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Associated Press / September 14, 2016 A radical Islamist wielding a meat cleaver struck a New York City police officer in the head on Thursday in midtown Manhattan, and two other officers chasing the suspect were also hurt during the incident, police said. The attacker has been identified as Akram Joudeh, 32. The attack occurred after two on-duty officers were responding to reports of a crime in progress just before 5 p.m. local time near MadisonSquareGarden. Three officers were taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Mason said the man drew the cleaver from his waist band after two of the officers confronted him, and then the suspect ran. A stun gun had no apparent affect on him. A third officer, who was off duty and in the area at the time, helped chase the suspect, who ran down the street with the large butcher's knife in his hand. At one point, the suspect jumped on top of a police car and, as officers attempted to subdue him, the off-duty officer was struck in the head by the cleaver, causing a gash. After the officer was struck, police opened fire on the suspect. Joudeh was shot multiple times on West 32 Street, near Penn Station. Joudeh is in the hospital in critical but stable condition at BellevueHospital. Police were called out at around 5pm after Joudeh was seen trying to remove a boot off his car on West 31 St and Broadway. The vehicle had been parked in the middle of the street. When police approached, Joudeh went into a rage, pulling out the cleaver and fleeing while 'waving it around.' A sergeant attempted to stop the suspect with a taser, but for reasons unknown it apparently had no effect. Officers chased him through the heavily-patrolled area to West 32 St, near Penn Station, where he mounted the grill of a marked police car. Off-duty detective Brian O’Donnell attempted to tackle Joudeh, and was hit in the face with the cleaver. Officers tried to talk Joudeh into dropping the weapon, but he refused - at which point they fired 18 times, hitting him with multiple bullets. Two other officers sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Joudeh had a long criminal record with 15 arrests. .

Germany’s Efforts to Integrate Migrants Into Its Workforce Falter The Wall Street Journal / September 15, 2016 As the flow of asylum seekers entering Germanystarted to break historic records last fall, Continental AG rushed to tap some of the newcomers for its workforce. But one year after the tire maker began advertising an internship program designed for 50 migrant workers, only 30 of the positions have been filled as it struggles to find suitable candidates or vet their qualifications. Continental isn’t alone. Answering calls from Berlin to help in the country’s massive integration effort, German companies big and small have scouted refugee shelters and job centers for potential employees. Yet because of administrative bottlenecks and a mismatch in needed skills, the number of migrants in jobs with benefits was only about 25,000 higher in June than a year earlier, despite more than 736,000 arrivals in that time. “It is a huge effort,” said Ariane Reinhart, Continental’s executive board member for human relations. Frustrated with the slow pace of hiring, Chancellor Angela Merkel invited senior executives from the 121 companies behind a jobs-for-refugees initiative called “Us Together” to discuss their progress and difficulties on Wednesday. More than 80 business leaders attended the three-hour meeting. Among those questioned by Ms. Merkel were top executives at Deutsche Bank AG and Lufthansa AG . “It is our common target to integrate more and more refugees into the labor market,” she said beforehand. “If we succeed, it will be a benefit for all.” Afterward, an “Us Together” spokeswoman said there was “an open exchange” about existing projects. Failure to integrate the recent arrivals into Germany’s economy, the largest in Europe, could seal Ms. Merkel’s political fate. The chancellor’s popularity has waned, and her party lost badly in recent regional elections as more Germans doubt the wisdom of opening the country’s doors, which has brought well over a million migrants into the country in the past 18 months. Ms. Merkel has until the general election next year to change their minds. Companies blame the difficulty in hiring migrants on shortcomings in speaking German and lack of relevant skills, in part because many are young. They also say administrative and legal red tape forces many migrants to delay the job hunt until after their asylum claims are processed. Deutsche Post AG offered internships for 1,000 refugees last year but has so far filled only 235 positions. A spokeswoman said the postal services company relies on employment agencies for help in finding interns. It employs 102 refugees, it said, many of them former interns. Deutsche Lufthansa AG, the airline, said it had yet to hire any refugees, citing security reasons. Background checks on refugees aren’t “always easily doable against the backdrop of the often adventurous circumstances in the former home countries or during their flight,” a spokesman said. The government isn’t faring much better: Federal agencies have hired five refugees as employees and 12 as trainees since the beginning of last year, the interior ministry told lawmakers last month. This is despite the fact that there are few native Germans available to fill the highest number of job vacancies in a decade, and shortages of skilled workers are putting upward pressure on wages. Mohammed Fdeilati, a 22-year-old Syrian, said he fled to Germany two years ago, after finishing school, and became eligible to work after a year. “I wanted to do an apprenticeship to become a train driver at Deutsche Bahn, but they demanded a certain language level which I couldn’t meet,” he said. After searching for a job for two or three months, he found one as a bartender in Berlin. The Confederation of German Employers’ Associations said the country should broaden its German language and professional training for migrants and lower legal hurdles for their employment. Adult refugees should be sent back to school, it said. So far, only refugees whose asylum applications have been accepted are required to attend language classes. The confederations is urging that the regulation be extended to migrants whose prospects of receiving asylum are good. Migrants also need more help to find a course, it said. Lack of education and professional experience, along with deficiencies in speaking German and the young age of many migrants, are big stumbling blocks. Three out of five refugees looking for jobs are only qualified to fill entry-level positions, according to the Federal Labor Agency. Only 14% could work as specialists and 3% as experts, it said. The thicket of German labor laws is an obstacle, too. In some regions, employers with vacancies are required to search for a German applicant before hiring a migrant [As well they should !!!]. Asylum seekers can work for temporary employment agencies only after a 15-month waiting period. Many companies are also unwilling to invest in training workers whose long-term residency prospects are uncertain. Most migrants lack the skills a sophisticated economy demands. German employers are mainly interested in skilled staff: Only 19% of all vacancies are for workers without adequate professional experience and education. Some 65% require midlevel qualification and 16% a university degree. There are bright spots, however. Out of about 9,000 refugees applying for vocational training this summer, nearly 6,000 were accepted. Internships typically last several weeks and are unpaid. While the numbers remain small, some companies said they were pleased. At sportswear giant Adidas AG , 15 refugees have completed internships as part of a two-year integration program, and another 15 are set to enroll by the end of the year. “We’d be delighted if our interns decided after their two-year integration courses to do a traineeship at our company,” said Adidas spokeswoman Katja Schreiber.

