It was a common occurance in high school for me to be floured then water soaked on or near my birthday in October every year I hated year 12 break-up day.
It was a common occurance in high school for me to be floured then water soaked on or near my birthday in October every year I hated year 12 break-up day.
Obama signs left on shot bear cub October 21, 2008 - 1:35PM CULLOWHEE, North Carolina - Police are investigating the discovery of a bear cub, shot dead and draped with Barack Obama campaign signs, at a US university.
Maintenance workers at the Western Carolina University found the 34kg cub in front of an administration building yesterday.
Campaign signs for Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate, were draped over the carcass, said Leila Tvedt, associate vice chancellor for public relations at the university
The cub had been shot in the head, Tvedt said.
"Western Carolina University deplores the inappropriate behaviour that has led to this troubling incident," she said.
"We cannot speculate on the motives of the people involved nor who those people might be. Campus police are cooperating fully with authorities to investigate this matter."
University police called in wildlife officers to remove the body and help in the investigation.
Bear hunting season is under way in western North Carolina.
They actually have a 'bear hunting season'? These morons are back in the good ol' bad ol' days! Honestly. IMHO there should not be an 'Open Season' for any animal. The dim dark days of yore still exist in America!
It's not completely open season, they have sort of a lottery to see who can get in on the bear hunt (atleast in parts of the country). I have a joke about it which REALLY couldn't be shared on an open forum!
If they was no bear culling no one's picanic basket would be safe
I rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on the journey and reminds us to cherish every moment, because it will never come again. - Captain Jean-Luc Picard
Eight crammed in 2-door coupe 'sheer stupidity' October 29, 2008 - 7:30AM
Police say it is a miracle that eight young people emerged alive from a two-door car that veered across a highway and smashed into a power pole early today in Melbourne.
The female driver, believed to be a learner driver, and two passengers, were critically injured when the Mitsubishi Lancer coupe veered off the Princes Highway at Clayton and jumped a wide median strip before smashing into the pole, about 12.40am.
Four of the group of six men and two women, aged between 18 and 25, were trapped in the wreckage and needed to be extricated by the Metropolitan Fire Brigade.
Sergeant Brad Peters, of the Major Collision Investigation Unit, said he was dumbfounded that eight people could cram into such a small car.
"I have tried to get my head around it, but words fail me about how I feel about such serious incidents," Sgt Peters told reporters at the scene.
"It is just such sheer stupidity, and we're very lucky that at this stage no one's died.
"This type of crash could have had a more tragic result, and I'm amazed that we're not telling eight sets of parents their kids have all been killed."
Sgt Peters said the identities of the eight were sketchy because of language difficulties. Seven of the car's occupants were Sudanese.
He said the police were looking at whether speed and alcohol played a part in the accident.
The scene after the accident was chaotic, with local residents rushing from their homes to assist.
A policewoman had to be recruited to drive an ambulance to hospital while two paramedics worked to save the young woman driver's life.
Metropolitan Ambulance Service (MAS) paramedic Phillip Campbell said ambulance crews initially couldn't find all those injured because the crash scene was in darkness.
"When the first paramedics arrived at the scene, all the power had been lost to the area so there was no light, so they had great difficulty in just seeing the extent of the damage and also finding patients was quite difficult," he said.
"Initially they could only account for six patients. They found two patients alongside the car, where they had been ejected.
"Later on they found another two patients who sort of walked up towards them."
The crash comes just a day after the launch of a new advertisement by the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) showing graphic scenes of car crashes that have killed young people.
Mr Campbell said paramedics were frustrated to see the road safety message was not getting through.
"It's very frustrating. There was eight young people crammed into a small Lancer and they were going along the road, and now unfortunately there's three of those occupants who were seriously injured," he said.
"Now, this tragedy is going to pass on to family and friends and it's something they'll never get over."
An opportunity to scrub some chlorine out of the gene pool lost!
I rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on the journey and reminds us to cherish every moment, because it will never come again. - Captain Jean-Luc Picard
Is this woman an idiot or not? She is saying that there were 4 seatbelts and if everyone was using a seat belt then this was not illegal! What the F***? 8 into 4 does not go luvvy. You can't legally have 2 people per seatbelt! I also thought there are limitations as to how many people can be in a car with a learner driver.
Eight in car 'not illegal' October 29, 2008 - 9:34AM
It was not illegal for eight people to be crammed into a two-door car involved in an horrific smash in Melbourne early today, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon says.
