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Florida parents murder, bury 9-week-old baby Associated Press / October 15, 2015 Florida authorities have found the body of missing nine-week-old Chance Walsh buried in a wooded area in North Port, Florida after receiving a tip. His drug-addict parents are already in jail on child abuse charges. The infant has been missing since September 9. Authorities became involved when the baby’s grandmother called them October 4, concerned about the baby's well-being. The grandmother had tried and failed to locate the baby. The child’s parents told relatives contradicting stories that the boy was dead, and that they had given him away. His parents, Kristen Bury ,32, and Joseph Walsh, 36, were arrested on Florida child abuse charges in South Carolina and are awaiting extradition. A search of the couple's home revealed blood spatter and evidence of a body. Police found 'droplets of blood and evidence of blood spatter on the walls and ceiling and cadaver dogs indicated the presence of human remains'. A probable cause affidavit shows the couple had another son, Duane, who died a year ago. Bury had spoken to her stepmother about how she 'despised' Chance because he wasn't Duane, and admitted to having thoughts about hurting him. That stepmother told police she had last seen baby Chance on September 9, almost a month after he was born. She said she became concerned for the boy's welfare after such a long absence, and decided to try and locate him after hearing that Walsh and Bury had been in a car accident in South Carolina. The couple, described as long-time drug users, gave various stories to relatives after the crash, including that Chance 'was unharmed, that he died in the crash and that they gave him to a woman at a hotel in Georgia.' Police said she and the baby's other grandmother, from the paternal side, had gone to the couple's house to try and find the boy. Finding the house empty, they decided to call police. Investigators confirmed that there was no baby with them when they crashed their car, and also no sign of the child at the hotel where they stayed. Another guest at the hotel said Bury tried to sell her baby clothes, saying her child 'had died three weeks earlier'. They are each being held in South Carolina on $150,000 bond. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Update - October 20, 2015 The Florida couple accused of murdering their nine-week-old baby boy let the infant waste away in his crib, and then the closet, for more than a week after his father beat him to death, officials said. Joseph Walsh, 36, was charged Tuesday with first-degree felony murder in the death of his newborn son, Chance, who had been missing for more than a month when his body was found in a shallow grave in the woods less than 13 miles from their home, according to a probable cause affidavit. Walsh and 32-year-old Kristen Bury, Chance’s mother, told investigators that the baby had died early September 16 in their North Port home. Bury, who was also charged with first-degree felony murder in her son’s death, went on to allegedly tell detectives that Joseph repeatedly struck Chance. At one point she claims she told Joseph, “you are going to break his f****** neck,” the affidavit said. “Joseph said to Kristen that he was going to bash his (Chance’s) head into the ground at one point during the argument. Kristen never called 911 or took any measures to prevent Joseph from abusing Chance,” the court document said. The couple, both long-time drug users with a criminal history, made the conscious determination not to contact EMS or any other medical assistance. “Joseph said during his interview that Kristen told him she did not want them to call 911 because she did not want to lose both people she loves in the same day.” After he died, Chance was placed in his crib, where he was left to decompose until Bury complained about the smell, the affidavit said. “Joseph wrapped Chance in numerous garbage bags, and then placed the decomposing remains of Chance in the closet of the bedroom,” the court document said. On September 24— eight days after Chance was killed— Bury and Walsh made two trips to Elliot Court where they dug a shallow grave and then buried their son. Bury directed detectives to the gravesite, where a fragment of blue surgical gloves was found. “Kristen disclosed that Joseph was wearing blue ‘hospital [surgical] gloves’ when he was digging the hole, but the gloves were damaged by the shovels and fragments were likely left behind,” the affidavit said. The couple left Florida on September 27 to “start a new life somewhere else,” Walsh allegedly told police. They were subsequently involved in a car crash in South Carolina and told relatives three different accounts of what happened to their son, authorities said. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Update - September 12, 2016 The mother who beat her nine-week old son to death and buried him in remote woods has killed herself in prison. Kristen Bury, 33, committed suicide behind bars at the Sarasota County Jail in Florida, less than a year into a 25-year-sentence for killing Chance Walsh. She pleaded no contest to aggravated manslaughter in January after the youngster's remains were found in a shallow grave in October, a month after he was reported missing. He had been buried just wearing his diaper. Her husband, Joseph Walsh, is yet to face trial in Chance's death [Why ???]. Bury was expected to testify as part of a deal with prosecutors. The sheriff's office says deputies found Bury unresponsive in her cell on Saturday morning. .

AvtoKrAZ Press Release / October 5, 2015 AvtoKrAZ production in the first nine months of 2015 reach 984 trucks, a 110 percent increase over the same period last year. Of the total, 71 percent fulfilled customer orders in Ukraine, while the balance were exported. In addition to truck sales, fifteen 15 trailers and semi-trailers were produced and delivered. For the month of September, PJSC "AvtoKrAZ" achieves sales over 166 million UAH (Ukrainian Hryvnia Rate), a 104 percent rise over August. September truck production reached 141 trucks, a 5% increase over August. Around 68 percent were sold into the Ukranian domestic market while 32 percent were exported. AvtoKrAZ’s Kremenchug truck plant is currently focused on a multi-spoked initiative to enhance quality, improve production optimization to reduce the costs, and the ramp up of several new KrAZ truck models. Related reading: KrAZ dump trucks – http://www.autokraz.com.ua/index.php/en/fabrication/automobile/civil/samosvaly KrAZ tractors - http://www.autokraz.com.ua/index.php/en/fabrication/automobile/civil/sedelnye-tyagachi KrAZ cab & chassis - http://www.autokraz.com.ua/index.php/en/fabrication/automobile/civil/shassi KrAZ factory-built vocational and specialty vehicles - http://www.autokraz.com.ua/index.php/en/fabrication/automobile/civil/spec KrAZ Truck Catalog - http://www.autokraz.com.ua/downloads/catalogue.pdf .

