Support the EPA in limiting greenhouse gases

Tell the EPA You Support Its Efforts to Curb Carbon Pollution!

action.sierraclub.org

The EPA has proposed New Source Pollution Standards for power plants and refineries to limit the amount of global warming pollution they can spew into our air. Tell the EPA your support their proposal to protect us from the effects of climate change.

Mercedes-Benz CLS by Carlsson

German tuner Carlsson has introduced its own edition of the Mercedes-Benz CLS ahead of its Geneva debut tomorrow.

Carlsson's chief designer Rolf Schlepp has created a new aerodynamic kit that accentuates the CLS's coupe styling. That includes a front spoiler, an RS front spoiler lip (also available in carbon), stainless-steel grille inserts, rear spoiler and a rear apron with integrated diffuser.

For the performance tuning, Carlsson offers power boosting kits for several CLS engine variants, including a boost on the twin-turbo V8 of the CLS 63 AMG that dials output from the series' 557 PS ( 410 kW / 550 bhp) up to 600 PS (441 kW / 592 bhp).

On the diesel-powered CLS 350 CDI, the Carlsson C-Tronic control unit boosts the power rating by 20 percent to a total of 320 PS (235 kW / 316 bhp) and 780 Nm of torque (575 lb-ft) from the series' 265 PS (195 kW / 261 bhp) 650 Nm (479 lb-ft). The 0 to 100 km/h sprint time is improved by 0.3 seconds over the standard 350 CDI to 5.9 seconds.

For the exhaust, there's a stainless steel rear silencer and double-oval tailpipes, with Carlsson offering stainless-steel tailpipes as an extra option.

Alloy wheels in 1/10 design (five simple and five double spokes) can be had in sizes up to 20 inches.

The C-Tronic SUSPENSION kit is adaptable to the AIRMATIC suspension from Mercedes and can lower the car 30 mm.

Things remain as elaborate, and then some, on the inside. Carlsson uses top-notch materials for the cabin finish in leather and Alcantara with carbon and wood trims (wood inlays with a piano black varnish). The seats and door panels are upholstered in Carlsson Nappa leather with contrasting stitching. There's also an Alcantara sports steering wheel, brushed aluminum pedals and foot rests, and floor and boot mats with the Carlsson logo. Carlsson even informs us that drinking-quality water is used in the tanning of the leather. That's how refined this tuning package is.

Volt news

GM has plans to continue building on the Volt’s  momentum. In addition to new plans to build 25,000 Volts this year and up to 120,000 next year, the Volt team is highly focused on reducing costs.  After all with demand at $41,000 it is certain more would be sold a a lower price point.  GM CEO Dan Akerson has charged his team with taking at least $7500 in cost out of the car by its next generation. With the federal tax credit still in place that would put the car well below $30,000 and in the reach of a far greater amount of people.

--from the volt website

Talking with the neighbors

We invited some friends and neighbors over this weekend to talk about the solar panels and test drive the Volt.  We had about 15 people stop by.  Hopefully this sort of word of mouth event will help build buzz and momentum for solar panels and electric cars so that they are not just a novelty.   We hope that as more people buy electric cars and install solar panels we can become part of a strong constituency that can lobby for more support for renewable energy, electric cars, and plug-in stations and at the same time stop the subsidies for oil, gas, and coal.  Speaking of which, here is a graphic showing how much our federal priorities need to be reversed from supporting deadly fossil fuels to life affirming renewable energy.  For starters, we need to vote out any congressperson who denies global warming--i.e. the Koch Industries Tea Party zealots.

A study released by the Environmental Law Institute, a nonpartisan research and policy organization, shows that the federal government has provided substantially larger subsidies to fossil fuels than to renewables. Subsidies to fossil fuels totaled approximately $72 billion over the seven-year study period, while subsidies for renewable fuels totaled $29 billion over the same period. e vast majority of subsidies support energy sources that emit high levels of greenhouse gases when used as fuel. Moreover, just a handful of tax breaks make up the largest portion of subsidies for fossil fuels, with the most significant of these, the Foreign Tax Credit, supporting the overseas production of oil. More than half of the subsidies for renewables are attributable to corn-based ethanol, the use of which, while decreasing American reliance on foreign oil, has generated concern about climate effects.ese figures raise the question of whether scarce government funds might be better allocated to move the United States towards a low-carbon economy.

