Quotable quotes

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one." Mark Twain 1835-1910, Writer

email

A man who was just married was flying to the Florida Keys for a business trip. His new bride was to accompany him the next day. When he got there he E-mailed his wife to let her know he made it there safely. When he sent the E-mail he miss-typed the address. In Boston, a grieving widow, whose husband has recently passed away, receives the E-mail. She reads it, screams, and faints. Hearing her grandmother’s cry, the widow's 18-year-old granddaughter runs into the living room to see the computer on with a message.

It reads:

Dear love,
Just got here. Preparing for your arrival tomorrow. Can't wait to see you.

Love,
Me.

P.S. Sure is hot down here.

Steve Johnson number 1 Ford in Championship

Release Date: 27/03/2007
After completing the 3 sprint races in Perth over the weekend, Steve Johnson jumps up to 5th on the championship table, making him the highest placed Ford driver in the series after the first two rounds.
Will Davison also showed his colours, finishing right behind his team mate in 5th position, making him the second highest placed Ford for the round.Will now joins Steve inside the top 10 in the Championship. He has surged from 14th place up to 9th and is showing the pace to keep moving up the ladder.With both Jim Beam Racing Ford Falcons delivering the goods over the weekend, Team owner Dick Johnson said, “We are confident that there are better results to come from both boys this season, but one driver in the top 5 and the other in the top 10 is exactly where we want to be this season. There are still a few of those red cars that need chasing down, but being the top 2 Fords for the weekend is certainly a good sign for the future”.
While discussing the team’s outlook, Dick added, “The whole team deserves the results from Perth. Even our pit stops have improved; I believe we posted the quickest pit stop in race 2. So we are all going to keep working together to go faster and finish higher as the season progresses. With Steve as the top Ford driver right now, and Jim Beam Racing as the top Ford team, it is such a great feeling to be leading the charge for the ‘Blue side’ again”.
As the Team Championship heats up, Jim Beam Racing clenched a well earned second place for the round, finishing only behind the Toll HSV Team. With both drivers banking some solid points, Jim Beam Racing made the leap up to third place in the 2007 Team Championship.Steve, Will and the entire Jim Beam Racing outfit are charged and ready to take on the challenging Pukekohe circuit in just over three weeks, starting 19th April.

Random thoughts

My resolution is take care, have fun, be cool but then of course I am nearly 60 and probably have a different attitude from some of our younger readers. I still work a 10 or 11 hour day so in that regard I am similar to many.
Regarding our colleague who is confused about how to move people forward. Here are a few thoughts without thinking too much:
Firstly remove all sharp instruments because it is not wrist slashing time yet – even at the point of writing I have only been back at work 9 days and don’t even know my final staffing for the year;
Have a cup of tea alone;
Have a cup of tea with the teachers;
Realise that every piece of data has a story and every story has data (I am sure someone said that once);
Look at school results, student outcomes etc to see what the issues are if there are any issues;
Spend time watching what teachers do and how they do it – I know a man who is Japanese and he can get his dog to do everything I can get my dog to do but we speak different languages;
Have another cup of tea to plan a strategy to present the data and the stories to the teachers;
Present the data and the stories with or without a cup of tea. This presentation should include a section on compliance – ie what we have to do whether we want to or not because our employer has dictated it.
Decide whether a change is really necessary and if it is, decide whether it is by revolution or evolution – my experience is that, where cooperation is evident, evolution is fine (99.999999999999% of the time) but once or twice in a long career revolution has its place.
Do you remember “Happy Days”? Fonzie was known to be the tough guy but nobody had ever seen him fight. When asked why this was the case he replied, “You have to do it once!”.
Be a leader in curriculum change if necessary – troops usually follow when the captain leads the charge – the captain rather than the general because he/she is probably away from the trenches and drinking tea;
Drink lots of tea.
Get out the sharp instruments (metaphorically speaking) just in case you decide to use them on others.

When working with teachers on moving forward with curriculum I found the best strategy initially was to ignore the syllabus and essential learnings etc.. (to start with). Many of our more experienced teachers have seen so many syllabus documents come and go, that waving another one of 8 at them must be off-putting, and just beg some "eye-rolling"....

What really worked for me, was engaging staff ( and students and parents) in a process of identifying what they wanted kids to be able to know and do when they left our school.. what was the legacy they want to give the children.... By making it personal like this it tapped the very strong opinions of the staff and engaged them...

We then organised them under "lifelong learner-type" attributes (also helped see if any gaps)... and then later we looked at which learning outcomes were going to enable and support what they wanted for our students... thus many connections were made for staff..

We also did not talk about what we were going to change.. because letting go of what you have been teaching for a while is hard.. particularly if you are not confident with what you are replacing it with.

We focussed on what we want our curriculum and learning experiences to look like in the future...and then the best of what we had done in the past came along quite naturally for this ride.

Oh, brother!

A man goes on a 2-month business trip to Europe and leaves his cat with his brother. Three days before his return he calls his brother.
Brother 1: So how is my cat doing?
Brother 2: He's Dead
Brother 1: He's Dead! What do you mean He's Dead! I loved that cat. Couldn't you think of a nicer way to tell me! I'm leaving in 3 days. You could of broke me to the news easier. You could of told me today that she got out of the house or something. Then when I called before I left you could of told me, Well, we found her but she is up on the roof and we're having trouble getting her down. Then when I call you from the airport you could of told me, The Fire Department was there and scared her off the roof and the cat died when it hit the ground.
Brother 2: I'm sorry...you're right...that was insensitive I won't let it happen again.
Brother 1: Alright, alright, forget about it. Anyway, how is Mom doing?
Brother 2: She's up on the roof and we're having trouble getting her down.

Ford Starts Mondeo Production in Belgium

Ford has started producing their mid-sized Mondeo sedan at the Blue Oval’s production facility in Genk, Belgium.
Just days ago the company started the production of its new C-Max cars.
To accommodate the increased production numbers, Ford had to upgrade the plant at a cost of about €715,000. The company has also increased the staff which now stands at 5,800.
The new car is the latest model to join Ford’s revamped Euro lineup. This is no good news for US customers as there is low chance that the car will be released stateside.
Via: motorauthority

Dogs 7

But, on the other hand, if you want someone who will never come when you call, ignores you totally when you come home, leaves hair all over the place, walks all over you, runs around all night and only comes home to eat and sleep, and acts as if your entire existence is solely to ensure his happiness then buy a cat!

I Don't Want to go to School

Early one morning, a mother went in to wake up her son. "Wake up, son. It's time to go to school!"
"But why, Mom? I don't want to go."
"Give me two reasons why you don't want to go."
"Well, the kids hate me for one, and the teachers hate me, too!"
"Oh, that's no reason not to go to school. Come on now and get ready."
"Give me two reasons why I should go to school."
"Well, for one, you're 52 years old. And for another, you're the Principal!"

