DON'T TEXT AND DRIVE

Drive safely and avoid a shipment from Batesville Casket Company.

                   Photo posted by Sabrina Estrada, Springfield, Missouri

TRAFFIC

ABC Radio, Melbourne, Australia

And what about buses? Bus Vic exec director Chris Lowe says more on-street parking should be sacrificed to give buses a better run

Is this Chinese motorway coming to a town near you soon?

Peter’s Comment

Sorry, Chris, the city fathers are unlikely to do anything as radical as making room for buses. It’s the same here in New Zealand cities where car drivers make up the majority of taxpayers and politicians are afraid of them. They would rather see traffic backups like the picture above.

But it makes sense to provide easier access for buses (much more efficient and adaptable than trains) at the expense of car parking and car traffic lanes.

SAVING FUEL

The shape of things to come

If the styling on the new Mercedes trucks is intended to reduce air resistance and generate fuel efficiency, then truck designers still have not got it right.

Compare both ends of these trucks with the Boeing 747 below, note the difference and ask yourself why the Boeing designers put the sharp end at the back.

Aerodynamic resistance can be explained in simple terms using a square box passing through the air. Ignoring skin friction which depends on the total area of the box sides, about 30% of the remaining air resistance can be attributed to frontal drag and the remaining 70% can be attributed to drag from the rear surface.

Since air resistance quadruples as velocity only doubles, air resistance is naturally more critical at the near supersonic speeds of the Boeing. However, it is still vitally important to the truck fleet operator who could save thousands of dollars a year in fuel costs with better equipment.

The difference in drag between front and back comes about because the air "hears" the object approaching and parts easily to let it pass through. But at the rear of the object the air becomes confused and curls and eddies behind the object (turbulence) and there is a sharp decrease in air pressure behind the object.

The object, rather than being held back by the air resistance at the front, is pulled back by the larger resistance at the rear.

A practicle way to prove this fact is to compare the visible difference in road dirt after a journey in bad weather. The dirt will be divided about 30/70 between front and back (assuming both ends have relatively flat surfaces).

The first major step must be to eliminate the large flat doors at the rear of the truck or trailer. That will be a challenge but it will not be impossible.

Wings or fairings attached to the rear of a tractor do little to lower air resistance and will substantially increase air resistance when traveling without a trailer. 

FLYING OFF THE HANDLE

Flight attendant loses rag with passengers

June 29, 2012, 2:32 pmYahoo! New Zealand

A flight attendant fed up with dealing with passengers' complaints after a delay told them to get off the plane if they had "the balls" to do it.

A flight attendant fed up with dealing with passengers' complaints after a delay told them to get off the plane if they had "the balls" to do it.

American Eagle flight attendant Jose Serrano was rostered on a flight from New York destined for North Carolina on Monday.

Poor weather meant the flight was delayed and passengers couldn't board until 4pm - nearly three hours after its scheduled departure, the New York Post reports.

Then, as the plane was taxiing towards the runway, it got stuck behind 20 others. It waited there for 40 minutes before heading back to the gate to refuel.

Passengers were told to disembark and it was 6pm before they could get back on. But again there were delays and tempers started to flare.

"People were getting really amped up at this point," passenger Jon Wurster told the Post.

"It took forever to get back on the plane. The fuses were getting pretty low."

A frustrated Serrano then confronted complaining passengers saying: "I don't want to hear anything."

Asked if people could get off, he said: "If you have balls."

Passengers told the Post he said: "I don't care anymore. This is probably my last flight."

One passenger, David Abels, told the Post he was "abusive verbally" and made his daughter cry.

Three families are believed to have left the plane, refusing to fly with the flight attendant on board.

Airport police were called in and the Federal Aviation Administration is also investigating the incident.

The flight was eventually cancelled at 8pm. The Post reports this is because Serrano was taken off the plane for questioning.

No arrests were made.

