This is a place for news that doesn't require a separate topic, including ones that don't need a big discussion about it.

Post away

Today's Top Stories:

• Troop Boost - Recruiting school leavers for a "Try-Before-You-Buy", 1 year "trial".
  
• Drug Blitz - Police plan to target young people on illicit drug use in popular night spots cna clubs after a raid in Queensland.
  
• Korea Hit With Sanctions - UN has passed major sanctions that will be in place until it ends its nuclear program.
  
• The New Poor - Many families stuggle to survive after credit cards get people into a serious debt cycle.
  
• Water Worries - Melbourne is heading for Stage 2 Water Restrictions, the Government is expected to hand out a releif package to farmers.
  

Thanks to TEN News [Weekend]

hmmm i seen that norman..

Did you also know that 2 all beef paddies special sauce lettuce cheese pickles on a seasame seed bun is a big mac  

No... thanks for informing me though

Victim drops gang rape case
October 19, 2006 - 11:31AM

The alleged victim of a violent gang rape has told police she does not want the case to proceed, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions  says.

Adam Jade Pinner, the alleged leader of the rape, had faced a charge of aggravated sexual assault in company before the charge was dropped in Downing Centre Local Court today.

The ODPP today said the victim told police she did not intend to give evidence.

"The complainant indicated strongly to the police, ODPP officers and Witness Assistance Services officers that she did not want the case to proceed and that she did not intend to give evidence in the proceedings," the ODPP said in a statement.

She was alleged to have been raped for up to an hour on the evening of June 8, after she was lured into a public toilet near the Chinese Gardens, at Darling Harbour.

Four men were alleged to have attacked the woman while a fifth man acted as a lookout.

The ODPP rejected reports the charges would not proceed because of the unreliability of the woman's evidence in light of her learning disabilities.

"This claim is insulting to the complainant and inaccurate, and that version was not provided by the DPP," the statement said.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/victim-drops-gang-rape-case/2006/10/19/1160851036294.html

Leaping stingray stabs Florida man near heart
Thursday Oct 19 11:55 AEST
By ninemsn staff and wires

A stingray leaped onto a boat and stabbed an 81-year-old Florida man in the chest, leaving its poisonous stinger lodged close to his heart in an incident recalling the one that killed Steve Irwin last month.

Fire Department officials in Lighthouse Point, about 30 miles (48 km) north of Miami, said James Bertakis was in a small recreational boat with two family members on Tuesday when the spotted eagle ray leaped aboard.

Bertakis and his grandchildren told police that the ray leaped out of the water and onto their 18-foot boat. When Bertakis tried to remove the ray from the boat, it struck him in the chest.

"It's just a real freak thing," Lt. Mike Sullivan told Reuters, saying the incident occurred on Florida's Intercoastal Waterway, where stingrays are rarely seen leaping in the air.

"For an 81-year-old man he's in really good shape," Sullivan added, saying Bertakis was expected to make a full recovery after surgery at a local hospital to have the stinger removed from his chest.

"Crocodile Hunter" Irwin, 44, died when a stingray's stinger punctured his heart off Australia's north coast last month. It was one of only a handful of stingray fatalities on record.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=153839

Plan needed to combat ice 'evil'
October 19, 2006 03:54pm
Article from: AAP

NSW Premier Morris Iemma has asked Prime Minister John Howard to help draw up an urgent national action plan to tackle the growing scourge of the drug ice.

Mr Iemma today said he had written to Mr Howard and all state and territory leaders to hold a national forum on "this ice plague" before the end of the year.

He said the leaders could use the forum to draw up an action plan to work out ways to rehabilitate ice addicts and reduce crime and family breakdowns associated with the drug.

"While there are no easy answers, we are determined that law enforcement and health officials will work together as will state, territory and federal jurisdictions," Mr Iemma told Parliament.

"It is appropriate that we take strong action to minimise the damage caused by the use of this drug and its supply.

"It is a dirty, filthy, pervasive chemical cocktail and Australia needs more prevention, more enforcement and more treatment options.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20609757-2,00.html

Car park rage victim, 79, knocked down
October 19, 2006 - 2:26PM

An elderly woman was attacked after she told a man to "p*** off" when he became angered by her pinching a car parking spot at a Brisbane shopping centre, a court has been told.

Robert James Kenyon, 54, of Windsor in Brisbane's inner-north, today received a suspended jail term after he pleaded guilty in the District Court in Brisbane to one count of serious assault on 79-year-old Patricia May White.

The court heard on June 18 this year that Kenyon had been waiting for a parking bay at the Westfield Chermside shopping centre when Mrs White, who suffers from arthritis and uses a walking stick, took it instead.

