Swap Meet - Piracy

The masses are apparently told that copying of software is illegal.

In this form a name has been given called piracy, and criminal acts have been loosely establish to punish individuals who 'pirate' software from large 'multinationals'.

Computer Swap meets are great places for obtaining 'bargains' of all sorts relating to Information Technology.

Another thing that can be obtained from them is
PIRATED SOFTWARE.

There are a number of vendors that openly sell pirated software, of which the authorities are no doubt aware of, and 'turn' a blind eye.

No doubt that maybe some of these people may be on government welfare claiming unemployment benefits (i.e. claiming NO INCOME) yet on the weekends sell pirated disks for $10 to $30 a pop.

Goldman Sachs bankers to lead $108bn bonus windfall

Wall Street bankers are set to receive a windfall of $108 billion in pay and bonuses - more than four times Australia's annual military spending.

Goldman Sachs hot shots are expected to land an 81 percent rise in pay and bonuses for 2009, leading Wall Street's biggest banks in rewarding staff with a total of $108 billion (US$100 billion).

Analysts predict that Goldman will hand out up to $22 billion to its 30,000 staff members - a windfall of around $715,780 a head – sparking further public backlash over fat cat pay.

Australia's defence budget for 2009-10 was set at $25 billion in May last year - increased by $1.7 billion to help fund the cost of operations in Afghanistan ($1.4 billion), Iraq ($62.2 million) and East Timor ($213.8 millon).

Goldman, which will round up the US banks reporting season on Thursday, is bracing itself for outrage despite many staff taking bonuses in shares rather than cash, as well as higher-paid executives being forced to donate money to charity.

Rival bank JP Morgan was slammed by politicians across the globe on Friday when it revealed plans to pay up 24,654 traders a vast $10.1 billion in bonuses.

JP Morgan's bankers in London are thought to be in line for an average $409,500, according to UK reports.

The bank was awarded $16.6 billion of US taxpayers' cash amid the global financial crisis last year. It has since repaid the loan, and last week posted a huge jump in profits to almost $13 billion.

Meanwhile, rival Morgan Stanley is rumoured to be planning payouts worth $16 billion, despite being slated to have lost around $922 million this year.

Citigroup is expected to pay out $5.5 billion in bonuses to its investment banking arm, despite preparing to report losses of $9.2 billion this week, according to The Sunday Times.

The bank, which was the last of its peers to repay the US government, is expected to admit to paying staff more than $32.5 billion in bonuses, salaries and benefits overall.

The windfalls come days after the US President Barack Obama unveiled a "Spank the Banks" tax which will net $125 billion over a decade, in a bid to curb the "obscene" bonus culture.

In the UK, the new 50 percent "super-tax" on bonuses above $44,000 should pull around $530 million into the government's coffers.

However, Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling has been urged to match Obama's move.

Liberal Democrat shadow chancellor Vince Cable told The Sun newspaper that continuing to reward reckless bankers was akin to "giving a gambling addict a ticket to Las Vegas".

By Emma Thelwell, ninemsn Money 18 Jan 2010

In a system that is realistically 'above the law'

Bankers and Financiers who control the world,

give pre$ents to each other.

Brother 'shielded sister' in fatal Melbourne crash

One of the youths killed in yesterday's horror crash in Melbourne helped shield his little sister as the car they were in lost control and slammed into a tree.

Anthony Ianetta, 18, shoved 15-year-old Elissa down as the Ford Falcon XR6 hit a median strip, spun out of control then swerved back onto the road before ploughing into a large tree.

"She remembers that … he shoved her head in between his legs to try and protect her," Elissa's mother Rose Sutera told the Herald Sun.

"As they roared around the corner, he gripped the handle above the back seat door — he must have known what was going to happen."

The crash, described by emergency workers as they worst they had ever seen, left Anthony and four of his mates dead and Elissa in hospital.

Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Tim Cartwright said the driver of the Falcon sedan carrying six people from a party in Ivanhoe at about 1.50am (AEDT) lost control on Plenty Road, Mill Park, in perfect conditions.

Mr Cartwright estimated the vehicle was travelling at 140km/h in an 80km/h zone when it struck and wrapped itself around the tree, which fell onto the car splitting the vehicle apart.

"As far as we can tell the car's doing about 140km/h, just crazy speeds," he told reporters at the scene.

"There are six young people on board, five of them have died instantly.

"How many times do we have to say to people: `Speed kills'?

"This isn't speed, this is just lunacy."

Others killed included driver Steve Johnstone, 19, and his half-brother Will Te-Whare, 15, both of South Morang.

Ben Hall, 19, and Matt Lister, 17, also of South Morang, were killed.

Elissa Ianetta remains in a serious but stable condition in Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Under probationary driver restrictions, Mr Johnstone should have been carrying only one of the young passengers in his car, police confirmed to AAP.

Deputy Commissioner for road policing Ken Lay told the told Fairfax Radio Network Mr Johnstone had previous form for speeding.

