Month: September 2009

Finally!
Let’s hope that the agreement between the Canadian automakers and small independent auto repair shops would put a dent into auto dealers’ monopoly of information practice.
Nowadays, a car has lots of computerized equipment, that makes very often the diagnosis a pretty elaborate process. It’s not sufficient to have a diagnosis tool – very expensive by the way- you have to have access to information. This vital information has been,until now, the ‘privilege’ of dealerships.

The agreement will give customers the chance to have the repairs done by shops charging $60/hour vs $130/hour charged by auto dealers. More business for small shops and more money into our pocket.

Following is the article, courtesy of The Star.
“Canadian automakers and repair shops say they have reached an agreement that will give consumers more choice on where to fix their vehicles and lower bills.

The deal, which will avoid federal legislation, includes a standard that will give repair shops access auto manufacturers’ service and repair information plus tooling and training information before next May.

“This agreement ensures that all auto manufacturers will provide access to service and repair information which will increase competition in Canada’s service and repair industry for the benefit of Canadian consumers,” said Dale Finch, executive vice-president of the National Automotive Trades Association (NATA) which represents more than 5,000 repair shops across the country.

“This agreement will provide the flexibility needed to address concerns of local repair facilities and our customers, given the increasingly complex nature of motor vehicles and rapidly changing vehicle technology.”

However the deal did not include support from the Automotive Industries Association of Canada, a bigger trade group which represents parts makers, distributors, wholesalers and repair outlets.

Repair shops have complained for years that manufacturers were withholding information, which made it difficult for them to repair some models and forced consumers to fix their vehicles at new auto dealerships.

Industry Minister Tony Clement had urged the automakers and repair shops earlier this year to find a voluntary solution, adding that existing practices “were no longer an option.”

In supporting today’s voluntary agreement, Clement said it will improve competition and lower bills for consumers.

“The agreement will make information and tools available to independent repair shops . . . for the repair of all vehicles,” he said.

“Often, fixing vehicles today is more about the car’s computer system than it’s about nuts and bolts and so, in order to repair and service newer vehicles, there are highly specialized and specific tools that require technical training and diagnostic information.”

The industries association had supported a private member’s bill to address the issue last spring. The House of Commons voted to send the bill from Brain Masse of the NDP to the federal industry committee for review.”

People characterized as ‘conspiracy theorists’ will say ‘absolutely yes’. The nay sayers will say ‘get the f*ck out of here’.
Now Charlie Sheen is taking a stance demanding in the name of the victims and their families, the reopening of the investigation.
And as much as I would like to believe that it was not an inside job, more and more proofs concur to the same conclusion. That it was an inside job. Probably some day the truth would come out, but unfortunately it’s not going to happen in our lifetime.
It’s horrible to imagine that the U.S government would sacrifice its own people. The same people that chose them to run the country and decide upon their destiny. This is exactly what they did.

As a reminder, there were a few ‘anomalies’ the Bush government did not bother addressing with regards to the investigation of WTC and Pentagon attacks:

– After the WTC attack, rescue services claimed that huge explosions took place in the basement of both buildings before and after the collapse
– The BBC broadcast the collapse of the third building that housed the CIA and Secret Service offices (and it was not hit!) 20 minutes before it happened. The building collapsed 5 hours after the twin towers in what looked like a controlled demolition
– There is no footage of any plane hitting the Pentagon and apparently, the Pentagon defense system was not activated, meaning that the typical emergency protocol to be followed when a plane enters restricted airspace became a moot point.
– Armed fighter jets stood down for over an hour.
– 60% of the commission investigating the tragedy has gone public basically accusing the government for not telling the truth
– FBI reported that a paper passport of one of the alleged attackers had been found in the ruins of the WTC. Considering that at least a third of the WTC victim’s bodies were vaporized and many of the victims of the Pentagon incident were burned beyond recognition, it’s extremely suspicious that a piece of paper surfaced intact.

Following are abstracts from Charlie Sheen imaginary letter ‘Twenty minutes with the President’, addressed to President Obama and hosted by Prison Planet.com.

‘Sir, I’d like to direct your attention to the stack of documents in the folder I just handed you. The first in from the top is entitled “Operation Northwoods”, a declassified Pentagon plan to stage terror attacks on US soil, to be blamed on Cuba as a pretext for war.’

‘The next document reads “Declassified staged provocations.” Now, Honestly Mr. President I wish I was making this stuff up. I’m certain you are familiar with the USS Maine Incident, the sinking of the Lusitania, which we all now know brought us into WW1, and of course the most famous, the Gulf of Tonkin incident.’

‘In early 2008, Pulitzer prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh and MSNBC, both reported that Cheney had proposed to the Pentagon an outrageous plan to have the U.S. Navy create fake Iranian patrol boats, to be manned by Navy Seals, who would then stage an attack on US destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz. This event was to be blamed on Iran and used as a pretext for war. Does any of this information worry you Mr. President? Should we just ignore it, until these realities can be dismissed years from now by our children, as ancient history as well?’

‘In April 2004, USA Today reported, “In the two years before the Sept. 11 attacks, the North American Aerospace Defense Command conducted exercises simulating what the White House says was unimaginable at the time: hijacked airliners used as weapons to crash into targets and cause mass casualties.” One of the targets was the World Trade Center.’

‘On September 12th 2007, CNN’s ‘Anderson Cooper 360’, reported that the mysterious “white plane” spotted and videotaped by multiple media outlets, flying in restricted airspace over the White House shortly before 10am on the morning of 9/11, was in fact the Air Force’s E-4B, a specially modified Boeing 747 with a communications pod behind the cockpit; otherwise known as “The Doomsday Plane”.’

Happy reading.