The XC Cobra Story

At the start of 1978 the writing was on the wall for the Falcon Hardtop. Sales had dwindled, dealers were discounting the cars they had on the floor and production had dropped from highs of almost 200 a month to a mere 47 in January and less than 100 in March, the month when production ceased at the Broadmeadows Assembly Plant.
The monthly Ford Product Committee had an item on the agenda at one of the early 1978 meetings to discuss what was to happen to the remaining 546 kits of body panels unique to the hardtop that were still in stock. Sales & Marketing executives estimated that normal demand would account for around 100 of these bodies. However, there would still be more than 400 left at the end of the year when production of the XC sedans and wagons was due to make way for the forthcoming XD models. This would make them totally obsolete as the new model was a complete body style change.
Present at that meeting was Edsel Ford II, grandson of the founder and learning the ropes of Ford as assistant managing director of Ford Australia under Sir Brian Inglis. Sir Brian's brother, Malcolm Inglis was director of Sales & Marketing, and he had put forward a proposal to build a special all black Playboy Hardtop complete with small Playboy Bunny decals and a sexy black interior.
The Committee rejected this as being the wrong 'image' for a family car company like Ford so the problem of what to do with the remaining hardtops was still to be decided.
Edsel Ford made the suggestion that they be built as Cobras, all white with blue striping, special interiors, alloy wheels and Cobra emblems. This 'totally American' image didn't go down too well with the rest of the committee, however, as one executive said afterwards "His name is on the front of the building so perhaps we should go along with it!"
Product Development was given the task of turning Edsel's idea into reality and, in an accelerated program, turned out a prototype in a few weeks for committee approval. This would have been around April or May and Vehicle Planning Manager Peter Gillitzer sent a detailed memo with Cobra specifications to Chief Engineer J. A. Supina on June 27 asking for his concurrence. Supina signed it off on July 6th along with Chief Designer A. K. Jacobsen. Product Planning Manager Ian Vaughan, famous for his exploits in the 1968 and 1993 London to Sydney Marathons in an XT Falcon GT, signed off on 13th July.
The initial proposal was for the cars to start being built in mid-July and for the 400 cars to be completed by mid-September. Obviously this wasn't going to happen, as it was already half way through July.
Ford's production figures show that 51 Falcon 500 Hardtops were built in July, 49 in August and 400 in September. Ford's coding for July 1978 build is UM, the letters identifying the build date for every Cobra, yet most of them would have been built in August (UP) or September (UB).
As the Cobras had unique items such as special Scheel KBA90018 front seats (fitted to the 30 Bathurst Option 97 cars), special upholstery colours and fabrics, glove box plinths with individual numbering, special Cobra decals and front and rear spoilers, there would have been delays in sourcing these items from suppliers. It is unlikely that many of the Cobras were built prior to the 400 units identified as September build.
No one in Ford today can remember why every Cobra was given the UM build date code as it is obvious that they were not all built in July. Perhaps because the original approval stated that the cars would be considered as one batch and production was scheduled for a July start and that the serial numbers would be consecutive from 00001 to 00400, it was probably more convenient to identify them this way.
Needless to say, Edsel Ford's idea turned out to be a marketing coup. Dealers snapped up the cars and so did the public. While many considered that Ford could have sold a lot more, there were no more body panel kits available so the Cobra's exclusivity was assured.
Thirty of the cars - 00002 to 00031 - were built as Bathurst specials with Option 97. These cars had the following modifications;" Reworked rear wheel inside housings to accommodate the larger wheels; " Front spring tower reinforcement; " Modified No2 suspension cross member; " Fibreglass front spoiler sourced from Bob McWilliams; " Scheel KBA90018 front seats trimmed in black cloth; " Rear seats trimmed in black corduroy/cashmere cloth; " Transmission oil cooler; " Front strut braces; " Idler arm brace, " Electric radiator fan; " Heavy duty radiator" Hood scoop.
The details of the Cobra Option 96 were;" Vacuum formed plastic front spoiler" Fibreglass rear spoiler" Sno White body colour with contrasting Dark Blue (L1127A) stripes with Light Blue edging across the body from front to back" Colour-keyed bumpers with stripes matching those on the body panels" Bodyside mouldings deleted" Quarter panel air scoops deleted" Tinted rear window" 15"x7" Bathurst Globe alloy wheels with lock nuts" ER70H15 textile radial tyres" New tyre placard on left hand door" Black and Blue woollen cloth trim on seats, striped to match the exterior paint scheme - material was Onkaparinga cloth that was to be used on the forthcoming XD Falcon" Cobra decal on deck lid replacing the Falcon 500 badge" Cobra snake decal on each front fender" Diecast plinth with Cobra name and sequential number of car mounted on glove box lid." Four wheel disc brakes" Limited slip differential" Dual exhaust system" Tinted banded laminated windscreen

Engine & transmission breakdown

4.9 manual 100

4.9 auto/power steering/air-conditioning 60

4.9 auto/power steering/air-conditioning/power windows 40

5.8 manual -Option 97 305.8 manual/air-conditioning/power steering 10

5.8 manual/air-conditioning/power steering/ power windows 40

5.8 auto/air-conditioning/power steering/power windows 120

Dogs 6

If you want someone who never criticizes what you do, doesn't care if you are pretty or ugly, fat or thin, young or old, who acts as if every word you say is especially worthy of listening to, and loves you unconditionally, perpetually . then buy a dog.

Bless You

A couple, desperate to conceive a child, went to their priest and asked him to pray for them. "I'm going on a sabbatical to Rome," he replied, "and while I'm there, I'll light a candle for you."
When the priest returned three years later, he went to the couple's house and found the wife pregnant, busily attending to two sets of twins. Elated, the priest asked her where her husband was so that he could congratulate him.
"He's gone to Rome, to blow that candle out" came the harried reply.

Mustang Mania – fast facts & oddities about the legendary muscle car

The Ford Mustang was launched in April 1964.
22,000 orders were taken on the car's first day.
In Chicago, a showroom closed early and called the police when disappointed would-be buyers stormed the dealership.
In Garland, Texas, 15 customers bid on the same Mustang. The winner insisted on sleeping in the car overnight to guarantee that it wouldn't get sold from under him before his cheque cleared the following day.
A restaurateur invited his customers to sample his "hotcakes that were selling like Mustangs."
Mustang-crazed parents in the United States bought 93,000 pedal-powered children's Mustangs during the 1964 Christmas season.
The original pony car outpaced its entire first-year sales estimate of 100,000 in its first four months on sale.
More than 417,000 Mustangs were sold during the first 12 months - a record-breaking feat for a new car.
More than 6.9 million Mustangs have been sold in the last 35 years.
The one millionth Mustang was sold by March 1966, less than two years after its launch.
In less than three years from its release, 472 Mustang clubs with 32,000 members sprang up across the United States.

Dogs 5

If you want someone who is content to get up on your bed just to warm your feet and whom you can push off if he snores ..... then buy a dog.

In The Bar

A man got really drunk one night in his local pub. The barman refused to serve him any more alcohol and told him he should be heading home. The man thought this was a good idea so he stood up to leave but fell over straight away. He tried to stand up again but only fell over again. He thought if only he could get outside and get some fresh air he'd be grand. So he crawled outside then tried to stand up and fell over again. In the end after falling over lots more he decided to crawl home. When he got back to his house he pulled himself up using the door handle but as soon as he let go he fell over again. He had to crawl up the stairs and managed to fall over onto the bed and fell asleep. When he finally woke up the next morning his wife asked him what he was doing at the pub last night. He denied it but she said, "I know you were there..." he maintained his innocence until "...the barman rang to say you forgot your wheelchair again...."

FPV takes the lead in High-Performance

With six successive months of record retail sales, including an all-time record monthly result of 226 new FPV purchases in June, FPV has overtaken its direct rival in total volume with 1151 sales year to date - a 28 per cent increase over the same period in 2005.
FPV has dominated the short wheelbase high-performance sedan segment with its iconic GT, GT-P and MOTOR Magazine's 2006 Australian Performance Car of the Year, the F6 Typhoon, with 877 sales to the end of June. This figure is 34 per cent greater than that of its competitor, according to VFACTS. FPV also leads the high-performance utility segment by 20 per cent with 274 sales of its F6 Tornado, Pursuit and Super Pursuit utes.
"This is an outstanding result for FPV, particularly considering the brand has only existed for just over three years," said Sak Ryopponen, Managing Director of Ford Performance Vehicles.
"To achieve outright leadership in such a competitive segment of the market, particularly against a rival that has been in this business for over 15 years, is testament to the fantastic range of products that currently wear the FPV badge.
"This result cements the successful contribution that the award-winning F6 Typhoon and F6 Tornado have made to our business. Sales of our Boss 290 V8-powered vehicles continue to be as strong as ever, and the addition of the turbo-charged six-cylinder F6 variants has been instrumental in our growth by meeting the demands of a different type of performance car enthusiast."

