New Vehicle Law, Vodascam and World Destruction

[StoneChucker]

1) I hear that from the 16th Jan '06, a new law comes into effect that gives police the power to give a $250 fine AND 10 demerit points, to any person they believe is driving a vehicle that is too noisy. They can do it by ear, no equipment or instrumentation. Wouldn't this give rise to unequal enforcement of the law? It would vary from officer to officer. If you had an attitude that the officer didn't like, it could just be slapped on as a punishment. I really think they should use db meters like they have been. I do support a strong stance against boy racers, they annoy the heck out of me, but this doesn't seem logical. I know police have a hard time policing these cretins, but why not give each police car/bike a db meter? (Note, I rarely get stopped, and I never have an attitude, but some people are more assertive than me...)

2) Vodafone seems to have sent everyone of their prepay customers a message, explaining that overseas text messages now cost only 30c each! They've always cost 20c, so their misleading "special offer" was a price hike of 50%. So many people seem to have noticed, that there was a news item on it on the radio around 8pm tonight.

3) I guess the world has had a "good" run so far, so we can't complain. We can't complain about bird flu arising from people in "certain" countries insisting on breeding so many poultry that they are forced to live inbetween them. We can't complain that those same people breed so many transitional animals, pigs for example, that they are forced to live inbetween them too, causing the transition of bird flu from bird to humans. We also can't complain that people are given so little information, that they allow their children to play with dead birds they've found in the wild, causing them to catch the H5N1 (bird flu) virus. Now we just wait for those birds to migrate, infect other species of birds which then migrate, etc... It seems more and more likely each day that bird flu as a pandemic is not a matter of if, but rather WHEN!

Hell, that doesn't matter, Iran starting up their nuclear research program against nuclear restrictions might be much more of a risk than bird flu. Being told by countries who already have nuclear arms, that they can't have, must be rather insulting. Noone having nuclear programs (for weapons) seems such an easy answer, that it'll never happen.

Oh, GreenPeace clearly rammed that whaling ship, when they claimed it was the other way round. Japan/China now want patrols over their ships to protect them. GreenPeace want escorts/patrols to protect them. Just wait till one patrol attacks another, doesn't war start that way? I totally support GreenPeace's stance against whaling, but I'm not so sure about using direct force againt them.

Funny, it seems life, and the world has problems in it. I've always thought it was like the Truman Show, I'm truly shocked

[N4CR]

Greenpeace had no choice but to hit it - large vessels are not maneuverable. Look at the wake from the Nissin Maru in the video and you can see the Jap ship has pulled a large sweeping turn to block the way of Greenpeace. There is an article on the front of the Harold proving what I first thaught.

Iran should have nukes, it will stop further aggression by that shithole Israel and also stop 'Amerika' invading should they need more natural resources. Funny how North Korea has been left alone isn't it? No natural resources and they have actually got nukes already. Of course they are less of a threat than Iran then, right? No they ain't.

Just leave them be and it's all good. Nukes will be a deterrent to war action. I would prefer there to be no nukes at all in the world but when one person has them, power is unbalanced and open for abuse, especially in the case of Israel/Iran.

Look at how India/Pakistan has stabilised quite a bit more than it used to now they both have nukes.
/rant

[Pixie]

1)
Oh, GreenPeace clearly rammed that whaling ship, when they claimed it was the other way round. :

bollocks.
The japs clearly charged their ship sideways at the bow of the hippy shippy.

PS Sea sheppard claim not to be part off Green Peace Corporation.
But they were started by one of the Green Peace Corporation s Founders.
They obviously claim no connection with GP Corp so that their violent piracy tactics don't reflect on their parent company.

I laughed when their stupid "can opener" folded over on the whalers' hull.

[scumdog]

Re No.1 - I work on this priciple: If I get complaints (from the public) it makes work for me, if it makes work for me - it makes tickets for them.

If the turds that insist on showing off thier boom-box/blow-off valve/exhaust note insist on showing off such stuff in a residential area late at night causing complaints then they know what to expect.
The local 'boy-racers' have all the life preservation instincts of a lemming, I mean how smart is it to leave the local Caltex with the stereo blaring, windows wound down, stoking the crap out of the car in 1st and 2nd gear (blow off valve 'pisshing' away and the zorst going blaaaaargh -blaaaaaargch)-- RIGHT PAST THE COP SHOP????

[Colapop]

You'd need some serious engineering to have a piece of equipment attached to your boat that tears holes in other boats (bulkheads etc) The phonecians used the ram their opponents head on coz side mounted apparatus destroyed too many of their own canoes! Oooh Aarrrr! Pirate talk.




Excuse me for saying this Stoney, but it's not ALL that bad is it?

[Deano]

1) I hear that from the 16th Jan '06, a new law comes into effect that gives police the power to give a $250 fine AND 10 demerit points, to any person they believe is driving a vehicle that is too noisy. They can do it by ear, no equipment or instrumentation. Wouldn't this give rise to unequal enforcement of the law? It would vary from officer to officer. If you had an attitude that the officer didn't like, it could just be slapped on as a punishment. I really think they should use db meters like they have been. I do support a strong stance against boy racers, they annoy the heck out of me, but this doesn't seem logical. I know police have a hard time policing these cretins, but why not give each police car/bike a db meter? (Note, I rarely get stopped, and I never have an attitude, but some people are more assertive than me...)

