Now I know why MikeK went back to Australia...

[sperry]

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsAr...archived=False

Originally Posted by Reuters

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian authorities believe they have foiled a major terrorist attack, arresting 15 people on Tuesday during raids in the country's two biggest cities of Sydney and Melbourne.

The arrests come less than a week after Prime Minster John Howard said Australia received intelligence about a "terrorist threat".

"We believe ... we've disrupted a large-scale operation which, had it been allowed to go through to fruition, we certainly believe would have been catastrophic," New South Wales Police Commissioner Ken Moroney told Australian television.

The Australian Federal Police said 23 house searches were carried out under warrants in suburbs in Sydney and Melbourne early on Tuesday as part of a joint counter-terrorism operation with New South Wales and Victoria state police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organization.

Several searches were still under way, a Federal Police spokesman told Reuters.

"Nine men have been arrested and charged in Melbourne with terrorism related offences, some of which include intentionally being a member of a terrorist organization ... and intentionally directing the activities of a terrorist organization," he said.

Six men had been arrested in Sydney, but had not yet been charged, the spokesman said.

Australia's parliament rushed through urgent amendments to anti-terrorism laws last Thursday to allow police to charge people in the early stages of planning an attack.

Australia, a staunch U.S. ally with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, has never suffered a major peacetime attack on home soil. The country has been on medium security alert since shortly after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

(Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols in Canberra)

© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.

"Agent Khamis, reporting for counter-terrorism duty!"

[tysonK]

"Agent Khamis, reporting for counter-terrorism duty!"

right after his laps in the v8 supercar series.

[MattR]

OMG. That picture > *

[tysonK]

That pic is highlarious.

[sperry]

That's what you get when you GIS "Australian Ninja".

[Nick Koan]

Originally Posted by article

"Nine men have been arrested and charged in Melbourne with terrorism related offences, some of which include intentionally being a member of a terrorist organization ... and intentionally directing the activities of a terrorist organization,"

so, if I was unintentionally directing the activities of a terrorist organization, what exactly would I be doing?

[MattR]

Originally Posted by nKoan

so, if I was unintentionally directing the activities of a terrorist organization, what exactly would I be doing?

Making them a sandwich?

Edit: Nick, you should be careful what you type, being "Arabian" and all, you're what the CIA likes to call "target Demo"

[Dean]

Originally Posted by nKoan

so, if I was unintentionally directing the activities of a terrorist organization, what exactly would I be doing?

Exactly that, get him!!!!

[sperry]

Originally Posted by nKoan

so, if I was unintentionally directing the activities of a terrorist organization, what exactly would I be doing?

The law is probably written like that, so if you're say, holding the door open for an old lady, and like three terrorists run through, you're not charged with "aiding a terrorist".

[AtomicLabMonkey]

Originally Posted by sperry

The law is probably written like that, so if you're say, holding the door open for an old lady, and like three terrorists run through, you're not charged with "aiding a terrorist".

You probably would be in this country. Maybe we could learn something from Australia...

[sperry]

Originally Posted by AtomicLabMonkey

You probably would be in this country. Maybe we could learn something from Australia...

Well, apparently we've got such a big terrorism problem that we should be arrested for holding the door open for 'em. The loss of our personal rights are a necessary sacrifice we have to make to keep our great nation secure! I for one welcome our new police state overlords and the soylent green they plan to feed us to keep budget avaiable for our missle defense network!

[AtomicLabMonkey]

Originally Posted by sperry

The loss of our personal rights are a necessary sacrifice we have to make to keep our great nation secure! I for one welcome our new police state overlords and the soylent green they plan to feed us to keep budget avaiable for our missle defense network!

It's people!!?!!!

[MikeK]

Haha! Actually my ninja skills are usually saved for battling pirates

Originally Posted by sperry

Well, apparently we've got such a big terrorism problem that we should be arrested for holding the door open for 'em. The loss of our personal rights are a necessary sacrifice we have to make to keep our great nation secure! I for one welcome our new police state overlords and the soylent green they plan to feed us to keep budget avaiable for our missle defense network!

Sadly, our prime minister, whose main ambition in life is to have horsey rides in George Bush's lap, has been pushing the same bs laws as here.

