Retina Display - Only on iPhone4

In a commercial on Australian Television, Optus advertises the display capabilities of an Apple product.

The commercial plays on the fact that the display is currently the highest resolution available.

In the commercial Optus states that the retina* display is ONLY available on the iPhone 4.

That is quite simply a lie. Apple's newest version of iPod Touch (the 4th generation) also features the retina display.

Optus is providing false information to the public, and the media authority is putting these lies to air.

* retina display is Apple's marketing name for a high resolution display. The display features 326 pixel per inch.

Cop sacked for taking booze into dry town

A Queensland police officer has been sacked for allegedly taking large amounts of booze into a community subject to alcohol restrictions.

It's also alleged the senior sergeant let a civilian use part of his police kit, and dishonestly used property.

Police media did not identify the 44-year-old officer and would not name the central region community concerned.

They also could not confirm which part of the officer's kit had been used by the civilian.

There were no details available about any criminal charges the officer might face.

ninemsn 17 Feb 2011

Another timeless example of a 'crooked cop'. Although petty, none the less a criminal.

Notice how "There were no details available about any criminal charges the officer might face".

Crime Gangs, the politics, the authorities.

In recent mass media news a few of the Victorian crime families have made it to the front page of the news services.

Some of the more prominent ‘business’ families that made the spotlight are the Moran’s, Williams’ and the Chaouk’s. These families are well established suppliers and distributors of drugs and other criminal activities and are well known to the authorities.

The mass media makes out that it is a surprise not only to the authorities but also to the news agencies that these families have amassed huge wealth from the proceeds of crime, which is illegal in Australia, taking into account that the authorities allow these people to operate their criminal activities for over 30 years in some cases, and most importantly are fully aware of their financial wealth.

There are many more families involved in criminal activities that are also known to the authorities. These crime families vary in ethnicity from Asian to Middle Eastern imported migrants, to the new wave of African criminals. These are purely facts, but any dissecting of nationalities is generally considered as racist by the mass media.

Under no circumstances can any government or authority say that they are not aware of the key players in the industry.

The operations of these crime figures is widely known within the authorities, as the technology used by governments to track / trace criminals is well established across many disciplines.

Specialist software is used at various levels, and rolled out to key financial and government installations to monitor track and alert the activities of ‘persons of interest’. Also specialist hardware is used, which the general populous are not aware exists.

A simple example of such technology used is that of location tracking via cell tower triangulation to within an acceptable level allowing the use secondary surveillance. Police have arrangement with telcos to obtain this kind of information and do so on a more often basis (breaching privacy laws) than reported by the media.

A timely example of how well organised the crime gangs are is that sometimes there is response to an action that the law has taken against those gangs. A police officer may be slain in what appears to be cold blood, with no apparent motive, as these people were ‘good officers’. A hit man may be brought in from interstate to do the job, then whisked away. A hit may vary in price from $2,500 upwards, depending on the target. As a result it is ‘understood’ the major players are to be left alone.

Authorities are involved in liaison with criminal organisations at various levels of society, from the kickback taking Constable who does not instigate criminal proceedings against the smaller fish, to sports persons, lawyers, politicians and judges who are either ‘unofficially’ on the payroll, or are being blackmailed.

An unnamed person involved in politics was interviewed by corpau, and it was mentioned that the politician is unable to stray from the policies of the employer or their Masonic Lodge, as their family will be put at risk, as a result for not listening to an order, which can be carried out against them at a later point in time.

Some well known businesses operate as a cover for the drug syndicates.

The drug industry in Australia is worth an estimated $18 billion per year (or 1.2 billion per month).

The politics is also quite clear and simple, in that they (the gangs) are left to themselves to sort it out, i.e. the killings etc, as this is a directive given from above. Only once the carnage spills out into the public eye, then there has to be some action taken to ‘appear’ as if something is been done.

There is also an understanding with the mass media that not everything is reported including police corruption associated with those gangs.

McDonalds WiFi - speed

McDonald's the Global Junk Food Giant, in order to entice its customers into the store, offers "FREE WiFi".

As some people may say that "Nothing comes for free", the cost of this "FREE WiFi" can quite easily be diluted into the price of high profit grossing items, like lemonades and slurpees.

So what is the actual performance of this "FREE WiFi".

In the illustrated example a download speed of 1 kbps was obtained.

This is comparable to that of technology offered to the masses (at huge cost) in the 1980's.

Telecom Viatel was offered at a download speed of 1200 bps (or 1.2kbps) and a 75 bps upload speed. The modems that were enlisted to do such a task were in the vicinity of $400, which is approximately a couple of thousand dollars in today's money.

At various times and places there were other speeds recorded of 6 kbps up to a maximum of 50 kbps.

Ironically in the illustration, Google's advertisement calls for getting a faster web browser. Why?