An angry Kenyon repeatedly told her it was his parking space and Mrs White replied: "If you're upset mate, get the police or p*** off."

Kenyon became enraged and pushed her from behind, causing her to fall forward and hit her face on the concrete, bruising her face, chest and wrists.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/nat.....9/1160851047789.html

That's a few stories making headlines today.

Shark sightings at record high - and rising
David Lockwood
October 22, 2006


SWIMMERS beware - shark sightings have reached record highs with more expected this summer.

There were 171 shark alarms in NSW in 2005/06 compared with 124 in 2004/05, figures from Surf Life Saving NSW show.

The data also reveals more sharks were sighted last summer off Sydney beaches since shark-sighting records have been kept.

Alarms rose from 47 to 80 across all Sydney metropolitan beaches in the 12 months to the end of June.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/nat.....1/1160851181920.html

You get only six weeks to grieve
By Elissa Doherty
October 21, 2006 12:00am

ROADSIDE tributes such as wreaths and letters could be removed by councils after six weeks, under recommendations from the Local Government Association of South Australia.

The LGA's draft policy also states memorials can be re-erected only on the 12-month anniversary for a period of two weeks.

And it reminds councils that by law, people must obtain a permit to place a memorial on a road or footpath – or face a penalty of up to $5000 for "altering a road".

As it stands, councils largely turn a blind eye to the requirement due to the sensitive nature of the displays.

The draft policy – released for consultation – is intended as a guide for approving memorials, first requested by West Torrens Council.

The LGA says it aims to strike a balance between mourners' needs and concerns about risks to road safety, liability issues and complaints from residents living near them.

But it also admits the document – which also recommends councils remove memorials if they pose a hazard or distraction to motorists – is not legally binding.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20624524-2,00.html

King of the pool takes to the open water
David Sygall
October 22, 2006


LOOKING fit and powerful, swimming great Ian Thorpe appears primed for a return to top competition.

Following months of concern over his future, the five-time Olympic gold medallist is sporting a muscular sprinter's frame and looked a picture of health as he relaxed with a dip off a jetty in Port Hacking last week.

Thorpe has returned from Los Angeles where photographs taken in August suggested he was out of shape. He had suffered glandular fever, which ruled him out of the Commonwealth Games in March and, later, a broken bone in his hand.

However, the 24-year-old is back training with coach Tracey Menzies in preparation for the World Championship trials in Brisbane in December and his return to international competition at the World Championships in Melbourne next March.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/king-of-pool-is-back/2006/10/21/1160851187308.html

Black and white twins
Elissa Lawrence
October 22, 2006 12:00am


BEAUTIFUL baby twins Alicia and Jasmin Singerl certainly make people look twice.
Alicia has dark brown eyes and complexion, while Jasmin is blue-eyed and fair-skinned.

Experts say the chance of twins being born with such different physical characteristics is about a million to one.

Conceived naturally, the sisters from Burpengary, north of Brisbane, were born at Caboolture Hospital in May.

Mum Natasha Knight, 35, is of Jamaican-English heritage, while their father Michael Singerl, 34, was born in Germany. The couple, who are engaged, also have five-year-old daughter Taylah, who is blue-eyed with blonde hair and a light olive complexion.

Ms Knight said she was shocked when she saw how different her daughters were.

"It's just amazing, they are so different," she said. "When they were born you could see there was a colour difference straight away. We couldn't believe it.

"Alicia's eyes were brown and her hair was dark. Jasmin's eyes were blue and her hair was white – you could hardly see her hair or her eyebrows.

"We were joking when I was pregnant about what if one baby looked like me and one looked like Michael. We joked about one light one, one dark one, so it was amazing when it actually happened.

"When we go out people stop and ask if they are twins. Other people will look but not say anything. Maybe they think I am babysitting one of them.

"Someone even asked me if I was sure there wasn't a mix-up at the hospital. But there was no mix-up – they are my girls and they are both so beautiful.

"It will be interesting when they go to school, and they will probably wonder why they look so different from each other. I guess the easiest way to explain it will be to say one took after Mum, one took after Dad."

Genetics experts say that in most cases a mixed-race woman's eggs will be a mixture of genes for both black and white skin.

However, much more rarely, the eggs may contain genes for predominantly one skin colour.

In this case, Ms Knight has released two such eggs – one with predominantly dark pigmentation genes and one with predominantly fair genes.

Non-identical twins are conceived when two eggs are fertilised by two sperm at the same time, which has odds in itself of about 100-1.

Clinical geneticist Dr Stephen Withers said the likelihood of a mixed-race woman having eggs that were predominantly for one skin colour was rare enough, let alone releasing two of them simultaneously and producing twins.