Scania Press Release / October 14, 2015 Australian raw material and landscape supplier Peats Soil, which has developed its own biofuel plant together with Adelaide University, is to fuel its newly purchased fleet of 13 Scania trucks with its own-made biodiesel. Peats Soil Managing Director Peter Wadewitz says he aims to produce the bulk of what his fleet of trucks and loaders will consume annually. “The first batch of 1,000 litres is now in production,” Wadewitz says. “We collect residual wash-down water from food preparation and manufacturing locations,” he explains. “We call it ‘dirty water’. From this we extract the fats we use as the base stock of the biodiesel.” Unique biodiesel manufacturing facility Peats Soil has progressed from proving the concept in a laboratory to building a new biodiesel manufacturing facility at its head office. “As far as we know there is only one other plant like this in the world, in the United States,” Wadewitz says. Creating new jobs The company hopes to produce 1 million litres of biodiesel a year, all of which will be consumed by its fleet of trucks and loaders that are used in the yard to load the trucks with organic garden products. “We have ordered 13 trucks from Scania that will run on 100 percent biodiesel,” Wadewitz says. “These trucks will replace our existing Scania fleet, and we are adding two more trucks and two more loaders. This means we will be creating four new jobs for drivers plus adding staff for the laboratory.” Australia’s probably lowest carbon dioxide-emitting fleet Scania will supply Peats Soil with 480 hp six-cylinder trucks and some V8-powered 560 hp prime movers, which will be used to collect waste material and to deliver bulk and bagged organic supplies once they have been processed at the plant. “Scania already produces some of the most fuel-efficient heavy trucks available in Australia, but the switch to biodiesel will make this one of the lowest-CO2-emitting fleets in Australia,” says Alfons Reitsma, Regional Executive Manager for Scania in South Australia. Biodiesel produces up to 80 percent less CO2 than regular diesel. Photo gallery - http://newsroom.scania.com/en-group/2015/10/14/australian-landscape-company-produces-its-own-biodiesel/

Vlad, I'm sorry, thinking about it again, that was a 4-door cab CA30 6x6 (like the truck on the left). .

Fleet Owner / October 15, 2015 The trucking industry has another acronym to get familiar with: FCAM, for forward collision avoidance and mitigation. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Friday will publish a notice stating the agency plans to evaluate FCAM technology with an eye toward a heavy-duty equipment mandate. A petition for such a rulemaking was submitted in February by the Truck Safety Coalition, the Center for Auto Safety, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, and Road Safe America. “In work zone areas and when traffic is significantly slowed or at a complete stop, cars are particularly vulnerable to being rear ended by large trucks,” John Lannen, executive director of the Truck Safety Coalition said at the time the petition was submitted. “Trucks are overrepresented in fatal highway crashes, and they are even more so in fatal work zone crashes. This is why it is imperative that F-CAM technology is required safety equipment in large trucks.” The petitioners claim that FCAM systems have the potential to provide significant safety, economic, and societal benefits, citing estimated safety benefits from a 2012 research study conducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). For several years, NHTSA has been conducting research on heavy vehicle FCAM technologies, the agency notes. Based on this research, the NHTSA agrees that FCAM systems have the potential to save lives by preventing or reducing the severity of rear-end crashes. Truck and safety-systems manufacturers are rolling out the next generation automatic emergency braking systems for truck tractors, designed for improved performance that warns the driver and will automatically brake in response to stationary vehicles and objects in the road ahead. "This is a positive event as NHTSA will continue to move forward with research that builds awareness for, and reinforces the value of these technologies to help mitigate crashes and save lives; something that many fleets today who have adopted collision mitigation systems already understand," Fred Andersky, director of government and industry affairs for Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, tells Fleet Owner. "It is still important, however, to keep in mind that these are driver assistance technologies, not driver replacement technologies. The driver is and will continue to be an integral part of the overall fleet safety equation." Andersky discusses the latest Bendix CVS safety technologies here. Similarly, integrated safety technology company Meritor WABCO reports a reduction in rear-end collisions of as much as 87% for customers who use the OnGuard collision mitigation system, as well as an 89% reduction in the cost of rear-end crashes not prevented. “This NHTSA initiative is an incredibly positive step that mirrors the direction of the commercial vehicle fleet thought leaders,” says Stephen Hampson, president and general manager of Meritor WABCO. “This initiative would benefit the entire driving community in saving lives, reducing injuries and mitigating property damage." There are a number of terms being used by industry and regulators for FCAM technology, including forward collision warning (FCW), crash imminent braking (CIB), dynamic brake support (DBS), automatic emergency braking (AEB), and collision mitigation braking (CMB), NHTSA points out. For the purpose of potential rulemaking, the FCAM technologies are the systems that combine FCW alert signals with CMB automatic braking capability. In May, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) submitted a letter supporting the petition for rulemaking and recommended that the mandate for FCAM systems apply to vehicles with a GVWR of 10,001 pounds or more (rather than 10,000 pounds or more as requested) to better conform to existing commercial motor vehicle safety classes. And in the June report on a highly publicized rear-end collision involving a Wal-Mart Transportation tractor-trailer and a luxury coach carrying actor Tracy Morgan and others, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) outlined the life-saving benefits of currently available collision avoidance systems (CAS), and the watchdog agency recommended the latest technology to be made standard. Also in June, NHTSA announced electronic stability control (ESC) systems will be required on large trucks and buses beginning in 2017. The pre-publication announcement regarding the FCAM petition is here.