Active managers exposed as most US equity funds lag behind market The Financial Times / September 15, 2016 A fresh blow for stockpickers as semi-annual survey finds 90% fall short of benchmark Nine out of ten US equity funds failed to beat the market over the past year, according to a new study that undermines active managers’ claims that they can outperform in more volatile markets. The semi-annual report on fund manager returns, produced by S&P Global, has long been depressing reading for professional stockpickers, but the scale of the disappointment in the latest figures is likely to fuel further outflows from an industry that is already under pressure. Money has been draining out of actively managed funds and moving into index-tracker funds at an accelerating pace this year. The S&P Indices Versus Active (Spiva) scorecard shows that 90.2 per cent of the actively managed US mutual funds that invest in domestic equities were beaten by their benchmarks, when their returns are calculated net of fees. There was not a single category of domestic fund — whether investing in large-caps, small-caps or a combination, or favouring growth stocks or value stocks — in which more than a quarter of managers succeeded in beating their category benchmark. “There is nothing redeeming to say about the managers in the equity space,” said Aye Soe, global research director at S&P. “They said they would provide downside protection and add value in choppy markets. This was their chance to prove themselves and earn their paychecks, but across every category they underperformed. It is embarrassing.” The latest report covers the 12 months to June 30, which includes the summer 2015 market swoon, the rollercoaster markets of January and February and, after the Brexit vote, the late June sell-off. It adds to a 14-year body of S&P data that confirms most US equities managers underperform the index, regardless of the category of fund and regardless of the timeframe. Over the past 10 years, 87.5 per cent of domestic equity funds underperformed. Outside of US equities, however, it includes pockets of positive news. Stockpickers that specialise in emerging markets were more likely than not to beat an EM benchmark in the past year — only 42.2 per cent underperformed — and there were categories of fixed income fund where the average manager beat the index. The best of these were loan funds and municipal debt funds. There is no evidence that the outperformance can be sustained even in those categories, however. On a ten-year view, 81.9 per cent of emerging markets funds and 74.4 per cent of muni funds are below their benchmarks. Some $328 billion flowed out of actively managed mutual funds in the US in the year to July 31, according to Morningstar, while $401 billion flowed into funds that passively track an index, such as those run by Vanguard and BlackRock’s iShares division. The shift has accelerated throughout the year, and July was a record month for outflows from active US equity managers, the research group said. The market share of passive funds has now passed one-third in the US, alarming some industry managers. With fewer investors analysing the value of a company before investing, critics say, the market’s role in efficiently allocating capital is being undermined. “If we push indexing to an extreme no one will get price signals,” said Matt Peron, head of equities at Northern Trust. Executives at asset management companies with large active businesses say they can add value in many markets. “I own some passive strategies, including Vanguard funds, personally,” said Tom Finke, chief executive of Barings, “but would you really take a $100bn pension fund and go all passive? There are areas where active is appropriate, especially for capacity constrained and less liquid strategies, but without a doubt there will be more encroachment from passive in many asset classes over time.” .

Scania Group Press Release / September 14, 2016 From extreme heat and high altitudes in Spain to dramatic winter conditions in Swedish Lapland. Years of tough summer and winter tests have helped shape Scania’s new generation of trucks. When placed under extreme conditions, the vehicles really showed their true colours. IDEAL EXTREMES It’s a tradition for Scania to carry out its ­summer vehicle-tests in Spain’s Sierra Nevada mountains. Temperatures range between 40ºC on the Mediterranean coast to as little as 12ºC at a height of 2,500 metres, providing ideal extremes for developing the new generation of trucks. “The conditions in southern Spain are ideal for us,” says Bertil Olsson, a veteran of Scania’s summer and winter tests. “Down on the coast, we’re able to test vehicles in both extreme warmth and humidity, while up in the drier mountain air we can do tests on steep hills.” REALITY CHECK Almost at the top of the Sierra Nevada range, Magnus Skjutar, who works with Engine Development within Scania’s R&D facility at Södertälje, Sweden, has stopped one of the test trucks to go through the latest measurements. “Because we’re currently working with engine calibration, the high temperatures and the temperature differences are extremely valuable,” he says. “In just a few intensive weeks, we can check that everything is okay with the development work that we did at home in Södertälje and also that the trucks meet all the requirements placed on new trucks by us and also by the various authorities.” 30 TEST TRUCKS Testing covers everything from the powertrain to the cabs and the electrical system, with a focus on the interaction between all the different parts of the truck. Thirty or so test trucks, tonnes of spare parts and some 300 engineers, designers, test drivers and mechanics are involved in activities on-site. “Once we’re in place, we follow a well-established schedule under which we generally begin with the high-altitude calibration of the engines,” says test engineer Johan Skynäs. “Then the various experts come one after another: the cooling team comes, then the retarder team, the durability team, the cab climate team, and so on.” MINUS 30 Winter testing in northern Sweden’s Arvidsjaur municipality is almost as legendary as the summer tests, although there are more journalists observing and more competitors carrying out testing. In this part of Lapland temperatures often fall below minus 30 degrees Celsius, and metre-deep snow, wind, darkness and wandering reindeer challenge the skills of Scania’s test drivers. .

Fleet Owner / September 14, 2016 Cummins Filtration announced it has further refined its Fleetguard LF14000NN combination lube filter for the arrival of newer engine platforms including Cummins X15 engines, introduced last month. “This breakthrough manufacturing technology maximizes the media area within the filter for optimum capacity and service life,” said Roma Fatima, lube product line manager, Cummins Filtration. “This eliminates the need for separate media sections without losing the combination performance of the different media grades.” According to the company, the new Fleetguard LF14000NN further reduces flow restriction, “allowing the latest generation of diesel engines to operate more efficiently with less parasitic power loss, which can lead to better fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions.” Depending on the quality of oil used, the LF14000NN is capable of longer service intervals, the company added. “Many of the characteristics that make NanoNet media so successful in fuel filter applications translate well to lube filters,” said Brad Long, senior engineering technical advisor, Cummins Filtration. “By pairing NanoNet with our proven StrataPore synthetic media, we can offer a lube filter that’s suited to meet the needs of today’s advanced engine platforms and lubricants as well as those coming in the near future.” For more information about Fleetguard products and technologies, visit cumminsfiltration.com or call 1-800-22FILTER.