"It's probably a million to one," he said. "It's a terrifically rare phenomenon . . . extraordinarily rare.

"There's two parts of this that are very rare – just having those extremes of eggs, and also releasing them simultaneously."

http://www.news.com.au/sundaymail/story/0,23739,20620127-3102,00.html

Aren't they gorgeous? They were born 40 minutes south of me. My Niece-in-law is a nurse at that hospital and it must of been so amazing to see these beautiful babies born.

Arsenic poisoning killed Phar Lap
Monday Oct 23 06:14 AEST
Arsenic killed Australia's greatest racing horse Phar Lap 74 years ago, a new scientific study reveals, The Daily Telegraph reports.

The story suggests a lethal dose of the poison was given to the Melbourne Cup champion about 35 hours before he collapsed and died in California on April 5, 1932.

Previous theories speculated the champion died of a stomach condition but many suspected foul play by US gangsters trying to avoid losses from Phar Lap's continued success.

Phar Lap won 37 of 51 races in his four-year career including the 1930 Melbourne Cup.

A sample of the horse's preserved skin was sent to a US laboratory in June and analysed by a synchrotron — a light-emitting particle accelerator.

"The arsenic in the hair structure is consistent with ... a single large dose of arsenic between one to two days prior to death," the report states.

But Australian scientists who participated in the study told The Daily Telegraph arsenic associated with traces of lead were also found in the sample.

The lead arsenate may have been used to preserve the hide but produces a different chemical signature and distinct from ingested arsenic, possibly used to poison Phar Lap.

"You will never get a 100 per cent definite answer that your confident there is no doubt about it," Australian Synchrotron Research Program scientist Ivan Kempson told the Daily Telegraph.

"But we can't explain it by any other way than the scenario of poisoning."

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=82072



Community grieving after horror crash
Monday October 23, 2006
A community is in mourning after four teenage boys died in a car crash near Byron Bay on NSW's north coast.

The boys, three aged 16 and one 17, were passengers in a Holden Commodore that veered off the road at Broken Head just after midnight.

AND

PCA chairman Harold Scruby urged the NSW government to ban P-plate drivers from carrying more than one passenger from 11pm until dawn.

"The evidence is overwhelming. Young drivers, late at night, with a car full of friends, are a recipe for disaster, especially on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights," he said.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=103268

BASE jumper death: parachute failed
October 23, 2006 - 9:40AM


Thousands of people watched a base jumper leap from a bridge to his death after his parachute opened too late during a popular festival, a sheriff said.

Brian Lee Schubert, 66, died of injuries suffered when he hit the New River, 263 metres below the New River Gorge Bridge, officials said.

After the man's body was recovered and taken to a local funeral home, jumping at the festival resumed, said Fayette County Sheriff Bill Laird.

Schubert, from Alta Loma, California, was an experienced BASE jumper, said Laird. He was taking part in West Virginia's annual Bridge Day festival, which typically draws an estimated 100,000 spectators and about 400 parachutists to the southern part of the state.

Schubert was also a former police lieutenant, retired from the Pomona, California, police department in 1989.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/base-jumper-death-parachute-failed/2006/10/23/1161455635024.html

Mills cops tabloid whack over bashing claims
Rochelle Mutton, London
October 23, 2006


THE acrimonious McCartney-Mills divorce saga has the British press in a frenzy over claims the Beatle hit his late wife Linda and his estate was bugged.

In headlines openly hostile to Heather Mills McCartney, the tabloids have railed against claims attributed to her "friends" that abuse marred Paul McCartney's previous marriage.

McCartney's 30-year marriage to Linda, who died of breast cancer in 1998, was one of most enduring unions in showbiz.

The allegation follows Mills' explosive claims leaked last week that McCartney was cruel and violent to her.

The Sunday Mirror reports that Mills taunted McCartney's daughter Stella by telling her she knew of assaults between her parents. It is claimed Mills said: "You are so full of bitterness, Stella. Is it because you can't forgive your father for what he did to your mother?"

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2006/10/22/1161455608777.html?from=top5

Thai teens get high on cow dung, mosquito coil ash
Connie Levett, Bangkok
October 23, 2006

USING everything from cow dung fumes to Coca-Cola mixed with mosquito coil ash, teenagers in southern Thailand are intent on getting high at any cost.
Methamphetamines are also readily available, with "yaaba", as it is known, sold in primary schools for 25 baht (80 cents Australian) a tablet in the south.

"The yaaba epidemic is the most serious problem in the southern communities," said Dr Srisompob Jitpiromsri, a political scientist at a southern Thailand university.

