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

Man who chased down alleged car thieves now facing assault charges

A Melbourne man who chased down a man and a woman who allegedly stole his car is now facing assault charges.

Brooklyn labourer Brenden Millar, 21, said his car was his “pride and joy” and he had no regrets about chasing down the 23-year-old man and woman in her 20s who allegedly stole his Nissan Patrol.

Mr Millar said he had posted on Facebook asking for help when his car was allegedly stolen.

A friend contacted him and said the car had been spotted in Craigieburn.

Mr Millar then followed the vehicle, eventually confronting the pair in an Epping park.

“I was going to try and block him in, then he just reversed into me, so I rammed him,” he told 9NEWS.

Police arrived within minutes and arrested the 23-year-old alleged thief, however Mr Millar is now facing allegations he assaulted the couple.

“It’s my car, it’s my whole life, and now I’ve got it back,” Mr Millar said.

The Best Creatures of Monsterpalooza 2016!
Tested

Published on Apr 29, 2016
We return to Monsterpalooza, one of favorite conventions to meet sculptors, painters, and makeup effects artists who share our love of creatures. Frank and Norm walk through the convention floor, catch up with friends, and share some of the awesome art on display at this year's show!

1932 Ford Sedan Delivery "Twice Blown" 2016 Pigeon Forge Rod Run
ScottieDTV

Published on Apr 29, 2016
The 1932 Ford Sedan Delivery "Twice Blown" from the 2016 Pigeon Forge Rod Run....A Gibbon Glass Cars bodied car with TWO blown Keith Black 572 HEMIS (Elephant Motors)...Between a custom 2x6 Rectangular Tube Chassis....The car was built as a street Car...but the craftsmanship is that of a show Car...Very cool...Check it out!!!...For more cool videos please visit www.scottiedtv.com The Coolest Cars On The Web!!!!!

Why Amazon’s Australian arrival could wreak havoc for ASX retailers

It was with great interest that I learnt Jeff Bezos, the founder and chief executive of Amazon.com, Inc., visited Sydney for a flying visit earlier this month.

Parts of the Australian media speculated as to why he was here. I'm sure it was more than just to pop in and say hello to his Australian employees at AWS (Amazon Web Services).

Perhaps one of the more intriguing speculations out there is that Mr Bezos was here to finalise the launch of a full local website allowing Australians to buy physical goods from Amazon. Right now, customers of the Australian site are limited to the purchase of Kindle books and Audible audiobooks, and not much else.

Whether he's here for this reason or not, it's perhaps prudent to start worrying if you're a shareholder of any of the major listed discretionary and consumer staples retailers here in Australia, including Myer Holdings Ltd (ASX: MYR), Harvey Norman Holdings Limited (ASX: HVN), JB Hi-Fi Limited (ASX: JBH), Woolworths Limited(ASX: WOW) and Wesfarmers Ltd(ASX: WES).

Given Amazon's long-term propensity to sacrifice earnings for sales growth and market share, shareholders of the aforementioned companies will have a lot to worry about in addition to the competitive pressures currently being applied by the likes of Aldi and Costco.

In fact, the longer-term picture for Australian retail looks to be increasingly competitive, with margins under sustained pressure.

Back in March this year, Richard Goyder, the group managing director of Wesfarmers (and owner of Coles) told a retail forum in Sydney that his biggest fear was not the competitive threat from Australian retailers, but tech companies such as Amazon. Mr Goyder stated that Amazon will 'eat all our breakfasts, lunches and dinners', unless Australian retailers become more innovative.

And he should worry too.

There's also the matter of Amazon Fresh, which allows Amazon customers in the US access to free same-day and early morning delivery of not only fresh grocery products, but thousands of other Amazon items.

Now, of course, there are huge logistical challenges and up-front costs in establishing a business such as this here in Australia, but Amazon definitely has the management and financial resources to build such an operation if they choose to.

It's interesting to note too, although Amazon hasn't confirmed if Amazon Fresh will be established in Australia, there was a job advertisement posted by Amazon Support Services Australia Pty Ltd back in late 2014 for a Software Development Engineer in Brisbane to 'help revolutionise the grocery shopping experience [for Australian consumers of Amazon Fresh]'.

I have no doubts that Amazon has plans for the Australian market and I think there's now 'movement at the station'. The incumbents will have to be prepared.

As a consumer myself, I'm pretty excited that my retail options will continue to expand, but as an interested observer of the Australian retail industry, I won't be buying shares in any of the retailers I referred to above as the risks for these companies rise.

As Mr Goyder himself alluded to, Australian retailers are going to have to really lift their game if they're going to have any chance of minimising the effects of increased competition. The Aldi 'Blast Zone' is affecting Australian retailers' margins now, but I really don't think you've seen anything yet.

If you're an owner of shares in Australian retailers today, do monitor your investments and continue to watch this space very closely.

The Amazing Art of Akihito
Tested

Published on May 1, 2016
Frank chats with Akihito, a special effects and makeup artist whose work floored us at this year's Monsterpalooza. Akihito talks about the influences for his personal projects, how he casts his sculptures using multiple resins, and a striking makeup he demoed at the show!