Hino points to good economic times Australasian Transport News (ATN) / September 15, 2016 Hino is happy with a surprisingly strong Australian economy and the sales of its trucks It’s easy to get a sense of global economic doom and gloom if you watch, read and listen to mainstream media too much. But here are some of the latest business facts in Australia. Gross domestic product is growing at a healthy clip of more than three per cent a year, and we haven’t had a recession in Australia for more than a quarter of a century. The latest company profit results are regarded as good on the whole; and interest rates and inflation are still incredibly low. And of course the forecasts for bumper growth in the freight task just keep on coming. The latest tip is for a 26 per cent increase over the next decade, from no less a body than the National Transport Commission. "The economy appears to be in surprisingly good shape," Hino Australia chairman and CEO Steve Lotter says. "As a country we seem to be transitioning well from the mining boom to the construction boom, both in infrastructure and for housing, and this has been good for the truck market as a whole." Lotter, head of the number two brand in the Australian truck market, says Hino’s experience is especially good in NSW and Victoria at the moment. Hino says Western Australia is down because of the mining downturn of course, as is much of Queensland, but south-east Queensland is holding up well due to construction. South Australia is stable. Things are so good in fact that Hino hasn’t been able to keep up with demand for some models. However that has a fair bit to do with supply problems out of Japan, with a new plant scheduled to fully operational in October. While business prospects are good, as an importer Hino is finding the exchange rate to be "tough". And competition amongst truck suppliers to Australia is as fierce as ever. "If this isn’t the most competitive truck market in the world, I don’t want to be transferred to the one that is," Lotter says. Trucking operators in Australia know what fierce competition is like, and that no doubt explains why things are tougher for many of them than the positive state of the economy suggests. Lotter was speaking at a recent media presentation at Hino’s Australian headquarters at Taren Point in southern Sydney. It was just before the latest Truck Industry Council sales figures were released, which show that as usual, Hino is a clear runner-up to Isuzu. The brand has sold 2,870 trucks for the year-to-date (YTD) to the end of August in a rising market, giving it a 13.6 per cent market share. Notwithstanding the overall positive picture, Lotter says: "As an industry we believe that the Government could do more to help grow the overall truck market. "The average age of trucks on Aussie roads is approaching 15 years, whereas it’s fewer than 10 for most developed countries." "New trucks are certainly safer and greener, and either a carrot or stick approach could be taken to encourage operators to update and upgrade their fleets."

Australasian Transport News (ATN) / September 15, 2016 Predicting truck design in 2026, the VisionX concept truck will be on display this month at IAA Global technology giant Bosch has pulled its future trucking vision from idea to reality, unveiling the VisionX concept truck for the upcoming IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Hannover, Germany. According to Bosch, the truck represents transport in 2026, where drivers have become logistics managers and the internet is king. "The truckers of the future will go from being drivers to serving as logistics managers," Bosch board member Dr Markus Heyn says. "The truck of the future will be a 40-ton smart device on wheels." The Bosch vision sees truck driver’s new job description switch to performing key freight forwarding tasks. The company says this will include checking transport status via cloud, responding to emails, organising routes, and adjusting them to take on additional cargo. To accommodate the new profession, Bosch says the future trucks will be fully connected – in some cases featuring automated driving – and run "on highly efficient diesel or even electricity as the situation demands." "Smart connectivity and automation will enable it to navigate traffic on the freeway itself, mostly without driver intervention," the company envisions. "This will give drivers time to take care of other tasks, such as planning routes, processing shipping documents, or simply taking a break." To experience Bosch’s vision for the future, the company has created the VisionX truck which will be on display at the IAA show. The truck will allow visitors to sit in the front seat and, Bosch says, "watch a highly realistic animated feature that allows them to experience the future of truck driving firsthand." The 2016 IAA int'l commercial vehicle show begins on September 22 in Hannover, Germany. .

I'm in Germany a lot, and personally have never noticed any issues. What you will notice is the trucks have the power to maintain momentum uphill while operating more efficiently pulling longer trailers.

That Mack distributor in Harrisonburg, Truck & Equipment, deserves very special mention. The gentleman who founded it, Bob Plecker, represented all that was good about the former Mack Trucks. Bob was one of finest individuals I ever had the pleasure to know. Of course they had their freight company too, North & South Trucking Lines. Great memories there, of a fantastic Mack distributor.

Glad we could help. We aim to please. A CS200P has air-over-hydraulic brakes........wheel cylinders front and rear. When maintained properly, it's a great system. Make no mistake about that. But when ill-maintained, wheel cylinders are expensive. Use Motul, and you'll have "above average" longevity. In Europe, they use synthetic brake fluid. But we at Mack years ago were afraid that U.S. customers would accidentally mix ordinary DOT 4 with synthetic fluid. You can just picture it happening. So we filled US market Mid-Liners with DOT 4. You needed to flush the system periodically to rid the accumulated moisture, but most MS/CS 200 customers didn't. So we sold a lot of wheel cylinders. The full-air brake MS/CS250P resolved all this, and customers like Penske and Ryder purchased thousands and thousands. Don't even ponder changing it over to full-air brakes like the CS250P and CS300P/T. It would be much too costly.