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2006/10/22/1161455608771.html?from=top5


There's no accounting for taste
October 21, 2006 12:00am
THE US has banned Vegemite, even to the point of searching Australians for jars of the spread when they enter the country.

The bizarre crackdown was prompted because Vegemite has been deemed illegal under US food laws.

The great Aussie icon - faithfully carried around the world by travellers from downunder - contains folate, which under a technicality, America allows to be added only to breads and cereals.

Australian expatriates in the US said enforcement of the ban had been gradually stepped up and was now ruining lifelong traditions of Vegemite on toast for breakfast.

Kraft spokeswoman Joanna Scott said: "The (US) Food and Drug Administration doesn't allow the import of Vegemite simply because the recipe does have the addition of folic acid.''

The US was "a minor market'' for Vegemite, she said.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20623973-2,00.html

Last night I saw a report on the news where foreign named shops and restaurants, primarily Asian, are going to be made to put the english translation of the name on display also. From recent experience I know that many Asian words either dont have a straightforward english translation or the translation means an entirely different thing. What looks like a very interesting name in a foreign language may translate to 'Pigs Bum' or something similar, for example. I know when my almost Daughter-in-law heard me call someone on the TV a pig, she thought it was good, because 'pig' in Cantonese is a good word, denoting something or someone good. So we could be eating in the 'filthy dirty kitchen' or 'come here and get food poisoning'. I think it is a stupid and trivial thing to be concerned about.

Teen nabbed after car chase
Jano Gibson
October 24, 2006 - 7:14AM



Three men, including a teenager, were involved in a high speed car chase in Sydney overnight while a P-plater was clocked driving at more than 170 kmh on the NSW North Coast, just two days after four teenagers were killed in a horror car crash near Byron Bay.

Police began pursuing a suspected stolen Holden Commodore, carrying three males, after it failed to stop when directed to pull over on Old Mount Ousley Road, Wollongong, just before 1am.

The chase went on for about 30 minutes but was terminated as speeds allegedly hit 160 kmh near Appin.

A police helicopter continued to track the vehicle as police on the ground unsuccessfully deployed road spikes to bring the alleged stolen car to a halt.

The car eventually stopped in bushland near Airds about 2am.

Police said the three people on board ran away from the area as police officers and a police dog gave chase.

They arrested a 16-year-old boy, who was found under a house, and are continuing to search for the two other alleged offenders.

The 16-year-old was charged with carried in conveyance [stolen vehicle] and will appear at Campbelltown Children's Court today.

Inspector Julian Griffiths at Macquarie Fields police station said in light of the horror crash near Byron Bay it was vital people drive with caution.

"People are not bulletproof. We are all susceptible to being injured when we are driving at speed. We've got to keep driving the message home that speed does kill."

Meanwhile, a 22-year-old P-plater driver has had his license suspended for six months after he was allegedly caught driving at 176 kmh on the Pacific Highway at Halfway Creek, near Coffs Harbour, this morning.

Police said the Killara driver held a P2 licence, which meant he could not travel faster than 100 kmh.

He was issued with an infringement notice for exceeding the speed limit by more than 45 kmh and fined $1589.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/teen-nabbed-after-car-chase/2006/10/24/1161455687969.html

I killed them, cries lone crash survivor
Cosima Marriner and Edmund Tadros
October 24, 2006

WHENEVER Tyler Green wakes up from sedation in hospital, he repeats the same words over and over, a friend says.

"He says 'Oh my God, I killed them. I killed them'," Tyler's friend, Scott Waters, said yesterday.

Paul Morris, 16, one of the four teenage boys who died instantly when the car 17-year-old Tyler was driving careered off the coast road out of Byron Bay just after midnight on Saturday, should never have been in that vehicle. He was supposed to travel in the second carload of teenagers heading back home to Lismore, but there was no room.

Two of the other boys, Corey New and Mitch Eveleigh, both 16 and best friends, were meant to have been home two hours earlier. They had been at a friend's birthday dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Lismore and had promised Mitch's mother, Karen, they would be home when she got back from her shift as an emergency nurse at 10pm.