"We believe he had a prior conviction for a high speed in the last year or so," Mr Lay said.

"He shouldn't have had passengers in the car, he had a five-seater car with six passengers it ... and as a result we've got five kids dead, a shocking story of a young girl trapped under broken bodies for a long time while we tried to get her out."

He said there was evidence the car was speeding in Ivanhoe earlier in the night.

"... This car was apparently seen a little earlier in the night at 150km/h with a passenger hanging out the window."

Ambulance paramedic Ron McLeod said rescue workers had to lift three of the dead teenagers off the 15-year-old to free her from the wreckage.

"I've been a paramedic for 30 years and this is the most horrific scene I've ever seen," Mr McLeod told reporters.

He said the 15-year-old was "lucky to be alive"

ninemsn 18 Jan 2010

Example of more teenage trash killing themselves
AND endangering / killing others.

Upadate (28/01/2010) :

The drivers blood alcohol content was found to be 0.19 or appox 4 times the legal limit for a fully licensed driver.

The 'end of privacy': Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg

Notions of privacy have radically shifted due to the popularity of social networking sites such as Facebook, according to its founder Mark Zuckerberg.

The 25 year-old Facebook CEO, who was speaking at an awards ceremony in San Francisco, said that privacy was "no longer a social norm" and that "people have really gotten comfortable not only sharing more information and different kinds, but more openly and with more people".

According to a report in the Guardian newspaper, Zuckerberg's comments are "not surprising" considering massive changes in Facebook's privacy settings that affected many of the site's 350 million users.

Zuckerberg said that when he started the site in 2004 for fellow Ivy League students, notions of privacy were vastly different.

He said people were less likely to want to share personal information with strangers on the web, but in the last "five or six" years the explosion of personal websites and blogs had redefined our privacy boundaries.

But the question remains whether notions of privacy have changed due to Facebook pushing users to be more open, with initiatives such as the introduction of the 'news feed' in 2006 — or whether the rise of other tools such as blogging has led to internet users becoming more relaxed with sharing information.

Marshall Kirkpatrick, of the technology industry blog ReadWriteWeb was quoted in the Guardian as saying that Facebook has been "complicit in ....changing the way people think about online privacy."

Technology expert Om Malik had previously described changes in Facebook's privacy settings as creating an equivalent of a "quasi-White Pages of the Web."

ninemsn 11 Jan 2020

Caltex Fuel Rip off

During the festive seasons, the petrochemical companies jack the prices up of fuel in a BLATANT consumer rip off plan.

The mass media very rarely bring this into the spotlight of the general public, even though EVERY SINGLE motorist is fully aware that they are being ripped off.

In the illustration above, the photo shows the price of fuels of Unleaded/Diesel/LPG at 123.7 / 123.9/ 62.9 (cents per litre) respectively.

Just prior to the holiday season of Christmas the average price of LPG was 48 (c/litre).

An increase of approximately 28% has jumped literally overnight.

There is NO plausible reason given for this, and if such an event were to happen to a company's shares whilst trading on the stock market, there would be an inquiry.

The Australian Price Consumer Authority (ACCC) is literally doing NOTHING about this, and in effect supporting the petrochemical company's ripping off the consumer.

Gary Unmarried - Another LOSER show

Just recently another 'loser' television show has made it to the Australian air waves.

This time in the wrapping of Gary 'unmarried'.

Australian 'free to air' TV has his a rock bottom in terms of ANY programs that offer any sort of mental stimulus.

These show are a diet set for our children by the media. It is really cool if you are a loser, and make useless funny jokes that in reality would have you up for sexual harassment either in the workplace or in your private life.

This is a deliberate tactic employed by the people in power to DUMB down the Nation, and to generally lower ethical standards towards others.

Geoffrey Edelsten in helicopter crash

Dr Geoffrey Edelsten has vowed to fly again despite crashing his helicopter today while attempting his first solo flight.

Edelsten, 66, escaped with only minor injuries after crashing the aircraft at Melbourne’s Moorabbin Airport at about 10.15am today.

Nine News helicopter pilot Ben Harris, who was one of the first people on the scene, said the craft yawed strongly to the left shortly after take-off.

"You need to put a fair bit of 'pedal' in the aircraft when you take off and it looks like he just failed to do so," Mr Harris told the Nine News 11am bulletin.

Edelsten walked away from the crash and was treated at the scene in an ambulance for cuts to his hands.

“His first phone call was to his new bride, Brynne Gordon,” a spokeswoman for Edelsten said.

Walking a little gingerly, Edelsten left Moorabbin Airport shortly after midday to be reunited with 26-year-old Gordon.

He confirmed to a waiting media pack that he was fine — and that he had no intentions of quitting flying.

“It all happened very quickly,” he said.

“I was on my back looking up at the broken windshield and glass thinking this can’t be happening.”

He would not say where he was to meet Gordon as he got into a waiting car.

Edelsten’s spokeswoman confirmed the medical tycoon was on his first solo flight when he crashed.