The cross-over to aftermarket could be wrong by a non-Mack brand. If the truck is year 1961, and the axle is an FA505, then the right kit is the 301SQ32B. When you contacted Watt's Mack, they said 301SQ32B was NLA (no longer available) ? Let me ask you this, how did you determine it's an FA505? Do you have the truck's line sheet with the 1QH front axle arrangement? Also, did you get the FA model and 1QH number off the front of the axle itself? (It's stamped)

ZF matches Knorr-Bremse's bid for Haldex Reuters / September 14, 2016 German automotive supplier ZF Friedrichshafen raised its offer for Swedish brake systems maker Haldex to 4.86 billion Swedish crowns ($572 million) today, matching a rival bid from Germany's Knorr-Bremse. Knorr-Bremse last week reignited a bidding war for Haldex, trumping ZF with a 110 Swedish crowns a share offer. While both companies are now offering the same amount of money, Haldex's board unanimously backed ZF's offer, saying it was less likely to be stopped by anti-trust regulators. Knorr-Bremse's offer runs a significant risk of requiring a lengthy review that could last six months or longer, Haldex said in a statement. ZF already has regulatory clearances from all relevant authorities except Russia, whose approval it expects to receive by the end of the week, ZF CEO Stefan Sommer told journalists on a conference call. ZF also lowered the minimum number of shares needed for the takeover to go through to 50 percent of Haldex's capital from 90 percent previously, saying its priority was to gain a majority stake in the group. It already owns about 4.2 percent of shares and has secured commitments from Haldex shareholders representing just over 17 percent of stock to tender their shares to ZF. Knorr-Bremse said it had taken note of ZF's raised offer and would weigh its next move, adding it was still convinced its bid offered Haldex better prospects in the long run than ZF's. Haldex shares were unchanged at 114.75 crowns in early trading, suggesting investors are hopeful of a higher offer.

Trump spins 'horrible' news that won't go away at Ford Nick Bunkley, Automotive News / September 14, 2016 Never turn a one-day story into a two-day story. That was the crisis-management philosophy espoused by Don Canham, a marketing genius who transformed the University of Michigan football program into a world-renowned brand and money-printing machine over 21 years as the school’s athletic director. Ford Motor Co. clearly doesn’t believe in that approach. It’s managed to turn the fact that it’s moving small-car production from the U.S. to Mexico into a yearlong debacle, right in the midst of the most divisive presidential election in history. Republican nominee Donald Trump has been more than willing to take the bait, repeatedly bashing Ford as traitorous during rallies and debates. Instead of just being transparent and explaining that the shift will allow hourly workers in Michigan to have better job security by building more popular, profitable pickups and SUVs instead, Ford decided to leak its plan in drips and drabs starting in the summer of 2015. Until Wednesday, Ford executives were inexplicably evasive about the subject every time it came up. ‘Speculation’ In July 2015, I and a number of other reporters wrote that Ford planned to move production of the Focus and C-Max from the U.S. to Mexico in 2018. Ford refused to say where the cars would be moved, even though it reportedly told the UAW they were headed to Mexico. Last November, Ford’s new contract with the UAW showed that production of nearly all cars would end in the U.S., with Mexico the expected destination. FCA’s UAW deal showed it had similar plans. Early this year, reports indicated that Ford was planning a new assembly plant in Mexico. A spokeswoman dismissed the reports as “speculation.” In April, Ford finally confirmed the $1.6 billion plant, but it wouldn’t say what vehicles would be built there. UAW President Dennis Williams, who had known about the plans for at least nine months at that point, took the opportunity to publicly flog Ford for the “very troubling” move. Poster child And all along, Trump eagerly made Ford into a poster child for companies shipping good American jobs south of the border. He called the new plant in Mexico “an absolute disgrace.” Only today did Ford, finally, confirm what anyone following the issue had known all along. “Over the next two to three years, we will have migrated all of our small-car production to Mexico and out of the United States," Ford CEO Mark Fields said during a presentation to investors. Because this was the first time any Ford executive had acknowledged that Mexico is indeed, the Focus’ destination, the story went viral -- again. USA Today, Fox News, CNN, NBC News, the Daily Beast, Breitbart News and dozens of other outlets jumped on it, even though many had already reported virtually the same news months ago. “Ford moving small car production to Mexico,” read a link right in the middle of the Drudge Report, a widely read conservative news site. Fields’ statement put Ford’s plan back in the news eight weeks before the election -- and just hours before Trump was campaigning in nearby Flint, Mich. “More bad news for Michigan today,” Trump said during an appearance at a Flint church. “It was just announced that Ford is moving all small-car production -- all of it, 100 percent -- to Mexico over the next two or three years. This just happened. We shouldn’t allow it to happen. … It’s horrible.” Overshadowed Remember when Ford gained a loyal following of consumers who applauded its decision to decline a federal bailout and avoid filing for a taxpayer-supported bankruptcy? Now, some of those same supporters are seeing Ford constantly in the news, being accused of prioritizing profits over patriotism. Everything about this “breaking news,” as some websites labeled it, is old. Yet it’s the most prominent headline emerging from Wednesday’s investor meeting, overshadowing four hours of presentations aimed at laying out Ford’s path to future success as the industry rapidly evolves. Ford has complained about constantly being picked on by Trump, yet it keeps bringing the Mexico story back to life. If Ford continues to get pummeled on the campaign trail over the next 55 days, it only has itself to blame.

Hacked Powell emails: Trump a 'pariah' but would rather not vote for Clinton The Guardian / September 14, 2016 A series of leaks of email exchanges involving the former US secretary of state Colin Powell have revealed a stinging rebuke of Donald Trump, as well as lesser criticism of Hillary and Bill Clinton. Powell, George W Bush’s chief diplomat from 2001 to 2005, called his fellow Republican a “national disgrace” and an “international pariah”. Personal email exchanges leaked on Tuesday and Wednesday reveal the retired four-star general’s contempt for Trump, whose conspiracy theories surrounding Barack Obama’s place of birth Powell also labels as “racist”. “Yup, the whole birther movement was racist,” Powell wrote to his former aide in emails first reported by Buzzfeed News, referring to conspiracy theories that suggest Obama was not born in the US. “That’s what the 99% believe. “When Trump couldn’t keep that up he said he also wanted to see if the certificate noted that he was a Muslim. As I have said before, ‘What if he was?’ Muslims are born as Americans everyday.” Powell’s emails surfaced on the website DCLeaks.com, which has previously featured other hacks into prominent Republicans and Democrats. Bush’s former top diplomat, who has served in three Republican administrations, confirmed the exchanges were his but declined to comment any further. In another alleged exchange, reported by the New York Post, Powell told Democratic donor Jeffrey Leeds he would not vote for Hillary Clinton while citing tabloid rumors about Bill Clinton’s private life. “I would rather not have to vote for her, although she is a friend I respect,” Powell said. “A 70-year person with a long track record, unbridled ambition, greedy, not transformational, with a husband still d—ing bimbos at home (according to the NYP).” Powell told the New York Post he did not recall that particular exchange when asked about its authenticity. While it is unclear who is responsible for hacking into Powell’s emails, the website DCLeaks reportedly has ties to the Russian government. When the Democratic National Committee’s emails were leaked in July, just ahead of the party’s national convention, the FBI said it believed Russia was behind the hack. Powell’s own email use has become a focal point in the controversy surrounding Clinton’s use of a private server. During an interview with FBI investigators, the Democratic nominee said Powell had advised her to use a personal email and that he did the same while serving as secretary of state. Powell later accused Clinton’s campaign of trying to throw him under the bus, but House Democrats last week released email correspondence between the two in which Powell discussed how to get around state department restrictions on both personal email and devices. Even so, Powell voices his frustration with the Clinton campaign in one of the latest leaked emails, reported by NBCNews. “I have told Hillary’s minions repeatedly that they are making a mistake trying to drag me in, yet they still try,” Powell wrote.

