Prince Chaudhary and Amit Narwal On Bail While Awaiting Rape Charges Against Geelong Woman in Lara
I'm not going to make any determination on the guilt or otherwise of these two guys. I'll leave that for the court to decide. But I'm kind of curious on why they have been granted bail.
In late December, news reports suggested that a 30 year old woman was abducted outside a Geelong nightclub by three men and driven to the Lara area where she was repeatedly sexually assaulted. She was then dropped off in the same area.
Both Prince Chaudhary and Amit Narwal have both been charged with 3 counts of rape each. They were arrested supposedly at Melbourne Airport where they were attempting to depart Australia, presumably back to India.
So why have they been bailed? Does anyone get bail these days? Or does the Magistrate not consider the charges serious enough? Or further, does the Magistrate not consider that the case is very strong? All very odd if you ask me.
They will reappear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on March 19. That is if they are still in the country. Anybody remember Puneet Puneet?
Drinks at McDonalds Australia - Win a Trip to Canada for you and 3 Friends Winter Olympics Game - UPDATE - AVATAR THRILL YOUR SENSES
So i purchased a drink recently at McDonald's. Cant say it was the best service either. Maybe that's another story, but suffice to say that after the order was taken, the drink wasn't filled. Not for 5 mins. The next order was taken, then the next. Funny really, the whole idea of taking an order then filling it didn't seem to cross these kid's minds. Something has changed at McDonald's I'm thinking.
And the store at Chadstone Shopping Centre was the filthiest i have ever seen at McDonalds. Every table was filled with rubbish. And the floor was black with dirt. And this is at one of the best shopping centres in the southern hemisphere? I don't think so. Only a stone's throw away from Gucci and Vuitton too.
Anyways, on the drink cup was a little competition. I think it had something to do with the Winter Olympics because the prize was a trip to Canada for 4 people. It had a little pull off tab with a code which needed to be checked on a website. I didn't take down the details. I figured i would go home and use my old friend google to find it for me.
But do you think i could find it? Not on your nelly. Ive searched. Thoroughly searched. It hasn't been found. I even tried Bing. Of course it wasn't there, stupid of me.
I went to the McDonald's Australia website. Despite McDonald's running one of the slowest websites in Australia, i managed to look. Nothing there. Tried a few search terms like competition and Canada. Nada. Now I'm frustrated.
So if someone has the details of the McDonalds competition id love to hear it. Not that i think i will win or anything, but to satisfy my curiosity. Id love to work out how a major organisation like McDonald's could allow such a lapse to occur. Perhaps Ive done something wrong. Id hate to think I'm at fault here, but I'll accept it if i am. Thanks for your assistance.
Update: It's been found. No, its not the Winter Olympics. Its an AVATAR promotion, win a trip to Montreal. I suppose James Cameron is Candadian or something.
Where was it found? An external link on a scroll bar on the McDonald's website that wasn't there earlier today - trust me, i looked. I wonder what the hell is going on at McDonalds. And before the team at Maccas protest, feel free to plug in some keywords to Google, "McDonalds Avatar Thrill Your Senses Competition." Should take you to the site. But it doesn't.
It gets worse though. The competition isn't such a simple task of entering a code to see if you have won. No. That would be too easy. In order to enter the competition, you must give McDonald's your full name, date of birth, gender, email, phone number, full address THEN get asked 3 survey questions before checking to see if you would like to go on the McDonald's mailing list. I'll be darned. Too much work.
Anyway, if you are so inclined and can spare the time to visit this slow website, here is the link. Good Luck.
Police Allege Gary Edward Ryan Was Doing Burnouts and Blew .166 before Killing Bangoang Tut
I wrote yesterday about the poor little six year old boy from Morwell who died when a car ploughed through the front fence of his house. At the time, it was assumed that the driver lost control of his car after consuming too much alcohol. It was reported that he blew .0109, double the legal limit.
But the story is in fact much worse. It has now been alleged that the driver in question, Gary Edward Ryan, actually blew .166, more than 3 times the legal limit. It is also alleged that he drank 12 stubbies of beer during the day, followed by some home brew.