Dogs 4

If you want someone who will never touch the remote, doesn't care about football, and can sit next to you as you watch romantic movies then buy a dog.

Coincidence

Three men were discussing at a bar about coincidences.
The first man said, " my wife was reading a "tale of two cities" and she gave birth to twins"
"That’s funny", the second man remarked, "my wife was reading 'the three musketeers' and she gave birth to triplets"
The third man shouted, "Good God, I have to rush home!"
When asked what the problem was, he exclaimed, " When I left the house, my wife was reading Ali baba and the forty Thieves"!!!

AU series 1: TE50 specifications.

As the entry-level model in the T-Series range, the TE50 was a inspiring "blend of performance and luxury, based on a Fairmont yet featuring XR seats trimmed in warm charcoal suede, with XR sports IRS, premium brakes and discreet styling changes." (words taken from Tickford's own spec sheets on the TE50) This included new front and rear bumpers with chrome mesh inserts, a matching chrome mesh grille, body-coloured headlight surrounds, subtle side skirts, a "T" badge on the bonnet and "TE50" on the boot lid. Inside a TE50 could be identified by "T" badging on each door trim, unique white background instruments, and strange looking "Urban Geometric" dash insert pattern. A premium NVH package also made it's way into the mix to quieten things down a bit.
With numbers limited to 104 units by buyer demand, the AU 1 TE50 deserves the title as one of the rarest Falcons ever built. With specifications in excess of both the EB & EL GT's - this first serious attempt at taking HSV head on deserved better. But time stood still for no-one, and while the TE50 featured a reliable - if not awe inspiring - 200kW of power, the comparable VT HSV's featured more than 250kW. To be nearly $10K cheaper meant nothing in a market that was prepared to pay for the image - another sore point with Ford customers. The TE50 was more of a gentleman's racer with it's oh-so-subtle side skirts and interesting use of pattern where there should have been carbon fibre! - Or at the very least painted in body colour to match the exterior. For crying out loud - there was even a 'delete' option on the rear spoiler - which surprisingly didn't look too bad!
But where the TE50 really lifted it's skirts was in the handling and steering department - where it put HSV firmly to shame. Unfortunately this only further emphasized it's need for more power - feeling all the while like it could have easily handled at least 100kW more without losing control of the situation. Helping this point was Ford's choice of it's amazingly smooth electronically controlled four speed auto with "adapt-a-shift" and steering wheel mounted shift control. A manual was available as well (not available in TS50 - doh!) which also shifted in a much smoother and easier to find manner than Holden's imported six speed. Making sure you stopped as quickly as you went was Tickford's standard inclusion of the premium brake package (deleted in AU2 TE50) - a thankful addition over the AU1's standard brakes which went on strike after a only couple of hard stops from high speed - and only one stop if you were going fast enough!

Dogs 3

If you want someone always willing to go out, at any hour, for as long and wherever you want. then buy a dog.

Church

A Sunday school teacher asked her little children, as they were on the way to church service, "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?" One bright little girl replied, "Because people are sleeping."

FPV Wins Prestigious Performance Car Award

Ford Performance Vehicles has won the 2006 Australian Performance Car of the Year award from MOTOR Magazine.

The latest BF model FPV F6 Typhoon has finished first in the opening round of MOTOR Magazine's revised Performance Car of the Year award, topping a Ford trifecta ahead of its Falcon XR6 Turbo siblings.

The turbo-charged F6 Typhoon scored 350 points from a total of 400 to be judged the best Australian-built performance car by MOTOR's leading journalists and current V8 Supercar driver, Warren Luff."When FPV was established we promised to stretch the boundaries of the Australian high-performance car market," said David Flint, Managing Director of Ford Performance Vehicles.

"The F6 Typhoon has certainly created a new niche in the Australian high-performance car segment and provided our business with the foundations for even greater success in the future."

It is an honour to be recognised by Australia's leading performance car magazine, MOTOR, as producing the best locally-built high-performance car. It is even more pleasing to be leading a trifecta of turbo-charged Ford vehicles."MOTOR Magazine editor Jesse Taylor said "FPV's F6 Typhoon is equally at home on the road or getting belted around a race track. It does it all well and really is a complete package. That's why it wins the title of Australian Performance Car of the Year.""Now that FPV's Typhoon has won the Aussie round of PCOTY, it receives an automatic entry to the Grand Final testing where it'll do battle with the best performance cars in the world."

Not only has FPV kick-started the year in winning style with the Australian Performance Car of the Year, it has recorded the best start to a year in the showrooms with record sales in January and February resulting in a 44 per cent increase year to date over 2005.

Dogs 2

If you want someone who will eat whatever you put in front of him and never says it's not quite as good as his mother made it .... then buy a dog.

The Old Man and the Sea

A seaman meets a pirate in a bar, and they take turns to tell their adventures on the seas. The seaman notes that the pirate has a peg leg, hook, and an eye patch. Curious, the seaman asks "So, how did you end up with the peg-leg?"
The pirate replies "I was swept overboard into a school of sharks. Just as my men were pulling me out, a shark bit my leg off".
"Wow!" said the seaman. "What about the hook"?
"Well...", replied the pirate, "We were boarding an enemy ship and were battling the other sailors with swords. One of the enemy cut my hand clean off."
"Incredible!" remarked the seaman. "How did you get the eye patch"?
"A seagull dropping fell into my eye", replied the pirate.
"You lost your eye to a seagull dropping?" the sailor asked.
"Well..." said the pirate, "That was my first day with the hook."

Video: Bentley Continental GT Breaks the ‘world Ice Speed Record’

Video: Bentley Continental GT Breaks the ‘world Ice Speed Record’

The video above shows the by World Rally Champion Juha Kankkunen on a Bentley Continental GT to shatter the “world ice speed record,” which was set earlier by a Bugatti EB110 Supersport. The attempt was made last week and the vehicle managed to break that with an average speed of 199.86mph (321.65km/h).

Dogs 1

If you want someone willing to make a fool of himself simply over the joy of seeing you then buy a dog.

Men vs Woman

MAN:
1) Pull up to machine
2) Wind window down
3) Insert ATM card, enter PIN
4) Retrieve cash
5) Drive away

WOMAN:
1) Pull up to machine
2) Open door (too far away from machine)
3) Search through all of the 112 compartments in handbag for ATM card4
) Do make up, apply lipstick, fix hair
5) Insert Card
6) Remove card
7) Insert card the correct way up
8) Search for piece of paper with PIN on it
9) Enter PIN
10) Enter correct PIN
11) Retrieve cash, put in bag
12) Drive off
13) Reverse back to machine
14) Retrieve card
15) Drive three miles away
16) Release hand-brake

SSC Aero TT Failed to Outrun Veyron in High-speed Record Challenge

The hopes of the SSC’s Ultimate Aero TT to win the ‘world’s fastest production legal car’ title have been shattered. The super car failed to break the previous record of 253 mph set by the Bugatti Veyron.
Unfortunately, Ultimate Aero TT managed to get to top speed of 230mph but couldn’t reach anywhere near the 253mph mark. The car is powered by a 6.3 liter engine that produces 1,183 horsepower. On the seat of this American supercar was Rick Doria. Well, he is claiming that they can outrun the Veyron’s record if they run on a longer stretch.
They have plans to make another attempt to do the same coming month.