Instead they went cruising to Byron with Tyler, and another friend from Kadina High School, Bryce Wells, 17. It was not until the third phone call from Mrs Eveleigh that the boys finally said at midnight they were getting in the car to go home. Twenty minutes later they were dead.
[url]
http://www.smh.com.au/news/nat.....3/1161455665706.html[/url]

From experience, Tyler will carry this with him for the rest of his life and will be riddled with guilt including 'survivor guilt' until he dies. I know personally two men who killed a passenger each in separate accidents 30+ years ago.
Speed was the main contributor in both accidents. One killed his cousin and one killed his best mate.
The one who killed his cousin was travelling over 100mph on a slight curve on a road he drove every day. He has had breakdowns and has been unable to resume any resemblance of his former life.
The one who killed his mate (who happened to be an only child) had a gaol/jail sentence hanging over his head for around three years before his appearance in court. He was also travelling over 100mph also on a straight road, lost control and hit a tree, breaking the Ford Falcon GT in half. He was shattered and a changed man afterward and became a Christian, married, with a wonderful family.

I see, in suburbs in Sydney, there is this big fuss about shops and restaurants about the names by changing foreign language names to English !!

(See Story: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,20631782-2,00.html?from=public_rss)

Well since the first fleet came, we have all, been changing names of towns look at the name "Australia" we were once "New Holland" and Tasmania use to be called "Van Dieman's Land". White people like us are guilty of changing Aboriginal names to English names.

Quoted from SuziH

From experience, Tyler will carry this with him for the rest of his life and will be riddled with guilt including 'survivor guilt' until he dies. I know personally two men who killed a passenger each in separate accidents 30+ years ago.
Speed was the main contributor in both accidents. One killed his cousin and one killed his best mate.
The one who killed his cousin was travelling over 100mph on a slight curve on a road he drove every day. He has had breakdowns and has been unable to resume any resemblance of his former life.
The one who killed his mate (who happened to be an only child) had a gaol/jail sentence hanging over his head for around three years before his appearance in court. He was also travelling over 100mph also on a straight road, lost control and hit a tree, breaking the Ford Falcon GT in half. He was shattered and a changed man afterward and became a Christian, married, with a wonderful family.

Karma's a b!tch ain't it!

This happens all to often, the driver surviving and the passengers dying.

I wonder if jail time is even nevessary in this instance as the driver will have to live with the guilt of murdering his mates for the rest of his life, that's a harsher penalty than jail could ever be.

If the families of the dead kids don't want to press charges, perhaps the driver shouldn't be sent to jail, instead maybe a 2 year ban on driving and mandatory community service working in a road accident rehabilitation clinic or something.

babes_mate  if you had done some homework was originally named  Terra Australis

also: Terra Australis Incognita, Latin for "the unknown land of the South" was an imaginary continent, appearing on European maps from the 15th to the 18th century

It was Flinders that suggested the name of Australia.  

Another day in the tropics

October 24, 2006 06:15pm

TOWNSVILLE'S beaches have been closed again barely three hours after re-opening following an unconfirmed crocodile sighting near a popular swimming hole.

The Townsville City Council lifted a two-day beach ban at 11am (AEST) today after getting the all clear from Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) and Surf Life Saving Queensland officers.

However, another unconfirmed crocodile sighting near Townsville's Strand rock pool about 4pm today forced another beach closure.

Townsville's three main beaches were initially closed after two crocodiles - believed to be more than two metres long - were sighted near the Strand rock pool about 9am on Sunday.

The Townsville City Council will decide whether to re-open the beaches tomorrow morning after consulting QPWS officers who will search the area tonight.


Heres a pic of the Pool they are refering too  if you dont already know

YES: WA gets daylight saving trial

October 24, 2006 11:00am
Article from: AAPFont size: + -
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WEST Australia is poised to get a three-year daylight saving trial after the Labor government today decided to support the proposal put forward by Independent MP John D'Orazio.

Both major parties said members would have a free vote and not have to vote along party lines.

Daylight saving seemed a dead issue in WA until last week, because state politicians were avoiding it after West Australians rejected the regime in three referenda over the past 31 years.

But it could be in place in early December after Mr D'Orazio last week proposed a new Bill he hoped to introduce today.

Since then, Liberal MP Matt Birney has introduced another bill in support of daylight saving and Labor has decided to work with both men to develop a bill that combines elements of both.

Last summer The Sunday Times launched a concerted campaign in favour of daylight saving, which was backed by  thousands of WA readers. The paper has continued to raise public awareness about daylight saving in recent weeks, prior to Mr D'Orazio's move to bring WA out of the Dark Age.  

Premier Alan Carpenter today said the Labor Party had decided to support a three-year trial of daylight saving followed by a referendum in 2009.

"We will be working with John D'Orazio and Matt Birney to try to make sure we take procedural party politics out of it and get the outcome that every one wants - that is, no political arguing about whose bill it is,'' Mr Carpenter said.

He would like the trial to start in early December and continue the following two summers, with the referendum to follow in 2009.

WA would start and finish daylight saving in line with other mainland states.