Peter’s Comment

The flight attendant does not fly the aircraft, make the safety rules, or create the weather and traffic delays. Furthermore, flight attendants are subject to the same frustrations as passengers. So what on earth got into the heads of these passengers?

There was a time when employers taught their employees that the customer was always right. That was good advice but there is often an exception to the rule and it seems that in this case the customers were all shite.

No employee should ever be subjected to this kind of abuse and intimidation. 

American Eagle should rename this part of the aircraft Cattle Class.

Watch a video about the incident here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WfUteARWc9I

London City Airport

Is there a runway someplace?

AirSpace user Flightstar posted this shot of a Lufthansa Regional Embraer 190 aircraft climbing steeply out of London City airport. 

It makes one wonder where the runway is.

BLACK AND WHITE

Bottom of Form

Los Angeles riots:
Rodney King funeral held

A number of donors helped pay for Rodney Kings funeral

The funeral has taken place in Los Angeles of Rodney King, whose beating by white policemen led to deadly riots in the US city 20 years ago.

At the service, King was praised for showing no bitterness to the officers who beat him in 1991.

The officers involved in the beating were acquitted the following year, sparking clashes in which 50 died.

Rodney King

King was found dead at the bottom of a swimming pool last month at the age of 47. There was no sign of foul play.

'Symbol of forgiveness'

The funeral service was held at Los Angeles' Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills on Saturday.

"People should not be judged by the mistakes that they make, but by how they rise above them," Rev Al Sharpton said.

"Rodney had risen above his mistakes. He never mocked anyone - not the police, not the justice system, not anyone."

Mr King's famous words during the riots "Can we all get along?" were embroidered on the lid of the coffin, next to his portrait.

"He became a symbol of forgiveness," Rev Sharpton said.

A number of donors helped to pay for the funeral.

LAPD racism

Rodney King's beating at the hands of the police, which left him with brain damage, was filmed by a bystander and shown by media outlets across the world.

He had been stopped for speeding on a dark street on 3 March 1991. The four LA police officers who pulled him over hit him more than 50 times with their batons, kicked him and shot him with stun guns.

The iconic images of his beating had a huge impact at the time on an already tense Los Angeles.

Eventually, the whole chain of events had a profound impact on the way race was dealt with in the US.

King recently told the Los Angeles Times that while he had come to terms with his broader legacy, dealing with the past had not been easy.

"Some people feel like I'm some kind of hero," he said.

"Others hate me. They say I deserved it. Other people, I can hear them mocking me for when I called for an end to the destruction, like I'm a fool for believing in peace."

A later trial resulted in two of the four officers being jailed. King sued the City of Los Angeles and won $3.8m (£2.5m) compensation.

The rioting that gripped LA in the wake of the original not-guilty verdict went on for days, leaving 50 people dead and causing $1bn of damage to the city.

The Los Angeles Police Department itself was shown to have serious problems with racism, and instituted an overhaul.

King got engaged to one of the jurors from his trial and published a book in 2012 titled The Riot Within: My Journey From Rebellion to Redemption.

But he also struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, had several brushes with the law over the years, and he eventually lost all his money.

Peter’s Comment

Rodney King had a previous record of offending, but so also do lots of other people pulled over for speeding. The LAPD had a culture of one law for blacks and another for whites and King was black.

In the 1990s the anti black culture was not confined to the police alone but extended to many areas of society too. Add to that a majority of jurors going into court with a firm belief that the police can do no wrong and a verdict unfavorable to King would have been a foregone conclusion regardless of the evidence.

Rodney King had an unfortunate life and a tragic end but his life should not be forgotten. In terms of tolerance he was an excellent example of what a real man should be.

WHEN TRADE WAS SLOW

AUSSIE OUTBACK TOILET

                  Only those who have used an outside toilet will appreciate this.

The service station trade was slow

The owner sat around,

With sharpened knife and cedar stick

Piled shavings on the ground.

No modern facilities had they there,

The log across the rill

Led to a shack, marked His and Hers

That sat against the hill.

"Where is the ladies lavatory, sir?"