Following all the drinking, it is further alleged that Ryan was doing burnouts in his Holden Commodore. It is not clear if he was doing this at the time he lost control of the car. But it has been suggested that he was travelling at between 50 and 80kmh just before he crashed.
And now Bangoang Tut is dead. He was a 6 year old kid who escaped war torn Sudan. Who would have ever dreamed that the carnage that would greet him in the front yard of his home in Morwell would be much worse than his homeland?
I'm not one who usually calls for examples to be made in sentencing. But I'll make an exception in this case, only if it is held up for all to see, then becomes the standard. If found guilty of a range of offences, Ryan should be sentenced to a very lengthy jail term. And i mean serious time, not a pissy 10 years. This must be substantial.
Lets hope someone is listening. You cant have an effective road safety campaign without significant deterrence and punishment. Don't let all the good work done by Victoria Police, the TAC and other authorities go to waste. Punish the offenders.
Back in July, i actually suggested a new ad scenario for the TAC. Subject: Hoon Driver Burnouts. Car in question: Holden Commodore. Eerie. What do you think?
Now here's another ad for the TAC to consider. How about we have a 60 second commercial, with progressive still photos. First photo of a road victim alive and well. Second photo of the accident scene. Third photo of the mug shot of the offender overlaid with the jail penalty. That's an easy and cheaply produced commercial. Might actually have a decent impact too.
Latest ANZ Security Update Email Scam Attempt
These guys never give up. The latest attempt to scam you out of your hard earned money is an email supposedly from the ANZ Bank managing Director Brenton Smith, asking you to click on a link, then input your details to "complete the new security process."
The link takes you to a site which looks very much like the ANZ bank. It isn't. Shortly after inputting your details, your bank accounts could be empty.
Keep in mind that banks NEVER email you asking you to complete security checks. Always use the banks own secure site.
This is the email going around. It wont be the last:
Dear ANZ Customer,
In order to make your online banking experience even more secure we have introduced a new security feature that allows us to detect unusual activity on your account. If we detect unusual activity, we will call you to make sure that it's really you.
What are the next steps?
To continue banking online we need you to:
Visit our secure site by following the reference given below.
Complete the new security process.
For banking with a higher level of security, please select 'Continue'
How does it work?
If we detect a sign in with your user name from another country we may decide that we want to confirm that it's really you. You must complete all steps otherwise you will not be able to use the online service until we have completed additional security checks.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this action.
Brenton Smith,
Managing Director.
Drink Driver Bloody Idiot Car Crash - Six Year Old Kid Killed By Drunk Driver
Its time to wake up people. This is what road tragedy is all about. And its a story so sad that it's almost too much to bear.
A 6 year old boy, playing in the front yard of his house in Morwell was killed by drunk driver who lost control of his car. The car smashed through the front fence of the house and into the boy who suffered massive head injuries. The 25 year old driver blew .109 - more than twice the legal limit.
Its probably the case that this little kid had just finished school and was looking forward to Christmas and Santa. He was enjoying a nice summer's evening playing in the front yard with his mother and another couple of kids.
What will it take for drivers to grow up? Im getting sick and tired of writing about avoidable accidents. Enough is enough. If you drink then drive you're a bloody idiot.
Victorian Licence Plates - Vic Roads Euro Number Plates - No, This isnt Paris
I'm not such a fan of personalised number plates. Actually, i think they are usually bought by tosspots who for some reason think the world ought to know their stupid nickname. Frankly i don't give a damn if your name is macca, macka, mcka, or maacka. Just stay out of my way.
But the increasing Melbourne pretentiousness just got a little bit worse. The latest craze is to purchase European style number plates - dubbed "Euro Plates" by Vic Roads. I'm not blaming Vic Roads - they are just trying to make some money. And if there are suckers around, why not.
So how much are these Euro plates? $495 for a standard, non personalised number plate set. That's just the next number on issue, just like regular plates. To personalise the plate, add on another $200.