Chinese Shoppers Are Buying Canned Air from Australia

It's $20 a can.

Just outside of Sydney, Australia, Bondi beach is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country, famous for surfing and Olympic beach volleyball.
It’s also one of the places some enterprising Australians are collecting and pressurizing air into cans to be sold in China. And despite this sounding suspiciously similar to a scene from Mel Brooks’ 1987 Star Wars parody Spaceballs, people in China are actually buying it.

Green & Clean Air bottles Australian air in a few other locations besides the beach, including the Blue Mountains and the Gold Coast, with each $20 bottle holding around 130 breaths, according to Sydney’s 7News. The different locales smell a bit different—the mountains apparently carry a slight perfume of eucalyptus (koala food, after all)—and the beach, well, smells like the beach.

The crazy thing is that this isn’t just a novelty product. According to a Chinese personal shopper in Australia interviewed by 7News, the rampant air pollution back home is enough to actually create demand for a breath of the fresh stuff.
This isn’t the first time canned air has sold in China. Last year, a Canadian company selling air from the Rockies reportedly was selling out in smog-heavy Chinese cities, and a Chinese recycling magnate handed out canned air in 2013.

Parramatta Eels to be docked 12 points, fined $1 million for salary cap breaches

James Hird loses bid to have Essendon's insurer Chubb Insurance pay legal costs

Poor-taste wi-fi name grounds Perth flight

An inappropriately named wi-fi hotspot sparked a major security scare on a Qantas flight to Perth, resulting in up to 40 passengers refusing to fly.

A female passenger is believed to have spotted the hotspot on her phone’s wi-fi menu — titled Mobile Detonation Device — shortly after she boarded QF481 in Melbourne on Saturday.

The woman immediately showed it to the crew, who then informed the captain and security.

Passenger John Vidler said the captain broadcast a message to passengers telling them the flight was being delayed because a “device” was believed to be aboard that needed to be located.

“He said there was a device on the plane that had a name on it that he found threatening and that we were not leaving until that device was brought to him,” Mr Vidler said.

The device was not found and the plane was cleared for take-off.

But Mr Vidler said he and about 40 other travellers felt so unsettled by the experience they demanded to be let off the flight.

That caused further delays as their luggage had to be unloaded.

Qantas said there had been no security risk to the plane, which landed safely in Perth about two hours behind schedule.

Ford has sold more cars than Holden in Australia for the first time since 1999


Ford Australia outsold Holden in April for the first time since 1999, as both companies head towards a future without car manufacturing in Australia.

In April, Ford sold 6842 cars, growing 18.2% - while Holden fell 5.1%, nabbing just 6710 sales for the month.

The last time Ford sold more cars in a month than Holden was when the AU Falcon was Australia's top selling car in January 1999. Back 17, the numbers were higher too: Ford's 8591 cars compared to Holden's 8335.

Despite Ford's growth, the brand still sits in fourth position, with Toyota still Australia's highest selling brand, followed by Hyundai and Mazda.

Ford's Ranger ute is the company's most popular car, with 2973 sales - and the third highest selling car overall, behind the Hyundai i30 and Toyota HiLux.

Interestingly, the company's second best performer is the Mustang, with 690 units sold in April and that strength is set to continue. The waiting list for delivery is well into 2017 if you ordered today.

Luxury brands posted yet another strong month, with Mercedes-Benz selling 3303 vehicles (up 24.5% for the month), beating out Kia and Honda to claim ninth spot on the charts. BMW also had a big month, with sales up 58%, hitting 2456.

Porsche had a rare sales drop, selling 336 cars, down 11.2% for the month.

Top 10 car bands for April 2016

Toyota - 16,567 (up 8.3%)

Hyundai - 8643 (up 19.9%)

Mazda - 8461 (up 4.9%)

Ford - 6842 (up 32.5%)

Holden - 6710 (down 5.1%)

Volkswagen - 4732 (up 3.5%)

Mitsubishi - 4178 (up 2.5%)

Nissan - 4044 (down 3.4%)

Mercedes-Benz - 3303 (up 24.5%)

Subaru - 3156 (up 3.4%)

Top 10 car models for April 2016

Hyundai i30 - 4143

Toyota HiLux - 3384

Ford Ranger - 2973

Toyota Corolla - 2959

Mazda 3 - 2512

Holden Commodore - 1908

Volkswagen Golf - 1811

Mazda CX-5 - 1675

Mazda CX-3 - 1604

Hyundai accent - 1555

Comment: America's Trump nightmare has arrived

Donald Trump could actually be the next president. Just let that sink in.
This is a man who actively demeans women, has encouraged violence at his campaign rallies, would ban all Muslims from entering the US and recently seemed undisturbed by an endorsement from a leader of the Ku Klux Klan. And yet Trump, a political outsider, is poised to grasp the highest office in the land.

It was never supposed to happen. But here we are. Tonight in Indiana, in the primary that nobody thought would matter, the thing that nobody thought possible a year ago, is really coming to pass. Donald Trump is going to clinch the Republican nomination. He is really winning, like he always says. Only it’s not a joke or catchy mantra – it’s reality.