For press inquiries contact Brett Kitchen at 202-939-3833. Full report text and pdf of this graphic may be found online at:

http://www.eli.org/pressdetail.cfm?ID=205 ©Environmental Law Institute.

Smart meter correction

I had thought that we were using a smart meter with the PG&E E9 rates, but I was wrong.  I just learned that the E9 meter, which runs backwards with solar panels, is not a smart meter.  PG&E has to come out to read it every month, which is why they tack on a meter charge for its use.  In fact this is the case for all Time of Use meters.  This also means that I can't check my daily use on line the way I could with a smart meter, so I need to check the meter to see how much we are using.  I will do so and report back, so stay tuned.

By the way, this makes it occur to me that anyone who doesn't like their smart meter could switch to a time of use meter.  That's assuming that the TOU meter doesn't put out the electromagnetic radiation that some people are sensitive to.

How much do you want to sit in here?

LIFE, contrary to the cliché, doesn't begin at 40. It begins at 25.

I excitedly reckon this because as of tomorrow it will be exactly twenty five years since I made my first car journey (although whisper it quietly it was in a Volvo 340) on March 1, 1986. There's lots of things that make it, to my mind, an anniversary worth celebrating.

I can, for instance, take out cheaper car insurance. I can rent things that aren't vans. Best of all, it means I can afford to own an old sports car for the first time, which is about to go through its MOT.

Unfortunately, my other half isn't looking forward to March 1 because I'm having another British sports car delivered to the Champion offices. The 2010 Lotus Elise. And I didn't arrange it so I could use it as a birthday treat. Honest.

What you or I see when we see an Elise is the classic sports car of the future, the finely-fettled drivers' tool which saw Lotus reinvent itself as a master of all things lightweight following the flop that was the front-wheel-drive Elan. What my other half sees, on the other hand, is what you see above; two thin, rock hard seats perched low in a noisy car with next to no visibility at all, accessible only once you've scaled those ridiculously wide sills.

I keep trying to explain to her that sports cars like this - and the even less comfortable Caterham Seven, which I've also squeezed myself into on a couple of occasions - are supposed to be raw and cramped, which she's accepted on the strict proviso that I pay for the osteopath she visits afterwards. Perhaps the only answer is to persuade Lotus to launch a "passenger version" of the Elise, with the driver's side stripped out for thrills and performance and the passenger's retrimmed luxuriously for frills and pampering.

The prospect of an Elise, two conveniently-booked days off and some nice weather is enough to send me into a bout of childish excitement, which is why by the time this week's Champion drops though your letterbox I'll be blasting the Toyota-engined screamer along a mountain pass in the Lake District.

For me, it'll be seat-of-the-pants thrills. For my long-suffering other half, it'll be a pain in the backside.

POLIS MALAYSIA vs. DRIFTER

Baru tadi saya layari Youtube dan terjumpa video ni, cuma saya tidak dapat pastikan adakah ianya benar sebuah tragedi ataupun dalam pembikinan filem. Anda saksikan sendiri dan buat penilaian :)

HAMANN HAWK based on Mercedes SLS AMG

Based on the Mercedes SLS AMG the Hamann Hawk will be making its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show.

The bird of prey with its open wing doors has an Everose Gold exterior finish and features a wind tunnel tested body kit. Starting at the front there is a new front bumper fascia with LED lights and enlarged air inlets. Carbon fiber hood allows hot air to escape while the fender flairs provide an extra 60mm on each front side and 70mm on each rear side. Side skirts, rear bumper fascia with diffuser and carbon fiber wing round out the body kit.