The trial's introduction would not coincide with a state election, to prevent it from becoming ``a party political football kicked around at election time'', Mr Carpenter said.

But the call for daylight saving has received mixed community support, with radio talkback callers divided and farmers coming out against the proposal because it does not cater to those who work with the natural rhythms of time, such as dairy farmers.

If WA does introduce daylight saving, only Queensland and the Northern Territory would be without the regime.

Queensland Premier Peter Beattie said he would not follow WA because daylight saving increased the rate of skin cancer due to people spending more time in the sun.

"One of the issues in a state where we've got the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world - an extra hour of daylight is going to make that worse,'' Mr Beattie said.

http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,20636476-948,00.html

Hooray...at last.

suckers -  you need daylight time - where us we live in perpetual daylight

Quoted from ALLEYCAT

suckers -  you need daylight time - where us we live in perpetual daylight

Why are we "suckers", Alleycat..???

ok sorry - sandgropers same thing

Quoted from Lawnbowler

YES: WA gets daylight saving trial... Hooray...at last.

Welcome to the 21st century, LB.  

Catching up with the times

Gee, how p***ed off I am about that sickening attack at that poor girl. Those sickos got the attack on DVD and selling them on the black market (See story: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=155021)

I see the law has prevented them from convicted as adults, but I would like to see them pr***s, see how they like it, to what they done to that poor girl !!

***EDITED by SuziH: please if you must use bad language disguise it a little better because kids and teens do come on here and look.***
By the way, I am merging this with 'Today's News' as I can't see the point of having an entire thread made for every single news story that is in the media on any given day.

Quoted from babes_mate

Gee, how p***ed off I am about that sickening attack at that poor girl. Those sickos got the attack on DVD and selling them on the black market (See story:

As far as I'm concerned the parents who saw the DVD and thought it was harmless should also be up on charges. This is so disgusting.

It's no longer good enough for parents to get off scott free when their child committs a crime against society. I know it's hard to police, but in this instance force the boys and the parents to do community service in a home for the disabled. Sending the boys to jail will only make them worse.

i heard the father being interviewed by Neil Mitchell on 3AW , this is sooo bad & sad !!
there is a hell of alot of depth into this story, it aint just the one horrific incident on the day (that would've been bad enough)
months and months of counciling for her has almost gone down the toilet since the release and public knowledge of this DVD.... and the family is just sooo destraught i found it even hard to listen too after a while with the amount of emotion coming out.
then i started getting furious !!  

These are the kinds of kids we need to be able to identify and reform as early as possible.

These are the kinds of kids that when older join the army and committ the same crimes against civilians in the lands they occupy, or against their own colleagues.

These are the kinds of kids that end up rapists and murderers if not dealt with.

The psychologist brought up something I had brought up some time ago, that these kids lack a "social conscience". Respect for others is learnt at home, makes you wonder what these kids' parents were teaching them or letting them get away with.

Disclaimer: It's not always the parent's fault, sometimes the best raised kids who are loved very much go bad.

Rape squad rounds up sex attack DVD gang
Daniella Miletic
October 25, 2006 - 2:43PM


Police interviewing a group of youths who participated, produced and distributed a graphic DVD showing a teenage girl allegedly being assaulted  said today it had become a rape investigation.

Detective Inspector Simon Clemence from the Sex Crimes Squad
said up to 12 boys could be charged.

He said two boys were being investigated in relation to the assault of the girl but had yet to be interviewed. The rape offence involved oral sex, he said.

"At this stage I think it would be fair to say it is a rape and some indecent assaults as well,'' he said.

"We have taken a statement from the girl and she states quite categorically that she was not a willing participant on what occurred on that particular occasion and that confirms the basis of the offence.

"At this stage the primary offence is the sexual offence and that's a serious sexual assault we are investigating.''

He said some of the 12 youths had been identified and he was confident all the perpetrators would be found and interviewed by this afternoon.

"There is still a few yet to be identified and we are asking the public, and we know the material has been circulated at a couple of the schools, if any of the people at those schools know who the people are then they should let us know,'' he said.

At least two students have been expelled, and another three suspended from schools in the district, as parents, peers and police grapple with what has happened.

Detective Clemence said of the DVD: "It is quite disturbing, very disturbing actually.

"I can tell you I have seen the video and there is no humour in it. The girl is the victim of a serious crime, she's very traumatised, the parents are very traumatised, and anyone who thinks this is a bit of a joke perhaps must have a good look at themselves.

"I would encourage anyone who gets a hold of this material, anyone who sees this material to report it to us and we will do anything in our power to stop it.''

He said camera operators and distributors as well as those participating in the film could face charges.

