Litespeed

Hihosland, I disagree, A well written bill of rights would enshrine our basic freedoms, currently we are at the mercy of whatever the despots in canberra think is a good idea or they can get away with. A lot of the current terrorism laws would not stand up against a bill of rights. Nor would the way corporate interests run rough shod over the rights of humans. Nor mandatory detention in NT and a number of others. At the moment if the courts say something is wrong- all Canberra has to do is make legislation and goodbye our rights. WE also have a situation through case law that the courts interpret the meaning of the Constitution and laws by precendent or the judges own bias. Basically governments get to do whatever they want. They use technicalities to do what they want rather than the nature and intent of the law. You only have to look at immigration as a example. Native title is a very poor example- over twenty years later people are still getting screwed and the lot of Aborigines has not been greatly improved. If the Original Australians were a corporation they would have been massively compensated and rule the joint. When it comes to human rights- international law means nothing- the government can do what the hell it likes and always does. We have no protections granted by being a monarchy, as we can no longer appeal to the Privy council in England. All we still have is the ability for a democratically elected government to be booted out by the GG. As per Gough Whitlam and 1975. People say it could never happen again- but it could and no changes have been made to stop it. In fact the despot Kerr was meant to consult the Queen and only advise on such a decision- but alas did what he wanted and damn the law.

And I should add, often the cops love the festivals and footy matches as they are done on cost recovery basis. The cops insist they must have x police for a event and make the venue pay- which is a joke. Since when did the policing of NSW require the public to pay extra for policing. A great rort and loved by a friend who is a cop- always big pay as it is overtime rates.

FT I agree drugs should be legalised and regulated, taxed and the taxes go to rehab programs. The war on drugs is just a war on people and a great way to fill jails, employ cops and make lots of money for lawyers and criminals. The big music festivals are just a tragedy- people die because they can not test what they have for safety. Testing is common in europe and lives are saved, it also reduces the amount of poisoned drugs out there. The use of dogs by police at festivals means peeps swallow everything before entry and put themselves at great risk.

I did say they are not all like that, but that tends to be the exception- the money involved is huge. I have friends who were involved with some of the patch clubs and quickly learnt, it was not all sweet roses. They left before they reached the point of no return. The toy runs are great, I have done many and will again. Do not confuse a biker with a bikie. I ride and thus a biker.

Whilst I agree some bikies can be classed as just nice blokes that is increasingly the rarity. They have now moved into Thailand and Indonesia big time as criminal gangs. Any group that demands loyalty through violence is a big worry. The shooting murder at Picton last week was a case in point. One bloke wanted to leave the "Hells Angels" and was meeting to discuss conditions of his leaving. Which could include large sums of money, handing over his bikes and cutting out his tatts amongst other things. He freaked and shot the "negotiator" and then took his own life, as he saw that as the only way out. These blokes are just Mafia on bikes, but without any real code of honor.

Very true, as a rider off 30 years, I agree. But the pity is the bikies give us all a bad name- they are often nothing more than a organised crime group that happens to ride a bike. Hell some are Nike Bikies and when not seen trying to ride and not fall off are driving the spoils of crime- Porsche, Ferrari, Lambo etc. Easy to spot when you see a guy in his 20's, tatts, cap backwards and a Ferrari. But the law is a ass, they could do similar laws targeting organised crime and it would be fair enough- but that would allow prosecution of not just some drug dealers who ride but other crime gangs. Some of the biggest syndicates wear a blue uniform or a white collar and tie. And that would just not do. AS the old saying goes- steal $10 from a bank and goal you get, steal $100,000,000 and its just good bussiness.

Ever notice that everyone caught for drugs etc lately is described as a ex bikie? Lots of 22 years olds etc that have retired from being a bikie after their long career. The rule of law and separation of powers have taken a steep dive towards dictatorship since 1996 when "Jack Boot Johnny" got into power.And it keeps getting worse- now so-called centrist LNP members are now pushing the right wing nut policies on law and disorder. I suggested to a friend she better get citizenship quickly and give up her Indo passport quick, just in case she breaks any laws and get deported. She has been here 20 years and her children are born here. She is a non practising muslim, like many from Indo. Even a stuff up from centrelink could lead to a charge, or a road accident etc. We are very close to 1984 and thought crime.