Six men and two women aged between 18 and 25 were in a Mitsubishi Lancer coupe when it veered off the Princes Highway in Clayton and jumped a large median strip before smashing into a pole, about 12.40am (AEDT).
It is believed the driver of the car was a learner driver.
Ms Nixon said so long as all of the car's seat belts were being used, overloading the vehicle with people was not a crime. "No, it's not an offence," she told Fairfax Radio Network.
"It's a matter for the driver to see whether they can drive properly.
"In fact it's the number of seat belts. I think it's four or something in this car, and if those people had the seatbelts on, no, it's not an offence.
"It's just the technical part of the law.
"The driver could be charged with careless driving or a range of other things, but just simply if they were driving along and had that many people in the car, it isn't an offence, and that's the law."
All eight people were taken to Melbourne hospitals with varying injuries, with three in critical condition.
Ms Nixon said it was sad to see such an accident just a day after a new advertisement was launched by the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) showing graphic scenes of car crashes that have killed young people.
She said the community must continue to show young people the damage that can be done by irresponsible behaviour.
"They don't seem to understand the consequences of their actions can be serious injury and death," she said.
"I think (the solution is) just continuously working on this issue with young people and trying to have them understand the consequences of their actions.
"Because once they get together, and whether alcohol is involved or not is another issue, but the point is they just seem to lose control."
Coogee Bay Hotel ice cream did contain poo, test confirms October 29, 2008 11:27am
THE tainted ice cream at the centre of the Coogee Bay Hotel's gelatogate scandal has indeed tested positive for faeces, it has emerged.
Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald today said preliminary laboratory analysis carried out by the NSW Food Authority resulting in the sample testing positive for bilirubin.
“Further DNA analysis by the Authority will now be conducted to determine if the sample is of human or animal origin,” Mr Macdonald said.
“That test will take up to a week to complete.
“Obviously, we are keeping an open mind and do not want to pre-empt this investigation in any manner.
“Authority officers are continuing to conduct interviews with hotel staff and the family.”
They are also reviewing CCTV security videos and have inspected the hotel’s kitchen.
Meanwhile, hotel staff and the Whyte family will undergo DNA testing by health inspectors as both camps try to prove their innocence.
Former hotel head chef Adam Wood spoke out for the first time yesterday as results from the hotel's own tests revealed no faecal matter in their tub of dark chocolate gelato, the source of the offending scoop.
"I would welcome DNA testing alongside all staff working that day to clear myself, the Coogee Bay Hotel and all involved," Mr Wood said.'
It has now been 25 days since the alleged faecal sample was found in the complimentary chocolate ice sundae served to the Whytes following their complaints of poor service.
The NSW Food Authority said they would be able to extract DNA from the sample that has been sitting in the Whytes' freezer for almost a month but that it would already be contaminated by Mrs Whyte, who spat the sample into a napkin.
Three inspectors were at the hotel yesterday to interview staff, spending hours reviewing CCTV footage and quarantining the hotel's tub of dark chocolate gelato for further testing.
"We can't make out any definitive activity of people doing malicious things," Authority spokesman Alan Valvasori said of the "grainy" video.
A Coogee Bay Hotel spokeswoman said reports yesterday that the restaurant manager was seen serving the icecream were false.
"Contrary to media reports today, the CCTV footage provided to the authorities does not show CBH Restaurant manager Cherilyn Kennedy serving the icecream to the Whytes," the spokeswoman said.
"Laboratory testing of the icecream tub was returned today and shows no faecal contamination."
Whyte family lawyer Steven Lewis of Slater and Gordon said that proved nothing.
"Whatever was put in the fridge was not necessarily what they served to the Whytes," Mr Lewis said.
"This DNA testing is a stunt by the Coogee Bay Hotel, but Mr and Mrs Whyte have nothing to hide and have agreed to give a DNA sample."
Results could be known by today, including if the sample contains human or animal faecal matter and if it belongs to a man or woman.
While the Food Authority has yet to decide when it will conduct DNA testing, former head chef Mr Wood was the first to volunteer despite no longer working for the hotel.
"I resigned on good terms from the Coogee Bay Hotel before the alleged incident, giving notice until Friday, September 26," he said.
"Coogee Bay owner Chris Cheung asked if I would stay on to help them through the busy NRL Grand Final weekend and big re-launch of the brasserie restaurant and beer garden. I agreed and was happy to do this."