McDonald's redefining the term snail mail. 1 kbps is better than 0 kbps.

Mystery Million - Crime Gangs millions

On the 17th of February the Herald Sun newspaper published an article under the heading "Mystery Million".

The article implies that no one knows how the well established crime family, the Chaouks have come to fortune.

An online article of the family follows:

Slain crime patriarch Machhour Chaouk's tidy fortune

SLAIN crime patriarch Machhour Chaouk amassed more than $1 million before he was gunned down - despite not holding a job for 25 years.

The Herald Sun can reveal Chaouk, who was shot dead outside his home last August, left his entire estate to his sick wife Fatma.

Chaouk's will shows the 64-year-old died with $1.2 million worth of real estate, $9000 in personal property and a $9000 2001 Toyota Hilux.

His assets included the double-storey family home in Brooklyn in Melbourne's west, where he was killed, and two other homes in Brooklyn.

Born in Tripoli, Chaouk migrated from Lebanon in 1969, working at a tyre factory in Sydney's west.

He returned to Lebanon to marry Fatma before the couple settled in Brooklyn in 1974.

Over the next 20 years the couple produced five sons and a daughter, and went about building an empire in the western suburbs.

For a time, Chaouk worked in a wool store in Sunshine and then a fruit shop, but he was never out of trouble for long.

In 1975, he was charged with his first offence, assault with a weapon, after he beat another man with metal bars at a factory.

In 1983 he was convicted of trafficking heroin, and two years later was charged with assaulting police.

His crimes were not just restricted to Victoria. In 1984 he was charged with assault and burglary by NSW police. A year later he was incapacitated by two motor accidents and never worked again.

In 1986, Chaouk was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, and spent years on anti-depressants.

He was charged with recklessly causing serious injury after beating a man over an allegedly stolen bike in 1991.

That year he also invested in an unsuccessful grocery shop, a failure that resulted in the loss of his home.

In 2000, Chaouk was sentenced to five years in prison for trafficking in heroin.

Last month police offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to a murder conviction over Chaouk.

Anyone with information on Chaouk's death should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

heraldsun.com.au 17 Feb 2011

The major crime families in Australia are well known to authorities, that being police, government and the various departments within.

To suggest that one is unaware of their 'fortunes' these families amass is quite simply untrue.

The understanding is that these families are to be "left alone". Anyone who tries to bring them to 'justice' is met with stiff opposition, and in cases left (beaten / hurt) as an example for others NOT to follow suite.

It is ONLY when their criminal activities (drugs, hits, prostitution, money laundering, passport fraud, etc) overflow into the public eye, is when the police 'seem' to be taking action, only on the directive from their superiors.

Logitech Pure Fi - Rip off

In the world of consumer electronics accessories for Apple branded goods, one can quite clearly see the price premium the public are asked to pay for the accessories.

From Apple's docking cables that retail for $30 that can be brought from other sellers for $5 for the exact same cable which is manufactured in China for Apple, to ipod/iphone stereo system docks.

An example of such blatant consumer rip off for example, regarding Cambridge Audio's dock was posted :

http://corpau.blogspot.com/2011/02/cambridge-audio-id10.html

Another example of audio systems follows:







The specifications of the illustrated Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere 2 ipod/iphone Dock indicate that it has 2" drivers and 3" pressure drivers.
Price: $219

As a comparison :








Soniq has a similar product the i301 iPhone/iPod Speaker System with 2" drivers and 2.7" pressure drivers.
Price $99

Whilst Soniq's product is not identical, the price difference is significant from $99 for the Soniq product compared to $219 for Logitech's dock.

Smarthome - Off Grid living - only for the rich

One of the greatest political propaganda's of our time is to:

"GO GREEN".

There is an enormous push from governments to make society more environmentally friendly.

Governments penalise people for not going green, by introducing hefty taxes.

Whilst the public are brainwashed into GOING GREEN, the real costs are HIDDEN from Joe Average.

The public are not really told that where they live, going solar may NOT be a viable alternative.

The public are NOT told that the purchase of a 1.5kw solar system will not be enough to power their home in Melbourne, which applies to approx. 4 million customers.

BUT, what IS important is they FEEL good that they are doing something for the environment.

What is the real cost of going "OFF - GRID" solar?

A "hero" home ( described in Australian smart home - summer 2011) is used as an example of living off the grid, BUT at no point in the article there is a mention of the costs involved.

The home has an 80 meter frontage, situated on a 5 acre allotment.

Some of the other features are four 20,000 litre water storage tanks, 50 meter swimming pool, a dam, a pond, a 100 meter long winding waterfall system. The accessories to the property when combined are large dollar items that the majority of the population are not able to afford.

Most importantly the project was undertaken by a company that knew the client from "more commercial, heavy industrial work", signifying that the customer may be wealthy.