And even he seems to understand how absurd that is. “It’s been an unbelievable day and evening and year,” Trump said at the beginning of his acceptance speech.

Unbelievable is one word for it.

After the race was called from Trump on Tuesday night, Ted Cruz, the only thing standing between him and the nomination, suspended his campaign.

This was never supposed to happen. Early polling had showed a tight race between Trump and Cruz. And Cruz had thrown everything he had at the contest, from money, to a newsy presidential pick and a non-aggression pact with John Kasich. Even up until tonight’s election, insiders continued to insist that delegate math protect the party from Trump’s nomination.

But suddenly with Cruz’s announcement, the specter of a contested convention fell away and the Republican primary was a one-man show. One big, orange, frightening one-man show.

Beaming at his audience on stage in the Trump Tower, he heaped lavish praise on people he’s disparaged the most, from women – he’s called them “dogs” and “fat pigs” – to Cruz himself, whom he recently declared “everyone hates.”

“He is a tough smart competitor”, Trump said of Cruz, a man he’d earlier said that everyone hates. Nevermind what’s honest, Trump has never been concerned with that.

The relationship between the two men has always been politically transparent, and tonight was no exception. After all, Trump will need to win over Cruz’s evangelical base if he’s ever going to beat Hillary Clinton in a general election. So with Cruz out of the race, he went from being Trump’s Opponent-in-Chief to being his Ally-in-Chief.

And he does have some support in such shenanigans. No sooner had Cruz stepped aside then Republican chairman Reince Priebus tried to get out ahead of the narrative by calling for the party to unite behind Trump. “@realDonaldTrump will be presumptive @GOP nominee, we all need to unite and focus on defeating @HillaryClinton #NeverClinton”, he tweeted. And some like Alabama’s Jeff Sessions have long said Trump’s just what the party need.

Not everyone’s on-board (Cruz, in one of his last acts as a presidential candidate, nuked the billionaire real estate mogul as a “pathological liar”), but it doesn’t matter anymore.

With all 57 of Indiana’s delegates under his belt, Trump has a breezy path to the 1,237 count he needs to steer clear of a contested convention in Cleveland this summer. And he doesn’t have an opponent in sight.

Indiana was the moment when Cruz said that, if Trump wins again, “America will plunge into the abyss.” Maybe he was right – November is still a long way off.

Meanwhile the new normal in America is a strange reality indeed. Donald Trump is winning and nobody – not Ted Cruz nor the entire Republican party working in concert (remember the #NeverTrump crusade?), can stop him.

Volvo V8s pull-out rocks Rogers

Garry Rogers Motorsport is committed to racing Volvos next year in the V8 Supercars championship, but just where they get them from might be the problem.

Polestar, Volvo's performance division, has confirmed an exit from the Supercars series after this year, pulling the plug on manufacturer support for Rogers' team.

Volvo's Australian chief Kevin McCann says it's the death knell for the Swedish brand in Supercars.

"In the contract there is a requirement for him to sell the cars back to Polestar," McCann told motoring.com.au.

"Head office has indicated they won't support (Volvos in the Supercars series).

"The decision was made at a much higher level than we expected it to be. It's a decision we now have to live with.

McCann ruled out a dealer-backed team or privateer team running, saying "there are too many elements of the car that are controlled by Polestar to enable that to work successfully."

Garry Rogers Motorsport issued a statement saying they were aware of Polestar's pull-out and it hadn't affected them this season, but failed to address 2017.

"Polestar advised us at the start of this season that their involvement in V8 Supercars had ceased," Barry Rogers.

"In day to day business, it really doesn't effect (sic) what we do. Nothing changes from our end."

Supercars chief executive James Warburton said he was disappointed by the announcement.

"Garry Rogers Motorsport has indicated that it is committed to race Volvos in the 2016 and 2017 seasons and we will continue to have discussions with Volvo Car Australia about its ongoing involvement in the sport," he said.

The Mercedes brand was lost to the sport in 2016 after Erebus Motorsport switched back to Holdens.

The news is a hammer blow for the Volvo team, who enjoyed their best race meet with the S60s just a fortnight ago.

Scott McLaughlin roared to second in the championship standings, 15 points behind Jamie Whincup, with a clean sweep at Phillip Island.

The series is delicately poised heading to Perth this weekend, with seven drivers including reigning champion Mark Winterbottom within 150 points of Whincup's lead.

Winterbottom took two wins from the Barbagallo track in 2015.

I'd never trust the National Big Brother Network let alone the idiots that run it,if it does come that we all need to switch then its the day I do my parts shopping at work. Another working week done and one week closer to my settlement and hopefully a KTM in the garage haha.

unlimited download on the 100/40mb plan and at the same price that we were paying already, we figured that we couldn't go wrong.

free calls to landline / mobile and 500mins to talk with all my indian friends and the best part of it all, is no arguments, of who used what / made what call, just do what you want and no worrying over who made the $4 call (insert my brothers a petty asshat) etc etc. it's worth it just to avoid all the incidental arguments tbh.

That is understandable,they are currently putting it in around my area but fixing it to the powerlines, in 10 years of using Optus,i've never seen it so slow til these ass clowns showed up affecting everything.