Whilst without a survey- that tends to hold true. Conservatives have always held a large influence in the armed forces, police, courts and security services. They tend not to bite the hand that feeds them and gives them all the toys, laws and money the want. Goes all the way back to convict times when the soldiers took control of the economy as the "RUM CORPS", this is when thre rot set in and rorts became the way of life. Macquarie was a new age liberal scottish governor and was hammered for it. As was Bligh- a controvesial man but a liberal at heart. This lead to Australia's first army coup, all lead by our first robber baron- Macarthur. A modern version of this influence is Abbott always staying at the barracks of the AFP or Duntroon when in Canberra. Helps maintain influence. It is no coincidence that the LNP get a very good run with the AFP when scandal and criminality happen. Eg Mal Brough until Abbott was booted, The AWB bribes to IRAQ- which was actually treason. You will also notice the conservatives are always the ones to send us to war and stand behind lots of flags, waving off the hapless troops. And the Labour side always brings us back from wars.

My long dead grandfather was a farmer at Hay and always carried a long handled shovel everywhere. He could chop the bloody browns head of from 20 feet like a marksmen. I asked why not just use the shotgun- waste of money, some days he would kill ten of the buggers. If he failed with the shovel- a rarity he would use his whip- he could knock a ciggie from your mouth and cutting the head off a snake was childs play. Myself I normally leave them be- but if in the house or near kids - they are fair game

It may seem off topic for some but this is exactly the right place for the above discussion. Why- Economics as practiced here in OZ is the dismal science which has all the characteristics of a Religion. Completely devoid of any real relationship to facts and reality.And massively destructive because of it. I do agree we have a income problem and a spending problem, we get most of our income from those that can little afford it and spend the majority on those that don't need it and will not benefit the whole of the economy. We run the country to benefit companies and not people. We have allowed privatisation run rampant- profits before people and services. This had led to less service and higher cost with a large dose of corruption breed in. We subsidise mining to mainly foreign companies and then allow them a huge tax free profit ride. All we get is holes in the ground and the budget- and few jobs which come with huge environmental costs. We have actively destroyed our education and health systems to make private profits for the few and destroyed the chances for education and good health for the many. Education and health are public goods and all money invested in them must be for public good not profit. Science is a joke,the uni's get bugger all for research and only in certain areas, CSIRO has had its balls removed and much funding. The funding mainly goes to- fossil and extractive industries. THE state governments are all to happy to say we must sell the sliver to have infrastructure but then go private at great expense and we are stuck with tolls, and sham contracts we can never see. All at a time when money has never been cheaper for gov to borrow. But we will sell our stuff and give the NRL billions of our bucks to build new stadiums, that are luxury items for their benefit- not ours. We happily allow vested interests to game the system and get billions in subsidy, tax breaks and monopolistic law changes. And make sure the real risk and cost is passed to the public but all profits are private. We have a massively distorted investment system that actively rewards non productive investment and punishes productive investment. Examples are negative gearing, super rules, share market rules, the investment in vapor derivitives etc. All things that make housing expensive and increase the gap in wealth, whilst creating very few jobs. We allow anyone to come her and buy our assets and claim it is good for us- bullshit- it only benefits if new assets are created. Anything else is just recycling the money- and pushes prices up. All whilst sending the profits and benefits overseas and not even tax is paid most of the time. Stupidly for big business the best profits are to invest O/S and for the foreign companies to invest here- because of distortive tax and company rules, so we sell everything for quick non productive gain and then get no tax. The list is long and my brain hurts

Nah, OME is in the last picture.

Nor should you ever jack it up unevenly or only on 3 corners- bugger will bend.

XD Falcons are famous for self stretching the body. I remember my misspent youth, working as mechanics aid after school. He was a ex RAAF mech, and had a 351 V8 XD. The body was stretched and cracked in the C pillars- never towed in its life. Purely the torque of the engine twisting the car of shape. I expect it was crap steel and nowhere near enough spot welds. Later models got better- more welds. Same happens with EA falcons- EB had a lot more spot welds and was much stronger. AS for a tough tow sedan- I had a 740 Volvo, was tough as nails and towed a horse float with relative ease. Built like a lightweight tank, but comfy (looked like a tank as well).