Performance of the already potent 6.2-liter V8 engine is enhanced with high-performance titanium exhaust manifolds and sports catalysts while a sports air filter is used on the intake side. In concert with a remapped engine control unit, power output is raised to 636 PS (628 bhp / 468 kW) from the standard 571 PS (420 kW / 563 hp) for a 0 to 100 km/h sprint in 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 320 km/h (199 mph).

The coilover kit with four height-adjustable dampers and four progressively wound springs lower the center of gravity by up to 30 millimeters. Wheels are Hamann's own lightweight forged wheels in 9Jx21 with tires measuring 245/30 ZR 21 at the front and 12.5Jx21 with tires measuring 345/25 ZR 21 at the rear.

HPE700 Camaro Convertible by Hennessey

Hennessey Performance has unveiled the first details about the 2011 HPE700 Camaro Convertible.

Like the previous HPE700 coupe, the convertible features a 'CarbonAero' body kit (which includes a front splitter, a rear diffuser and revised side skirts), a painted hockey stick side strip, and 20-inch alloy wheels with Pirelli P-Zero tires.

Power comes from a Corvette ZR1-sourced LS9 engine which has been outfitted with cold air induction system, upgraded pulleys, and high-flow fuel injectors. Thanks to these modifications, the 6.2-liter V8 produces 755 hp (563 kW / 765 PS) and 763 lb-ft (1,033 Nm) of torque - an increase of 117 hp (87 kW / 119 PS) and 159 lb-ft (215 Nm). This enables the coupe (convertible figures are still pending) to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.3 seconds and run the quarter mile in 10.9 seconds at 130 mph.

To ensure the chassis can handle the added power, engineers installed an adjustable coil-over suspension, upgraded sway bars and a Brembo braking system with 15-inch rotors.

Available as a coupe or convertible, HPE700 production will be limited to 24 units.

Trevor Bayne

736

 acrylic on paper 7x12" sold

this is Trevor Bayne

winning the 2011 Daytona 500

being just 19 years old...

what next?

Off-road Segregated Cycle Facilities

Our undercover agent - Codename JannieJumbo - has been beavering away under deep cover, active within Aberdeen's so-called cycling activist 'community' documenting how our hard-earned road-taxes are being diverted, being spent on high-quality facilities for the tax-dodging cyclits and pestestrians.

In this video which he left for us to pick up in his dead-letterbox drop behind the verdigris smeared pipes in the third cubicle along of the derelict Union Terrace Gardens toilets, he shows that our petrol-tax money is being spent on a pleasant leafy cycletrack which runs past the headquarters of the Total Oil company in Altens.

The provocative irony that petrol-using motorists' tax contributions should be spent on cycling facilities which skirt the campus of one of the great petrol companies is not lost on us. That's probably why they've wisely invested so much on the security measures highlighted in the video - like hard-pressed drivers of Aberdeen Cars, the oilco's themselves feel embattled, put upon, besieged by cyclits and pestestrians.



Still, at least when Codename JannieJumbo arrives at Wellington Road to use the Toucan Crossing he is forced to wait while the significantly more important motor-vehicle users roar busily past on their way to create yet more vital economic growth for Aberdeen "City and Shire". Everyone knows that cyclits and pestestrians are far less important to the local economy than motorists. That's why it is gratifying to us that even their much-vaunted 'cycling and walking infrastructure' hammers home this fundamental point. These people simply do not count.

Competition Time

Here's a little easy quiz to brighten up the wet dingy evenings for you all. Take a look at the photos of the off - road shared use cycle path and pavement that leads into the Imperial Park shopping centre in Hartcliffe. Can you spot what isn't meant to be there?. First prize is a week touring the Middle East with David Cameron flogging weapons.

Top Gear: What Jeremy Clarkson says about The Stig

 Some say he never blinks, and that he roams around the woods at night foraging for wolves...

• Some say he’s wanted by the CIA, and that he sleeps upside down like a bat...

• Some say he appears on high value stamps in Sweden, and that he can catch fish with his tongue...


