Shuff's General Chat Thread ... #73 - Talk about anything and everything...  

Our mate's in the news again Alpha.

Auburn deputy mayor Salim Mehajer charged over 'unregistered' Ferrari

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/auburn-deputy-ma...025-gki6ea.html

Cr Mehajer was handed a field court attendance notice for using an unregistered vehicle on the road and driving a motor vehicle while not carrying a licence.

I didn't know that was an offence.

Licence types, classes and conditions
Your licence has information about you, which vehicles you can drive and the conditions you must follow while driving.
You must carry your licence with you when you are driving and show it to a police officer if asked. However, if you hold an open licence and are driving a car or riding a motorcycle, you may be given 48 hours to present your licence at a police station.

The whole NBN circus is still onging here, One of the marketing spankers put his head up in work forum to bang on about how great they are going, FN BANG.
I've put the challenge on him to see how long before someone from sales will get back to me about getting on the NBN packages, today is the 14day timeframe I gave him to tumble his Koolaid beliefs. On the other hand, I set up a backup ADSL service at work, it rocks along at 25Mb sec downloads, so ADSl isn't totally crap, just the Sol destroyed copper network

I am growing very weary of this whole circus of outsourcing to useless fkrs like Accenture, so since I am totally under the hammer for service levels, I am being ruthless back. They certainly sharpened their pencil when they were staring down the barrel of $2.5m in service abatements just for the month of October, half smart fkrs didn't allow for daylight saving server adjustments, the total shitwits signed it off in April as fixed, when I questioned was it just because daylight saving ended, standard 457 muppet response, " yesse, plobrem fixy good and tested" any of course that seagull has long since left the 457 sharehouse.

i've heard a little rumour, qps are no longer broadcasting / pick up via the scanner anymore......

But will they work for the same money...?

But will they work for the same money...?

Really? That's odd. Why would they be employing people from overseas for MORE than locals? If that's the case, one can only conclude that they've had trouble finding the required volume of local talent.

Really? That's odd. Why would they be employing people from overseas for MORE than locals? If that's the case, one can only conclude that they've had trouble finding the required volume of local talent.

i've heard a little rumour, qps are no longer broadcasting / pick up via the scanner anymore......

Ed Sheeran helped his friend pay off her mortgage

Ed Sheeran teamed up with friend Amy Wadge on his 2014 multi-platinum song 'Thinking Out Loud' and it's had a life-changing effect on her.

The pair met when Ed was just 17 and have written a few songs over the years including the 2010 EP 'Songs I Wrote with Amy'.

"She was going through financial troubles about a year ago," Ed revealed in an interview with The Mirror.
“She drove to my house – my album was nearly done – and she asked if I could put a song from when I was 17 on the deluxe album, so she could get a little bit of money and pay the mortgage and bills and stuff.
"While she was there, we wrote 'Thinking Out Loud'. Now she never has to worry about money again.”

'Thinking Out Loud' was added to Ed's album 'x' with Amy receiving a writing credit for her work. Now the money that she has received from the royalties for this song has been enough for her to pay off her mortgage and for her and her family go on holiday.

Since the success of 'Thinking Out Loud', Amy has also gone on to work with Ben Haenow and Geri Halliwell.

Watch the video of 'Thinking Out Loud' below.

Gino and Mark Stocco caught by police in Dunedoo

Father and son fugitives Gino and Mark Stocco have been caught by NSW Police in Dunedoo in central western NSW.
The elusive pair were captured on Wednesday after eight years on the run in rural NSW and Victoria.

They reportedly surrendered with their arms up to heavily armed police, the Nine Network reported.

The pair were on a property on the outskirts of the small town, which is about 90 kilometres east of Dubbo.

Gino, 57, and Mark, 36, were described by police as modern-day bushrangers.

They are wanted on several outstanding warrants for violent crimes across Queensland, NSW and Victoria.

Mazda RX-VISION major specifications:

Seating capacity: 2 persons
Overall length x width x height: 4,389mm x 1,925mm x 1,160mm
Wheelbase: 2,700mm
Engine: SKYACTIV-R
Powertrain: Front engine, rear-wheel drive
Tires: Front: 245/40R20 / Rear: 285/35R20
Rim width: Front: 9.5J / Rear: 11J

video of the unveiling in the link.....



http://insidemazda.mazdausa.com/mazda-news...ts-car-concept/

That looks horrible, though it will no doubt become far more decent looking as it nears production.