Don, You are been far too generous- no education on religion should be permitted in schools at all with the exception of how religions relate to ethics in society ie historical perspective and common ethics across different belief systems. Ethics and Society should be taught to all students as a compulsory subject and only by qualified teachers. This should also apply to any school that receive government funds. No religious teachings even in religion run schools- they receive government money so should not be allowed to use that money on religion- as the constitution intended. If a religious school wishes to teach religion it should be out of school hours, be truly optional and must not use school staff- as they are government funded. I can hear the screams now but they have the option of becoming actually a real private school and thus not receive any government money even in kind. That assumes they pass the curriculum standards- if not they are a institution of indoctrination. And if you are indoctrinating children you are evil and should be illegal. It is about time we got real and saw religious education systems for what they are- institutions of systemic abuse of the childs mind and often body. To make a child believe in sky fairies and indoctrinate them into having a belief system that is anti reality- is the creation of a psychosis in the child and that is abuse at a crucial time in the childs development . I know this sounds extreme but it is the reality of the situation. Said enough for now. Back to man cave to prepare the altar- have many vestal virgins to sacrifice. And beer to drink- bloody hot as hell here in Sydney.

Yes a good result for life. As charges go- this is in NSW- they say it is all about reducing police paperwork and time. But that did not stop 8 cops coming to the seen and hanging around. NO statements taken, no nothing- all between the drivers they say and insurance. I wanted a statement to demonstrate who was at fault but they refused- not their problem unless someone is hospitalized. What a joke.

Not aero related - But given it was a big G load moment and my love of safety by design, I thought I would post about a incident yesterday. A very sad day for my best mate and the auto love of his life, but a big day for getting away with still living bodies. I was driving my friends e38 740i to see a rather famous engineer and check on progress of a famous racing car recreation. My friend and car owner- Mike, was passenger, I his driver due to health issues. The car was his very special and rare 7 series- a short wheelbase model and one of 6 in the country. It was pristine as from the factory and only 80,ooo kms from new-21 years old. But had substantial mods to suspension and brakes- this baby really handled. I had personally done the suspension and big brembo brakes and it really danced. Going through a main intersection at Windsor Rd, Windsor at 50kmh, no problems except a 4WD ute coming the opposite direction cut across my path to turn in front of me. It was doing 40-50 kmh and did not slow just hooked it around the corner and head on it to me. Bugger- no chance of missing her and a 90-100kmh impact approaching- I managed to slam the brakes but took off bugger all speed. Slam, explosion of airbags and a big white ute has wrecked my day and mates car. Given the speed involved and the other car type, a lucky day indeed. The Ute struck us via its big arse bull bar, and then its chassis, as such not much ability to absorb the G load of imact. The big Bmw took all the forces and absorbed it with style. It might look bad but bar my arm hitting the a pillar and bruising- no injuries for anyone. The BMW took all the force as designed and kept the occupants "shaken not stirred" , same car as featured in James Bond and the Transporter. This is the first of the modern BMW's with all the modern safety stuff, airbags, pyrotechnic seatbelts etc. [ATTACH]47743._xfImport[/ATTACH] And here is the "carnage" Got to love modern safety. Ambos, cops and tow truck all agreed- big hit and expected injuries or worse. A similar vintage Falcodore would not have been pretty. Now after a wake for the car last night it is fighting time with insurance. My friend is pissed, this was his car he intended to keep til pushing daises. Naturally the other driver "did not see me". The big piss off is having caused a potentially fatal accident, as no one was ambulanced away- no charges will be laid. So this 22 year old girl gets no punishment. To add insult , in the aftermath someone went to the car and stole my bike jacket including glasses and wallet. I loved that jacket- 28 years of patina and lots of riding memories. Had the timing been slightly different and we struck her door, this would have been very nasty for the girls in the ute . Its cabin (separate to chassis) would have taken all the force, been crushed and probably flipped it. So a lucky say for all us humans. Hard to see in pic but the bullbar and chassis/suspension took all the hit- it is badly twisted underneath. It is 28 years since my last big hit and that was airborne in a charger, chopping a pole in half and landing with power lines on car, naturally sparking away. No injuries except glass in my face, definitely cheated the reaper that day. Bugger