That's $695 for a set of bloody number plates. Talk about too much disposable income. And they said that there was a financial crisis.
Here's the spiel from Vic Roads. And in case you are wondering, Melbourne is not in Europe. Ive been to Europe plenty of times. But as much as i like Melbourne, it ain't no Paris.
Bonjour, ciao or hola amigo. We hope we’re speaking your language (or, at least that of your car).
Short of prying the plates off cars parked along the Champs-Élysées (and we certainly wouldn't condone that), Euro Plates are a small piece of Europe everyone can enjoy, whether you're from Paris, Prague or Pascoe Vale. And best of all, they won't require any translation.
Each plate is painstakingly hammered out to look identical to those found throughout the European Union. This means they fit beautifully into the larger number plate areas found on European cars. Your car's designer can also sleep easier, cosily tucked in at home, knowing their original vision of your car is being realised.
Yes folks. Pascoe Vale.
So does this mean that the Euro Plates can only be used on European cars? And if so, whats with the "Hola Amigo"? Forgive my ignorance, but what was the last car to be imported into Australia from Spain? Huh? Perhaps it was a SEAT - and didnt they take off?
Guten Tag, Vic Roads. Or is it still a case of not mentioning the war? Which is kind of funny given that the company who actually makes the Victorian number plates just happens to be German.
Who would have thought that some of the money people pay for their Euro Plates actually makes its way back to Europe? Makes sense i guess.
.
Stolen Car Crashes in Bayswater - 16 year old Boy dies - Passenger Critically Injured - Innocent Woman in Hospital
If you were to read the stories of Darwin Award winners, you are likely to burst into riotous laughter. In fact, some of the stories of those who lose their lives doing stupid things are so funny you almost forget that someone actually died.
So when some idiot loses their life after stealing a car and running away from police, its interesting that death isn't so funny after all. Yes, a 16 year old kid actually died. His body was crushed to pieces after the car he was driving crashed. If this scenario didn't happen so often, this guy would surely qualify for a Darwin.
But this is some real shit. This isn't something we can laugh about. Sure, he was an idiot. But his family have to live with the fact that their son isn't coming home.
His friend who was in the passenger seat is in a critical condition. He is only 15.
But perhaps the worst of it is the 23 year old girl who was just going about her own business. The car she was driving was smashed into by the 16 year old dead kid. She is in hospital, in a stable condition.
I'll tell you whats funny though. One minute you are alive. The next you are dead. That's some serious comedy right there. Not. For God's sake...think.
Special Sounds from Melbourne Trains on a Summer's Evening
Its amazing the converstions you hear on an evening train in Melbourne. I wonder if its the same everywhere else in the world. God help us all.
And i was like blah blah blah blah blah
And he was like blah blah blah blah blah
And she was like blah blah blah blah blah
And then i was like blah blah blah blah blah
And it was like blah blah blah blah blah
etc etc etc etc etc etc............
Victoria's Traffic Accident Commission - TAC Everybody Hurts TV Advertisement
20th Anniversary of first TAC graphic ad campaign.
This is my second post about the TAC today. The first was to congratulate them on setting up a youtube channel which i had been advocating for a long time.
Now this. I have to say that i really take my hat off to them on the production of the 2009 Christmas Ad. Yes, the words Bloody Fantastic escaped my lips numerous times during this ad. That may sound lacking in taste, but quite seriously this is some impressive stuff.
This commercial catalogues most of the big ads over the last 20 years - all done to REM's song Everybody Hurts. If you think it starts a bit slowly, or isn't hard hitting enough, wait until just after 2 mins in. Or again at 4 mins. That's about the most powerful sequence Ive seen in a road safety ad.
I said it earlier today that the TAC consistently produces the world's best road safety commercials. And Ive watched hundreds from around the world. These ads change behaviour and they save lives. And the great thing about now having a dedicated youtube channel is that ads like these are viewable anywhere. It doesn't matter where you drive, the message is still the same.
Well done TAC.