• Some say he is illegal in 17 US states, and he blinks horizontally...

• Some say that his breath smells of magnesium, and that he’s scared of bells...

• Some say he naturally faces magnetic north, and that all his legs are hydraulic...

• Some say that he lives in a tree, and that his sweat can be used to clean precious metals...

• Some say that his heart ticks like a watch, and that he’s confused by stairs...

• Some say that his voice can only be heard by cats, and that he has two sets of knees...

• Some say that he’s terrified of ducks, and that there’s an airport in Russia named after him...

• Some say his skin has the texture of a dolphin’s, and that wherever you are in the world if you tune your radio to 88.4 you can actually hear his thoughts...

• Some say that he has no understanding of clouds, and that his earwax tastes like Turkish Delight...

• Some say that his politics are terrifying, and that he once punched a horse to the ground...

• Some say that his tears are adhesive, and that if he caught fire he’d burn for a thousand days...

• Some say he can swim seven lengths underwater, and he has webbed buttocks...

• Some say that his heart is in upside down, and that his teeth glow in the dark...

• Some say that his ears aren’t exactly where you’d expect them to be, and that once, preposterously, he had an affair with John Prescott...

• Some say he has a digital face, and that if he felt like it, he could fire Alan Sugar...

• Some say that his genitals are on upside down, and that if he could be bothered he could crack the Da Vinci code in 43 seconds...

• Some say his ears have a paisley lining, and he’s been banned from the Chelsea Flower Show...

• Some say that the outline of his left nipple is exactly the same shape as the Nurburg ring, and that if you give him a really important job to do, he’ll skive off and play croquet...

• Some say he invented Branston Pickle, and that if you insult his mother he will headbutt you in the chest...

• Some say that on really warm days he sheds his skin like a snake, and that for some reason he’s allergic to the Dutch...

• Some say that his first name really is The, and that if he went on Celebrity Love Island they’d all be pregnant including the cameramen...

• Some say that he once threw a microwave oven at a tramp, and that long before anyone else he realised that Jade Goody was a racist pig-faced waste of blood and organs...

• Some say that he once had a vicious knife-fight with Anthea Turner, and that he is in no way implicated in the Cash-for-Honours scandal. All we know is that he's called Lord Stig

• Some say that he is a CIA experiment that went wrong, and that he only eats cheese. All new know is that he's not The Stig - he's The Stig's fat American cousin

• Some say that if you lick his chest it tastes exactly the same as Piccalilli, and that at this week’s Brit awards he was arrested for goosing Russell Brand...

• Some say that he sucks the moisture from ducks, and that his crash helmet is modelled on Britney Spears’ head...

• Some say he isn’t machine washable, and all his potted plants are called Steve...

• Some say his scrotum has its own small gravity field...

• Some say because our producer rigged a phone vote, he now has a new name...all we know is, he's called Cuddles...

• Some say he's banned from the town of Chichester...

• Some say in a recent late night deal he bought a slightly dented white Fiat Uno from the Duke of Edinburgh...

• Some say he gets terrible ezcema on his helmet...

• Some say if he'd been the video ref in the World Cup Rugby Final he would've seen that it was of course a try you blind Australian half-wit...

• Some say to unlock him you have to run your finger down his face...

• Some say if he were getting divorced from Paul McCartney he'd keep his stupid whining mouth shut...

• Some say he thought Star Wars was a documentry...

• Some say he recently pulled out of I'm a Celebrity because he's frightened of trees....and Australia...Koo Stark...and Ant...and Dec...

• Some say he knows two facts about ducks, and both of them are wrong...

• Some say 61 years ago he accidently introduced Her Majesty, the Queen, to a Greek racialist...

• Some say when he slows down, brake lights come on in his buttocks...

• Some say if he'd been the manager of the England football squad last week he wouldn't have been a feckless-ginger-gum-chewing buffoon who ruined it for all of us...

• Some say he once lost a canoe on a beach in the northeast...

• Some say he once did some time in a prison in Canterbury because his teddy is called "The Baby Jesus"...