Transport Engineer / October 16, 2015 Wolverhampton-based haulier Baxters has taken delivery of two new MAN 26.440 TGX 6x2 tractor units following success with an earlier a 7.5 tonne MAN truck sold through its TrucksToGo. Baxters’ new tractors were both specified with MAN’s D2676 12.4 litre, six-cylinder in-line engine, delivering up to 433bhp at 1,800 rpm, and 2300Nm of torque between 930—1,400 rpm. The company also went for the MAN Tipmatic 12 Speed AMT (automated manual transmission). .

Transport Engineer / October 15, 2015 Nick Sampson Mechanical Engineering is reporting excellent manoeuvrability and fuel efficiency from its first Mercedes-Benz heavy haulage tractor unit, saying the vehicle is proving to be a “highly flexible, cost-effective addition” to the fleet. Supplied by dealer City West Commercials, the Barnstaple-based operator’s 155-tonne Arocs 3363S has a 15.6-litre OM473 (aka. DD16) engine, delivering the highest output available in the range at 625bhp. The truck also features the 16-speed Mercedes PowerShift 3 automated transmission and the Turbo Retarder Clutch, capable of delivering 3,000 Nm of torque. “The Arocs is certainly living up to our hopes and expectations, and is proving to be a highly flexible, cost-effective addition to our fleet,” says proprietor Nick Sampson. The all-steel sprung double-drive tractor unit is transporting fabricated sections and components for new Royal Navy aircraft carriers, from Babcock’s Appledore facility in North Devon, to Scotland. “Our new truck has been making this run about three times a month,” says Sampson. “The loads are invariably big but not always that heavy and… we’ve noticed that in terms of mpg performance the Arocs is very good, particularly when running light.” The turbo clutch, he adds, suits the operation very well. “It certainly contributes to economy by offering the fuel efficiency of a conventional clutch for normal operations, but also delivers the performance of a torque converter for when we need to pull a piece of construction equipment at 70 or 80 tonnes up a steep bank.” .

Murder a newborn child, get off with just 6 years in prison........what a deal. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Parents allow newborn to die – God’s will Associated Press / October 14, 2015 An Oregon couple who prayed and rubbed olive on their dying son following a home birth rather than call 911 and seek help will continue to serve six years in prison each after a judge upheld their manslaughter conviction. Dale and Shannon Hickman, both 30, were both convicted in 2011 of second-degree manslaughter for the death of their son, David, who died nine hours after his home birth in 2009. David was born two months early at his grandmother's home with undeveloped lungs, and died after having trouble breathing and turning blue. The Hickman's - members of a controversial faith-healing church in Oregon - had appealed their conviction, on the grounds that the prosecution had the burden to prove the couple knew their religious beliefs would cause the death of their child, The New York Daily News reported. But the plea was rejected by the Oregon Supreme Court last week. During the 2011 trial, a doctor had testified that David would have had a 99 percent chance' of surviving had the couple called 911. The baby officially died of staphylococcus pneumonia, which could have been treated. 'As the evidence unfolded and the witnesses testified, it became evident to me and certainly to the jury … that this death just simply did not need to occur,' Judge Robert Herndon said. Prosecutors explained during the trial that David was born with a bacterial infection and underdeveloped lungs. Mr. Hickman said he didn't call 911 because he was praying. The couple never considered taking the baby to the hospital. Shannon Hickman said that she must defer to her husband because of church rules. 'I think it's God's will whatever happens,' she testified. The Followers of Christ Church has a history of rejecting medical care for children and relying on as prayer and anointing the sick with oils. Five other church members have been convicted in Clackamas County for crimes related to the rejection of medical care for their children. The Hickmans' conviction on second-degree manslaughter charges typically requires a mandatory minimum sentence of six years in prison. But many feared that, because of a religious exemption in state law at time of the crime, they might have received just 18 months in prison and a $250,000 fine. In response to deaths among Followers of Christ members, state lawmakers removed the religious defenses from criminal laws this year. Those exemptions had made it tougher to convict parents shunning a child's medical care for religious reasons instead of neglect.

