More Trains to Werribee

A good sign on additional services for the overcrowded Werribee Line. They get an additional 225 services per week. Sounds a lot. But when you do the maths it isnt that many.

225 per week even if they are only on week days equates to 46 per day. Now Connex counts a train going 'to the city' and 'from the city' each as a service. That means there will be an additional maximum 23 services in one direction each day between 9am and 4pm.

I guess if you live on the line it is good news that you now have 10 min between services throughout the day. I hope they wll be undertaking a similar expansion to other lines soon.

TEN People I DO NOT Want To Hear About Anymore

I have had enough. These people or stories have had their 15 minutes of fame. Now go away, I do not want to hear about you anymore.

1. Schappelle Corby - Why does a convicted drug courier still make front page news?
2. Clare Werbeloff - Who signs up a Media Agent 5 minutes after being interviewed for the news? Amply aided by so called 'Journalists'
3. Corey Worthington - All I can think of is the Cruel Sea: "Better Get a Lawyer Son"
4. Madeleine McCann - As sad as the whole story is I am tired of seeing sketches of dodgy looking bogey men.
5. Mercedes Corby - "Hello i'm Mr Ed". You and your family have lived off the publicity of your sister. Oh How wonderful your life is.
6. Lara Bingle - You know my thoughts there.
7. Roberta Williams - She is still trying to milk her husband's history.
8. Kyle Sandilands - Like Sam Newman without the sporting ability.
9. Gretel Killeen - Was Big Brother about the contestants or her? I am sure she knows which one she preferred. After this years Logies I think she will be dissappearing soon!
10. ????? Hmm

So who should be number 10? Any suggestions?

UPDATE: 10. Annice Smoel - Can someone take her passport off her for gross stupidity?

WTF 29 - Japanese Edition

Husband-hunting pushy bra counts down to marriage

Hiroshi Osedo
May 15, 2009 12:00am

JAPANESE women hoping for a marriage proposal should try Triumph International's new husband-hunting bra.

The "konkatsu" model has a countdown clock beneath the bra cups that shows the time at which the wearer hopes her beau will pop the question.

If engaged before the clock hits zero, she or her fiance can insert the ring into a slot.

The bra will then play The Wedding March to celebrate her engagement.

What will happen if she fails to get engaged before the time is up? Never mind, the clock will reset automatically.

The new bra set was exhibited at the Triumph Autumn-Winter Collection show in Tokyo this week.

Would-be brides will have to be patient because the konkatsu is not on sale yet.

Hmm I can imagine this would make any man run.

Richmond Sack Coach (or do they?)

Wow they are taking things pretty serious at Punt Road these days.

UPDATE: Who says the HUN gets it wrong... Well OK they did this time. Apparently he isn't being sacked after all. Oops.

WTF 28 - Ba Humbug Wowsers

Sex theme park Love Land torn down
Article from: Reuters

From correspondents in Beijing
May 18, 2009 10:57am

CHINA'S first sexually explicit theme park has been torn down before it even started, after an outcry from officials.

Love Land, set to open in October in the southwestern city of Chongqing,
featured exhibits on sexual history and how-to workshops, the China Daily newspaper reported last week.

A picture of the park entrance showed a signboard with the park's name straddled by a giant pair of women's legs topped by a red thong.

and here is the picture:

Other than the local conservative community not wanting it, what this article shows is the ease that online news services such as news.com.au can reproduce a 'story' or 'news item' across the globe.

UPDATE. The Age is not immune.

It Looks Easy on a Plan But Will Never Happen

Below is a story that appeared on the Age website calling for an extension of the train line that ends at the Showgrounds to be extended to Highpoint Shopping Centre and the proposed suburb to be developed on the old munitions plant in Maribynong.

Here is the report:

Call for little-used line to service new homes
Jason Dowling
May 18, 2009
THE dual railway line to Flemington Racecourse and Royal Melbourne Showgrounds is being wasted and should be extended three kilometres to a planned new suburb on the Maribyrnong River, a former lord mayor says.

Kevin Chamberlin said extending the line would allow it to service 3000 homes planned for the suburb and the Highpoint Shopping Centre, potentially taking thousands of cars off inner-city streets.

"This section of the railway line is scandalously under-utilised given it is dual track and it is used two periods a year at the spring racing carnival and the royal show," Mr Chamberlin said.

Last month, Premier John Brumby announced plans to build a new suburb on the 128-hectare former Department of Defence explosives factory site next to the shopping centre.

"If there is no public transport into the city, good developments like this will falter because there is no direct rail link to the city," Mr Chamberlin said.