Fill up your tank

“How do we keep our inner fire alive? Two things, at minimum, are needed: an ability to appreciate the positives in our life – and a commitment to action. Every day, it’s important to ask and answer these questions: ‘What’s good in my life?’ and ‘What needs to be done?’” -- Nathaniel Branden
I have found there’s a very different quality to my action when it springs from a sense of abundance as opposed to a feeling of being impoverished.
When I sense I’m not good enough or that I don’t have enough, I feel driven to be better and to have more. Whatever I do takes effort – there’s an element of struggle involved. And this makes sense because there’s no fuel – I’m working on an empty tank.
When I’m feeling abundant, I act out of my own inspiration. I’m rich and full and so the energy flows naturally. This action at times feels almost effortless.
It's important to remember that we don't need money to be abundant. All we need is appreciation of all that we have.
“ ...what I focus on in life is what I get. And if I concentrate on how bad I am or how wrong I am or how inadequate I am, if I concentrate on what I can’t do and how there’s not enough time in which to do it, isn’t that what I get every time? And when I think about how powerful I am, and when I think about what I have left to contribute, and when I think about the difference I can make on this planet, then that’s what I get. You see, I recognize that it’s not what happens to you; it’s what you do about it.” -- W. Mitchell

BC

A rather old fashioned lady, always quite delicate and elegant, especially in her language, was planning a weeks holiday in Sydney with her husband, so she wrote to a particular camping ground and asked for a reservation.S
he wanted to make sure that the camping ground was fully equipped, but didn't know quite how to ask about the toilet facilities. She just couldn't bring herselfto write the word "toilet" in her letter.
After much thought, she finally came up with the old fashioned term "Bathroom closet" but when she wrote it down, she still thought she was being too forward, so she started all over again, rewrote the letter, and referred to the bathroom closet as the B.C.
"Does the camping ground have it's own B.C." is what she wrote.
Well, the camping ground owner wasn't a bit old fashioned, and he just couldn't figure out what the old lady was talking about, so he showed the letter around a few of the campers and the only thing they could come up with was that B.C. stood for Baptist Church, so he wrote the following reply.

Dear Madam,
I regret very much the delay in answering your letter, but I now take the pleasure of informing you that a B.C. is located nine miles north of our camping ground, and is capable of seating 250 people at one time.
I admit that it is quite a distance away if you are in the habit of going regularly but no doubt you will be pleased to know that a great number of campers go there and many take their lunches along and make a day of it. They usually arrive nice and early and stay quite late.
The last time my wife and I went was six years ago, and it was so crowded we had to stand up the whole time we were there. It may interest you to know that there is a special supper planned there to raise money to buy more seats so that everyone will be able to sit in comfort.
I would like to say that it pains me very much not to be able to go more regularly, but it is surely no lack of desire on my part, just that I am so busy most of the time.
As we grow older, it seems to be more of an effort to go, especially in the cold weather. If you decide to come down to our camping ground perhaps I could go with you the first time you go, sit with you and introduce you to all the other folks.
Remember this is a very friendly community.

Yellow MFP Cars

The Yellow vehicles that were in the Mad Max movie were XA and XB Falcon Sedans. Max Rockatansky drove an XB Falcon Sedan prior to getting/going Mad. "Big Bopper", an XB Falcon Sedan was piloted by Roop & Charlie and Sarse & Scuttle did their best in an XA Falcon Sedan code named "March Hare".
Both Max and the March Hare vehicles had Interceptor displayed on the trunk whereas Big Bopper was marked with Pursuit. There have been about 5 replicas of Max's and the Big Bopper vehicle reproduced over the years and only 2 of March Hare.

What are you?

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee,"
she replied
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.
The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?“

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity - boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water. "Which are you?" she asked her daughter.
"When adversity knocks on your door,
how do you respond?
Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"
Think of this: Which am I?
Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat?

Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff?
Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you……
May we all be COFFEE

Lightbulb joke

Q: How many Microsoft Engineers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. They just change the standard to DARK.

FPV Gets the Drift

Ford Performance Vehicles will whip up another storm with its groundbreaking F6 Typhoon following the unveiling of an "unofficial" concept car at yesterday's ninth annual FPV Family Open Day.

"There is a tradition at each FPV Family Open Day for a group of volunteers from FPV and Prodrive to create a project car to showcase their abilities and generate some excitement among the visitors," said David Flint, Managing Director of Ford Performance Vehicles.

"This year, they have surpassed all previous projects."The team has created a specially-modified one-off version of the FPV F6 Typhoon sedan designed to tackle similar turbo-charged performance cars in the spectacular new form of motor racing; Drifting.

DRIF6 features a lightweight chassis, racing cockpit and uprated version of its critically-acclaimed intercooled and turbo charged 4.0-litre in-line six cylinder producing more than 380kW of power and 700Nm of torque.

"We wanted to conjure up something unique and exciting for our new turbo fans," FPV Communications Manager, Andrew MacLean, says."Drifting is one of the fastest growing forms of motor racing in Australia - and certainly one of the most spectacular...so we let our imaginations drift in that direction."

Unlike previous Family Open Day projects, DRIF6 is a fully-operational concept vehicle and Ford Performance Racing's rising star, Mark Winterbottom, was involved in early development of the vehicle.
DRIF6 was built by a team of dedicated engineers and technicians at FPV's Campbellfield facility with the assistance and support of a number of key suppliers, including Prodrive, Autotek, Castrol, HIS Hoses, Robinson Racing Developments, Revolution Racegear and Dunlop.

At the heart of the DRIF6 project is an upgraded 4.0-litre turbo-charged in line six cylinder engine with modifications made to increase the efficiency of the turbo system and to boost power and torque. These include a significantly larger intercooler with a revised induction system that features a ram air box taking air from where the fog light is normally located on the production car, a hand made plenum manifold replacing the individual inlet runners, a unique engine management system calibration and three-inch straight through exhaust system with side outlet.

The transmission has an upgraded Tremec T-56 close-ratio six-speed gearbox and AP racing twin-plate clutch driving the rear wheels through a locked differential.

The braking system includes the optional Brembo brakes available on the F6 Typhoon with 355mm front and 330mm rear cross-drilled and pillar ventilated rotors and six-piston monoblock front calliper and four-piston rear calliper.

It has been modified especially for Drifting with high quality braided hoses, a brake proportioning valve and a WRC-style hydraulic handbrake.

The cockpit of DRIF6 has been stripped and replaced with world-class MOMO racing seats and racing harnesses, MOMO steering wheel, MOMO gearknob and a variety of ancillary gauges by VDO and Autron. These include a monster VDO tacho on the dash located in line with the twin-pod sport gauges that display oil temperature and turbo boost pressure, A-pillar mounted gauges to display volts and cabin temperature and Autron's latest high-tech tyre-press monitoring system located at the base of the Interior Command Centre. The cockpit also has a racing-style roll cage.The DRIF6 is a concept car designed to showcase the enthusiasm and expertise of FPV's engineering operations. There are no plans, at this stage, to participate in competitive events.

The FPV Family Open Day featured more than 300 of the best-loved performance Ford vehicles on display from car clubs across Australia and attracted approximately 10,000 visitors

DRIF6 Specifications

Body: Lightweight F6 Typhoon, Four-door sedan

Engine: Turbo-charged and intercooled 4.0-litre DOHC in-line six cylinder

Turbo charger: Garrett GT 35/40

Induction system: Hand-made twin-plenum manifold with custom three-inch pipes from turbo charger and intercooler. Ram air intake from lower front bumper into K & N pod filter

Engine Management System: Customised calibration

Exhaust: Stainless Steel three-inch straight-through with side outlet

Intercooler: Front mounted 600mm x 300mm x 75mm

Power: Aprox 380kW

Torque: Aprox 700Nm

Clutch: AP Racing twin-plate

Differential: Locked rear differential, 3.73:1 final drive

Brakes: Cross-drilled and pillar ventilated 355mm x 32mm front and 330mm x 28mm rear rotors with Brembo six-piston monoblock front and four-piston rear callipers. HIS braided hoses. Pull-operated hydraulic handbrake with Tilton brake proportioning valve.