Sultan of Semis Land Line / June 9, 2015 Imagine having amassed incredible wealth that allows you to buy virtually anything you want. You will probably need a heavy-duty truck to haul some of the larger toys, e.g. boats, cars, etc. Since you are super rich, why not customize the truck to your every desire? What would you include? Which manufacturer would you use? The Sultan of Johor (in Southern Malaysia) chose an Australian Mack and built himself quite a truck. A Paul Tan's Automotive News article details the custom-built truck that was revealed at the Brisbane Truck Show in Australia. Specifically desiring a Mack, Sultan Ibrahim Ismail’s people contacted Mack Trucks of Australia to build the truck. Specs include Primaax RADD-A4P air suspension, a custom 89-inch sleeper, 16.1 L MP10 turbodiesel straight-six and more than 2,300 lb-ft of torque. This is all done through an mDrive 12-speed automated manual transmission at a maximum 685 hp. That’s just the mechanics. Wait until you hear about the cosmetic touch-ups done by Viking Trucks. The exterior shows off a custom paint job featuring the Johor flag, the royal crest and the head of a tiger, which is probably in reference to the Johor Darul Ta’zim soccer team, the Tigers. According to Paul Tan, the paint job included three layers of airbrushing, eight layers of pearl paint, and six layers of clear coat. Imagine the man-hours behind the paint job alone. The interior is just as impressive. Seats are emblazoned with the royal crest. Don’t forget that these are seats fit for a sultan. These sewn-in royal crests didn’t use silk. That’s for merely well-off people. No, these crests included 72,000 stitches with real gold thread. South African leather and suede ensure a comfy ride. Although the cost of this machine hasn’t been revealed, I’m sure it’s more than my home. And it should be considering I’d rather live in this truck. Two televisions, two iPads, an Xbox and a PlayStation 4 are included in the sleeper. A kitchenette with Harrah timber flooring, stone bench top, and a hidden electric tool panel can also be found. According to the article, it took 30 people to finish this project, the timber panels taking three months to complete alone. The article also mentions that the Super-Liner will be used to haul the sultan’s cigarette speedboat with the same colors. Or maybe he’ll transport one of the cars in his massive collection that includes: Aston Martin DB7 Vantage Volante Aston Martin DB9 Carbon Edition Aston Martin DBS Aston Martin Virage Vantage Aston Martin Virage Volante Bentley Turbo S Bentley Turbo R Bentley Mulsanne Bugatti Veyron Bleu Centenaire Cadillac Escalade EXT Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe Cadillac Eldorado Bicentennial Edition Cadillac Fleetwood Cadillac Fleetwood Limo Cadillac de Ville Cadillac Coupe de Ville Cadillac de Ville Limo Cadillac CTS-V Cadillac XLR-V Chrysler 300 SRT8 Chrysler 300 Limo Chrysler Windsor Chrysler Windsor Convertible Chevrolet Camaro Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Dodge Challenger Plum Crazy Dodge Challenger SRT 8 Dodge Charger SRT 8 Dodge Viper Dodge Ram 1500 Dodge Ram 5500 Heavy Duty Dodge Ram SRT 10 Ferrari 512TR Ferrari 512M Ferrari 458 Italia Ferrari 458 Spider Tailor-made Ferrari 308 GTSi Ferrari 599 GTO Ferrari LaFerrari Ford GT Ford F-650 Ford Mustang GT Ford Mustang Mach 1 GMC Sierra Z71 GMC Suburban GMC Yukon XL GMC Yukon Denali GMC Yukon Denali XL Holden Caprice Holden Commodore Royal Escort Cars HSV R8 Tourer HSV Grange HSV GTS HSV Maloo R8 Hummer H3 Jaguar XJ220 Lincoln Continental Lincoln Continental Mark V-Collector Series Lincoln Town Car Limousine Lamborghini Aventador Lamborghini LM002 'Rambo-Lambo' Lamborghini Espada Series 1 Lamborghini Jalpa Lamborghini Murcielago Lexus LFA Mercedes FAB Design AM-1000 Mercedes-Benz SL500 Mercedes-Benz SL600 Mercedes-Benz 300TE-24 Mercedes-Benz SL73 AMG Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren MG TC Superchager McLaren P1 Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Mercedes-Benz 600 Landaulet Nissan GT-R Nissan GT-R NISMO Pagani Zonda S Pagani Huayra Rolls-Royce Phantom Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé Aviator Collection Rolls-Royce Phantom V Rolls-Royce Ghost Rolls-Royce Wraith Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé Waterspeed Collection Rolls-Royce Celestial Shelby Mustang Shelby Mustang GT 500 Shelby Mustang GT 500 Super Snake Shelby Mustang GT 500 'Eleanor' Mustang Shelby Mustang 1000 Tesla Roadster If you had all the money in the world, how would you build your truck?

Big Rigs / October 15, 2015 THE most glamorous and expensive truck ever to roll out of Mack Trucks Australia’s factory has been handed over to its new royal owner - Malaysia's Sultan of Johor. The dazzling Super-Liner boasts an array of incredible features, including a luxury leisure deck, gold-thread embroidery and even a golden tiger hood ornament. Its price tag is a well-kept secret, but it's certainly the highest ever for a Mack truck, easily smashing the previous record of $481,000 for a customised US-built rig. Sultan Ibrahim Ismail turned to Mack Trucks Australia, based at Wacol in Brisbane, when he decided he needed a new royal rig to transport his private powerboat around Malaysia. Company vice-president Dean Bestwick flew to Singapore to meet the Sultan in person a year ago and was blown away by the design brief he received. "The fanciest extra in most Aussie trucks is a microwave or a small fridge," Mr Bestwick said. "We'd never contemplated the features that have been included in His Majesty's truck. "This is the most luxurious truck to have been built in Australia and probably the planet." The customised features include: A specially-built sleeper unit 80 per cent larger than standard and fully upholstered with imported South African leather.Royal emblems embroidered into the front seats with 72,000 stitches of gold thread.A gold tiger hood ornament specially commissioned from Wallace Bishop.A rear leisure deck complete with sun shades, deck chairs and pull-out barbecue.Solid jarrah timber flooring throughout the cab, sleeper unit and rear leisure deck.A six-camera CCTV system linked to two flatscreen TVs inside the vehicle.Police-standard flashing lights and an ear-popping four air-horns.Programmable strip-lighting built into the full length of the cab and deck flooring.A stone-topped kitchen area including fridge, microwave and grill.Extra-wide Michelin X1 tyres for the smoothest possible ride.A Bose surround sound system and X-Box and Playstation consoles.Sultan Ibrahim said he was delighted with the end result and praised the 35-strong Mack team who worked on the rig. "I have always appreciated Australia's engineering skills and have collected a few Holden cars over the years," the Sultan said. "Mack has done a wonderful job and I'm looking forward to showing its workmanship to the people of Johor as soon as the Super-Liner is shipped over." The Sultan is a transport enthusiast and his private car collection includes Aston Martins, Ferraris and Bentleys, as well as 10 Cadillacs and eight Rolls-Royces. The truck, which boasts 685hp and a top speed of 100km/h, has been painted in the red, white and blue colours of Johor. Its other special features include external LED lighting, heat and sound insulation, a 5kva generator and fully-ducted air-conditioning system. But Mack Trucks Australia’s work isn't quite done. A team of engineers will fly to Singapore to unload the truck after it is shipped from the Port of Brisbane and will then carry out a test run with the rig towing the Sultan's powerboat. Photo gallery and video - http://www.bigrigs.com.au/news/mack-unveils-rig-fit-royalty/2807931/