That brings me to:
http://www.autocar.co.uk/…/2016-honda-ns...and-track-re…

Well the official numbers and first impressions are out.
Read a looot of reviews this morning.
575HP
0-60 3<, top speed 308.
The only consistent criticisms seem to be the noise (I agree, it sounds a bit arse...but presumably an exhaust will fix that), and the competition.
That competition would be the 911 Turbo, AMG GT-S, Mclaren 570S, 488 and R8.
It will be priced in the mid-top of that group, will probably fall in the middle around a track, and IMO looks better than any of them (in black anyway).
What are people's thoughts on these things? I think I'm pretty sold on this being my next daily - though the waiting list is already absurd, apparently.

Indeed. Try this:
http://www.autoblog.com/2015/10/26/2017-ac...e-review-video/

Father-and-son fugitives Gino and Mark Stocco arrested at property owned by missing man

Police have found the body of a man at the rural property where fugitives Mark and Gino Stocco were arrested earlier today.

After police arrested the father-and-son pair, who had been on the run for eight years, they searched the property Pinevale at Elong Elong in central western NSW and found the body of a 68-year-old man.

It is believed the body could belong to the owner of the property, who has been missing since October 8 and is feared dead.

The NSW police robbery and state crime squad had been investigating the disappearance of the property's owner.

There is evidence of foul play and police said it appears he met with a violent death.

It is believed Gino, 58, and Mark Stocco, 35, worked on the property for the man.

Mark and Gino Stocco under arrest near Dunedoo.© NSW Police Mark and Gino Stocco under arrest near Dunedoo.
The pair were wanted by police in Queensland, NSW and Victoria regarding a string of offences including arson, property damage and theft.

Police came close to apprehending the fugitives on October 16 when they attempted to stop them in a four-wheel-drive near Wagga Wagga. However, a pursuit was called off when the pair allegedly shot at police, with one bullet hitting a police car.

The pair are now expected to face further charges, including the alleged attempted murder of police. It is believed they have been taken to Dubbo Police Station for questioning.

The fugitives are believed to have travelled across vast expanses of Victoria and NSW in their efforts to evade police since the shootout.

The last confirmed sighting of the pair was on Saturday, when the men were spotted on CCTV allegedly stealing around $200 of petrol from a South Gundagai service station, around 400km from Dubbo.

Two days ago, NSW Police Force Commissioner Andrew Scipione said the hunt for the Stoccos had gone far enough and urged the pair to hand themselves in.

“It’s time to spot, give yourself up and let us deal with what it is you’ve done,” he said to reporters.

Police also said the pair were likely living off stockpiled supplies.

I hope they can make the rotary something which can compete with normal piston engines.

Maybe i am just a weirdo but I am more excited for the new s207 subaru sti. Also the new m4 gts looks tasteful indeed

The classroom confrontation

The video, which has gone viral on social media, apparently shows a Richland County Sheriff's Department school resource officer at Spring Valley High School in Columbia, South Carolina, snatching a female student from her desk before he drags her across the classroom.

At least three students caught the incident on video.

The video shows the man grabbing the student as she sits in her desk, eventually wrestling her out of the seat and to the ground.

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said the girl was causing a disruption in the class. The resource officer "asked her repeatedly to leave with him," Lott said, but "she refused. At that point he put her under arrest."

Students witnessing the incident in their algebra class took out their cellphones.

"I was scared, terrified," sophomore Tony Robinson said to ABC affiliate WOLO-TV in Columbia. "So that was my first judgment call; is get your phone out so that everything after this is recorded."

Another student, junior Niya Kenny, allegedly interfered, a decision that she said landed her in jail.

"I am traumatized," Kenny told WOLO-TV. "I could not believe this was going on. They got her out of the classroom. Then he came back ... he said, 'You're going to jail, too.' And he put me in handcuffs."

The school resource officer

The school resource officer was identified as Ben Fields, according to the Richland County Sheriff's Department. Fields joined the program in 2008 and received a Culture of Excellence award for proving to be an exceptional role model in 2014.