• Some say that after making love, he bites the head of his partner, and that he's had to give up binge-drinking now that it 's got to £1.18 a litre. All we know is he's called the Stig.

• Some say that each of his toenails are exactly the same as a woman's nipples. And that he thinks the credit crunch is some kind of breakfast cereal. All we know is he's called the Stig.

• Some say his droppings have been found as far north as York. And that he has a full-size tattoo of his face - on his face. All we know is he's called the Stig.

• Some say that he is not allowed by law, within a hundred yards of Lorraine Kelly. And that he's never seen an episode of Top Gear because he's a huge fan of Midsomer Murders. All we know is he's called Bergerac.

• Some say it's impossible for him to wear socks. And he can open a beer bottle with his testes. All we know is he's called the Stig.

• Some say his droppings have been found as far north as York. And that he has a full size tattoo of his face, on his face.

• Some say that he is not allowed, by law, within 100 yards of Lorraine Kelly, and that he's never seen an episode of Top Gear, because he's a huge fan of Midsomer Murders!

• Some say it's impossible for him to wear socks, and he can open a beer bottle with his testes!

• Some say that he sleeps inside out, and that he once had full sex with Russell Brand's answering machine.

• Some say his favourite ever song is Forever Autumn by Justin Hayward, and that he has the world's largest collection of pornographical material.

• Some say that he invented November. And that if he had won the World Championship in Brazil last weekend, there might have been one photograph of him without his father, gurning in the back of shot.

• Some say one of his legs get longer when he sees a pretty lady. And that I haven't done one of these for some time and I've forgotten to make up a second thing.

• Some say that he doesn't like to get his helmet wet. A point that was proved last week when he was caught in the back of shot by an eagle-eyed viewer. 


• Some say, the outline of his left nipple is almost exactly the same shape as The Nürburgring


List from: Source

Source

Source

Update : Regarding previous post on 3 Police car and Nissan 180SX drift car

Apparently it is an upcoming Malaysian film called "Kongsi" (2011) . The trailer is as below!

From the looks of it, much better than KL Drift!

Real life fast and furious: 3 Police Car VS Nissan 180SX drift car

This could be a photoshoot for some movie, possible KL drift 3? It looks staged though, as the police Proton Waja reverse a bit to allow the Nissan 180SX car to escape being trapped. Anyway enjoy the video! Video is from youtube, saw it posted on Paul Tan's excellent automotive blog.

For more detailed report and comments, please visit Paul Tan's Automotive Blog

Corvette Z06 by Romeo Ferraris

The Italian tuner Romeo Ferraris is at it again. This time they're taking on the Corvette Z06.

Romeo Ferraris takes the American import and drops its own compressor onto the LS7 7.0 liter V8 engine. The Vortech kit used includes a centrifugal compressor, an air-to-air aluminum intercooler and high-flow injectors. Total output goes from the standard Z06's 512 PS (377 kW) and 637 Nm of torque to 677 PS (498 kW) and 823 Nm.

Those new power ratings also come as a benefit of a new sport exhaust system and the Z06-RF is held in check by larger performance disk-brakes featuring 380 mm, 6-piston calipers for the front and 345 mm, 4-piston calipers at the back.

Front and rear wheels also differ in dimensions, with Romeo Ferraris fitting this Z06-RF with 19-inch rims at the front and 20-inch at the back.

Performance numbers include a 0 to 100 km/h sprint time of 3.3 seconds and if you keep going you'll reach 200 km/h (124 mph) in under 10 seconds. Top speed is 340 km/h (211 mph).

Romeo Ferraris also provides a new interior finish to add a European touch to this American muscle car. That includes an in-house "Commando" sport steering wheel by Romeo Ferraris, Recaro Sportster seats and leather touches to replace outgoing plastic moldings.

Audi R8 V10 by Wheelsandmore

German tuner Wheelsandmore is offering a performance upgrade on the Audi R8 V10 model which is powered by the 5.2 liter TFSI engine.