Religious cult members beat child to death in New York New York Daily News / October 14, 2015 Determined to get two brothers to “confess their sins,” members of a secretive upstate New York church beat one of the teenagers to death and badly brutalized the other, police said Wednesday. Among those now charged with killing Lucas Leonard, 19, and injuring his 17-year-old brother Christopher during a “counseling session” at the Word of Life Church, are his parents and a sister, officials said. “During the counseling session, the session turned physical,” said Chief Michael Inserra of the police in New Hartford, outside Utica. Over the course of several hours, the brothers were ordered to “confess to prior sins and ask for forgiveness,” the chief said. “We have not determined what this punishment was for.” But, said Inserra, “We know there were fists and feet involved” in the punishment. Inserra spoke a day after the victim’s parents, Bruce and Deborah Leonard, were charged with first-degree manslaughter, and police revealed their sons had been brutally beaten on their genitals, abdomens, backs and thighs. Christopher Leonard remains hospitalized and in serious condition, the chief said. Also arrested was the victims’ 33-year-old sister, Sarah Ferguson, who along with three other church members was charged with second-degree assault. Inserra said more members of the church, described by neighbors as a cult, are under investigation. Meanwhile, seven children — four of them Ferguson’s — have been removed from the church by state child welfare workers, Inserra said. The investigation was launched after Leonard’s parents showed up at a local hospital Monday with their badly beaten son, Inserra said. Lucas died at the hospital and an autopsy revealed he had died of blunt-force trauma, the chief said. Within hours, a police SWAT team descended on the Leonards’ home in Clayville and the church, where they found his brother on the second floor after several hours of searching. “He wasn’t in hiding,” said Inserra. “But family members weren’t making him available.” Bruce Leonard, 65, and his 59-year-old wife, Deborah, both pleaded not guilty during their arraignment Monday and were dispatched to the Oneida County jail after they were unable to raise $100,000 bail. The four other suspects — Ferguson, Joseph Irwin, 26, of Chadwicks, David Morey, 26, of Utica and Linda Morey, 54, also of Utica — were each ordered held on $50,000 bail. The Leonards’ neighbors said the couple homeschooled their kids and made them read the Bible for two hours every day. They said the children weren’t allowed to have sleepovers and were barred from Halloween trick-or-treating. Inserra declined to comment on reports that the church is a cult. But residents who live nearby told the Syracuse Post-Standard that members would rarely venture out in the daylight hours and those who did often were men wearing what they described as “long, black trench coats.” They said they would hear strange chanting coming from the building as late as 3 a.m. A Post-Standard reporter who ventured inside the building Tuesday found police tape across two bathrooms, one labeled “Adam” and the other “Eve.” The reporter also said there was a framed message hanging on one wall that read, in part, “We have been commissioned through the written word of God to reach out to those who have not experienced the love of Jesus Christ in their lives. Through the systematic training up of saints.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Update: (Reuters / November 24, 2015) Seven people who prosecutors say were involved in the beating death of a teenager during a counseling session at an upstate New York church were indicted on second-degree murder charges on Tuesday by a grand jury. Lucas Leonard, 19, was beaten to death in October over 10 hours during a counseling session at the Word of Life Church in Chadwicks, New York, about 50 miles (80 km) east of Syracuse. His brother, Christopher, 17, received blunt force injuries when he was repeatedly struck during the same session, which was initiated because Lucas Leonard wanted to leave the congregation [aka. Jim Jones-like cult]. The grand jury's indictment charged the brothers' father, Bruce Leonard, 65, with 13 criminal counts including second-degree murder, kidnapping and gang assault. Charges of second-degree murder, kidnapping and gang assault were also brought against church pastor Tiffanie Irwin, 29; Traci Irwin, David Morey, 26, Linda Morey, 54, and Joseph Irwin, 26, who were all congregants at the church; and Sarah Ferguson, 33, the half-sister of Lucas and Christopher. An eighth person, church deacon Daniel Irwin, 24, was indicted on charges of second-degree manslaughter, kidnapping and gang assault. The brothers' mother, Deborah Leonard, 59, was not named in the grand jury indictment but will appear in Oneida County Court on Dec. 2 to face separate charges of first-degree assault against Lucas and second-degree assault in Christopher’s beating, according to her lawyer Devin Garramone. Deborah Leonard was initially charged with manslaughter, but Garramone said that charge was dropped. Christopher Leonard, during a preliminary hearing last month, testified that he and his brother were beaten with an electric extension cord fashioned into a whip. Tiffanie Irwin organized the counseling [torture] session. Christopher said he attempted to resuscitate his brother before the boys were loaded into two separate vans. Lucas was transported to St. Luke’s hospital in Utica, New York, where he was pronounced dead. Most of those indicted in the case remain in jail on bail of tens of thousands of dollars each, while David and Linda Morey have been released on bail of $50,000 each. .