Success! TAC Victoria Set Up a Youtube Channel
Those of you who have read some of my posts previously will know how often i prattle on about road safety. Its something I'm very passionate about. Which is why i was concerned that the TAC had seemed to drop the ball in getting their hard hitting messages out through new communication mediums.
I have long called for the TAC to set up a youtube channel. Ive written about it at least a half a dozen times this year. I even threatened to do it myself, calling it TAC Victoria.
Not that im claiming all of the credit, thankfully, it seems the TAC has listened. A new youtube channel was set up two weeks ago. And its called...TAC Victoria. Its a decent looking site too.
And it works. In just 2 weeks it has had over 17,000 channel views. You cant knock those statistics. So i say to the TAC - well done. I wont say it was done as quickly as i would have liked, but you did listen and you did act. Your road safety ads are still consistently the best in the world - having them available in high quality to the rest of Australia and the world will save lives.
Check out their youtube channel here.
Farah Jama Not Guilty of Rape - DNA Mistake Convicts Innocent Man
We have all heard the stories about how DNA has been used to convict people long after an offence has been committed. It has been one of the greatest prosecution tools of the last 20 years. But what happens when the reverse occurs - when an innocent person is convicted due to a dodgy sample?
Just ask Farah Jama - convicted of raping a woman in a toilet cubicle at a Doncaster nightclub in 2006, he was sentenced to 6 years in jail. He spent about 18 months behind bars before being released on appeal, and now has had the conviction overturned.
At the time of the alleged incident, Jama would have been about 19, yet was supposedly at an over 28's nightclub. And the woman in question had no recollection of seeing a black man that evening.
Without knowing the full facts of the case, from media reports, it seems that Jama was convicted solely on the evidence of DNA. He was not apprehended at the time of the alleged assault. In his trial he claimed that he was praying with his ill father and had never been to the nightspot. This was backed up by his family members who gave sworn evidence to the County Court.
Instead, he was picked up months later, after a swab taken for an unrelated incident led to a connection in the rape case. But the person who took the swab from Jama was the same person dealing with the sample from the woman who was raped. And the swab on the woman apparently took place a day after Jama was swabbed.
If that was the case, then I'm sorry, but what are the chances of someone being swabbed for an unrelated matter having a match to a swab taken the next day? It would have to be astronomical. Hard to believe that wasn't picked up before.
At the time of the conviction, the judge commented that he was "...guarded about Jama's chances of rehabilitation despite his youth because he had shown no remorse." I guess not showing remorse is something that could happen if you didn't actually commit the crime.
Lets hope that some lessons are learned from this event. Not just here, but internationally. And no doubt Jama should be entitled to a decent amount of compensation.
Wheel Clamping for Unpaid Parking and Traffic Fines at Victorian Shopping Centres
I had heard a story recently about wheel clamping by the Sheriff's Office for unpaid parking and or traffic fines. But tonight i witnessed it first hand at Chadstone Shopping Centre. A woman had returned to her vehicle after work to find a clamp firmly on her car wheel and a sticker on the window from the Sheriff.
It seems that the Sheriff's Office send their lackeys around shopping centres to find people who haven't paid their fines. They check each number plate and if you have an outstanding fine then voila, on goes a wheel clamp.
Until you pay any outstanding money you cant get your car unclamped. That could take days. Even weeks. Its hard to believe that Chadstone management are allowing such activities to occur. This is Christmas time, and car parks are hard to come by. They don't need countless cars being stuck at the centre, denying others the opportunity to park.
Apparently the Sheriff has wide ranging powers to clamp your car almost anywhere: "Any vehicle registered in your name can be wheel clamped wherever it is parked, including at your home, work, at a roadblock or public carpark." But is Chadstone a "public carpark"? It is private land after all.
I'm sure it isn't just Chadstone either. These pretend police are probably doing their best to spoil Christmas for thousands of shoppers all over Melbourne. So a quick word of advice. If you do have outstanding fines, try to park somewhere other than a carpark. Park around the corner from the shopping centre.