Wheelsandmore handcrafted its own stainless-steel exhaust system with valve control and with the help of an ECU re-mapping gets the R8's 5.2 liter V10 TFSI engine up to 600 PS (441 kW) and 590 Nm (435 lb-ft) of torque. That's a boost of 75 PS and 60 Nm of torque over the standard configuration - which is 525 PS (386 kW) and 530 Nm (391 lb-ft).

For the suspension, there's KW race coilovers with adjustable rebound and compression rates. The new hydraulic suspension can move 4.5 cm (1.77 inches) up or down to adjust the ride height.

The tuner has also crafted its own 3-piece wheels for the R8, which come in 9 x 20 dimensions at the front and 11 x 20 for the rear and in various color combinations. The rims come wrapped in Continental Sport Contact III tires sized 235/30/20 and 295/25/20 front/back, respectively.

Mini Cooper Fever!

            The Mini, a car conceived by the British Motor Corporation was first produced in 1959. After many years, it still remained as a popular car. In Malaysia, it is some sort of an cult icon where even a condemned condition one can fetch RM5,000 (USD$1500). A thorough restored one can fetch up to RM30,000 (USD$10,000)! We are talking about the classic old mini cooper here, not the new ones. In fact, it is a popular car for many extreme modifications. 

Classic British Icon (Source)

New VS Old (Source)

For the engine alone, many enthusiasts have plonked in B16A honda Vtec engines inside! Of course in Malaysia it isn't legal. 

Evo VIII vs VTEC Mini - Donnington July 08 (From Youtube)

Hotrod style pickup truck with extreme bodykit (Source)

4X4 anyone? (source)

What is that?! (Source)

Jeremy Clarkson: POWEERRRRR ! (Source)


Past to Present of Mini

The Mini ain't so mini anymore (Source)

And now, in the present, someone has created something else! 

"Half Mini Cooper, half racing chair... all awesome" 

(Chris Shunk @ Autoblog, 2011)

Mini Cooper Gaming Chair

For more details and full post, visit Autoblog

18" VS 19" Rims: The Pros & Cons (Best Motoring International)

         Many motoring enthusiasts love to up-size their original rims: from 14 inch on a Proton Wira to 16 inch, or even 17 inch is not uncommon in Malaysia. 

Not very pothole friendly! (Source)

 Sure looks nice, but is it practical? (Source)

However, most people do it for the looks, without considering the aftereffects. Changing to a different size affects the whole behaviour of the car entirely. Auto manufacturers spent a lot of their resources researching on such issues, whereas many motoring enthusiasts simply change the size without considering issues such as the durability of the parts, chassis, and speedometer readings. Generally bigger size rims have a wider width, resulting in more grip. This increase in grip translates to more rolling resistance, hence higher fuel consumption. Other issues may include wrong rim offset, producing fender rubbing, or even knocking into the chassis. Braking also is an issue. Bigger rims are generally heavier, thus it takes more effort to brake. Without upgrading the brakes, the braking distance increases. For general daily driving purposes, many people who have changed to much "bigger than stock rims" may not experience a significant impact. 

Personally, I have increased my rim size from 14 inch to 17 inch. Even though it looks fantastic, the car wanders at high speed, the road noise is much more significant, and fuel consumption were at an all time high. Handling wise, cornering is awesome, and responsive.This does not bode well for everyday use unfortunately, with the "excellent" road conditions of Malaysia this means that every bump, crease, unevenness is felt. As a result, I will be downgrading my rims back to 15 inch, much more comfortable and economical at the same time. 

As a general rule of thumb told to me by many tyre shops, if you want to upgrade your rims do not exceed 2 inch from the original specifications and the tyre size have to be matched within 3% allowance of speedometer reading. 

Useful Link

Tyre Size Calculator

Video taken from Youtube: "18" VS 19" Rims: The Pros & Cons (Best Motoring International)"

The Cost of Education

It's expensive, having children. 

Even more so if you send them to Public schools, of course.