Terry, I apologize. I beg your pardon and stand corrected. Too much going on this month. Mike, I didn't step in anything. I did make a careless mistake, and apologize for it, all the while with the good intentions of helping the original poster resolve his dilemma. Recently, there have been quite a few people who posted an information question, and then evaporated into thin air. Sure, we all have things going on. But when you reach out to the BMT population for help, I think one needs to follow up. And though it may be "old fashioned" etiquette in year 2016, a "thank you" from the OP means something to many contributors here.

Big Rigs / September 14, 2016 ALREADY well known throughout Australia for its annual Ute Muster, the town of Deniliquin in the New South Wales Riverina is also becoming a popular destination for its annual Truck Show and Industry Expo. After a successful start-up event in 2015, this year's event was held over September 9 and 10, with organisers delighted with the roll up of trucks along with the support from both the local area and wider transport industry. The weekend's event got off to a formal start on the Friday night at the truck show dinner, with the Burrumbuttock Hay Runners' Brendan Farrell presenting as guest speaker. The dinner also saw the announcement of the first two inductees into the Deniliquin and District Transport Industry Wall of Fame. Local livestock operator David Griminsion, along with Alan and the late Kathleen Murphy were the first to be inducted to the wall which is being constructed in Deniliquin. Despite some wet weather in the lead up to Saturday's event at Memorial Park, close to 2000 people came through the gates on show day to admire the lineup of over seventy trucks, some which had traveled from as far afield as Cranbourne South in Victoria and down from Sydney for the event. With Deniliquin and the wider Riverina area reliant on road transport to support the agricultural and service industries, a number of local companies were represented at the show from within Deniliquin and outlying towns such as Finley, Berrigan and Hillston. "We are a transport town, sometimes it goes a little bit unnoticed and recognised, but it's an event like this that shows how many people we do have involved in the industry, or in a spin-off industry associated with transport,” said Leesa Muir, who is on the organising committee for the event. A number of trucks received a last minute polish and touch-up on their arrival at the show before judging got under way at midday, with the high standard of trucks on show giving the judges some hard work, presenting awards across 12 categories. The trip up from Shepparton in Victoria proved to be a worthwhile one for Frank Gattuso Transport driver Matthew Clarke, who took out Truck of The Show honours with his 2010 Kenworth K108 Big Cab. Matthew, who runs express overnight freight between Shepparton, Melbourne and Albury, was delighted with his success. "To walk away with a prize is a bonus, to walk away with the Truck of the Show award was a total surprise - I didn't realise I had won until my girlfriend Kim whacked me on the back and said 'That's You!',” he said. "I would like to thank the organisers for a great show and a job well done-I look forward to returning next year”. In other categories, John Kerr took home the award for Best Truck 26-39 years with his 1988 Mack Super-Liner whilst Clinton McKinnon took home the new for 2016, Muscles Gray Memorial Award for his 2006 Kenworth T904 Remberance tipper and dog trailer, which is a rolling tribute to Australia's ANZAC heritage and armed forces. Along with the displays of trucks on site, the event also aims to showcase the transport industry as a whole, with 2016 also seeing an increase in trade exhibitors, with CMV from Wodonga and Graham Thomson Motors of Shepparton, along with IOR Petroleum and Royan's Truck and Trailer Repairs to name a few all having a presence on site. An auction of donated goods was also held with money raised going back into the planning and management of next year's event. The Truck Show committee made a resolution to give back to the industry, with a $1 donation from each ticket sold at the gate being donated to the Trans-Help Foundation to assist in the work the organisation does for the health and wellbeing of transport industry employees. Plans are under way already for the 2017 event, which will be held on the second Saturday of September, and Ms Muir is confident the show is on the right course to become a key date on the transport calendar. "It's grown considerably, we got more trucks and industry-specific trade sites than last year and our dinner last night has doubled in size,” she said. "We are really impressed with the amount of people who made the effort to come and we are overwhelmed with the interest we have received, not just from our target area of the Southern Riverina - the event is growing and the word is getting out there. We're going to have a ripper third year!” Deniliquin Truck Show Trophy winners: Truck of the Show - Matthew Clarke, Tongala VIC. 2010 Kenworth K108. People's Choice - Leo Kelly, Edenhope VIC. 1984 Kenworth W Model. Muscles Gray Memorial Award - Clinton McKinnon, Narellan NSW, 2006 Kenworth T904 Best Truck Under 3 years - Gray's Transport, Finley NSW. 2016 Kenworth T950. Best Truck 4-9 years - D&K Walker Transport, Kilmore VIC. 2010 Cat CT630. Best Truck 10 - 25 years - Clinton McKinnon, Narellan NSW, 2006 Kenworth T904 Best Truck 26 - 39 years - John Kerr, Bendigo VIC, 1988 Mack Superliner. Best Truck 40 years & Over - Neil Scott, Deniliquin NSW. 1936 Maple Leaf Tray body. Best Rigid - Duane Kemp, Cranbourne North VIC. 2003 Kenworth T404ST. Best Local Truck - Sam Armytage, Deniliquin NSW. 2011 Kenworth K200 Best Fleet - Frankling Transport, Koondrook VIC. Photo gallery - http://www.bigrigs.com.au/photos/see-who-was-at-the-second-deni-truck-show-2/44419/#/0