Seats: MOMO

Steering wheel: MOMO

Harnesses: Four-point MOMO race harnesses

Battery: Optima; mounted in rear of cockpit with central-mounted kill switch

Gauges: VDO monster tacho, Autron tyre pressure monitoring system

Wheels: 19x8 inch five-spoke alloy in Dark Argent

Tyres: 245/35 ZR19 Dunlop SP Sport Maxx

Lubricant: Castrol Edge 0W-40

Happiness

"It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere." -- Agnes Repplier

Farmer Joe

Farmer Joe was in his car when he was hit by a truck. He decided his injuries from the accident were serious enough to take the trucking company (responsible for the accident) to court. In court the trucking company's fancy lawyer was questioning farmer Joe.
"Didn't you say, at the scene of the accident, 'I'm fine'?" said the lawyer.
Farmer Joe responded, "Well I'll tell you what happened. I had just loaded my favorite mule Bessie into the...."
"I didn't ask for any details," the lawyer interrupted, "just answer the question."
"Did you not say, at the scene of the accident, 'I'm fine'!"Farmer Joe said, "Well I had just got Bessie into the trailer and I was driving down the road...."
The lawyer interrupted again and said, "Judge, I am trying to establish the fact that, at the scene of the accident, this man told the Highway Patrolman on the scene that he was just fine. Now several weeks after the accident he is trying to sue my client. I believe he is a fraud. Please tell him to simply answer the question."
By this time the Judge was fairly interested in Farmer Joe's answer and said to the lawyer, "I'd like to hear what he has to say about his favorite mule Bessie."
Joe thanked the Judge and proceeded, "Well as I was saying, I had just loaded Bessie, my favorite mule, into the trailer and was driving her down the highway when this huge semi-truck and trailer ran the stop sign and smacked my truck right in the side. I was thrown into one ditch and Bessie was thrown into the other.I was hurting real bad and didn't want to move. However, I could hear ole Bessie moaning and groaning. I knew she was in terrible shape just by her groans.Shortly after the accident a Highway Patrolman came on the scene. He could hear Bessie moaning and groaning so he went over to her. After he looked at her, he took out his gun and shot her between the eyes.Then the Patrolman came across the road with his gun in his hand and looked at me. He said, "Your mule was in such bad shape I had to shoot her. How are you feeling?"

QANTAS actually began with a Model T !

Sir Hudson Fysh, Longreach grazier, World War I pilot and eventually the founder of Qantas Empire Airways, entered for the Federal Government’s prize for the first person to fly a plane from England to Australia.
However, just prior to the race the sponsor for their attempt died and left them without funds to compete.
Instead of flying across Australia, they purchased a Model T Ford and drove from Longreach to Darwin over trackless country.
The only thing that stopped the trusty Model T was when it crashed into a giant ant hill.
Apart from that little interlude, the two-wheel drive Ford accomplished the trip easily – so much for Four Wheel Drive!
They used the Ford to map the eventual routes for the first Qantas flights.

They don't walk in your shoes... Click, Click, Click!

By Pauline Fraser…..
Pauline was born and raised in Nova Scotia and now calls British Columbia home. She is married and has three children, including a daughter with autism. Raising a special needs child was not how she had planned to spend her life, but now that she has, she wouldn't change a thing. Her daughter has taught her so much about life and living that she can't imagine how empty life would be without her
We ducked into the dimly lit thrift shop to get out of the rain. Like so many things since our daughter's birth, I hadn't planned on a trip to this place. But I figured we'd see what they had since we were there.
"Hi, today is stuff a bag day. Would you like one?" The clerk asked.
"What is stuff a bag day?"
"You take a bag and stuff it with what ever you want and it's only $3. Best deal in town." "
Okay, sounds great," I said, despite the fact I hadn't planned on buying anything.
I took my six-year-old daughter's hand and we started to wander around. Suddenly there was a tug on my hand and my attention was being directed to the shoe section. She shares my weakness for shoes, so we stopped for a minute to look. I let go of her hand and she reached out to touch a pair of shiny black shoes with a strap and silver buckle.
"Buy me?" She inquires.
"Oh, Sweetie, they are tap shoes. You aren't taking tap."
"Buy me?" She repeats.
"Well, let's try them on."
She sits on the floor and removes her bright pink rain boots, with Barbie on the sides, and easily slides the new shoes on. A perfect fit. When she stands up she hears 'click.' She takes a step. Click, Click. Slowly recognition dawns, as she makes the connection between the shoes and her moving feet. Click, Click, Click. "Buy me?" With a hopeful look in her eyes. Again, "Buy me, peas?"
"Okay Sweetie, take them off and put them in the bag."
We look around some more and get a few t-shirts, pants, books and games and a naked baby doll. Well, it's stuff a bag day - might as well get my money's worth, I think to myself.
The sun has come back out as we emerge from our little side trip and we continue on our way. As we near the car, Amara reaches for the bag. As she climbs into the back seat, I give her the bag wondering what treasure she is looking for. The shoes, of course. She is my daughter after all.
"My wear." It's not a question, so I took the tag off and helped her with the buckle. Our next stop was the grocery store and these shoes were made to make noise, especially on my little girl's feet. This could be interesting...
Click, Click, Click - people turn to look as we enter the store. Click, Click, Click. I can feel the disapproving stares of the proper people. People who would never allow their daughter to wear tap shoes to the grocery store. I hold my head up with pride. The click, click, click is music to my ears.
"Excuse me dear. Is your daughter in tap this year?"
"No." I replied.
"Well why on earth would you allow her to wear tap shoes, here, of all places? They make such a noise."
"Yes, isn't it wonderful?"
"Wonderful? My dear, this is not the place to wear those shoes."
"Oh, I think this is the perfect place to wear them. You see she asked for them." "Just because she asked for them, doesn't mean you have to get them for her." "You don't understand," I said.
"When she was a baby, we were told she would never walk or talk. It has taken a lot of hard work and patience but she asked for the shoes and the click, click, click says that she can walk."
My daughter, who is always on the move, is 18 now and will graduate from grade 12 in June. It has not always been easy, but it has all been worthwhile. She has taught me that it doesn't matter what others think. They don't walk in your shoes.
And just like the ladies in the purple hats*, sometimes you simply have to wear tap shoes to the grocery store - if for nothing else, just the sheer joy of hearing the click, click, click.
* Ladies in purple hats are groups of women who have reached a certain age and now can allow themselves to enjoy life without fear of what others think.

Interview

Three guys go in for a job interview, all at the same office. The first one goes in for his interview and the interviewer says, "What's the first thing you see when you look at me?"
The guy says, "That's not too hard, you've got no ears."
The interviewer says, "That's it, get out, you'll never be seen around here again."
The second man takes his turn and is asked the same question. The applicant replies, "Uh, you've got no ears."
The interviewer throws the guy out, cursing and yelling that he'll never get a job with his company. As he is leaving, the second guy warns the third guy, "Listen man, whatever you do, don't say he hasn't got any ears. He's so touchy with the ear thing."
"Okay," said man #3 on his way into the office.
Once inside he is told, "Name the first thing you notice when you look at me."
The guy answers, "That's easy, you wear contacts."
The interviewer was flabbergasted, "How on earth did you know that, son?"
"What? Are you stupid? You can't wear glasses, you've got no ears!"

On Yer Bike!