The school website lists Fields as the football team's defensive line coach and strength and conditioning coach.

The Richland County Sheriff's Office said Monday night Fields would be placed on administrative duties.

School Board Chairman James Manning said Tuesday evening that the officer involved has been asked to not return to any Richland 2 property.

Fields is one of two resource officer's for Spring Valley High, according to the school district website. The district said it "contracts with the Richland County Sheriff's Department to provide School Resource Officers (SRO) throughout the district. Each SRO is assigned to respond to any facility without a full-time deputy in proximity to his/her primary assignment. These assignments are geographical so as to provide the most rapid response by SROs."

"All schools are instructed to call 911 first in the event of any emergency," the district said. "In doing so, the closest on-duty deputy would be dispatched in addition to the SROs."

Each high school in the district has two resource officers while each middle school, elementary school and alternative school has one officer.

The investigation

Sheriff Lott was "very disturbed" by it, the sheriff's office said.

"He has questions like everyone has – and he wants answers and once he has those answers he will address them," the sheriff's office said. "The Sheriff is asking for everyone to be patient as this is being fully investigated.

"The Sheriff and the School District will take the appropriate action necessary once this investigation is complete – All SRO’s are at the schools for the safety of all students – these SRO’s are held to a very high standard," the sheriff's office added. "The Sheriff fully understands the seriousness of this incident."

The Richland Two School District Superintendent Debbie Hamm said the district is "deeply concerned," adding that the school administration is cooperating with authorities on an investigation of what happened.

"Student safety is and always will be the District’s top priority. The District will not tolerate any actions that jeopardize the safety of our students," she said in a statement. "Upon learning of the incident, school and district administrators began an investigation. We are working closely and in full cooperation with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department to conduct a thorough and complete investigation."

Local reaction

Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin said he found the incident "wholly unacceptable."

"This needs to be dealt with quickly and transparently," Benjamin said in a Facebook statement, adding that this was not "CPD [the Columbia Police Department] or representative of policing that builds trust or confidence!"

Victoria Middleton, the executive director for the South Carolina branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, said: "There is no justification whatsoever for treating a child like this. Regardless of the reason for the officer’s actions, such egregious use of force — against young people who are sitting in their classrooms — is outrageous. School should be a place to learn and grow, not a place to be brutalized."

"We must take action to address the criminalization of children in South Carolina, especially at school,” she added.

"I am greatly concerned by these videos," South Carolina Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman said, "the safety of our students is always our number one priority. School districts contract with hundreds of dedicated school resource officers who work hard to protect our students across South Carolina. However, these videos and what they appear to show should concern all of us in public education. While it is vital that students have respect for law enforcement, it is equally important that law enforcement ensure they do not abuse the power and trust school districts instill in them."

Federal involvement

Sheriff Lott called Dave Thomas, special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for South Carolina, requesting an independent investigation, the sheriff's office said.

The FBI will be the lead investigating agency, the sheriff's office said today.

A Department of Justice spokesperson said: "The Columbia FBI Field Office, the [DOJ's] Civil Rights Division, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Carolina have opened a civil rights investigation into the circumstances surrounding the arrest of a student at Spring Valley High School. The FBI will collect all available facts and evidence in order to determine whether a federal law was violated. As this is an ongoing investigation, per Department of Justice policy we are unable to comment further at this time."

GAME OF THRONES Star Maisie Williams Is Set to Return to DOCTOR WHO

While attending MCN London Comic Con this past weekend, Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat and writer Sarah Dollard revealed that Game of Thrones actress Maisie Williams will return to the show for a third time this season.

Williams has previously appeared in this season's episodes “The Girl Who Died” and “The Woman Who Lived.” She plays the immortal Ashlidr, a.k.a. Lady Me, a.k.a. the Knightmare, and she will reprise that role in the tenth and final episode of season nine, which is titled “Face The Raven.”

For those of you hoping that Williams would be the next companion to the doctor, Moffat did confirm that that’s not going to happen. Williams has been such a great character, and it’s good to know that she’s coming back. Hopefully, this won’t be the last time we see her in the series!

“Face The Raven” will air on November 21st.