Australasian Transport News / October 14, 2015 A Senate committee has praised Australia’s truck manufacturing sector for its innovation and customer focus. It says it will encourage the government to consider new ways to offer its support. The cross-party Economics References committee invited presentations from the Truck Industry Council (TIC) and manufacturers at its meeting in Melbourne on October 8. Council CEO Tony McMullan says he was able to deliver a rare "good news" story of local manufacturing keeping up with imported competition. "We have been manufacturing trucks here since the early 1950s and the total is now above 340,000 vehicles," McMullan says. "In every case their local content by value exceeds their imported content. "Last year, 48 percent of heavy trucks (above 16.5 tonnes) were designed and manufactured in Australia with an average sale price in excess of $200,000. "This strength is showing no signs of abating." Tasmanian senator David Bushby says it is clear truck manufacturers have successfully innovated their designs and processes to meet the changing demands of their customers. "The truck manufacturing industry is a genuine Australian success story which plays an important role in designing and manufacturing high quality trucking inventory for the demands of the local transport industry," he says. "Through innovation, tailoring product and being acutely connected with customer requirements, the industry has punched above its weight in remaining competitive against foreign competitors." Bushby, along with fellow committee members senators Chris Ketter (Queensland), Ricky Muir, Kim Carr, and Janet Rice (all Victoria) thanked the TIC for revealing an-often forgotten side to Australia’s automotive sector. "I look forward to witnessing the future success of the Australian truck manufacturing industry and as a member of the Senate Economics Committee I will explore any strategies that the industry puts forward to generate further local production stimulus," he says. The TIC is lobbying for well-designed incentives and support to help the industry engage in more advanced manufacturing processes and allow local transport operators to modernise their fleets. "There is a strategic imperative for Australia to have a more modern, productive, safer, cleaner and greener truck fleet," McMullan says. "There is much to be gained from a program that modernises the Australian truck fleet through the provision of investment allowances."

Diesel News Australia / October 14, 2015 This is the stuff the Australian trucking industry is all about. This video of Owen and Liz Schmidt’s operation in North Queensland pushes all of the buttons, about tough conditions, Aussie ingenuity, working together, etc. As a whole, the industry likes to think it is all like this. Of course, the reality for most is very different, but this encapsulates he essence of why so many are so loyal to the industry.

Truck Drivers in ‘Exceptionally Short Supply,’ Fed Says Transport Topics / October 14, 2015 Truck drivers are reported to be in “exceptionally short supply” in some regions of the country, especially in the New York, St. Louis and Kansas City areas, the Federal Reserve said in a report. Despite the shortage of drivers, sturdy demand for trucking services was noted in the Atlanta and Dallas districts, the Fed said in its Beige Book report released Oct. 14. The survey is based on reports gathered by regional Fed banks to give an anecdotal picture of the economy. The overall economy continued to expand across most sectors and regions of the country from mid-August through early October, according to the Fed. Contacts in trucking and other modes of transportation reported an ongoing shortage of qualified operators and technicians in the St. Louis region, according to the report. The Kansas City district reported it was experiencing a shortage of skilled technicians as well as truck drivers. In the Richmond district, an executive at a national trucking firm headquartered in the region reported, “Demand was a little softer because their customers' inventory levels were high.” A seasonal pickup is expected to begin in the next few weeks, the executive said. In the Atlanta region, trucking companies reported healthy demand, mostly attributed to growth in e-commerce. However, flatbed volume —especially steel shipments —showed some slowing in growth. Rail contacts in the Atlanta region told the Fed total rail carload volume declined slightly due to year-over-year, double-digit decreases in shipments of coal, iron and steel scrap, and metals. District port contacts reported strong demand across all types of cargo, according to the report. The Chicago district reported the heavy-duty truck, auto and aerospace industries continued to experience solid gains, and most other industries saw limited growth. Dallas trucking volumes rose, and one contact told the regional fed it had added capacity even as rail cargo volumes declined, especially in shipments of petroleum products and nonmetallic metals, including sand used in drilling. The Fed releases its Beige Book report eight times a year. The report, which covered Aug. 24-Oct 4, was prepared by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

General Motors executive vice president Mark Reuss discusses the new Chevy Colorado diesel model truck. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2015-10-14/chevy-set-to-launch-colorado-diesel

Vlad, I was in south China for the Streamline launch and saw a retired 4-door CA10 fire truck being used to water the grass at a residential area. And it was all-wheel drive. I looked in the cab and saw it only had around 5,000 kilometers on it.......it was in like-new condition.