Man rejected for asylum in Australia tortured, beheaded Cynthia Banham | November 1, 2008
An Afghan asylum seeker rejected by Australia under the Howard government was tortured and beheaded by kidnappers less than four weeks ago in a province south of Kabul.
The man, Mohammed Hussain, was thrown down a well by gunmen, believed to be the Taliban. Then in front of onlookers including members of his family, the killers threw a hand grenade down the well and he was decapitated.
Accounts of the killing were given to Phil Glendenning, director of the Edmund Rice Centre, this week. He said he has verified the events with four different sources in Afghanistan.
Mr Hussain was a self-described poet who was detained on Nauru by Australian authorities under the Howard government's so called "Pacific solution". But his claims for asylum were rejected by immigration officials and he was sent back to Afghanistan.
Mr Glendenning met Mr Hussain in January in Kabul, where the Australian was filming a documentary, A Well-Founded Fear, about asylum seekers rejected during the Howard years.
Mr Hussain told Mr Glendenning he could not live in Afghanistan because of the Taliban and other factional enemies, and now lived in a place where there was a coal mine, "a mountain and no one else".
Shortly after Mr Glendenning saw Mr Hussain, he learnt the Afghan had been kidnapped by gunmen in a 4WD vehicle with blackened windows.
According to accounts given to Mr Glendenning, Mr Hussain was held for weeks by his captors before he escaped to Iran. After authorities began deporting Afghans home, he fled to Pakistan, but the Taliban forced him out and he returned to Kabul.
It was from here he sent a message to Mr Glendenning, asking him "could I contact anybody that might be able to help him to get out of the country because he was going to be killed by his enemies from the Mujahadeen war".
From here Mr Hussain fled south to the Afghan province of Ghazni, where again six weeks ago he was kidnapped by enemies believed to be the Taliban.
Then 26 days ago Mr Glendenning says Mr Hussain's captors threw him down a well "in front of many witnesses including villagers and some family members".
Says Mr Glendenning: "It further underscores the fact that the Pacific solution hasn't ended, and that those who were the victims of it remain the victims of it."
Mr Glendenning wants the Immigration Minister, Chris Evans, to reopen the cases of the rejected Afghans "as a matter of urgency". He also wants the Government to "put in place processes and policies to make sure this never ever happens again".
This story disgusts me. No wonder people seek asylum but then to have the country chosen for their asylum reject them must me such a blow. I feel for that poor man. I don't care what religious or political persuasion he is/was, he is a human being first and foremost.
I tried to find this story yesterday in the Aussie papers with no luck. Seeing it on friday on the evening news I was disgusted and outraged. Lukas is a beautifl child and his father is a Doctor for goodness sakes, what a load of Bureaucratic BS.
Australia denies residency for dad of boy with Down syndrome SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Thirteen-year-old Lukas Moeller has Down syndrome. His father is a doctor who came to Australia from Germany to help fill a shortage of physicians in rural communities.
Bernhard and Isabella Moeller and their son Lukas moved to Australia from Germany two years ago.
But now Australia has rejected Dr. Bernhard Moeller's application for residency, saying Lukas does not meet the "health requirement" and would pose a burden on taxpayers for his medical care, education and other services.
The case has provoked an outcry in the rural region of southeastern Victoria state, where Moeller is the only internal medicine specialist for a community of 54,000 people. Residents rallied outside Moeller's practice this week, demanding that the decision be overturned, and hundreds of Internet and radio complaints from across the country bombarded media outlets Friday.
Moeller vowed to fight the immigration department ruling.
"We like to live here, we have settled in well, we are welcomed by the community here, and we don't want to give up just because the federal government doesn't welcome my son," he said Friday.
The doctor has powerful supporters. Victoria Premier John Brumby has pledged to support the family's appeal, and federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon said Friday that she would speak to the immigration minister about the case.
Moeller moved to Australia two years ago with his wife, Isabella, their daughter, Sarah, 21, and sons Lukas and Felix, 17, to help fill a critical need for doctors in rural areas. They settled in Horsham, a town of 20,000 about 100 miles northwest of Melbourne.
Moeller's temporary work visa is valid until 2010, but his application for permanent residence was rejected this week.
In its decision, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship cited Lukas' "existing medical condition," saying it was "likely to result in a significant and ongoing cost to the Australian community," according to a statement Thursday.
"This is not discrimination. A disability in itself is not grounds for failing the health requirement -- it is a question of the cost implications to the community," the statement said.
Moeller said immigration authorities did not take into account the family's ability to provide Lukas with the care he needs.