Ford Performance Vehicles has added a pair of limited edition Mountain Bikes custom design exclusively for FPV.
For the elite cyclthe range-topping bike has a space age and lightweight carbon fibre frame with long-travel Manitou front suspension with 90mm of travel and hydraulically-activated Shimano dual disc brakes.
This bike is also fitted with a top-flight 27-speed Shimano drivetrain, including the latest dual-control gear levers and a heavy-duty crankset with an integrated bottom bracket.
The carbon fibre mountain bike, which features the FPV logo on the headstem and bottom bar, has a recommended retail price of $4400.00.
FPV will also introduce an entry-level mountain bike with a high-strength alloy frame, 27-speed Shimano gearing with Deore LX rear derailleur, RST front suspension with 80mm of travel and Promax cable-operated dual disc brakes with 160mm rotors.
This bike has a recommended retail price of $990.00.
Both mountain bikes can be ordered through all Ford and Ford Performance Vehicle Dealer Network and at the Ford Performance Racing headquarters in Campbellfield, Victoria. The bikes are scheduled for delivery in August, 2006.

Texas bill proposes fine for parents missing teacher meetings

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Parents beware: Miss a meeting with your child's teacher and it could cost you a $500 fine and a criminal record.
A Republican state lawmaker from Baytown has filed a bill that would charge parents of public school students with a misdemeanour and fine them for playing hooky from a scheduled parent-teacher conference.
Rep. Wayne Smith said Wednesday he wants to get parents involved in their child's education. "I think it helps the kids for the parents and teachers to communicate. That's all the intent was," Smith said.
Kathy Carlson, a fifth-grade teacher at Furneaux Elementary School in Carrollton, said she's had a handful of parents who skip meetings with teachers, but she winced at the idea of charging them.
"I don't know if we need to call it criminal. I would rather see accountability brought a different way, rather than fines or punishments," Carlson said.
"On the whole, parents want what's best for their kids," she said. "Sometimes I think they think we're out to get them. When you're talking about fining and pressing criminal charges, it kind of reflects that attitude."
Carlson said she used to teach at a school in Irving with many children of illegal immigrants.
"They were afraid to come to parent-teacher conferences because they were almost afraid of the authority" of the school district, she said.
Under Smith's bill, schools would send parents a notice for a meeting with three proposed dates by certified mail. Parents who don't respond or who schedule a meeting and don't show up without notice could be punished.
Parents could avoid prosecution if they have a "reasonable excuse" for not showing up. State education officials or local school districts would probably be responsible for defining reasonable.
Fines collected would go to the district for teacher pay raises or to buy supplies.
Smith's bill on the missed meetings would seem to face long odds to becoming law. Rep. Rob Eissler, a Republican from The Woodlands who chairs the House Public Education Committee, has said he's concerned about how it would be enforced.
Austin parent Mary Christine Reed has children in third and seventh grades and is involved in her parent-teacher association. She said she knows of some problems teachers have had, but as a parent, wonders if a steep fine or criminal charge would make them worse.
"If the idea is to create communication, to send them into the criminal justice system ... is going to do nothing but have a negative impact," Reed said. "It would make parents more scared of the school."

Bat competition

Once upon a time Dracula decided to carry some sort of a competition to see which is the finest bat to stand on his side. So all the bats were honored to take part. The rules were simple. Whichever bat drinks more blood, will be the winner? So the first bat goes and comes back after 10 minutes. Her mouth was full of blood.
Dracula says: "Congratulations, how did you do that?"
The bat said: "Do you see that tower? Behind it there is a house. I went in and sucked the blood of all the family".
"Very good" said Dracula.
The second bat goes and comes back after 5 minutes all her face covered in blood. Dracula astonished says, "How did you do that?"
The bat replies " Do you see that tower? Behind it there is a school. I went in and drunk the blood of all the children".
"Impressive" said Dracula.
Now the third bat goes and comes back after three minutes literally covered in blood from top to toe. Dracula is stunned. "How on earth did you do that????" he asked.
And the bat replies. "Do you see this tower?"
Dracula replies with a yes.
And the bat says "Well, I didn't".

Vector Supercar Might Make a Comeback!

You would have been living in caves if you haven’t heard of the Vector Supercars that were one of the most exotic cars of the ’80s and early ’90s in US. Now, the news in the air is that the original Vector founder Gerald Wiegert is sniffing the possibility of a new supercar. Autoblog has managed to get their hands on the concept [pictures of the rumored Vector V8 Biturbo concept. We have no info on the vehicle but we can hopefully anticipate the return of the Vector.

The Lament of every teacher within any community

A guy goes to the supermarket and notices an attractive woman waving at him. She says “hello”.
He's rather taken a back because he can't place where he knows her
from. So he says, "Do you know me?" To which she replies, "I think you're the father of one of my kids."
Now his mind travels back to the only time he has ever been unfaithful to his wife and says, "My God, are you the stripper from my bachelor party that I made love to on the pool table with all my buddies watching while your partner whipped my butt with wet celery???" She looks into his eyes and says calmly, "No, I'm your son's teacher."

Will

Seems an elderly gentleman had serious hearing problems for a number of years.He went to the doctor and the doctor was able to have him fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowed the gentleman to hear 100%.
The elderly gentleman went back in a month to the doctor and the doctor said, "Your hearing is perfect. Your family must be really pleased you can hear again."
To which the gentleman said, "Oh, I haven't told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations. I've changed my will five times!"

Minimalist Sportscar Deronda on Its Way to the U.S.

The new lightweight Deronda sports car is heading towards U.S. market to make a debut at the Sebring festivities in Florida. The innards of the modest 1600 pound sportscar features an Audi-taken 1.8-liter turbocharged engine mated with a Porsche five-speed manual. The car gets to 60 mph under four seconds and touts 250 brake horsepower.The Deronda will be manufactured in Detroit and will be made public through Sirius Motorsports in May this year.
Via: Windingroad

WA gives support to national curriculum

Western Australia has given qualified support to a federal government plan for a national school curriculum.
WA Education Minister Mark McGowan said he supported a nationally consistent school curriculum that allowed for regional variations rather than a single uniform curriculum for the whole country.
Education Minister Julie Bishop has released a report showing little consistency between states and territories on critical education issues. The minister is devising a plan to standardise the core subjects - English, maths, physics, chemistry and Australian history - at Australian schools. Mr McGowan said a nationally consistent curriculum would standardise assessments and reporting methods to help students moving interstate.
"We do believe that if children are coming from other states to here or children are going from here to other states that their schooling should be able to line up as best it can," Mr McGowan said.
But he said there should be state variations in topics such as history and geography to account for regional differences.
"A child studying environment and geography who lives on the edge of the Great Sandy Desert, is not particularly going to relate to the Great Dividing Range and the Barrier Reef," he said.
Mr McGowan agreed with Victorian Education Minister John Lenders that Ms Bishop was state bashing ahead of this year's federal election.
"Julie Bishop rolls out with it all the time, knocking the state education system, knocking public schools, saying we're beholden to unions is blatantly untrue."

Relatively speaking

A pregnant woman gets into a car accident and falls into a deep coma. Asleep for nearly six months, she wakes up and sees that she is no longer pregnant. Frantically, she asks the doctor about her baby. The doctor replies, "Ma'am, you had twins! A boy and a girl. The babies are fine. Your brother came in and named them." T
he woman thinks to herself, "Oh no, not my brother -- he's an idiot!"
Expecting the worst, she asks the doctor, "Well, what's the girl's name?"
"Denise," the doctor says. The new mother thinks, "Wow, that's not a bad name! Guess I was wrong about my brother. I like Denise!" Then she asks the doctor, "What's the boy's name?"
The doctor replies, DeNephew.

Blast from the Past: A Propeller Driven Car

The car pictured above is owned by Jean-François Bouzanquet and it dates back to 1922.
This is probably the only running saloon in the world.
The steering wheel of the car operates the rear wheels instead of the front wheels. The car is also claimed to be running in original condition except for a replacement propeller.
In World War 3, some German forces tried to take over the car. But when the attempted to drive it they got confused with the steering system and banged the car in a tree breaking the propeller.
Via: neatorama

Remove Limiting Beliefs by Marcia Wieder

Our beliefs are never neutral. They either hold us back or move us forward, but what many of us forget, is that we choose what we believe.