Big Rigs / September 14, 2016 Ring, ring, ring... "Hello.” "Hiya Kermie, its Rossco. You coming up to Echuca?” "Bet your whatsits! What's the weather like up there?” "Cats and dogs. Predicted right through the weekend too. Place is like an ice rink. But she'll be right.” And right is turned out to be. By Friday arvo the rain had passed and stayed away for the duration of the show. The 'ice rink' dried quickly in most places and was firm enough for trucks and pedestrians and most importantly, the dire weather predictions didn't deter over 150 intrepid ATHS members from turning up with the love of their lives - and in some cases their partners as well. Des Walker from Nilma North has four trucks - all Diamond T's and brought his TNT liveried 630 to Echuca. "I have all the good Diamonds - two 630's, a 531 and a 520 - the three best Diamonds they ever made. I am a fleet owner!” Wife Julie is also happy with Desi's trucks. "He buys trucks, I travel.” Rod Calleja from Bacchus Marsh turned up with a 1981 Mack Cruise Liner towing a 1971 McGrath trailer, both in mint condition. Rod has owned the truck for two years and, as with his other 'toys' the restoration was done completely in-house. "The truck used to belong to Paul Phillips from Cranbourne,” he said. "It did market work. It's always been a local truck. I just like the look of it. It took a good six months to restore and is a beautiful truck to drive. Very comfortable, quiet and a pleasure to drive.” Rod's stable also includes a Super Liner, a B-Model and a '71 Diamond Rio. He is currently restoring an AB 184. "It keeps the history of the industry alive. We enjoy it. We love talking to people and having a good time.” Steve Braggs, better known as Braggsy has a new toy, a 1990 Freightliner FL112 with a 400 hp CAT below deck. Has it still got 400 horses Braggsy? "Four-hundred-and-twenty-five actually. She's ATAAC. That's Air To Air After Cooled to you, Kermie,” he said. Steve got a call from someone who said, "Man, have I got a deal for you!” The someone was Mick Anic from AdTrans who knew Steve was on the lookout for a big brother to share the love with his 1418 Benz, affectionately known as the Schnitzelburger. "He offered me a deal I couldn't refuse. Probably taking the shine off the rest of his yard. The truck had been running around Melbourne for the last couple of years with no problems. She cruises at 100 clicks on 1400 revs so it's a very economical truck to operate, which suits my pension. It's a tidy truck. "Now when I go out, I have to toss a coin as to which truck I'm going to take, or how much money I've got for juice. The old Schnitzelburger will live with me forever. It's the only truck I know will legitimately do 133 clicks through the Pilliga scrub. "Both trucks are good gear to drive. The schnitzel Burger you have to work, with this you put it in top gear and go to sleep. There's nothing to do. It just bores along. "I've called it Moonlight Gambler because I'm a great fan of Frankie Lane. Nothing to do with buying it from Mick on a dark night.” Rick "Chocs” Hayman has also bought himself a new project in the form of a 1978 International Transtar 4300. "This came from Western New South Wales. Old mate bought it down to the show for me here in Echuca, which saved me a run up there,” he said. "The fella that owned it brought it in 1982 and ran it up until about 2008 which is a pretty good run! Mechanically it's reasonably good.” The truck sports a 400 Cummins, 18 speed, 44's on Hendrickson two spring and pulled doubles with it, carting steel. It needs a window up the top there. I think that's where the birds used to go in and out. "It's got a decent bonnet on it. After the old cab-over I think I might put a flag at the front there so I don't touch park, although I've got the bar there should I need it. "It'll be a tidy up rather than a ground up, a little bit of customising, just to turn it into mine. I think I'll put a bigger bunk on the back in the hope that I don't always sleep by myself. I'll also put a tribute on it to Warren Troy who owned it, Warren Troy was his name. He died earlier this year and we bought it off his young bloke. We will continue a tiny little bit of history for him.” Know anyone to do the line work and scrolling? "I don't know anyone who is any good, but there is someone who is half reasonable down at Teesdale. I think it's that Rick Hayman bloke.” For what was predicted to be a wash out, Rossco Talbot and ATHS put on a ripper weekend, well attended by both trucks and the public. Big Rigs will bring you some individual stories over the coming weeks. Photo gallery - http://www.bigrigs.com.au/photos/photos-highlights-from-the-echuca-truck-show/44431/#/0 .

Owner/Driver / September 9, 2016 Levin argues it’s horses for courses when choosing more grunt Leading Scania executive Christian Levin has sought to bolster the position of V8 engines at time when many truck makers appear to have fallen out of love with them. Executive vice president of sales and marketing, Levin presented the bigger engine as a boon for particular operators dealing with specific needs and conditions, as well as for Scania’s own image and brand. He argues that topography plays a part in creating demand, citing Italian livestock transporters dealing with often mountainous terrain. They can run at higher average speeds, thereby saving up to two hours on trips within their country, lessening the impact of stress on animals’ condition. Levin was speaking to a delegation of Australian journalists at Scania headquarters in Sodertalje, Sweden, during the phased unveiling of ’new truck generation’. At a time when governments around the world recognise the productivity gains to be had by allowing increased payloads on the road – he nominates Australia, along with the Nordic countries, South Africa and Brazil – often "the six in line is too stressed" to handle the greater demand well. Levin insists reliability of V8s is better due to operating at lower revs and they are "significantly more valuable" in the second hand market. With experienced on-road personnel shortages as prevalent in Europe Union as in North America and Australia, the lure of big bangers mean "drivers’ choices, of course" also come into play.

Hendrickson Int'l Press Release / August 30, 2016 ZMD (Zero Maintenance Dampening) technology eliminates shock absorbers from the maintenance equation by integrating the damping function traditionally performed by the shock within the air spring itself. ZMD air springs exchange pressurized air between the bellows and the piston. This patented air spring provides uniform and consistant damping over the life of the air spring. Available as a premium option on select VANTRAAX and INTRAAX integrated air suspension models and standard on ULTRAA-K air slider systems. Related reading - http://www.hendrickson-intl.com/Trailer/Value-Added-Options/ZMD .