But she insisted he was “an experienced pilot [who] has flown fixed-wing aircraft previously”.

Edelsten’s helicopter was incinerated despite the efforts of bystanders using extinguishers.

Mr Harris said he initially thought the tycoon was trapped but was quickly proven wrong.

"He was fine when he got out … he was walking around.

"He said something like, 'I wish that didn’t happen'.”

Ambulance Victoria spokesman Paul Bentley said the sole occupant was treated for a minor cut to the hand.

"He was assessed by paramedics but didn't go to hospital," he said.

Metropolitan Fire Brigade spokesman John Taylor said Edelsten was walking on the tarmac when fire crews arrived.

Mr Taylor said fire crews were on site to mop up fuel leaking from the helicopter.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) was also in attendance, he said.

Last month Edelsten, 66, wed 26-year-old Brynne Gordon in the most expensive wedding in Australian history, with the nuptials carrying a price tag of $3 million.

PHOTOS: Edelsten weds in $3m ceremony

The extravagant ceremony at Melbourne’s Crown Casino raised eyebrows after '90s sitcom stars Fran Drescher and Jason Alexander were brought in to host the event, which was attended by more than 550 guests.

with AAP

A user commented on DIGG:

The gold digger nearly got his money sooner than she expected.

The media also labeled him as an AFL 'personality'. Dr. Edelsten cannot 'practice' in Victoria as a result of fraud. Another concerning part about this is that he is an 'experienced' pilot.....

Octopuses using coconut shells as tools

Octopuses have been captured on camera using coconut shells as disguises and for protection, astonishing the Australian scientists who made the discovery.

Footage shot off Indonesia shows an octopus crawling along the ocean floor with two coconut shell halves suctioned to its underside, behaviour which biologists describe as "bizarre".

The octopus then reassembles the coconut and hides inside it, confirming the species as a tool-carrying animal, according to National Geographic.

Researchers from Melbourne's Museum Victoria filmed 20 veined octopuses carrying the coconut shells that were nearly twice as big as their 8cm bodies.

"We were blown away," biologist Mark Norman said.

"It was hard not to laugh underwater and flood your [scuba] mask."

The discovery comes from a 10-year study filming octopuses off the coast of Sulawesi and Bali.

Tool use by animals is seen as a sign of mental sophistication, with dolphins and chimpanzees also using tools.

Octopuses are considered to be among the smartest animals on Earth.

aap 15 Dec 2009

'Mr Christmas' loses 20kg due to financial crisis

A British man who has eaten a full Christmas dinner every day for the past 15 years has dropped nearly 20kg after being forced to cut his portions during the financial crisis.

Andy Park, dubbed "Mr Christmas" by the UK press, has been forced to cut his yearly dinner and decoration budget from $19,500 to $8900, The Sun newspaper reports.

Mr Park, a 45-year-old divorced electrician, has consumed nearly 118,000 brussel sprouts and about 5000 bottles of Moet champagne since he decided to get into the festive spirit full-time in July 1994, but since January he's had to slash his dinner portions.

"Before the credit crunch I was eating a 14-pound (6.3kg) turkey, now I'm down to a four pounder (1.8kg)," he told The Sun.

Mr Park has also cut down from nine large roast potatoes to four, now eats just 12 mince pies per day instead of 40, has just a tablespoon of peas and makes his bottle of champagne last two days.

He's also cut his sprout and stuffing ball consumption by more than half — leading to the drop in weight from 123kg to 101kg.

The budget cuts have been a boon for Mr Park's fitness: he is now walking every day and even able to complete 50 pushups.

The tight times have also forced the father-of-one to cut down on his use of party poppers and crackers, but he still manages to munch on mince pies and drink sherry for breakfast and a roast-turkey lunch before rewatching the Queen's Christmas speech on video.

Mr Park said he started the bizarre festive fetish when he was "feeling fed up" one July.

"I was bored, so I went home and put the decorations up — suddenly I was happy," he said.

"Since then my routine every day has been to get up and have seven or eight mince pies and a glass of sherry for breakfast —: after that I open my presents I've wrapped for myself."

15 Dec 2009

This is what the 'news' has been reduced to, about a loser.

A pile of gossip, and meaningless drivel.

The politics is LOUD and CLEAR, to dumb down the nation.

AAMI Insurance - Fraudulent Claims

One of the current commercials aired on Australian television by AAMI Insurance, shows rather naive looking young lad polishing his VolksWagen Golf.

The lad then claims that from the savings made from his insurance policy he was able to re-spray his vehicle (from it's original colour) to Fire Hydrant Red.

AAMI then states that an average saving on it's policy is approx. $166.

A professional looking (as depicted in the advertisement) 're-spray' on any car in no where near the magnitude of the quoted $166, or even 10 times that amount.

Deliberately fraudulent claims and misleading information given to the general public.

A move that is supported by the advertising networks and omitted my the spineless ACCC.

As always NO legal action will follow.