Child psychologist Dr John Cheetham likened the mob behaviour to the degradation of Jews in World War II.

"It's the sort of behaviour you would expect in a prison camp. It's something like a flashback to the Second World War and the way the Jews were treated," Dr Cheetham told the Nine Network.

Those involved in the attack were likely to be angry, resentful poor achievers who had not developed a set of values.

"Somewhere along the line they have not learned to have a social conscience and to respect the dignity of human beings, he said.

The victim of the sex attack faced a long, hard road to recovery, Dr Cheetham said.

"The shock, the horror, the sense of degradation, would be just horrific and we know from the history of people that have had this sort of stuff imposed on them, is that we do get long-term trauma," he said.

"We get sleeplessness, we get nightmares, we get an unwillingness to socialise, we get an unwillingness to go out of the house.

"Then you have all the emotions of having been violated and you would just feel absolutely horrific."

- with AAP

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/rape-squad-rounds-up-dvd-gang/2006/10/25/1161699377947.html

Please please please try these low lifes as adults.

Child-care sex predator alert
Jonathan Pearlman
October 25, 2006 - 4:42PM


Sexual predators have been getting jobs at child-care centres and "grooming" children for potential assaults, the NSW Ombudsman has warned.

The Ombudsman, Bruce Barbour, said the practice of grooming had increased in NSW and he had provided child-care agencies with suggestions for identifying potential predators.

He said the practice of grooming involved "try[ing] to favour children, to get them ready for some sort of sexual advance. They might pick particular children who are vulnerable. They will provide them with sweets or expensive gifts".

Mr Barbour, who released the Ombudsman's annual report today, said predators had also tried to groom parents of children they intended to target.

"They will often also try to groom parents, so the parents feel these people are a desirable influence in their child's environment," he said.

Mr Barbour said his office was undertaking further investigations of the practice.

"Clearly, sexual misconduct and predatorial behaviour is a growing problem in this state. We are seeing sexual misconduct ranging from grooming in the workplace right through to the use of internet chatlines to the use of other form of technology to harass and stalk people, usually young children."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/childcare-sex-predator-alert/2006/10/25/1161743790576.html

Teen crash survivor 'on suicide watch'
Wednesday Oct 25 15:07 AEST

The devastated P-plate driver of a car that crashed in northern NSW, killing his four friends, has been moved from Gold Coast hospital.

Friends of 17-year-old Tyler Green, who escaped with only minor injuries, say "he doesn't want to be in this world".
Tyler was moved from the hospital on Tuesday to an undisclosed location and placed on suicide watch, News Ltd reports.
He's believed to have been admitted to a private hospital in Brisbane.
His friends say he has had to be heavily sedated to cope with the mental anguish.
"He doesn't want to be in this world," said Kathalina Parker, a friend of the dead teenagers' parents.
Ms Parker told News Ltd: "Honestly, I don't think he will ever come back to the school. This will be the end of him.
"This is going to be the hardest thing he had ever had to deal with.
"He's fought many tough battles, but this is one I don't think he'll recover from."
Other friends say Tyler wished he'd died in the crash.

©AAP 2006

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=102891

Croc caught catching rays in Darwin backyard

A man living on the fringes of Darwin had a surprise this morning when he ventured into his backyard and found a crocodile had sought solace from the heat in his goldfish pond.
A visit from a 1.6 metre saltwater crocodile was the last thing Wayne Miller was expecting at his Bees Creek property.
"Here's this half a crocodile hanging out of underneath my decking, basking itself in the sun," he said.
"I got quite a fright."
Mr Miller says his main concerns were his pet dog and his goldfish.
"Thank god it's a rottweiler, so it's a big dog. I've got some fish in there, some rather large comets."
All survived.
Parks and Wildlife workers removed the crocodile.
The salt water crocodile was one of four captured in the Top End today.
Authorities say crocodiles are becoming more active because the wet season is prime breeding time.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200610/s1773543.htm

re:

Quoted from SuziH

Rape squad rounds up sex attack DVD gang
Daniella Miletic
October 25, 2006 - 2:43PM

i think ( from memory     in VIC  , one has to be 17 years & 8 month's old ) to be classed as adult - even then it's segregated uptil 21 ? ) from mainstream population of open age in adult prison - " it will still happen though"  

Quoted from SuziH

Teen crash survivor 'on suicide watch'
Wednesday Oct 25 15:07 AEST

i have'nt check it out yet , but have they concluded if he was -
A : Speeding
B : Under the influence of any cocktails yet ?

if he was either , i sense a few charges of Culpable driving charges could be on his way , amongst other more minor stuff  .

