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!"
Monday, March 19, 2007
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.
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.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
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."
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".
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.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
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."
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!"
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
Via: Windingroad
Friday, March 16, 2007
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."
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.
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
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
Thursday, March 15, 2007
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!
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?"
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.
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.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
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!
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!
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.
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.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
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
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
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