The owner leaning back,

Said not a word but whittled on,

And nodded toward the shack.

With quickened step she entered there

But only stayed a minute,

Until she screamed, just like a snake

Or spider might be in it.

With startled look and beet red face

She bounded through the door,

And headed quickly for the car

Just like three Sheila's did before.

She missed the foot bridge - jumped the stream

The owner gave a shout,

As her silk stockings, down at her knees

Caught on an acacia sprout.

She tripped and fell - got up, and then

In obvious disgust,

Ran to the car, stepped on the gas,

And faded in the dust.

Of course we all desired to know

What made the gals all do

The things they did, and then we found

The whittling owner knew.

A speaking system he'd devised

To make the thing complete,

He tied a speaker on the wall

Beneath the toilet seat.

He'd wait until the dams got set

And then the devilish tike,

Would stop his whittling long enough,

To speak into the mike.

And as she sat, a voice below

Struck terror, fright and fear,

"Will you please use the other hole,

We're painting under here!"

More of the above in this great book

Available now as an EBook from:
Amazon or Smashwords

GPS TRACKING

Satellites to be used to track offenders

NZ NewswireUpdated June 27, 2012, 10:58 am

Satellite tracking of high-risk offenders released from prison will begin in New Zealand in August, the government has announced.

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley says the introduction of the global positioning technology in ankle bracelets will initially involve 11 child sex offenders released into the community on supervision orders or on parole.

That number will rise to up to 200 in 2013, and will include high-risk offenders yet to be released, and those already in the community.

No change in legislation is required.

The move comes before the release from prison of serial offender Stewart Murray Wilson, dubbed the Beast of Blenheim.

Wilson will be freed on September 1, after serving two-thirds of his 21-year sentence, imposed in 1996 for a variety of sexual offences against women and children over a 25-year period, including rape, attempted rape and indecent assault.

He was sentenced before preventive detention laws were introduced and will be released subject to strict conditions that apply up to 2015.

The Probation Service has also applied to the High Court for Wilson to be put on an extended supervision order that would allow him to be closely monitored for up to a decade beyond 2015.

"We need to stay one step ahead of these people and this proactive approach with more advanced technology allows us to reduce the risks to the public," said Mrs Tolley.

"We must do all we can to keep our communities safe, and GPS tracking is an excellent way to tighten up extended supervision orders, and keep tabs on the small number of offenders who require much closer monitoring."

The existing electronic monitoring system only works when those wearing it are at a set location.

The government is also planning public protection orders, enabling Corrections to keep the most dangerous offenders in prison indefinitely, and is considering creating a register of child sex offenders.

Peter’s Comment

What a great idea.

There must be many ways that GPS tracking of offenders could be expanded. For example why not have GPS tracking of people convicted of hit-and-run offences and drivers who have failed to stop when instructed by police. That would effectively end dangerous police pursuits.

The system could be further expanded to reduce offending by requiring the installation of remote disabling equipment in all repeat offenders’ cars. Voluntary installation of the equipment could lead to lower insurance premiums for car owners.

Let’s have GPS tracking of vehicles for a safer society all round.

IMMIGRANTS

Famous People Who Fought Immigration Battles, From John Lennon to Charlie Chaplin

By JILLIAN FAMA and MEGHAN KIESEL

June 26, 2012

ABCNEWS.com

The Dreamers aren't the only ones who have feared being deported from the United States. Check out some famous people who have had their battles with American immigration authorities.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono

John Lennon and Yoko Ono

In an interview with ABC News' Jonathan Karl, Yoko Ono told how she and her husband, the former Beatle John Lennon, were served with deportation papers early one morning in March 1972. After the couple refused to open their door, officers slipped the notice under the door to them. Ono's reaction, she said, was, "What are we going to do? You know, it was really frightening."

The couple was served the deportation order because U.S. officials said Lennon had been allowed into the country improperly. He had been charged with possession of marijuana in London in 1968, and U.S. law said no one with a criminal record was allowed to come live in the country.