State schools, however, can also prove costly. 

Here's the scene just after the 2011 Ski trip to Austria arrived back at Redland Green School (we know this, we asked). A trip that must have cost over £1000 per pupil when spending money is added to the bill. Ouch.

Imagine the added insult, therefore, when you walk out of the school grounds having picked up your child to find Bristol's finest traffic wardens have chosen just this moment to visit Redland and ticket any car blocking a dropped kerb (not a yellow line in sight).

One of Bristol Traffic's many roving reporters managed to get this photo of the ticketing in action, whilst the wailing of the Redland Mum's affected by the outrage could be heard across the neighbourhood. Less off-piste, more piste-off.

   

So now, for at least two families, that'll be £1040 minimum. For a ski trip. Shocking.

Whoa... Serious Jawa

The politics of copyright

We see that the "Turning Bristol Red" blog is using one of our photographs of Jon Rogers. Not just embedding, but putting a complete new copy up on their own server: http://turningbristolred.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/p1030249.jpg.

That was a photograph staged as part of the ongoing treegate story. Yes, like Top Gear, sometimes things are rigged. It was Chris Hutt's funeral, Jon was one of the people who stood up said nice things about Chris: it was a year today that we were all down at the Zetland Road junction, where Chris presented Jon with the second place in the Antibicycle awards.

It's bit of a shame, therefore, that what was a deliberately staged photograph at Chris's funeral has become, well politicised. This doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the text, it's worth a read and the audience can come to their own conclusions, only that the Bristol Traffic team doesn't like making enemies, as it interferes with our strategic plans. We sometimes see Jon in the street, he stops and says hello. And last week one of our reporters bumped into Paul Smith over in Portishead, where Paul was polite, despite the fairly muddy condition of the reporter. If someone we know and respect -such as the Bristol Blogger- had wanted the pic, we'd have said "yes, go for it", but we're not so bemused by someone using it who hasn't yet done anything to help us, and without even asking.

-

This site doesn't make any declaration of how our pictures can be re-used. There's an implicit declaration of copyright there -that it is retained by the original photographers. If people want to use our photographs elsewhere, it is not merely polite to ask, it is a requirement -something that someone trained in law should realise. We are pleased that our work has ended up being used in the campaign leaflets of the Labour, Green and LD parties over the past few years -everyone who asked got the response "yes". But they asked, they didn't just take.

This is particularly ironic given one of the last acts of the labour government was the Digital Economy Bill, which has some pretty awful provisions on copyright in the internet era, as record and DVD companies don't understand about how networks work, and would rather we all sat at home paying a premium to consume whatever Sky TV beams to us, with the little TV box then uploading statistics on what we watched. Not, say uploading our own photographs or videos to youtube, to become our own media reporters, whether it's on traffic issues in the city centre or -far better and braver- filming the overthrow of dictatorships from your mobile phones as you stand up to rulers that have declared a state of emergency for forty years.


It's also amusing given the experience of Crap Walking and Cycling in Waltham Forest, who had some of their artwork used by their Local Labour party; quite a story [1, 2, 3, 4, 5], though we suspect Freewheeler would be happier if they actually addressed some of the issues that the photographs raise.

Darren, you can re-use the four photos on this posting. That's two of you, one of Gary Hopkins and one of the Eastville ward results where Glenn Vowles is not that far behind the conservatives.

But not the current Jon pic you are using, and if you want any of our others, email us first.

Next time we're at an election we'll try and get some less blurred ones of you. We hear Charlie Bolton will be standing again, and he shared his chips with us. Nobody else did that.

PROTON SAGA FL MODIFIED

Hari ini saya ingin berkongsi dengan pengunjung ProtonClub gambar sebuah kereta Proton Saga FL (Facelift) yang telah diubahsuai tetapi ianya hanyalah melalui lakaran artis sahaja. Belum lagi saya temui pemilik Proton Saga FL ini yang mengubahsuai kereta mereka, jika ada nanti saya akan upload untuk tatapan anda semua.