Your attitudes and beliefs determine your thoughts and feelings and logically from that, you make choices and decisions. For example, if your dream is to grow your business and you don't believe it's possible, you may have thoughts such as, "it's going to be too difficult," or you may feel overwhelmed by the idea.

If you follow that thinking, chances are high that you will give up before you fully explore the possibilities around this dream.

On the other hand, if you believe in yourself and therefore believe in your dreams, you are more likely to realize how much you want this dream and will be more likely to act on it. A positive belief will support you while a negative belief may destroy you; or at least your dream.

The most detrimental beliefs are what I call the "The Three Human Being Biggies." The first one is scarcity and translates to thoughts or comments such as, "I don't have enough time, money or energy."

The second has to do with inadequacy and sounds like, "I'm not (blank) enough." The most common fill-ins include: "I'm not: old enough, young enough, rich enough, or smart enough."

Finally, the belief that can be most destructive to your dreams is not trusting. If you don't trust yourself, life or the "grand plan", it can be challenging to even have dreams, much less pursue them.

How do you change from a limiting belief (that holds you back) to an empowering belief (that can catapult you forward or set you free)? I can answer that in one word. Choice. I will repeat; we choose what we believe and if we don't manage our mind and pay attention to what we are thinking,
what we often get by default, are old limiting beliefs.

Choosing an empowering belief that will support you over a limiting belief that may sabotage you makes sense, but it can feel like a leap of faith that's just too big to take. If that's the case try this approach. The way to shift is through willingness, courage and practice.

Be willing to choose a new positive belief. Demonstrate your courage by acting on that new belief and then practice doing it over and over again until it changes from a negative belief to a positive belief, and ultimately to a transparent belief. This means it no longer exists and is not even on your radar. It's gone!

Three Wishes

A man was walking along a California beach and stumbled across an old lamp. He picked it up and rubbed it and out popped a genie. The genie said, "OK. You released me from the lamp, blah blah blah. This is the fourth time this month and I'm getting a little sick of these wishes so you can forget about three. You only get one wish!"
The man sat and thought about it for a while and said, "I've always wanted to go to Hawaii but I'm scared to fly and I get very seasick. Could you build me a bridge to Hawaii so I can drive over there to visit?" T
he genie laughed and said, "That's impossible. Think of the logistics of that! How would the supports ever reach the bottom of the Pacific? Think of how much concrete...how much steel!! No, think of anotherwish."
The man said OK and tried to think of a really good wish. Finally, he said, "I've been married and divorced four times. My wives always said that I don't care and that I'm insensitive. So, I wish that I could understand women....know how they feel inside and what they're thinking when they give me the silent treatment....know why they're crying, know what they really want when they say 'nothing'....know how to make them truly happy...."
The genie asked, "Do you want that bridge two lanes or four?"

SSC Ultimate Aero TT Hopes to Snatch the ‘world’s Fastest Car’ Title

SSC, exclusive super car maker in America is all set to break the 253 mph record currently seized by the Bugatti Veyron. They are to start the testing on March 21. The company has closed a 12 miles track of Highway 93 in Elko County, Nevada in collaboration with MKM racing.
The 2,750 lb Ultimate Aero TT is the super car that will be used to set the new record. The vehicle is powered by a a twin-turbo 6.2L V8 pumping out 1183bhp and 1094ft-lbs of torque. SSC claims Ultimate Aero TT to get to 273mph thereby breaking the previous record.
Notably, the Aero TT comes with many luxury comforts such as inimitable Recaro bolsters, 10 speaker premium audio system, sat-nav DVD with a reverse camera, and a hydraulic syste, which raises the vehicle to 4in to deal with steep driveways.

Sitting In the Hallway

by Ivan Kershner

I'm sitting in the hallway,
And the classroom door is closed.
The teacher told me to sit out here…
Now, why do you suppose?

The story that I'm telling
To my Mum and Dad tonight
Is that she's scolding all my classmates
And didn't want me to see the fight.

The more I think it over,
The clearer that it gets:
I'm not in trouble out here,
For I'm my teacher's pet!

She likes me more than the others,
And she wants to spare me pain
From listening to her holler
At Will and Kris and Jane.

I really should thank my teacher
For treating me so fineA
nd trying to spare my feelings
When the rest are out of line!

Kid joke - stupid preppies!

Q. When is a doll not a doll?
A. When it's a doll-ar!

XA Superbird

Although the “Superbird” isn’t a GT, I felt that an article on the XA’s would be incomplete without it. Whilst essentially aimed at a different market to the XA GT, the XA Falcon “Superbird” was still a close cousin in many respects. A car that always looked the goods, the “Superbird” was aimed at a younger and less well healed market than the GT.
The original concept car was designed by Ford Product Planning Manager – Nick Bartolini – as a styling exercise to stop crowds at the Melbourne and Sydney Motor Show. This car was actually an XA GT hardtop featuring H.O. running gear , power steering , a 36 gallon tank and a really large “Superbird” decal. A feature that was exclusive to Show “Superbird” was a rough wool upholstery and pale grey rooflining. From a marketing point of view, the car was a success from day one and it wasn’t long before Ford executives decided that it should be put into production. However, in stark contrast to the show car, the one actually sold to the public was a lot tamer in regards to its mechanical specification.
“The 302 V8 Superbird from Ford - an exiting package of Power , Comfort and Individuality”.
These words – from the advertising of the day – give an indication that this car was designed as a mid-point between the standard Falcon and the GT. Sporting in nature and distinctive in style, but without the sheer grunt and overt masculinity that was the GT.
The “Superbird”came standard with a 240 BHP 302 CID V8 engine under the bonnet - and a 4-speed floor shift to make the most of it. (T-Bar automatic transmission with sports console was optional). Other standard equipment included front power disc brakes, 185 SR x 14 radials, sport handling suspension, GT instrumentation – including tachometer, volt meter, oil pressure, temperature and fuel gauges, speedometer, odometer and a prismatic day / night rear view mirror.
Internally, the “Superbird” was luxuriously carpeted wall-to-wall and had high-backed, deeply-contoured front bucket seats with a choice of white or black vinyl trim. To enhance the feeling of individuality, the car featured styled rear window louvres, a matt black front grille, 6" x 14" styled steel wheels with GT chrome wheel trim rings, chrome centre cap and wheel nuts, “Superbird” identification decals on glove box and on rear body panels, and a unique, colour-keyed exterior paint treatment on bonnet, side and rear panels.
In keeping with an exclusive type of vehicle in the great GT tradition, you could only choose from three exclusive paint combinations - Polar White with Cosmic Blue accent, Yellow Fire with Walnut Glow accent and Lime Glaze with Jewel Green accent.
Special retail price for the “Superbird” was $3590 for the manual version, with the optional T-Bar automatic and sports console totalling $3735. This was a saving of $410 on normal retail price for the manual model, and $423 on the automatic model. Sounds like good value to me.