We no longer have the money, capability and national will to be the world’s policeman. And I ordinarily don’t believe in interfering in the internal affairs of other countries. (Why the Obama administration has decided to bypass Congress and send U.S. troops to Cameroon to engage in combat under the War Powers Act, rather than allow African Union troops handle this African problem, is another mystery). But again and again, an ordinarily prudent person is forced to wonder why our government wants to be in bed with a country like Saudi Arabia which does NOT to any degree share the ethics, morals and values of civilized countries (we still claim to be one of those). How is it possible that this country will now chair the United Nation Human Rights Council, and the United States didn't veto this absurd appoint (the certain will of the American people) ??? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Saudi man sentenced to be beheaded and crucified for attending anti-government protest The Guardian / October 14, 2015 The mother of a Saudi protester sentenced to death by beheading and crucifixion has begged Barack Obama to intervene to save her son’s life. In her first interview with foreign media, Nusra al-Ahmed, the mother of Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, whose case has made headlines around the world, described the intended punishment as savage and “backwards in the extreme”. Human rights groups including Amnesty International and Reprieve, the US talkshow host Bill Maher and the British prime minister, David Cameron, have all weighed in with calls for clemency to stop Nimr, who was 17 at the time of his arrest, from being beheaded and then crucified. The oil-rich state is facing increasing diplomatic scrutiny over the severity of its penal system as it takes over the chair of the UN human rights council. She said her son had been detained sometime after joining Shia demonstrators in the eastern coastal city of Qatif seeking equal religious rights in the Sunni-majority country. The official charges leveled against Nimr included attending a protest, using his phone to encourage further support for the demonstrations and possessing a gun, an accusation which the family strongly denies. “They were peaceful and civilized and legitimate and so my fear was, I was afraid for my son, but inside I agreed with them in principle.” Visiting after his arrest, she says he has been tortured. “When I visited my son for the first time I didn’t recognize him. I didn’t know whether this really was my son Ali or not. I could clearly see a wound on his forehead. Another wound in his nose. They disfigured it. Even his body, he was too thin.” “[When] I started talking to him [he told me that] during the interrogation [he was] being kicked, slapped, of course his teeth fell out … For a month, he was urinating blood. He said he felt like a mass of pain, his body was no more.” She still had hope her son could be saved from his punishment imposed under Saudi’s sharia penal system and described the sentence – which would involve him being beheaded before his decapitated body is hung from a cross in public – as having been plucked out of the dark ages. “I feel that one’s very being is repelled at such a ruling … It’s backwards in the extreme. No sane and normal human being would rule against a child of 17 years old using such a sentence. And why? He didn’t shed any blood, he didn’t steal any property. Where did they get it [this sentence]? From the dark ages?” She believes the sentence was intended to punish her son for his Shia faith. “I don’t expect that anyone normal and sane has heard of such a thing, [no] normal person who is not sectarian would find such a thing acceptable. That’s why you find that always it’s sectarian people who are happy with such things because he’s a Shia.” Calling on the US president to intervene she said: “He is the head of this world and he can, he can interfere and rescue my son … To rescue someone from harm, there is nothing greater than that. I mean my son and I are simple people and we don’t carry any significance in this world but despite that, if he [Obama] carried out this act, I feel it would raise his esteem in the eyes of the world. He would be rescuing us from a great tragedy.” On Tuesday the UK government said it would be withdrawing its bid for a £5.9m contract to deliver training for Saudi prisons. That move came on the same day that Cameron said he would write to Riyadh to implore Saudi authorities not to carry out a punishment of 360 lashes on a British pensioner caught transporting homemade wine in his car. Last week Cameron appealed to the newly crowned king not to carry out the death sentence on Nimr. The Saudi ambassador to the UN said, “We respectfully request the world to respect our systems and our judicial processes, and our laws and regulations, and not to interfere in the internal affairs of a sovereign state.” Mouallimi said the kingdom would uphold the UN charter on human rights. “The application of sharia law as far as human rights is concerned is the highest form of human rights,” he said, adding: “We believe that we are holding ourselves to the highest standards. If that doesn’t please someone here or there, that’s their problem not ours.” The Saudi UK embassy has said it rejects “any form of interference in its internal affairs”.

AP FACT CHECK: Clinton revises history in Democratic debate Hillary Clinton revised history in the Democratic debate when insisting she's not a flip-flopper on a trade deal she promoted as secretary of state but turned against as a presidential candidate. A look at some of Clinton's claims in the debate: CLINTON on the Trans-Pacific Partnership: "I did say, I hoped it would be the gold standard'" of trade agreements. THE FACTS: Clinton did not say anything about mere hope in her speeches around the world in support of the trade deal. She roundly endorsed the deal taking shape. In a November 2012 speech in Australia, she declared the Trans-Pacific deal "sets the gold standard in trade agreements," a sentiment she echoed in many venues. Clinton said in the debate that when she looked at the final agreement last week, "it didn't meet my standards." The final agreement, however, dropped or changed some provisions that liberal activist groups - the wing of the party she is assiduously courting at this stage of the campaign - had strongly criticized. --- CLINTON on her email practices: "I have been as transparent as I know to be. ... I said I have answered all the questions." THE FACTS: Clinton has yet to explain how the server was set up and serviced, whether she informed the State Department about her decision to use the private system and, most important, how it was protected from hacking attempts. Russia-based hackers tried at least five times to trick her into infecting her computer system with malware in 2011, The Associated Press learned, and her server was hit by attempted cyber intrusions in 2014 from China, South Korea and Germany. Her server also was connected to the Internet in ways that made it more vulnerable to hackers. But her campaign has repeatedly declined to address these details. -- CLINTON: "My plan would enable anyone to go to a public college or university tuition-free. You would not have to borrow money for tuition." THE FACTS: Free for the students, but someone has to pay. Clinton would shift more college costs onto taxpayers and away from parents and students. The Clinton plan is bound to cost more than the $35 billion per year over 10 years projected by her campaign. This is because more students would probably switch to public universities on the potential to graduate without debt, raising costs for the government and potentially leaving many modestly endowed private institutions in the lurch. The potential of a debt-free education would also depend on states providing reliable money streams and controlling costs - both major sources of uncertainty. But the Clinton plan would also expose a sharp generational divide. New college students would be helped, but the 40 million Americans who already owe a combined $1.2 trillion in education debt would receive little aid other than refinancing at lower rates. Clinton did not speak about the costs to the treasury of what she proposes. --- CLINTON on her Syria strategy as secretary of state: "What I said was we had to put together a coalition ... and yes, it included Arabs, people in the region, because what I worry about is what will happen with ISIS gaining more territory, having more reach, and frankly posing a threat to our friends and neighbors in the region and far beyond." THE FACTS: Clinton is ignoring much of the context of her coalition-building effort in Syria: It was designed to push Syrian President Bashar Assad from power, not target the Islamic State or other extremist groups fighting among the opposition. As secretary, Clinton helped spearhead meetings of the U.S. and various Arab and European countries frustrated by the escalating conflict in Syria. The coalition was concerned primarily with helping armed opposition groups better defend themselves and directing political groups to coalesce behind a common, inclusive platform for a post-Assad Syria. At that time, the Islamic State didn't exist. But al-Qaida and other terrorist groups did. And even as they gained a foothold and became increasingly prominent among the anti-Assad rebels, the coalition Clinton worked on didn't come up with a military plan for combating them.