A number of famous names put pen to paper, writing letters to President Nixon to try to convince him to allow Lennon and his artist wife to stay in New York.

Nixon, who didn't particularly like the outspoken anti-war activist couple -- they had campaigned against his reelection -- was not swayed. In 1973, Lennon was given 60 days to leave the U.S. Ono was granted permanent residence.

Watergate, however, intervened. Nixon's successor, Gerald Ford, wasn't interested in continuing a political battle with Lennon. In October 1975, a three-judge panel ruled that the possession charge was insufficient to keep Lennon out of the country. Lennon was awarded a green card in 1976.

Cat Stevens

The British singer Yusuf Islam, formerly known by his stage name, Cat Stevens, was barred from entering the United States in 2004. The singer was placed on the U.S. government's "no fly" list and taken off a flight from London to Washington because of suspicions that he was associated with potential terrorists.

His flight, on a United Airlines Boeing 747, was diverted to Bangor, Maine, where he was detained by FBI agents.

Islam said, "Everybody knows who I am. I am no secret figure. Everybody knows my campaigning for charity, for peace. There's got to be a whole lot of explanation."

Charlie Chaplin

Charlie Chaplin

Charlie Chaplin, perhaps the most beloved of comic actors from the silent film era, ran afoul of American politicians -- and immigration authorities -- after World War II, when he satirized anti-communist fears in the United States during the Cold War.

A 1949 Associated Press story says that in May of 1949, Sen. Harry Cain (R-Wash.) demanded that Chaplin, a native of England, be deported, and accused him of coming "perilously close to treason" against the United States.

Cain cited a telegram sent by Chaplin to the French artist Pablo Picasso concerning the deportation of German composer Hanns Eisler. The message read, "Can you head committee of French artists to protest the American Embassy in Paris the outrageous deportation proceedings against Hanns Eisler here and simultaneously send me a copy of protest for use here. Greetings!"

In 1952, Chaplin returned to England for the premiere of his film, "Limelight," and learned that his re-entry permit request was denied. Chaplin died on Christmas 1977, never having returned to the United States.

Jose Antonio Vargas

Jose Antonio Vargas, a reporter whose coverage of the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre who a Pulitzer Prize, admitted to ABC's Dan Harris that he is an illegal immigrant. A native of the Philippines, Vargas came to the U.S. alone at age 12 to live with his grandparents. He admits to having broken laws to conceal his undocumented identity. He also said he obtained various documents under false pretenses, including a falsified Social Security card and an Oregon driver's license.

Vargas defended himself: "You have to do what you have to do... I wanted to work. I wanted to prove that I was worthy of being here … and I was gonna do whatever it took to prove that."

Vargas decided to make his undocumented status public last December when Congress did not pass the DREAM Act.
Continued below . . .

The Asker Trilogy

Vargas said he has fears about being deported, but calls America his home. “You can call me whatever you want to call me, but I am an American," Vargas said. "No one can take that away from me. No, no one can."

Hanns Eisler

Composer Hanns Eisler came to the U.S. in 1933, when he fled Nazi Germany. Eisler had studied with a number of respected composers, but broke with his early mentor, Arnold Schoenberg, in 1926. Eisler's compositions turned radical: He wrote music for many of Bertholt Brecht's plays up until his flight from Germany.

Eisler found success composing music for films in the States. However, his past came back to haunt him during the Red Scare of the late 1940s. After testifying before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, Eisler was deported in 1948. He settled in East Berlin and continued to compose, but eventually was persecuted by the German government for what they considered his blasphemous retelling of "Faust."

Marcus Garvey

Marcus Garvey was an activist originally from Jamaica. By the time he reached his mid-teens, Garvey had moved to Kingston and started to participate in union activities. He spent time working as a journalist in Central America before moving to London for a time to continue his education. While studying at the University of London, Garvey wrote for The African Times and Orient Review, which was strongly supportive of pan-African nationalism. This inspired him to return to Jamaica, where he founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association in 1912.