“We don’t know who these individuals are. Any idea (that) you can do a background check of someone that’s been living in Syria is absolutely ridiculous. These are dangerous times, whether people want to admit it or not. We want to keep the war out of Mississippi, here on the homefront.” Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant "It is irresponsible and severely disconcerting to place individuals, who may have ties to ISIS, in a state without the state's knowledge or involvement." Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal "There is virtually no vetting because there are no databases in Syria, there are no government records. We don't know who these people are." New York Rep. Peter King "It's not that we don't want to -- it's that we can't, because there's no way to background check someone that's coming from Syria." Florida Senator Marco Rubio. "The governor doesn't believe the U.S. should accept additional Syrian refugees because security and safety issues cannot be adequately addressed. The governor is writing to the President to ask him to stop, and to ask him to stop resettling them in Ohio. We are also looking at what additional steps Ohio can take to stop resettlement of these refugees." Ohio Governor John Kasich spokesman Jim Lynch

(Originally posted November 15, 2015..........http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/42652-paris-under-attack/?page=3#comment-312621) The U.S. media is now shining a big spotlight on the Syrian refugee debate. Supposedly, U.S.-bound Syrians are actual refugees, and not economic migrants the likes of what’s showing up on Europe’s door from countries other than Syria (4 out of 5 are not from Syria). Much of the debate is over why the U.S. should take refugees when Middle East countries for the most part are not. Arab League (and Gulf Cooperation Council) members Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and the UAE have reportedly not taken in any refugees. These six Gulf States elected NOT to sign the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_relating_to_the_Status_of_Refugees). Per Amnesty International, the six Gulf countries - Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain - have offered zero resettlement facilities for Syrian refugees. The fact is that Gulf countries don't accept refugees for resettlement because none of their governments officially recognize the legal concept. Even in Jordan, Syrians fleeing the civil war are called "guests," the expectation being that they won't stay. (http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/09/20/441457924/gulf-states-fend-off-criticism-about-doing-little-for-syrian-refugees) “I’m most indignant over the Arab countries who are rolling in money and who only take very few refugees,” Danish Finance Minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen said in an interview this week at his office in Copenhagen. “Countries like Saudi Arabia. It’s completely scandalous. (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-04/syria-s-refugees-feel-more-welcome-in-europe-than-in-the-gulf) However, Saudi Arabia last week offered to pay for the construction of 200 new Mosques in Germany (http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/fluechtlingskrise/die-golfstaaten-schotten-sich-gegenueber-fluechtlingen-ab-13789932.html). The United Nations expects one million “refugees” to arrive in Europe by the end of 2015, The European Commission expects 3 million to arrive in Europe by the end of 2016. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has 100,000 (air-conditioned) tents, sitting empty and available, that could perfectly house some 3 million Syrian refugees. Located in the city of Mina, they’re only used a few days a year for pilgrims heading to Mecca (http://www.sbs.com.au/news/gallery/which-arab-country-has-room-three-million-refugees-and-has-so-far-taken-zero-according-un). There are millions of people around the world who have been waiting in line to legally immigrate into the United States. Should any Syrian refugees wish to immigrate to the United States as well, they can apply through the normal process at the U.S. embassy of their Arab League host country. With the highest GDP Arab countries unwilling to take in refugees, fellow Muslims in distress, why should the U.S. accept any? The U.S. is by a wide margin the highest financial contributor to Syrian relief efforts at $4.5 billion - http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-to-boost-contribution-for-humanitarian-aid-to-syrian-war-refugees-1442858302 (so don’t expect our crumbling interstate system rebuilt anytime soon) The U.S. already contributes FAR more to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) than any other country. (http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/the-countries-that-contribute-the-most-to-the-uns-refugee-agency--by90QvX64l) This on top of the White House’s decision to increase the cap on [alleged] refugees to 85,000 in 2016 and 100,000 in 2017. (http://www.wsj.com/articles/john-kerry-says-u-s-to-admit-30-000-more-refugees-in-next-2-years-1442768498?tesla=y) In the minds of many Americans, refugees are people that would return home after the conflict in their homeland has ended. However these people have no intention of returning home, and that makes them immigrants rather than refugees. With millions of people around the world already waiting in line to legally immigrate into the U.S., the only proper course is for these Syrian (and other) immigrants to apply via the normal process at U.S. embassies abroad and wait their turn in line. On top of free U.S. money ($4.5 billion) for Syrian relief efforts alone, the other issues are the costs to U.S. taxpayers to support incoming “refugees” for an unknown number of years (welfare), and the loss of U.S. citizen jobs. .