For example, he had previously passed a law which allows federal police to hold you for 7 days without charges, now that is being increased to 14 because of the "increased risk of terrorism" or some crap. But here is the best part: the 7 day law has never needed to be used, so why the hell increase it??

It wouldn't surprise me if the charges in that press release were fabricated just to drum up some fear to help the "anti terror" laws get through.

[AtomicLabMonkey]

Originally Posted by MikeK

Sadly, our prime minister, whose main ambition in life is to have horsey rides in George Bush's lap,

Hahahahahaha... Giddeyap!

[MikeK]

Originally Posted by tysonK

right after his laps in the v8 supercar series.

I spent a bit of time in my friend's 500 Hp monaro ... imagine a flat torque curve and no turbo lag! Now it feels like I am driving around in the STi with the handbrake on. I thought it would just be a straight line queen, but it rails around corners, and has HUGE brakes.

I wonder what it would cost to swap a v8 into a subaru?

[sperry]

Originally Posted by MikeK

I spent a bit of time in my friend's 500 Hp monaro ... imagine a flat torque curve and no turbo lag! Now it feels like I am driving around in the STi with the handbrake on. I thought it would just be a straight line queen, but it rails around corners, and has HUGE brakes.

I wonder what it would cost to swap a v8 into a subaru?

Probably about 10 times just buying an old F-Body Camaro/Firebird w/ a 5.7L V8 already in it.

[Nick Koan]

Originally Posted by MikeK

I wonder what it would cost to swap a v8 into a subaru?

Your immortal soul. Just sign on the dotted line in blood please.

Seriously though, Perrin looked like they had a tough enough time putting the flat 6cyl into the Impreza chasis. I imagine packaging would be quite tight and would need some major work.

[sperry]

Originally Posted by nKoan

Your immortal soul. Just sign on the dotted line in blood please.

Seriously though, Perrin looked like they had a tough enough time putting the flat 6cyl into the Impreza chasis. I imagine packaging would be quite tight and would need some major work.

Um, a chevy v8 is smaller than a EJ20 4-banger. There's a reason V8's are popular, especially the pushrod variant... they're extremely compact!

Edit: Here's all the space you need for 800hp:

[Nick Koan]

Wow. I figured the flat configuration was inheriently bigger, but I didn't realize it was that much.

[sperry]

Originally Posted by nKoan

Wow. I figured the flat configuration was inheriently bigger, but I didn't realize it was that much.

It allows for a much lower CG, and a shorter depth (which is good for the way Subaru does their AWD with the motor completely in front of the front axle), but yeah, a flat motor isn't the most efficient use of space, especially w/ DOHC.

[Dean]

Originally Posted by sperry

It allows for a much lower CG, and a shorter depth (which is good for the way Subaru does their AWD with the motor completely in front of the front axle), but yeah, a flat motor isn't the most efficient use of space, especially w/ DOHC.

It is efficinet in the use of vertical space and when you are building a sports car in which lower CG is better, that is good. Porsche wouldn't use horizontally opposed engines if they didn't have significant value over other configurations.

[JC]

Originally Posted by sperry

Well, apparently we've got such a big terrorism problem that we should be arrested for holding the door open for 'em. The loss of our personal rights are a necessary sacrifice we have to make to keep our great nation secure! I for one welcome our new police state overlords and the soylent green they plan to feed us to keep budget avaiable for our missle defense network!

HEY, that missle defense network gives people like me jobs.

[sperry]

Originally Posted by JC

HEY, that missle defense network gives people like me jobs.

And totally necessary, because the weapon of choice for terrorist groups with limited funding are clearly intercontinental balistic missiles!

[JC]

Originally Posted by sperry

And totally necessary, because the weapon of choice for terrorist groups with limited funding are clearly intercontinental balistic missiles!

You can get them pretty cheap in Russia. Some people in my class are working on a defense system against NK missles actually.

[sperry]

Originally Posted by JC

You can get them pretty cheap in Russia. Some people in my class are working on a defense system against NK missles actually.

"Getting" an ICBM, and actually successfully launching a warhead are two different things.

However, I fully believe that North Korea can, or shortly will be able to, pull it off.