The article states that 52 photovoltaic cells are used to produce an 8kw system.

At an Australian electronics hobbyist store, a 175W solar panel costs AU$850. To supply 52 panels will cost $44,000.

There is also the cost of inverters, chargers and also a battery backup, which depending on the specifications can amount to an approximate half of the cost of the panel price.

Also there is the Home Automation system that controls many aspects of the home, including electric blinds opening and closing, and various other aspects of the house.

Other large dollar items include an LED televisions of various sizes scattered amongst the house.

The replacement of lighting to energy 'efficient' LED downlights can cost from as little as $30 per light to as much as a couple of hundred.

The article mentions that there are 200 external lights. At a realist cost of $50 for a 3 LED light that equates to $10,000.

Not forgetting that the entire project was managed / wired up by a professional company, the costs associated are also not conveniently NOT mentioned.

At a conservative estimate of $80,000 for ONLY the 'off the grid' connection of the 'hero' home, does NOT represent a 'cost effective' solution as one may think it does.

The official interest rate for the devaluation of the dollar is at 10%, which is NOT to the confused with the rate of interest that banks give to retail customers (i.e. the public), which can be in the vicinity of 5%.

The investment amount of $80,000 will earn you $8,000 per annum.

An average Aussie home of approx 40 squares can consume 25kWhr per day or approx $1,500 of electricity per annum.

A saving of $6,500 on the ROI (Return On Investment) compared to that of a solar solution.

The ratings of photovoltaic cells is done near zero latitude at a rate of 5.5 hrs of sun per day during summer. Temperature has a large effect on the efficiency of the cells.

Also most cells are ONLY guaranteed at 80% efficiency for only 2 years.

This featured article is not a real representation of how viable off the grid living is, but rather a "show of " of what people can do with lost of money.

Far from a realistic example.

Apple's App Store Fraud

It is absolutely amazing that there has been NO court time against Apple in the Australian courts, for breach of the consumers code of practice.

The Information Technology giant, Apple sells products all over the world via its App Store. Certain apps (applications) are only able to be purchased depending on location.

Apple is selling its apps via the Australian app store to Australian consumers.

Under Australian Consumer Law, if a product purchased does not comply with the description or does not perform as stated, then the options by the consumer can be: repairing of the faulty product, exchange of the faulty product, refund.

These laws also apply to software.

In the Australian App Store there are many products that do not perform as stated, or the users have commented that the product does not even work.

Under Australian law the users are entitled to a refund, which is an option that is NOT undertaken by the consumer or as an alternative offered by Apple.

Quite simply put Apple is profiteering FRAUDULENTLY from the sales and supply of faulty products, NOT offering consumer's a refund, if so desired which is ILLEGAL in Australia.

I didn't kill Carl Williams, says former cop Paul Dale

FORMER detective Paul Dale says he did not organise the killing of crime king Carl Williams.

Mr Dale told the Herald Sun he was surprised he had not been questioned over the killing of Williams in Victoria's Barwon Prison last April. And he was aware of suggestions he was involved.

"It's like every other allegation," he said. "I find it laughable and staunchly deny it. It's a load of crap."

In his first interview since the withdrawal of a charge he murdered police informer Terence Hodson, Mr Dale told the Herald Sun:

- WITNESSES had been offered lucrative and improper inducements to give evidence against him in the Hodson case.

- HE had written to Victorian Police Minister Peter Ryan seeking an independent inquiry into the Petra Taskforce's pursuit of him over the Hodson murder.

- POLICE had perjured themselves while investigating him.

- HE was suing the state over his detention on remand in the super-secure Acacia section of Barwon Prison.

- EVIDENCE he gave in coercive hearings was used against him despite a promise this could not happen.

- CHIEF Commissioner Simon Overland had "staked his career" on nailing him.

Victoria Police yesterday declined to comment.

Mr Dale said from the moment the Petra Taskforce was established, there was only one objective: to nail him for the killings of Hodson and Hodson's wife, Christine, at their home on May 16, 2004.

Hodson had agreed to give evidence that Mr Dale was involved in a bungled $1.3 million burglary in 2003.

Mr Dale said a key witness in the Hodson murder prosecution was offered financial and sentencing inducements that would have utterly tainted the evidence.

He said that witness had already been discredited by a court and previously told investigators he knew nothing about the deaths, before changing his mind after offers were made.

"It wasn't a search for the truth," he said. "They've had me under siege for a long time.

"A lot of people would say an innocent man would have nothing to fear.

"I wish that was true. How do you not fear something when you see criminals offered massive incentives (to incriminate you)."

Mr Dale said he had no problem with being investigated over the Hodson killings. But the police pursuit of him had excluded other possible suspects, some serious criminals with motives to want Hodson dead.

