew who played for Collingwood and another who currently plays for North Melbourne (my childrens cousins!).

I was born the month before the great Adelaide earthquake. Raised as an atheist, I was taught the Church of England faith as religious instruction was compulsory in Australia at the time. Due to marrying a Catholic I brought my children up in the Catholic faith. I myself am a liberal Jain.

I am naturally left-handed. During my early school years this was discouraged by the teachers with Corporal punishment. My parents eventually stopped the authorities from using this practice after I required medical treatment due to a particularly severe punishment after being caught using my left hand to write with. As a result I can write both left and right handed and play most sports with either hand although I am still preferentially left handed, however I lost the ability to throw left handed. When younger I played football for the South Adelaide Colts and played district baseball as a switch hitter with no side preference and an .800 average. I was forced to give up playing baseball after complications from breaking my arm badly. Both my children were gifted football and baseball players who gave up sport to concentrate on other careers.

In the late 1970s my brother in law and his girlfriend had a child they could not care for. My wife and I helped care for the child until the age of seven at which time his real mother had turned her life around and felt capable of looking after him. By this time we had a child of our own. A week later I saw them at a fun fair but my wife asked me not to approach in case it upset the child to see us so soon after the separation. The following day he was killed in a car accident. That I never spoke to him the previous day is with me constantly. In the late 1980s I contracted Viral pneumonia. My wife later told me the doctors had informed her that there was nothing they could do and I had only a 50% chance of survival. Because this was kept from me I am now a firm believer in telling people the truth regardless and this has flowed over into my political beliefs. I can probably be called a left leaning fence sitter politically as I vote for the person not the party which has led me to vote for the Liberals as often as for Labor.

I love the colour black and usually dress in that colour. If I had been born 20 years later I would probably have been part of the Goth subculture although I'm probably also a hippie at heart.

I am a single parent with full custody of two boys. My eldest son left home when he married last year but the youngest still lives with me, and will continue to do so according to him as he says he is having too much fun to ever get married lol.

[edit] Achievements such as they are

In 1975 I was tested by MENSA and scored in the 97th percentile. A major dissapointment to miss out by so little.

6 years experience with fireproof building materials (my father owned the manufacturing company) where i took an interest in heritage architecture as during this period many government Victorian era buildings were having fire proof walls and floors installed. I became experienced with restoration of Italianate architecture and worked on many government buildings such as Old Parliament House. Later a further 21 years experience in the fire protection industry as a supervisor, instructor, technician, consultant and troubleshooter for a company with an 11 figure turnover. Until I retired I held top secret security clearance (access only) for both U.S. and Australian military research and defence facilities (the stories I could tell but then I'd have to kill you) and was a member of the National Fire Protection Association.

In the late 90s as a result of new laws requiring the replacement of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), I designed and built the first Halon reclamation system with a recovery efficiency rate of 100%. The unit is now used in several Australian states and also America. The company I worked for received an award for innovative engineering for the design.

I have certification for teaching, rescue, entry and supervisory work in the permit required confined space industry. I am licensed in OHS and give lectures to companies. I am licenced to handle radioactives used in industry.

[edit] My hobbies

In 1965 I joined the St Johns Ambulance service as a volunteer Paramedic. I left in 1976.
In 1989 I joined the local fire brigade as a volunteer fireman. I left in 2001.

Retired from full time work in 2004.

Currently a volunteer tutor of university students in most subjects.
I like to research world history and religions.
An avid reader of world newspapers and current events.

[edit] Strange but Interesting Facts

I have written letters regarding politics or the Iraq War to the newspaper for many years and to date all but one have been published.

I sometimes write online historical articles on various websites. I recently found myself used as a source in a Wikipedia article.

I used a firearm for the first time in 1977. In 1980 I ranked fourth in the state in an Olympic Trap shooting competition. I gave up shooting in 1981 and have not handled a weapon since.

In the early 1970s I designed and built the fluted entrance archways for the Elder Conservatorium at the Adelaide University. The original arches had deteriorated beyond repair with the subsequent loss of the original fluting.

While speaking to Prince Philip I accidentally called him "Phil" (he smiled).

[edit] What interests me

Just about anything but a few things are prominent.

I have a large collection of Science Fiction books.
I’m very much interested in all history. Not just the propaganda history you learn in school but the warts and all history you never hear about because it “may” offend someone or does not suit the agenda of the country teaching it. "Those who cannot remember the past (or know the real history) are condemned to repeat it" is a quote by George Santayana which I believe explains much of the problems of today.
I’ve researched my family tree to 1630 and have my mothers from 1762 so genealogy interests me.
Religion.

Although I am a pacifist, military history also has a place in my heart.

My grandfather served in the 2/10th Battalion, which fought in North Africa including Tobruk and New Guinea.
My father served in the 2/27th Battalion, which fought in the Middle East and New Guinea including Kokoda.

I have much admiration for my father. He was too young to join the army in 1940 so he added 9 years to his age and joined without his parent’s permission or knowledge. He was also affected by Polio having one leg shorter than the other that also had wasted calf muscles yet he was still accepted and eventually fought in the most physically demanding theatre of the entire war. Interestingly due to his young age he was 4 inches taller by the time the war ended and his hair went completely gray.

My father was one of the wounded in the camp hospital mentioned in the infamous running rabbits incident.

[edit] What I’m doing here

I came across Wikipedia doing research and like the site although I can see its shortcomings. I like to correct obvious inaccuracies. I rarely actively hunt subjects to edit but do it by arriving at pages by clicking the embedded links while reading a topic and subsequently seeing something I am not happy with.

[edit] What you can do

I accept that I can be wrong and wont get upset if reverted. I try to be neutral but I doubt anyone is entirely free of bias no matter how well meaning they are. Do not be afraid to criticize or debate me.

I’m happy to talk to anyone. You are welcome to contact me for discussion if you wish.

Be aware that I travel a lot and may not answer promptly. I also take a 2 month holiday each year and do not log on to Wikipedia during this period (usually June to August).

[edit] What I hate

Editors that delete content because it has no cite. I don't care if you do not agree with the claim, tag it or look for a cite yourself.

[edit] CT Beliefs

I DO NOT believe in 911 conspiracy theories. I do not believe the entire official explanation either until investigations are completed, so until then I'll sit on the fence. I believe Popular mechanics is discredited BS and NIST cheated to get it's results but that does not mean I believe in CD. There has to be some as yet undiscovered factor that caused the towers to fall but then that is OR.

While my first Wikipedia edit was in December 2006, my first edit to a 9/11 conspiracy article was in August 2007 as this was the first time I read any of the 9/11 WP articles and to my amazement discovered that instead of the expected CT bias I found far more anti CT bias. I believe conspiracy theories should be treated in a NPOV fashion. I have made edits debunking some but I do not make edits supporting any unless it is factual material. Just because a fact supports a CT does not make the CT true. I would prefer not to edit the subject at all but there are too many editors deleting any fact that remotely lends support to conspiracy theorists. These biased editors make WP a joke so I will strive to maintain some resemblance of NPOV. If those with a debunking agenda do not like it then tough. All I can say is they should get a life and let facts stand on their own merits.

[edit] Barnstars

		The Original Barnstar
		For consistently striving to improve the level of conduct and decorum on 9/11 articles, and for being willing to step up and make a good faith effort to resolve conflicts civilly. Haemo (talk) 20:27, 12 April 2008 (UTC)