"They think he is a burden for the Australian community," Moeller told Melbourne radio station 3AW. "But we are absolutely able to support him, and I don't want him to rely on any government pension anyway. He's well looked after. And actually, he can contribute to the community here. He already is contributing to it."
Immigration officials "weren't even interested in what we have done and are able to do for him," the doctor added.
Moeller said Lukas attends a mainstream elementary school, where he has an aide, and receives speech therapy. The boy also plays soccer, cricket, golf and table tennis.
Cora Halder, head of the Down Syndrome InfoCenter in Germany, called the decision outlandish.
"The case with the Australian authorities is disappointing and unacceptable, especially because Australia has very advanced programs for people with Down syndrome, far more than in Germany," she said.
David Tolleson, executive director of the Atlanta, Georgia-based National Down Syndrome Congress, agreed.
"What is the cost implication to the community of a doctor shortage?" Tolleson asked. "I assume the son had the same costs for the last two years, and they were happy to have the family and use the dad as a doctor."
Down syndrome, caused by an extra chromosome, is characterized by mental retardation of varying degrees. Those with the condition also can have other problems: Nearly half will have a heart defect, some serious enough to require surgery soon after birth.
Trig Palin, the 6-month-old son of U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, has Down syndrome, and she has pledged to shift billions of dollars to programs for children with special needs if she is elected.
Tolleson said that people with Down syndrome have a spectrum of abilities.
"Some need more support, some go on to graduate from college with a four-year degree, and most are somewhere in between," he said.
Of the Australian decision, he said, "I would seriously hope they would rethink their policy and rethink the benefits which a person would bring to the community, not the least of which is the dad."
Moeller made the same argument, noting that his qualifications were benefiting Australia at no cost to taxpayers.
"I am a specialist in internal medicine, and I am the only one here. This is a crucial service for the area," he told 3AW. "I'm a qualified, well-trained professional, and I came here without the Australian community having to pay anything for me to get this qualification."
Don McRae, director of clinical services at Wimmera Health Care Group, said the hospital had invested a lot of time and energy in recruiting Moeller.
"It's distressing for Dr. Moeller's family and distressing for the community who have welcomed him and relied on his medical services," he said.
Australia's immigration minister, Chris Evans, has no power to intervene in the case until after it is appealed to the Migration Review Tribunal or a court upholds the department's decision.
But Roxon, the health minister, said, "There is a valid reason for this doctor and his family to be eligible to stay here in Australia.
"As a government, we understand the importance of having doctors working in our rural and regional communities, and we support them in many ways and continue to do this," she said.
Neighbors in Bad Driburg, about 130 miles from Cologne in western Germany, where the Moellers lived before emigrating, recalled the family's excitement at moving to Australia, which they had fallen in love with while on a vacation.
"They were fine people," said Caecilia Thormann, a former neighbor, adding that Lukas "was a friendly boy, a very friendly child."
Australia's immigration department said it appreciates Moeller's contribution to the community but said it must follow the relevant laws in considering residency applications.
"If we did not have a health requirement, the costs to the community and health system would not be sustainable," the statement said.
"This is not discrimination. A disability in itself is not grounds for failing the health requirement -- it is a question of the cost implications to the community," the statement said.
Well if that statement is true...all the family should need to do is provide a 'fund' to ensure the child/person does not cost 'the community' out of the ordinary. Simple solution. They look like a lovely family.
Man rejected for asylum in Australia tortured, beheaded Cynthia Banham | November 1, 2008
An Afghan asylum seeker rejected by Australia under the Howard government was tortured and beheaded by kidnappers less than four weeks ago in a province south of Kabul.
The man, Mohammed Hussain, was thrown down a well by gunmen, believed to be the Taliban. Then in front of onlookers including members of his family, the killers threw a hand grenade down the well and he was decapitated.
Accounts of the killing were given to Phil Glendenning, director of the Edmund Rice Centre, this week. He said he has verified the events with four different sources in Afghanistan.
Mr Hussain was a self-described poet who was detained on Nauru by Australian authorities under the Howard government's so called "Pacific solution". But his claims for asylum were rejected by immigration officials and he was sent back to Afghanistan.
Mr Glendenning met Mr Hussain in January in Kabul, where the Australian was filming a documentary, A Well-Founded Fear, about asylum seekers rejected during the Howard years.
Mr Hussain told Mr Glendenning he could not live in Afghanistan because of the Taliban and other factional enemies, and now lived in a place where there was a coal mine, "a mountain and no one else".