If our government wants to hand out free APCs to foreign countries, the least it can do is spend that $25 million worth of U.S. tax dollars in America, by acquiring these vehicles from U.S. companies like Oshkosh, Navistar and others. Why isn't the government instead "giving" these countries 62 of the MANY leftover late model MRAPS that they don't know what to do with and can't give away fast enough? Nothing like efficient use of American tax dollars.

IHS Jane’s 360 / October 7, 2015 The US military's Africa Command (AFRICOM) has ordered French “Bastion” armored personnel carriers (APCs) from Volvo Group subsidiary ACMAT Defense for several African countries via Volvo Group’s Mack Defense unit. The USD25 million contract was announced on 25 September when the US Department of Defense said that Mack Defense will supply 62 APCs (armored personnel carrier) to Cameroon, Ethiopia, Somalia, Tunisia, and Uganda on behalf of AFRICOM, but did not identify the vehicles or say how many each country will receive. Mack Defense told IHS Jane's on 6 October that all the vehicles are Bastion APCs: a type made by the French company ACMAT, which is owned by Renault Trucks Defense. Mack Defense and Renault Trucks Defense are part of the Volvo group. The original Bastion APC consists of the chassis from ACMAT's VLRA range fitted with an armoured body that offers protection up to the STANAG 4569 standard. It is now also available with a new high-mobility chassis with independent suspension. It has a gross vehicle weight of 12 tonnes and can carry up to 10 people, including the driver. Mack Defense said 32 Bastion APCs will be delivered to Somalia next year, 17 for the Ugandan contingent of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and another 13 for AMISOM's Somali contingent. (The Somali National Army operates alongside AMISOM, but is not formally part of the force.) Four will be delivered to Tunisia, 15 to Cameroon, and 12 to Ethiopia before the end of October 2016, according to Mack Defense. All the countries will also receive at least one spares kit. Pictures and further information - http://www.acmat.eu/Defense/BASTION/BASTION-APC

No death penalty??? Where is the justice for making a child begin its innocent life this way? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Colorado man gets life for kidnapping, raping toddler for porn Reuters / October 13, 2015 A Colorado man has been sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping and raping an 11-month-old toddler. He took the child from a couple he was staying with in California and sexually abused the child to produce pornography that he shared online was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday, prosecutors said. A federal jury found Shawn McCormack, 31, of Colorado Springs guilty on four counts of sexual exploitation of a child and two counts of kidnapping during a four-day trial in Fresno, California, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement. Senior U.S. District Court Judge Anthony W. Ishii presided over those proceedings in April, and on Tuesday he imposed the sentence on McCormack, the statement said. The trial heard how McCormack, under the pretense of befriending the child's parents, stayed as an overnight guest on multiple occasions at their home in Bakersfield, California. Several times, the statement said, he snuck their toddler out of the home in the middle of the night and recorded himself sexually abusing the child at locations including his truck and a nearby motel. He then returned to the house before the couple awakened in the morning, it said. Leslie Caldwell, Assistant U.S. Attorney General for the Justice Department's criminal division, said "McCormack’s depraved actions in this case are the stuff of nightmares. While posing as a trusted friend and house guest, McCormack kidnapped his hosts’ toddler child and sexually abused the child in local motels and parked cars. Through tireless efforts, law enforcement was able to rescue the victim from further abuse and ensure that McCormack never again will victimize another child.” "While posing as a trusted friend and house guest, McCormack kidnapped his hosts' toddler child and sexually abused the child in local motels and parked cars," Caldwell said. McCormack shared the pornographic images online, where they were seen by an undercover investigator with the Toronto Police Services, prosecutors said. McCormack also recorded and distributed his sexual abuse of a second child, they said. He was identified after Homeland Security Investigations agents in Boston, while carrying out a forensic analysis of a computer belonging to another person, viewed copies it held of the recordings and images distributed by McCormack. "After the agents identified the date, time and motel room in which one of the videos had been produced, they learned that McCormack had rented that motel room on the night when the recording was created," prosecutors said. U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner of the Eastern District of California said McCormack's "vile and heart-breaking" acts might have continued undetected for years, if not for the "imaginative, dogged, and painstaking work" of investigators. Shawn McCormack, 28, was previously charged in September of 2011 with one count of producing child pornography during 2009. The new indictment adds three more counts, one involving the same victim and two involving a second victim.

New York man beats 17-month-old boy to death Newsday / October 13, 2015 A Uniondale man, described by the Nassau police commissioner as a "monster," was ordered held on a $20 million bond Tuesday after being charged with fatally beating his girlfriend's toddler son. Lord Pardo, 26, a factory worker, was charged in First District Court with second-degree murder in the death of Mason Robinson, 18 months old. The New Cassel boy had been left in his care by the boy's mother, officials said. Polcie said Pardo texted Erestine saying that her baby had stopped breathing after he fell off the bed. Mason was rushed to North Shore LIJ Syosset Hospital, where he pronounced dead at about 3 p.m. Sunday. On Tuesday, officials said the baby was "severely beaten" and that is what caused his death. The autopsy revealed that Mason had fractured ribs, a fractured skull, a lacerated liver and diaphragm, as well as massive internal bleeding. The medical examiner ruled his death a homicide. "It is clear that the defendant has no soul," Thomas Krumpter, acting Nassau County police commissioner said at a news conference. "He is truly a monster." "This child was murdered," the prosecutor said. Acting District Attorney Madeline Singas said, "This was no accident. This baby was severely beaten and those injuries caused his death." Nassau District Court Judge Darlene Harris ordered Pardo held on a $20 million bond or $10 million cash bail. "Nothing is more despicable than the murder of a child, a helpless and defenseless child, at the hands of someone who is entrusted to take care for that child," Singas said. "My heart goes out to this baby's mother."