Wednesday, November 22, 2006

The 1999 and 2000 year model Honda Civic SiR tops the list of Canada’s most stolen cars.

Consumer popularity also assures the cars will be popular with thieves. Its the second year in a row the Honda SiR has topped the list.

Rick Dubin Vice President of Investigations for the Insurance Bureau of Canada said “The Civics are easy targets.”

Dubin said that once stolen, the cars are most often sold to “chop shops” where thieves completely dismantle the vehicles. The automobile’s individual parts are worth more than the entire car.

The sheer numbers of the cars and their lack of theft deterrent systems make them thieves’ preferred choices.

1999 and 2000 Honda Civics do not come with an electronic immobilizer, however all Hondas from 2001 and onward are equipped with an immobilizer. Immobilizers will be mandatory on all new cars sold beginning September 2007. The devices enable an engine computer to recognize an electronic code in the key. If the code in the key and the engine don’t match exactly, the vehicle can’t be started.

In third place was the 2004 Subaru Impreza, while the 1999 Acura Integra came in fourth, with the 1994 Honda Civic rounding out the top five.

In sixth place, the 1998 Acura Integra, and the 1993 Dodge Shadow completed seventh.

When asked why early model vehicles are selected, he said that, “auto thieves continue to find it easier to steal older vehicles lacking an IBC-approved immobilizer. We’ve seen this trend developing for several years, and these results confirm it.”

Another Honda automobile, the 1996 year model Civic filled eighth place, with the 2000 German Audi TT Quattro in ninth.

The American 1996 Chevrolet/GMC Blazer rounded out the top ten.

None of the above cars had an electronic immobilizer.

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

John Howard has dismissed the claims made by the Queensland’s Solicitor General that the Federal Government’s proposed anti-terror laws could be unconstitutional. He has also come under criticism for planning to introduce the laws on Melbourne Cup Day, a day when most Australian’s will be paying attention to a Horse Race, and not politics.

In an unusual move, the government will compel an instantaneous debate on the legislation, giving the opposition 10 minutes to scrutinize the draft laws rather than the usual fortnight.

Opposition homeland security spokesman Arch Bevis told The Age newspaper “This is an extraordinary abuse of power, the likes of which I don’t think anyone would remember,”

“John Howard now has control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and if he wants to use his power in an arrogant, bloody-minded way we don’t have the numbers to stop him.”

Earlier today Queensland’s Peter Beattie told ABC Radio that the Prime Minister’s proposals could face legal challenges. Other State Premiers are seeking their own legal advice, with only the Western Australian Premier also raising similar concerns

John Howard told ABC’s World Today “The advice we have is that these laws are constitutional. There’s never been any doubt raised by our legal advisers”.

The Prime Minister added he would be willing to talk through the issue with the State Premiers. Agreeing this morning that the solicitor-generals from the states will consult along with the national equivalent to work through these issues .

The QLD Premier who supports the principles of the bill told ABC radio “I’m not interested in making this a public issue, or pursuing some sort of silly public debate. What I’m interested in is resolving these issues, ensuring that we actually protect Australia, protect the nation, and protect Australians as well. That’s why we’ve insisted on a public interest monitor. Any of these legal issues we will deal with and we’ll deal with them sensibly.

Independent supporters of the bill are urging the government to push ahead. Neil James from the Australia Defense Association says that the legal precedents recognized during World War I and World War II would indicate that most of the reasonably contentious provisions would be constitutional.

However Constitutional lawyer John Williams says that judges and magistrates could argue that the proposed laws undermined judicial independence. Dr Williams believes a High Court challenge to the laws was almost inevitable.

Telling ABC Radio that “I could not see that this legislation could operate for long without a challenge being made,”

The Federal Opposition Leader Kim Beazley calling on Mr Howard to exercise vigilance as it would exasperate Australian taxpayers if people mistakenly subjected to his anti-terror laws were then paid thousands of dollars in damages.

Interviewed by Melbourne’s Herald Sun Newspaper, he said, “You have to, when you are introducing laws like this, make absolutely certain there are checks and balances in it.”

Mr Beazley also says that the Anti-Terror Laws aren’t the action the Government could be taking to protect Australians..

“We have yawning gaps, yawning holes in the protection of the Australian people.”

He cited Australia’s coastal borders as being unprotected, with habitual illegal fishing incursions, a sign of the country’s vulnerabilities

• “Australian Minister ‘leaks’ draft of anti-terror bill” — Wikinews, October 15, 2005
• “Australian “terror laws” face backlash” — Wikinews, October 19, 2005
• “Premiers take on Australian PM on Shoot To Kill Laws” — Wikinews, October 20, 2005

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Fiat announced on Friday that it intends to purchase the six percent of automaker Chrysler that the US government currently owns, which would give the Italian company a 52 percent majority stake in Chrysler.