(Originally posted November 27, 2015..........http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/42652-paris-under-attack/?page=4#comment-312770) Too often, discussions of any one particular immigration program lack broader numerical context. Refugee admissions, asylees, and parolees are all additional to our huge annual intake of 1 million green card holders, the 700,000 foreign workers and the 500,000 foreign students. So before addressing the policy question of whether or not to admit additional groups of refugees, we should first consider our broader immigration situation. Senator Jeff Sessions ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Senator Jeff Sessions Says 12 Asylum Seekers Planned Attacks International Business Times / November 26, 2015 In an attempt to block President Obama's plan to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees next year, Senator Jeff Sessions has given 12 examples where radicalized refugees that have slipped through the cracks. The Alabama Republican released the list ahead of the December appropriations debate, during which Congress will decide how much federal money to give the president's refugee program. Since the November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris, Republicans have been raising concerns the U.S. could be the target of terror attacks from Syrian refugees admitted into the country as asylum-seekers. On the list is a Bosnian refugee who traveled to Syria to join ISIS just eleven days after becoming a U.S. citizen, and six of his countrymen who supported terrorists financially from back in the States. Senator Sessions' list includes refugees who have been arrested or indicted in the past year for aiding terrorist organizations, and include displaced people from Somalia, Uzbekistan, Kenya, and Bosnia. The 12 refugees arrested, indicted or convicted in year 2015 for terror charges: A warrant has been out for Liban Haji Mohamed's arrest since January, for providing material support to the terrorist groups Al-Shabab and Al-Qaeda. The 29-year-old is believed to have fled the country to join Al-Shabab in Eastern Africa three years ago, via the Mexican border after being put on a no-fly list. A former taxi-cab driver in Washington, DC, Mohamed first came to the U.S. as a refugee from Somalia. Carl Ghattas, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington, D.C. Field Office, said it was important to locate Mohamed 'because he has knowledge of the Washington, D.C. area’s infrastructure such as shopping areas, Metro, airports, and government buildings . . . [t]his makes him an asset to his terrorist associates who might plot attacks on U.S. soil.' Abdinassir Mohamud Ibrahim moved to the United States as a refugee from Somalia in 2007 at the age of 22. In February, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for providing material support to Al-Shabab. He also admitted to lying on his refugee application, saying he was a member of the minority Awer clan in Somalia that was being persecuted by the majority Hawiye clan. In fact, Ibrahim was part of the Hawiye clan and related 'to known Somali terrorists'. Abdullah Ramo Pazara came to the U.S. as a Bosnian refugee and left to fight with ISIS in Syria just eleven days after officially becoming an American citizen in 2013. Pazara has not been charged with supporting a foreign terrorist organization because he is believed to be dead, however, six of his fellow Bosnian natives (follows) were arrested for supporting terrorism in the Middle East. According to reports, at the time of his death, Pazara had climbed the ISIS ranks to become a deputy to one of the organization's top commanders. Bosnian war hero Ramiz Zijad Hodzic, who came to the U.S. as a refugee, was charged in February with conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists, with providing material support to terrorists, and conspiring to kill and maim persons in a foreign country. According to the indictment, Hodzic purchased military equipment to give Pazara (number two on this list) to use when he joined ISIS including 'United States military uniforms, tactical combat boots, military surplus goods, tactical gear and clothing, firearms accessories, optical equipment and range finders, rifle scopes, equipment, and supplies'. Ramiz Zijad Hodzic's wife, Sedina Unkic Hodzic was also charged in February with conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists and providing material support to terrorists. Sedina, according to the indictment, raised funds for ISIS and wired the money abroad. She is also said to have shipped six boxes of U.S. military uniforms, combat boots, tactical clothing and gear, military surplus items, firearms accessories, rifle scopes, optical equipment, first aid supplies, and other equipment to foreign terrorists. Fellow Bosnian Armin Harcevic was charged in February with conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists, and with providing material support to terrorists. He allegedly collected money from third parties to sent to terrorists abroad. Like the other Bosnians, Nihad Rosic was charged in February with providing material support to foreign terrorists. But he is also believed to have been planning to leave the country in order to join jihadist in Syria as well. Before his arrest, Rosic was a truck driver and former mixed martial arts fighter, who had a criminal history including a charge for punching a woman in the face while she held a child and beating his girlfriend with a belt. Bosnian-born Mediha Medy Salkicevic worked at a cargo company operating out of Chicago's O'Hare airport before her arrest in February for providing material support to terrorists. She allegedly raised funds and then wired it to terrorists, along with her own money. Bosnian Jasminka Ramic faces charges of conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists and providing material support to terrorists. Abdurahman Yasin Daud was born in a refugee camp in Kenya, to a Somalian family, and eventually came to the U.S. at the age of nine, going on to become a permanent resident. He was arrested along with six others for attempting to flea the country to Syria to join ISIS, according to an criminal complaint filed in April. Guled Ali Omar was also born in a Kenyan refugee camp to Somalian parents and immigrated to the United States as a child. His older brother Ahmed Ali Omar, left the United States in 2007 to fight with Al-Shabab and another one of his brothers, Mohamed Ali Omar, was convicted in March for threatening federal agents. Omar himself was arrested in April for conspiracy and attempt to provide material support to ISIS. U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota, Andy Luger, said that Omar previously tried to leave the U.S. and 'never stopped plotting'. Fazliddin Kurbanov came to the U.S. with his family as a refugee from Uzbekistan in 2009. Kurbanov was reportedly born a Muslim, but his family later converted to Orthodox Christianity. When he came to the U.S., it's believed he converted back to Islam and radicalized. In August, he was found guilty on charges of conspiracy and attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization and possessing an unregistered destructive device. U.S. Assistant Attorney General John Carlin Kurbanov 'conspired to provide material support to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and procured bomb-making materials in the interest of perpetrating a terrorist attack on American soil.' .

(Originally posted November 24, 2015..........http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/42652-paris-under-attack/?page=4#comment-312770) The wealthy GCC countries of the Arab League don’t want to take in their Muslim brothers in need, considering them to be undesirables. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ On September 2, 2015, Kuwaiti official Fahad al-Shalami explained why the Gulf Cooperation Council countries* refuse to accept refugees. * Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates “Kuwait and the other Gulf Cooperation Council countries are too valuable to accept any refugees. Our countries are only fit for [migrant] workers. It's too costly to relocate them [the refugees] here. Kuwait is too expensive for them anyway, as opposed to Lebanon and Turkey, which are cheap. They are better suited for the Syrian refugees. In the end, it is not right for us to accept a people that are different from us. We don't want people that suffer from internal stress and trauma in our country.” .

White House to increase number of refugees to 110k in 2017 [Wealthy GCC countries of the Arab League take zero] CNN / September 14, 2016 The White House is planning to increase the number of refugees accepted into the United States from around the world to at least 110,000 in 2017. Secretary of State John Kerry briefed Congress on Tuesday about the administration's decision and has stated over the past year that the United States would seek to welcome 100,000 refugees in 2017 -- and if possible, would accept more. The increase -- from 70,000 during 2013-2015 to 85,000 in 2016 to the plan of 110,000 in 2017 -- is more than a 57% increase in refugee arrivals since 2015 and consistent with the administration's belief that all countries should do more to help vulnerable people. The United States' refugee policy has been a top campaign issue in the 2016 election. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump made waves last December when he proposed a temporary ban on all Muslims immigrating to the United States. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, has said that she would like to see the number of Syrian refugees accepted into the United States increase from the Obama administration's goal of 10,000 a year to 65,000 refugees.