Hi Dave,

this is not dissimilar to the noise control provisions where a noise meter is not required to assess excessive noise from parties etc. There would be several difficulties I see with Police monitoring noise with a meter including:

1. Training of the operator.
2. Capturing the noise in question (would a boy racer replicate the noisy circumstances if the cop didn't get it on the noise meter. (This is similar to a cop not getting you on his radar but seeing you overtake him at over 120k - you can still get knicked)
3. Cost.
4. Validity of the equipment used.

A simple noise meter can cost you $150 from Dick Smith, but wouldn't stand up in court as technical evidence. A Type 1 or 11 noisemeter that is certified for use as evidence in court can cost you around $20- 30K.

A cheap noisemeter could be used to add weight to an officer's testimony but I don't believe it would not stand on it's own merits.

As far as unequal enforcement goes, that is and has been occurring since the dawn of the Police - best just to accept that and get over it. Police use discretion all the time - just don't ride late at night or rev it hard if your pipe is excessively loud. We have the boy racers to thank for this because of their 'circuits' and meeting places which isolate the noise nuisance to one area, pissing off the locals.

One thing that riles me is where did this legislation come from - my understanding is that they were able to issue a $150 fine under the boy racer legislation, which is already in effect isn't it ? So why the need for yet another bloody law.

[scumdog]

One thing that riles me is where did this legislation come from - my understanding is that they were able to issue a $150 fine under the boy racer legislation, which is already in effect isn't it ? So why the need for yet another bloody law.

I guess too many of the little f***ers never paid their fines - this way it's 5 noise tickets and your licence is gone for 3 months (20 demerits each time) - and you can just bet the noise tickets would not be the only demerit ones they would have got!!

[riffer]

Iran starting up their nuclear research program against nuclear restrictions might be much more of a risk than bird flu.

Iran having nukes is potentially a lesser problem for stability in the Middle East than their recent announcement that they would, in March, refuse to accept the US Dollar as the standard for sales of oil.

Some of you may recall that Iraq made a similar announcement about 6 months before the US attacked.

The US Dollar has been the official currency of oil worldwide, and moving to the Euro would have a massive destabilising effect on the US Dollar.

Enough so, that the US would find itself being forced to attack Iran, in orer to, like in Iraq, bring "democracy" to Iran.

First you see the demonisation of the country (Islamic terrorism, links to Al-Queda), then the "weapons of Mass Destruction, then finally, the attack will begin.

Take a close look at how the news media are working now. It's identical to 2001.

Expect another burning Reichstag/World Trade Centre - style event in the next month or two. The US won't allow the Euro to take over.

Then the troops will leave Iraq to go to Iran.

[awd]

Greenpeace had no choice but to hit it - large vessels are not maneuverable. Look at the wake from the Nissin Maru in the video and you can see the Jap ship has pulled a large sweeping turn to block the way of Greenpeace. There is an article on the front of the Harold proving what I first thaught.

How come a boat 10 times the mass was able to manoeuvre itself into an unmissable position? I don't agree with the whaling at all, but I also find the tactics and manipulation of Greenpeace (misnomer?) to be at about the same level in the proberbial barrel.

[James Deuce]

Seamanship.

Greenpeace are not above faking propaganda. The fella Taggart that set it up created and organisation as insidious as Ron Hubbard's Scientology. Suck the young in. Brainwash them. Put them in the line of fire so the "general public" get upset about the young and good looking being put at risk by grizzled sea captains.

[Lias]

Much thou I think the unwashed hippie masses in general need a good beating, I'm all for sinking a jap whaling boat. What pisses me off teh most is the whole "scientific research" fallacy.. We know its not for research, they know its not for research, but they insist on maintaining the lie. If they just out and out said "we're hunting it because its a freaking delicay" I'd object far less.

Iran is 100% entitled to refine its own nuclear fuel, and I sincerely hope they do manage to successfully create nuclear weapons and nuke the crap out of Israel. The world will be a much better place if it happens.

[James Deuce]

Don't forget, it isn't just Japan: Iceland, Greenland, and Norway all do "Whaling Research", and the Inuit nation is trying to find a way to get involved too.

[riffer]

If the Japanese are killing whales for scientific research, when can we expect to see the results of the research?

I guess it will be a three word report - "Whales taste yummy"

[MisterD]

How come a boat 10 times the mass was able to manoeuvre itself into an unmissable position? I don't agree with the whaling at all, but I also find the tactics and manipulation of Greenpeace (misnomer?) to be at about the same level in the proberbial barrel.

Pretty easy really, imagine a bloody great artic pulled across you and you only had engine braking to try to stop...

[MisterD]

If the Japanese are killing whales for scientific research, when can we expect to see the results of the research?

I guess it will be a three word report - "Whales taste yummy"

It'll be a bit more extensive than that I reckon...I'm nicking (I think) Douglas Adams' observation that what the Japanese are currently researching is how many whales they can catch in a day. Bastards.

If their real grounds for catching them (and this goes for the Norweigians too) is that it's a traditional part of their culture and diet etc etc yadda yadda, then fine, just as long as they do it from one of those old fashioned rowing boats.