According to Fiat’s announcement, the company has told the US Treasury that it intends to use its option to buy the share in Chrysler held by the US government, a deal that will be finalized by June 10. If a price is not agreed on by that time, Fiat will pay the average of the estimates of two investment banks.

In 2009, Fiat bought a twenty percent stake in Chrysler, which had just exited bankruptcy, and has since increased its holding to 46 percent, expected to increase to 57% by the end of this year.

According to analyst Maryann Keller, the deal is a good one for both companies, as “[n]either one has the ability to compete alone in the kind of global environment that they face.” Analyst Rebecca Lindland said that the move will also benefit the companies by getting “them out from underneath any hint of government ownership and any of that negativity that went along with the bailout.”

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Mount Stromlo, Canberra — This Easter weekend, elite mountain bike riders competed in the Australian 24-hour solo championships at Canberra’s Stromlo Forest Park. Jason English from Port MacQuarie rode 33 laps and won the men’s race. Liz Smith from Wollongong rode 25 laps and won the women’s race.

Races are won by riding the most laps. If two riders complete the same number of laps in 24-hours, the winner is the one who has ridden them in the shortest time.

Riders wear lights on their helmets and bicycles during night laps. Due to the time of year, there is roughly twelve hours of daylight and twelve hours of darkness each day.

The event is a curtain raiser for the WEMBO World Solo 24 hour Mountain Bike Championships, which will be held at Stromlo Forest Park on 12 and 13 October 2013. The race was for solo riders only.

The weekend before, the teams of riders took to the track at the Mont 24 hour race at Canberra’s Kowen forest. With over 3,000 riders participating, it is now Australia’s largest cycling race.

The team version of the race was favoured by the weekend warriors, but also attracted more than a few elite athletes. Laps were ridden in relay fashion: each rider handed over the baton (which looked like a credit card) to another member of the team after riding one or more laps.

The track was in excellent condition, running through the trees. Without steep climbs or overly difficult technical sections, it permitted fast lap times.

No injuries were reported.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

A drug trial in Sydney, Australia was aborted yesterday after several jurors were found to be playing sudoku puzzles during proceedings.

The Crown trial, in which Andrew Daniel Lonsdale and Kane Holland were accused of conspiracy to manufacture a commercial quantity of amphetamines, had been running for over three months, involved 105 witnesses and cost over A$1 million, and was scheduled to end soon with both parties prepared to deliver final statements this week.

While giving evidence last week, Lonsdale noticed the jury forewoman apparently writing notes vertically rather than horizontally, in the manner of someone solving a sudoku. The co-accused, Holland, made the same observation, and their defence counsel lodged an appeal to the judge. Yesterday, the forewoman gave unsworn evidence to the judge confirming that she and several other jurors had been filling out the puzzles since the second week of the trial, comparing solutions during meal breaks. She claimed it helped them concentrate on the proceedings.

“It helps me keep my mind busy, and pay more attention,” she said in her defence.

Judge Peter Zahra of the Sydney District Court had earlier lauded the jury’s apparent attentiveness and diligence, but following the revelation, he told the forewoman that she and her fellow sudoku players had let down everyone involved in the trial. The jury was discharged, but no penalty will be given to the sudoku players. The New South Wales sheriff’s office will update its guidelines to instruct jurors not to play games during proceedings, and the co-accused will be facing a new trial at a later date.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Controversy has arisen over the reported presence of blue asbestos on the MV Freewinds, a cruise ship owned by the Church of Scientology. According to the Saint Martin newspaper The Daily Herald and the shipping news journal Lloyd’s List, the Freewinds was sealed in April and local public health officials on the Caribbean island of Curaçao where the ship is docked began an investigation into the presence of asbestos dust on the ship. Former Scientologist Lawrence Woodcraft supervised work on the ship in 1987, and attested to the presence of blue asbestos on the Freewinds in an affidavit posted to the Internet in 2001. Woodcraft, a licensed architect by profession, gave a statement to Wikinews and commented on the recent events.

According to The Daily Herald, the Freewinds was in the process of being renovated by the Curaçao Drydock Company. The article states that samples taken from paneling in the ship were sent to the Netherlands, where an analysis revealed that they “contained significant levels of blue asbestos”. An employee of the Curaçao Drydock Company told Radar Online in an April 30 article that the Freewinds has been docked and sealed, and confirmed that an article about asbestos ran in the local paper.

Lloyd’s List reported that work on the interior of the Freewinds was suspended on April 27 after health inspectors found traces of blue asbestos on the ship. According to Lloyd’s List, Frank Esser, Curaçao Drydock Company’s interim director, joined Curaçao’s head of the department of labor affairs Christiene van der Biezen along with the head of the local health department Tico Ras and two inspectors in an April 25 inspection of the ship. “We are sending someone so that they can tell us what happened, where it came from, since when it has been there,” said Panama Maritime Authority’s director of merchant marine Alfonso Castillero in a statement to Lloyd’s List.