And dont get me started on the revenue raising parking fines. Or on the half wits they employ as parking officers. Yes, they are the scum of the earth. What do they say at parties i wonder when people ask them what they do for a living? Are they honest?
This is what could happen:
How does wheel clamping work?
Any vehicle registered in your name can be wheel clamped wherever it is parked, including at your home, work, at a roadblock or public carpark. This can happen at any time, whether or not you have been given notice that this will occur.
To wheel clamp your vehicle, a sheriff's officer may enter your vehicle or move your vehicle. A sheriff's officer can also require you to give them the keys to your vehicle and can remove, dismantle or neutralise your vehicle's locking device. A sheriff's officer can demand identification from you if they suspect you are the person named in an infringement warrant. If you do not comply, or if you give false information, you can be fined.
It is a serious offence to tamper with or remove a wheel clamp that has been fitted to a vehicle. The maximum penalty for a first offence is in excess of $6,805* or six months imprisonment.
The sanction will only be lifted after you have paid in full in person or the Infringements Court has granted you a payment order or revocation. However, the sanction continues while the Infringements Court is processing any application for a payment order or revocation.
If your vehicle has been wheel clamped, you must act quickly if you want the wheel clamp removed. The sheriff's officer will remove the wheel clamp only after you have cleared your infringement warrant and discussed this directly with them.
To arrange to have your wheel clamp removed and clear your infringement warrant, you must call the number on the sticker that has been left on your wheel clamped vehicle immediately and speak to a sheriff's officer.
Call Jane Counsel to Voice Your Opinion on the Westpac Interest Rate Rise
Jane Counsel - Media Relations at Westpac - Phone 0416 275 273 - 02 8253 3443
or janecounsel@westpac.com.au
Seems Jane Counsel is a bit fed up with the Treasurer Wayne Swan. When he questioned the outrageous decision by Westpac to top up the RBA's Interest rate rise by 20 basis points, she said that he was engaging in "bank bashing".
Well yeah sweetheart. He is. And damn, don't you deserve it?! Your latest decision to ignore the RBA's .25% interest rate rise by raising your variable rate to .45% is worth some bit of bashing.
But it comes on top of your refusal to pass on all the rate cuts during the financial crisis. And that was on top of your independent increases to your variable rate outside of the RBA's decisions in early 2008. In addition of course to jacking up rates to a higher level than the RBA's official increases to the cash rate at the time. It means that your net interest margin has grown by well over 1% during the last 2 years.
That's some dollars for Westpac. So much so that your profit was only down 10% in the last financial year to a staggering 3.45 billion dollars. Wow, you are doing it tough.
But not as tough as your CEO - Gail Kelly, who despite presiding over a drop in revenue, managed to score herself a 2 million dollar pay rise. Yes, Gail Kelly earned over 10.6 million dollars last year.
So call Jane Counsel or send her an email. Its her job to explain to you why they need to keep raising their rates over and above what the RBA decides.
Not that all the other major banks wont follow of course. The Treasurer can keep bank bashing, but unless he acts, they will just keep ignoring him. Whats the reason for the RBA decision on interest rates again?
Tony Abbott Always Tells the Truth - Except When He Lies or Forgets
Now who would have ever thought that the great pretender, Tony Abbott, would one day become leader of the Liberal Party. Wonders will never cease.
Seriously though, i have some real objections to his hard right Catholic, socially conservative, 1950's stance. Tony Abbott is further to the right than John Howard and much less of a pragmatist. God forbid if he was ever elected Prime Minister.
But further, i have a real problem with someone who changes their mind on any issue - yes any old issue - as often as the weather. And he does it so earnestly too. This guy can be bloody believable. Pity the media rarely target him on his flip flopping.
So its a good time to remember the blatant lie that Abbott told during the 2004 election, regarding a meeting with his real boss, Cardinal George Pell. Nice little get from Tony Jones on Lateline. See below how the Chaser team (or was it CNNN) interpreted it. Sense of humor Tony Abbott? I don't think so.
About Just Grumpy