Mr Dale said some of the OPI hearings about him were designed to publicly identify and pressure his friends and associates.

"They scared off every other member who was a friend of mine," he said.

During one of those hearings, evidence was led that Dale had told a former colleague to offer some "free legal advice" to hotelier friend Mick Jesic, who had been approached by the Petra Taskforce.

Detectives had asked Mr Jesic whether he recognised a gun found in Hodson's car.

Mr Dale said the legal advice comment was nothing more sinister than a poor choice of words. He wanted the former colleague to "go and see that he's OK".

He denied that in the hours after the drug house burglary he had stolen and then distributed a secret police file outlining how Hodson was informing on underworld figures.

heraldsun.com.au

Police corruption and crime at the top is rife.

Victoria Police is regarded as one of Australia's most corrupt.

Corruption varies from police handing out false speeding fines, to police dealing with drug gangs in allowing them to operate through financial reimbursements.

Murderer caught after 15 years on the run

A "cold-blooded assassin" who's been on the run for 15 years has been caught in north Queensland.

Luke Andrew Hunter, 42, who in the late 1990s was No 4 on Australia's most wanted list and Queensland's most wanted man, was arrested on Sunday morning at a home at Herberton in the Atherton Tablelands following a covert police operation.

Hunter escaped from the Borallon Correctional Centre, near Ipswich, in February 1996, by cutting through a fence with a stolen pair of bolt cutters after wrapping up work in the prison laundry.

The freckled redhead was last seen in prison clothes, armed with a knife, fleeing on foot away from the prison.

He was serving a 21-year jail term after being found guilty in the Newcastle Supreme Court in 1990 for the jealousy-driven murder of his lover's husband, 36-year-old Brian Phillip Nagle.

In sentencing Hunter, Justice Peter Newman said the murder was a "cold-blooded assassination" of his best mate, who was shot in the head with a rifle while on a shooting trip on August 14.

Hunter tried to make it appear as though Mr Nagle had left and removed clothing and personal items from his home.

He then began living with Mr Nagle's wife until his body was found almost a month after the murder in a grave in bushland at Yarrowitch, near Walcha.

During the week-long trial, Hunter told the court he shot Mr Nagle because he had raped and abused his wife.

He was arrested without incident on Sunday morning.

He remains in custody in Cairns and is expected to be transferred into the care of Corrective Services in Brisbane on Monday.

He may face one charge of unlawful escape from custody.

The former farm hand ranked as number four on the most wanted list in 1998, behind the likes of Christopher Skase.

Skase was an Australian businessman who later became one of the country's most wanted fugitives, after his business empire crashed spectacularly and he fled to Majorca in Spain. He died in August 2001.

14 Feb 2011

Another timeless example of how the law 'rewards' convicted criminals.

Only a few years (21) for killing someone.

Astronomers warn of 2036 asteroid collision

An asteroid considered to be the largest threat to Earth may strike the planet within the next 25 years, according to Russian astronomers.

Scientists at St Petersburg State University have predicted that asteroid Apophis may hit Earth on April 13, 2036.

"Apophis will approach Earth at a distance of 37,000-38,000km on April 13, 2029. Its likely collision with Earth may occur on April 13, 2036," Professor Leonid Solokov said.

The chance of the asteroid striking Earth intact is slim as it will probably disintegrate into smaller pieces and hit the planet at various times.

But if the asteroid does collide with Earth, NASA estimates the energy from this particular asteroid to be roughly the same as hundreds of nuclear bombs.

However, they have recently released new research which shows the chance of Apophis striking in 2036 to be less than 1 in 45,000.

But astronomers say it is best to be prepared for all situations.

"Our task is to consider various alternatives and develop scenarios and plans of action depending on results of further observations of Apophis," Sokolov said.

Russia's space agency is currently considering a project to prevent the asteroid from colliding with Earth.

10 Feb 2011

Literally within every generation there is scare mongering as to the END of the WORLD scenarios.

In the early 1900's religious sects brainwashed their sheep that the end of the world is coming, and since their world possessions are not needed they must be handed over to the sect.

The Egyptians knew precisely when eclipses were to occur, and gathered the masses to say the 'Gods' were taking away the sun, as the sheep were disobedient. Sacrifices and worldly possessions had to be handed over to the people in power in order to restore the sun.

Education was kept away from the masses.

Similarly in this day and age, there is world spread of imminent disaster.

Historical and geographical evidence, may certainly point to cataclysms and natural disasters which sometimes leave humanity on the verge of extinction, BUT taking into account the laws of probability, there is a very minute chance that the end of humanity will occur within our lifetime of approx 75 year period compared to the age of the Earth or even the time frame between Ice Ages.

Another tactic used to instill fear into the mindless masses which has been done by authorities since the beginning only differing in content.