He said that with an existing rail line for 60 per cent of the distance to the city, a rail link to the new suburb was a prospect worth considering.

New stations could be situated at Victoria University and the shopping centre, and the line could be extended to East Keilor.

A rail link would improve the value of the Government-owned housing site at Maribyrnong. "They would actually earn more money out of the development," he said.

The suburb is expected to be built in 10 years.

Maribyrnong Mayor Michael Clarke said extending the rail line was an an excellent idea.
"To better utilise a poorly utilised piece of rail infrastructure is going to be to everybody's benefit," he said.

Cr Clarke called on the State Government to conduct a study to test if the extension was viable.
Public Transport Users Association president Daniel Bowen said extending the line made sense.
"Highpoint Shopping Centre, like most of our major shopping centres is flooded with cars — shoppers driving round looking for parking," he said.

"For a rail line, it doesn't get much use, it would make sense to open up those suburbs to the rail network and get more people out of their cars and on to trains."

He said an extension of the line should be incorporated into the construction of the new suburb.

"People need those transport options when they move in, not 20 years afterwards, otherwise they will buy a car for every adult in their household and they will drive everywhere, adding to congestion," Mr Bowen said.

OK. I can tell them the answer now. Nope. Some reasons why:

• Highpoint and the proposed development already have several tram routes in the area;
• The cost of the rai line would be massive. A bridge over the river, tunnel through the hill, land acquisition;
• The delay in time between an idea and implimentation (Sth Morang has been kicked around for decades and only now is to be constructed)

So as I said. A nice idea but it will never happen.

WTF 27 - On the Nose

Office fridge stench hospitalises seven

Hmm I wondered what happened to that Tuna sandwich...

AP | May 13, 2009 - 1:50PM

An office worker cleaning a fridge full of rotten food created a smell so noxious that it sent seven co-workers to the hospital and made many others ill.

Firefighters had to evacuate the AT&T building in downtown San Jose on Tuesday after the fumes led someone to call emergency services. A hazardous materials team was called in.

What crews found was an unplugged refrigerator crammed with mouldy food.

Authorities say an enterprising office worker had decided to clean it out, placing the food in a conference room while using two cleaning chemicals to scrub down the mess.

The mixture of old lunches and disinfectant caused 28 people to need treatment for vomiting and nausea.

Authorities say the worker who cleaned the fridge didn't need treatment - she can't smell because of allergies.AP

Drive Thru Art Work

To be installed on the Westgate Freeway at Montague Street:

Yep that is correct. You will potentially be driving through a structure that is about 10 storeys tall.

100th Post

Thanks Boony for helping me out to the ton.

WTF 26 - I wonder if there is any Shane Warne Porn in there?

Revealed: national stash of red-hot blue movies
Mex Cooper
May 5, 2009

It may not be hidden under a mattress but many Australian taxpayers would be unaware they are part-owners in a major stash of pornography.

The erotica collection held by the Government-funded National Film and Sound Archive includes 108 films ranging from soft to hard-core pornography, according to a media report.

Many of the works have been donated by pornography makers over decades with the Archive only paying for one of a list of works obtained under a freedom-of-information request.

Titles held by the archive include True Blue, Manly Beach, Down Under, Taken Down Under, Outback Stripper, Sydney Boys Go Off and Aussie Rules, according to the report.

Archive senior curator Graham Shirley reportedly defended the collection, which he said was a legitimate contribution to Australian cultural history.

It is believed the erotica collection includes films dating back 80 years, documentaries, silent films and some that would now be considered art movies as much as pornography.

The Archive has more than one million images and sound recordings in its collection
dating back to 1890.

Is this the Strangest Ad on TV?

I hope you have seen it and think it is as strange as I do:



That is some truely odd shit there people.

Connex - OVER 1 in 10 late

More trains running late: report
Posted Fri May 1, 2009 3:09pm AEST

More than one in every 10 Connex trains ran late last month. The latest figures
from Connex show that only about 88 per cent of Melbourne's trains ran on time
in April.

Last April about 91 per cent of trains ran on time.

Connex spokesman John Rees says the key reason for the poor punctuality is the speed restrictions on its Siemens trains entering platforms.

But he says a solution is imminent.

"We now know that the brakes on the Siemens trains are not at fault, it is something to do more with the adhesion factor between the rail and the wheels of the train itself," he said.

"We believe it is only isolated incidents, we think we have a solution for it but we need to tick all those boxes - a 100 per cent guarantee on safety at all times."

OK, So it wasn't the train drivers, sick passengers, trains, the government, too many passengers, vandalism, dodgy brakes, or trains. This time it was slippery tracks.

Note to Connex - Accept some blame once in a while.