Garvey's activities brought him into contact with Booker T. Washington, and Garvey traveled to New York in 1916 to learn from Washington's efforts. Within three years, Garvey had established a UNIA chapter in New York and founded the Black Star Line and Negroes Factories Association. All three organizations continued to grow.

In 1922, accusations of mail fraud and accounting errors plagued the Black Star Line, and Garvey was sentenced to five years in prison on June 23, 1923. He was deported upon his release in 1927. He continued his work from Jamaica and, later, London, before he died in 1940.

Yvonne De Carlo

Canadian actress Carlo moved to Hollywood with her mother at the age of 18 in 1940. De Carlo danced in chorus lines to make ends meet until she was caught in 1940 and deported back to Canada. The chorus line company she had been dancing with, however, offered a letter of sponsorship, which allowed De Carlo to return to the U.S. and continue her quest for fame in Hollywood.

De Carlo landed her first role in a feature film in 1941. She took on a number of small roles until finally getting her big break in 1945's "Salome Where She Danced." She continued to hold down leading roles in American films for the next 30 years. She also became a TV star for her role on "The Munsters."

De Carlo died in 2007 at the age of 84.

Peter’s Point of View

Why were these people persecuted?

They were persecuted by racial and nationalist prejudice. It’s a common situation all over the world (not just the United States) and it does nothing to advance the quality of life for anyone, or even any nation, anywhere.

The examples above tell the stories of a few people who battled the authorities in America, made good and became famous. But their stories are typical of millions all over the world who fought the same battles and made good without becoming famous.

Throughout history immigrants have helped build great nations and will continue to do so in the future. It appalls me that so many of the opponents of immigration have never got off their backsides and gone out to see the world, meet people of other races and cultures. If they did most would stop seeing their tiny part of the world through a tunnel.

The free flow of labor, goods and services is always accepted as reasonable between one town and the next, so why not between one country and the next and between all countries?

Please post your comments, or connect with Peter on Facebook or Twitter

The Biography of an Extraordinary Sailor

The Story Of Sir Peter Blake

By Tessa Duder

Peter Blake was a New Zealand hero – sailor, adventurer, leader and environmentalist. 

Competing in ocean races, he clocked up as many sea miles as any seafarer in history, with some epic victories. Then he led his small country to win the America’s Cup (twice!), and gave his last years to helping the environment. 

Award-winning author Tessa Duder tells the gripping story of Sir Peter’s life for teenage readers, revealing what made him an inspirational leader. The book features boxes backgrounding sailing skills, the America’s Cup and other key points, and is richly illustrated with photos from his life (including 8 pages of color).

Author’s Bio: Tessa Duder is one of New Zealand’s most celebrated children’s authors, and has written more than 40 books in genres from junior fiction to adult history. Among her best-known works are the Alex quartet and her biography of Margaret Mahy. A keen sailor, she lives in Auckland.
From Chapbook published by the New Zealand Society of Authors http://www.authors.org.nz

Peter’s Comment

I met Sir Peter Blake once just before his untimely death and felt obliged to tell him about an unusual episode that I was involved in sometime earlier.

There was a sailor’s birthday party in progress at Auckland’s Royal Akarana Yacht Club and the clubhouse was getting a bit noisy when a man joined my table.

I introduced myself as Peter Blakeborough and the new arrival quickly vanished again but returned moments later with a beer for me. We struggled to make conversation in the noisy environment, but before I had finished the beer he had another lined up for me.

“You don’t have to buy beer for me,” I told him.

He replied, “If you are Peter Blake’s brother I’ll happily buy beer for you all night.”

When I related this to the famous sailor he laughed and said, “So you must be saying that you owe me a beer. I’ll take you up on that sometime.”

We never met again and then the unthinkable happened when he was killed by Amazon pirates.

The Story of Sir Peter Blake will be a great book to read and treasure and it comes from one of New Zealand’s best authors.