looks like a killer ride. Amazing work- should be called the Widow Maker

There is a sign on the road to Palm Beach NSW on lovely bit of curvy road that says............. Caution Dangerous Signs It is literally the most dangerous part of the road if you stuff up- straight into the sign rather than the nice, soft, comfy beach plants. A dead set proper sign on some dangerous curves- for the brain dead, heat stroked cage drivers. Always gives me a chuckle.

Well in defence of us non believing heathens.......................... speaking of myths, What about the burning bush, it was a Juniper. Now, we now that juniper is used as the flavour for Gin. So my scientific heathen mind tells me, the only way the burning bush self-combusted was by pouring said foul tasting spirit on the bush and lighting it up when the "true believers" where looking at the sky. How was that for relevant? Includes alcohol, a bit of science and takes the piss of sky fairie believers.

No photos on hand to show but the man cave has- 198o Chiang Jiang 750 - WW2 BMW replica BMW K100RS Yamaha TDM850 highly modded as road bike and down to 175kg Suzuki SV 650

Yes, they mix in a nasty killer so you do not drink it. The british regs mean they add pyridine, other typical additives include isopropyl alcohol, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, and denatonium. All taste like crap and all are deadly. Often Metho is not methanol but just ethanol with the nasty stuff added. Others sell actual Methanol with above nasties. Keep in mind Methanol is toxic but Ethanol in small quantities is not. The term "Blind Drunk" comes from the fact when acute alcohol poisoning occurs the sight centres of the brain are destroyed first hence you go blind. Cheers Time for a beer.

Changing the name would be too sensible for the Americans. Hence the drinking "Kool Aid" again jokes. Ethylene Glycol is a naturally very sweet in flavour, hence its ability for children and idiots to drink it. Here in Oz by law we add a embitterment agent which is one of the strongest and nastiest tasting chemicals known. It induces vommitting and thus reduces the risk of drinking it greatly. The agent is normally called denatonium/denatonium benzoate. Americans been freedom nuts do not require it to be added in most states of the USA. So have the freedom to drink it and die.

Man calm down. No I am not a BMW salesman but have worked on heaps of them and know a lot of mates with them. Yes rear tyre wear can be a problem on the sport models- caused by the rear bushes being stuffed- replace them with poly bushes. Problem solved. You buy the pump, radiator etc and replace them before a big round OZ trip if worried. Or keep them in the van in case- thus you will never need them (boy scout trick be prepared). How is the diff going to be cracked any easier than in a toyota- others have posted they need regular welding at service on their cruiser. Since the idea was a light van hence not a offroad one- offroad toughness is not a big requirement. Nor is going to the Gobi desert or Simpson on sand. And yes I have been in all the newer Cruisers and Pajeros etc- not even close in comfort. And my name is Phil not bloody Hans.

Personally the BMW x5 diesel is a brilliant bit of kit, if you don't need massive tow weights. They are very powerful, economical and a lovely drive. Not cruiser tough but still very capable and a light year ahead for the occupants comfort. 10k-15k will get a really good one, for general touring and towing around OZ, hard to beat. Given you have a wife and 3 ankle biters to keep happy- the X5 is a winner. Most even have the TV's in the back to keep them under control. The tough stuff might be good in a dirt track tour but are crap comfort wise and a real chore to drive on a long tour. And the drive will be so much more enjoyable- after all isn't that what you want a enjoyable trip? If you are not hamfisted with a spanner, they are just as easy to service as any tough beast, and no more expensive to service. In fact via the US the parts are dead cheap- they are made in Spartanburg, Alabamha, USA. A new factory radiator, water pump and hoses is less than $500. Try that on a Pajero or cruiser.

Yes through all of life's up and downs, the fur kids have always been there. Even on the bed when my love Jane passed from Cancer. Dogs provide love and friendship without conditions