The Church of Scientology purchased the ship, then known as the Bohème, in 1987, through an organization called Flag Ship Trust. After being renovated and refitted, it was put into service in June 1988. The ship is used by the Church of Scientology for advanced Scientology training in “Operating Thetan” levels, as well as for spiritual retreats for its members. Curaçao has been the ship’s homeport since it was purchased by the Church of Scientology.

According to his 2001 statement, Lawrence Woodcraft had been an architect in London, England since 1975, and joined Scientology’s elite “Sea Organization” (Sea Org) in 1986. He wrote that he was asked by the Sea Org to work on the Freewinds in 1987, and during his work on the ship “noticed a powdery blue fibrous substance approximately 1 ½” thick between the paint and the steel wall,” which he believed to be asbestos. He also discovered what he thought was blue asbestos in other parts of the ship, and reported his findings to Church of Scientology executives. Woodcraft discussed his experiences in a 2001 interview published online by the Lisa McPherson Trust, a now-defunct organization which was critical of the Church of Scientology.

Church of Scientology spokeswoman Karin Pouw responded to Radar Online about the asbestos reports, in an email published in an article in Radar on May 1. “The Freewinds regularly inspects the air quality on board and always meets or exceeds US standards,” said Pouw. She stated that two inspections performed in April “confirmed that the air quality is safe,” and asserted that the inspections revealed the Freewinds satisfies standards set by the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the U.S. Clean Air Act.

Pouw told Radar that “The Freewinds will be completing its refit on schedule.” The Church of Scientology-affiliated organization Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) had been planning a cruise aboard the Freewinds scheduled for May 8, but according to Radar an individual who called the booking number for the cruise received a message that the cruise had been delayed due to ongoing work on the ship. Citing an article in the Netherlands Antilles newspaper Amigoe, Radar reported on May 6 that a team from the United States and supervised by an independent bureau from the Netherlands traveled to Curaçao in order to remove asbestos from the Freewinds.

“I stand by everything I wrote in my 2001 affidavit,” said Lawrence Woodcraft in an exclusive statement given to Wikinews. Woodcraft went on to state: “I would also comment that if the Church of Scientology claims to have removed the blue asbestos, I just don’t see how, it’s everywhere. You would first have to remove all the pipes, plumbing, a/c ducts, electrical wiring etc. etc. just a maze of stuff. Also panelling as well, basically strip the ship back to a steel hull. Also blue asbestos is sprayed onto the outer walls and then covered in paint. It’s in every nook and cranny.”

Many Scientologist celebrities have spent time aboard the Freewinds, including Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Chick Corea, Lisa Marie Presley, Catherine Bell, Kate Ceberano, and Juliette Lewis. Now magazine reported that Tom Cruise has been urged to seek medical attention regarding potential asbestos exposure, however a representative for Cruise stated he has “absolutely no knowledge” of the recent asbestos controversy. Cruise, Holmes, Travolta and Preston have celebrated birthdays and other events on the Freewinds.

In a May 15 statement to the United Kingdom daily newspaper Metro, a representative for the Church of Scientology said that “There is not now and never has been a situation of asbestos exposure on the Freewinds.” The Asbestos and Mesothelioma Center notes that agencies have recommended anyone who has spent time on the Freewinds consult with their physician to determine if possible asbestos exposure may have affected their health.

Raw blue asbestos is the most hazardous form of asbestos, and has been banned in the United Kingdom since 1970. Blue asbestos fibers are very narrow and thus easily inhaled, and are a major cause of mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a form of cancer which can develop in the lining of the lungs and chest cavity, the lining of the abdominal cavity, or the pericardium sac surrounding the heart. The cancer is incurable, and can manifest over 40 years after the initial exposure to asbestos.

“This is the most dangerous type of asbestos because the fibres are smaller than the white asbestos and can penetrate the lung more easily,” said toxicologist Dr. Chris Coggins in a statement published in OK! Magazine. Dr. Coggins went on to note that “Once diagnosed with mesothelioma, the victim has six months to a year to live. It gradually reduces lung function until the victim is no longer able to breathe and dies.”

Sunday, September 21, 2008

A British couple have died after their car collided with a bus carrying a group of children. The crash took part on the A64 at Staxton near Scarborough, North Yorkshire on Sunday morning. The bus continued on through a hedge line and hit an unoccupied camper van. Six passengers on the bus were treated for minor injuries.

Detective Inspector Geoff Carey of the North Yorkshire Police said that “The coach was carrying a group of young people as well as adults and they are very shocked. They have slight injuries but a great deal of shock.” He also commented on the after crash saying that “Had the Winnebago not been there the bus could have gone into the house.”

The bus was traveling from Pelsall to Primrose Valley holiday park in North Yorkshire to attend marching band competition when the accident happened.

The North Yorkshire police were unable to give any more details. The A64 was closed in both directions at Staxton at the junction with the B1249. Motorists were advised to avoid the area, which has become congested, according to police.