Shortly after Mr Glendenning saw Mr Hussain, he learnt the Afghan had been kidnapped by gunmen in a 4WD vehicle with blackened windows.
According to accounts given to Mr Glendenning, Mr Hussain was held for weeks by his captors before he escaped to Iran. After authorities began deporting Afghans home, he fled to Pakistan, but the Taliban forced him out and he returned to Kabul.
It was from here he sent a message to Mr Glendenning, asking him "could I contact anybody that might be able to help him to get out of the country because he was going to be killed by his enemies from the Mujahadeen war".
From here Mr Hussain fled south to the Afghan province of Ghazni, where again six weeks ago he was kidnapped by enemies believed to be the Taliban.
Then 26 days ago Mr Glendenning says Mr Hussain's captors threw him down a well "in front of many witnesses including villagers and some family members".
Says Mr Glendenning: "It further underscores the fact that the Pacific solution hasn't ended, and that those who were the victims of it remain the victims of it."
Mr Glendenning wants the Immigration Minister, Chris Evans, to reopen the cases of the rejected Afghans "as a matter of urgency". He also wants the Government to "put in place processes and policies to make sure this never ever happens again".
This story disgusts me. No wonder people seek asylum but then to have the country chosen for their asylum reject them must me such a blow. I feel for that poor man. I don't care what religious or political persuasion he is/was, he is a human being first and foremost.
Poor him This article just seems an excuse to criticize Howard though honestly. Also, I mean it's dreadful what happened to him (and many others), but the government can't accept everyone, and this story kind of annoys me. Was he an illegal immigrant or did he do things properly?
Well if that statement is true...all the family should need to do is provide a 'fund' to ensure the child/person does not cost 'the community' out of the ordinary. Simple solution. They look like a lovely family.
I think there is another teenaged son in the mix. Saw him playing with an AFL footy with Lukas on TV. I think the family have said they will bear the cost of care for Lukas. Honestly this one is a no brainer.
As to your question Dara...
Quoted Text
Was he an illegal immigrant or did he do things properly?
He was taken to that Island where the Liberal Govt. was experimenting with the 'Pacific Solution' for Illegal Immigrants. Yes this man was an illegal, escaping a horrid country where he was likely to be murdered. He applied for ASYLUM and was rejected.
a·sy·lum (ə-sī'ləm) Pronunciation Key n. An institution for the care of people, especially those with physical or mental impairments, who require organized supervision or assistance. A place offering protection and safety; a shelter. A place, such as a church, formerly constituting an inviolable refuge for criminals or debtors. The protection afforded by a sanctuary. See Synonyms at shelter. Protection and immunity from extradition granted by a government to a political refugee from another country.
Yeah it is sad, I wish we could extend to the desert a bit more, like we have so much un used land.
Oh crap read this:
A MAN'S body found by children canoeing in a Sydney bay may have been there for over a week, police say.
The two children who found the body said it was wrapped in a "bag'' with wire and an extension cord around it.
The cousins, aged nine and 14, saw the body while canoeing in Oatley Bay on the Georges River, in Sydney's south, late yesterday.
Police said the man's cause of death may not be known for a number of weeks.
Police said a preliminary post-mortem examination showed the victim was an Asian man, 176cm tall with black hair, and believed to have been aged in his late 20s or early 30s.
The children returned home from a canoeing trip and told their parents they had seen a body in Oatley Bay about 6.15pm (AEDT) yesterday.
Police battled rising tidal waters to retrieve the body in marshes off Morshead Drive at Connells Point.
Police said the body could have been in the water for between seven and 10 days before it was found, and was wrapped in a "rug-like material''.
"Preliminary post-mortem results have told us the body was in the water for quite some time,'' Detective Inspector Terry O'Neill said.
"At this point in the inquiry, we are unable to tell precisely how long the body had been there.
"Forensic examinations and testing are still continuing and some results are not expected to be known for several weeks.''
Nine-year-old Matt Langham told Channel 9: "My cousin saw a bag so we went over and untied it.
"We rolled it over and some water came out of it and some blood came out of it,'' he added.
His 14-year-old cousin Hayden Wright said: "It kind of smelt a little bit and had wire wrapped around it and an extension cord.''
Nearby resident Andrew Leeman, who went to a nearby jetty after seeing spotlights on the bay, told Channel 9 that he had no idea what the object was.
"It looked like a black sofa, like a black rubber sofa of some sort on the edge of the water,'' he said.
I hated year 12 break-up day. 
Logged