Teaching with the brain in mind

In the province of Quebec in Canada a study of 546 primary school children was conducted to determine if there was a casual link between recreational activity and cognition. Children were given one hour a day of physical education while the control group had none. The experimental group significantly outperformed the control group. The results seem to suggest that physical education is responsible for improved self-concept, enhanced academics and enjoying school more. Other data suggests physical education lowers stress, improves circulation and increases cell growth and growth hormones.
The human body for thousands of years has been walking, sleeping leaning, running doing or squatting. As Howard Gardner stated " I believe in action and activity. The brain learns best and retains most when the organism is actively involved in exploring physical sites and materials and asking questions to which it actually craves the answers. Merely passive experiences tend to attenuate and have little lasting impact."
The body has not adapted to the chair. Sitting is hard work, bad ergonomics and runs the following risks: poor breathing, strained spinal column and lower back nerves, overall body fatigue plus less opportunity for implicit learning.
Practical suggestions:
· Use drama and role-plays: use daily or weekly role-plays to reinforce ideas and concepts. Enrol students into playing charades to review main ideas of a lesson or topic. Ask students to write and perform sixty second TV commercials to advertise what they have learned.
· Use dramatic arts as a vehicle: Students can use maths skills to design and build a set for the theatre. Maths skills will include measuring, estimating, calculating budgets, order supplies and determine break-even points.
· Encourage students to dance: Make it fun with no embarrassment.
· Use a variety of different play with young children: Exploratory play such as scavenger hunts, hide and seek and make-believe; exercise play including aerobics, running, chasing and dancing; group and team games such as relays and sports; adventure and confidence play using ropes courses and trust walks.
· Support physical education: Use flexibility and conditioning programs with purposeful goals. Play ‘new games' often where there is no losing and everyone wins. Design activities that include everyone. Studies show between 30-40 minutes of daily physical exertion is most beneficial.
· Less sitting: Allow you students to stand, squat, walk or lie down when working. Einstein once commented that the best way for him to think, was to talk and stroll.
· Energisers: Here are some ideas; Use your body to measure things around the room, play Simon Says, do team jigsaw processes with huge poster mindmaps.
· Active games: ball toss for revising, retelling or idea generation. Rewrite the song lyrics to familiar songs with current content from lessons.
· Cross-laterals: give students a 5 minute ‘mental fitness' break during class to switch on both sides of the brain and enhance learning.
· Stretching: Get students up out of their chairs to stretch and increase blood flow throughout the body and brain. Do this as a whole class or in small groups where students take turns at leading the group.
· Encourage sculpture and clay model building: visual-spatial skills are developed from clay work as well as patience and attention to detail.
· Use kinesthetic models to explain key concepts: use balloons, blocks, marsh-mellows, straws, sand etc to demonstrate analytical concepts. Remember speed of teaching is not the goal, rather allowing students to build models and learn from the process.

Reference
Teaching With The Arts In Mind; Eric Jensen

Barkeep!

So a Skeleton walks into a bar and says, "Barkeep, I need a beer and a mop"

XA GT - The Phase IV & the Supercar Scare

The "Supercar Scare" – a journalistic beat-up of hi-performance production cars from all of the big three car manufacturers – not only caused the demise of the GTHO as a production model, but was also responsible for a change in the regulations for Touring Car racing. The XA GTHO Phase IV, was to be the ultimate road and race car to be built by Ford in Australia. Unfortunately, just as production was about to start, a number of well-known motoring journalists started a smear campaign against the next generation of “specials” being developed by the three major manufacturers – the Phase IV Falcon GTHO, the XU-2 Torana V8 and the E55 Charger V8. In their articles, these journalists claimed that each of the vehicles being developed could top 160 MPH in road trim and in doing so would represent a significant danger to the Australian motoring population by causing death and mayhem on public roads. Essentially... "bullets on wheels"!!!
But in true journalistic fashion, the old adage of “never let the truth get in the way of a good story” was well in force. By concentrating only on guesstimates of the top speed potential of the cars (the road going Phase IV's top speed was actually only around 150 MPH), the question of primary safety was generally overlooked. Although able to travel very quickly in a straight line, these cars were also designed for safety, with the handling, braking, steering and road-holding commensurate with the speed potential of the vehicle. If the truth be told, the greatest danger on the Australian roads at the time was the typical family sedan with drum brakes, cross-ply tyres and built in under-steer – unsafe at any speed in my opinion.
In the end, the journalists whipped up sufficient negative public opinion, that the Government of the day decided that these cars should not be made available to the public, even threatening the manufactures with the cancellation of fleet contracts, should the vehicles be built. Due to the obvious financial ramifications involved, the manufacturers had no choice and cancelled production.
The XA GTHO/PHASE IV
So how special was the Phase IV going to be? Externally, they would have been no different from the standard XAGT four door. That’s right, all Phase IVs were to have been four door sedans. The only giveaway, would have been the special Bathurst Globe mags, which although designed for the Phase IV, eventually found there way on to the Phase IIIs. Apart from looking good, these mags provided a number of benefits. These wheels were stronger than the steel versions, they vastly reduced unsprung weight – which helps with steering and handling – and they also cut brake operating temperatures down from 840˚C to 450˚C. Mechanically however, the Phase IV was very similar to the Phase III. The brakes were the same, with the front disc and rear finned drum setup being carried over, as was the 36 gallon fuel tank. Although the front springs remained the same as the Phase III, the wider track of the XA model and new wheels had the side effect of softening the spring rating for a better ride. A newly developed rear spring setup provided greater roll stiffness, allowing the rear bar to be removed. Combined with a slightly softer front sway bar, the Phase IV was far more neutral in its roadholding.
In the engine department, a number of changes were made. Most significant were the revisions to the cylinder heads, where larger valves and changes to the shape of the combustion chambers helped improve volumetric efficiency. Although these changes reduced the compression ratio slightly, they helped improve torque and more importantly, allowed it to come in a full 1000 RPMs lower in the rev range. This made the engine much more tractable and as a side benefit, more fuel efficient. The “Buddy-Bar”aluminium inlet manifold – that was available through Ford as a performance upgrade – were also being considered, but never actually made it into production. Changes to the exhaust system also helped improve the spread of torque over a greater rev range, while a new radiator fan – which incorporated blades that flatten at high RPMs – helped minimise horsepower losses. While the camshaft and carburettor remained the same, the bigger radiator from air-conditioned Falcons was used to provide greater cooling.
As with the Phase III, a rev limiter was also incorporated, but unlike the bulky module bolted to the firewall in the Phase III, the Phase IV had its rev limiter built into the rotor button of the Bosch twin-point distributor. When the engine was revved to the 6200 RPM limit, centrifugal force would cause a small weight to form a contact within the rotor button. The resultant short circuit would disrupt the spark being fed to the plugs and limit the engine from revving further. Porche used the same system in their cars.
To help the problem of oil surge, encounted during high speed cornering, “ears” were welded to the sides of the sumps, to not only increase the capacity from eight to eleven pints, but also to help concentrate the volume of oil around the oil pump pickup. Due to the improved torque characteristics of the engine, the “detroit locker” diff incorporated a taller ratio of 3.00:1 (as against 3.25:1 for the standard Phase III) and was driven through a standard wide ratio gearbox. This provided the Phase IV with a gearing of 24.4 MPH/1000 RPM in top, which converts to 151 MPH at the 6200 RPM limit.
Total production of Phase IVs was to be 200, with 100 to be built at the end of June 1972 with the remaining 100 at the end of July. As we all know, however, only four were actually built – one pre-production model (which is the only one actually plated as a GTHO) and three racing versions (one each for Allan Moffat and Fred Gibson and a spare). Of these however, only three survive – two of the racecars and the production model.
After full production of the Phase IV was cancelled, Ford decided to sell off the four cars. The spare car – which had the least race preparation – initially went to John Goss via McLeod Ford, who assembled the car for road use. In 1977 Fred Gibson test drove the car (then with only 1900 miles on the clock) for Racing Car News. Fred’s verdict was that it was a much better and more sophisticated car than the Phase III and would have developed into a great racecar.
The second racecar was delivered to Bruce Hodgson, who successfully rallied the car over a number of years, even though this type of motorsport was light years away from its intended purpose. Unfortunately a head on with a Commodore destroyed the car and although the wreck is believed to exist, the car is unlikely to re-appear. The first and most developed of the three race cars, was originally sold by Howard Marsden to Keith Goodall in Townsville and currently resides in the Bowden collection on the Sunshine Coast – this car being the one that is pictured in most of the magazine articles. The production model, is still believed to be owned by a dentist in Sydney who must have been the astute buyer, when offered for sale in 1978 at a car yard.