That poor girl,

She probably thought she had met a nice boy on the net, the fact that she went and met them shows the kind of trusting innocence that has now been ripped from her in such a horrific way. To top this trauma off now she has to deal with the fact people were paying to see her betrayal, then hearing of them laughing while she is no doubt has nightmares every time she closed her eyes. If that is not enough for a young innocent to deal with, now the whole of Australia is aware of it and even though nearly all support her and are disgusted with the way she was treated by these animals, no doubt she wish's that we all didn't know anything about it. No doubt that poor child sees that her shame and humiliation has now been broadcast for all the world to know.

I have four daughters and have never been more glad that we live in a small rural town even with a drought.

You maynot be able to blame the parents in all cases but at the very least thier parenting practises should be under careful scruteny.

These young offenders should get a public flogging, then put on dvd for the world to see. The punishment should fit the crime in this instance.......

400 KG of Ammonium Nitrate has been stolen off a Freight Train In N.S.W   

i just heard this (12:01 am on 3AW), and i can't seem to find any news links on it as yet.

it's been reported that a freight container was 'crow barred open' while the train was stationary as it was waiting for another train to pass !
(mmm, a well planned attack)  

400 KG !  SH*T  , this is the dead set serious part of today's reality that we did'nt want to think would happen here... they've just scored ( In Bulk ) the hardest to get & most needed ingrediant to get to make these bombs !
this HAS to be our biggest most serious threat so far !

could it be 200 kg for both Melb & Sydney ?   or even distributed even wider
... thats alot of potentual 10-20 kg bombs !  

dare i say , even much tougher transport regulations will be enforced more than they already where, with this stuff .  

'Women to blame for sex attacks'
By Richard Kerbaj
October 26, 2006 01:00am

AUSTRALIA'S most senior Muslim cleric has blamed immodestly dressed women who don't wear Islamic headdress for being preyed on by men and likened them to abandoned "meat" that attracts voracious animals.

In a Ramadan sermon that has outraged Muslim women leaders, Sydney-based Sheik al-Taj al-Din al-Hilaly also alluded to the infamous Sydney gang rapes, suggesting the attackers were not entirely to blame.

While not specifically referring to the rapes, brutal attacks on four women for which a group of young Lebanese men received long jail sentences, Sheik Hilaly said there were women who "sway suggestively" and wore make-up and immodest dress "and then you get a judge without mercy (rahma) and gives you 65 years."

"But the problem, but the problem all began with who?" he asked.

The leader of the 2000 rapes in Sydney's southwest, Bilal Skaf, a Muslim, was initially sentenced to 55 years' jail, but later had the sentence reduced on appeal.

In the religious address about adultery to about 500 worshippers in Sydney last month, Sheik Hilaly said: "If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it ... whose fault is it, the cats' or the uncovered meat?

"The uncovered meat is the problem."

The sheik then said: "If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred."

He said women were "weapons" used by "Satan" to control men.

"It is said in the state of zina (adultery), the responsibility falls 90 per cent of the time on the woman. Why? Because she possesses the weapon of enticement (igraa)."

Muslim community leaders were yesterday outraged and offended by Sheik Hilaly's remarks, insisting the cleric was no longer worthy of his title as Australia's Mufti.

Young Muslim adviser Iktimal Hage-Ali - who does not wear a hijab - said the Islamic headdress was not a "tool" worn to prevent rape and sexual harassment.

"It's a symbol that readily identifies you as being Muslim, but just because you don't wear the headscarf doesn't mean that you're considered fresh meat for sale," the former member of John Howard's Muslim advisory board told The Australian. "The onus should not be on the female to not attract attention, it should be on males to learn how to control themselves."

Australia's most prominent female Muslim leader, Aziza Abdel-Halim, said the hijab did not "detract or add to a person's moral standards", while Islamic Council of Victoria spokesman Waleed Ali said it was "ignorant and naive" for anyone to believe that a hijab could stop sexual assault.

"Anyone who is foolish enough to believe that there is a relationship between rape or unwelcome sexual interference and the failure to wear a hijab, clearly has no understanding of the nature of sexual crime," he said.

Ms Hage-Ali said she was "disgusted and offended" by Shiek Hilaly's comments. "I find it very offensive that a man who considers himself as a mufti, a leader of Australia's Muslims, can give comment that lacks intelligence and common sense."

Yesterday, the Mufti defended the sermon about "adultery and theft", a recorded copy of which has been obtained and translated by The Australian.

Sheik Hilaly said he only meant to refer to prostitutes as "meat" and not any scantily dressed woman with no hijab, despite him not mentioning the word prostitute during the 17-minute talk.

He told The Australian the message he intended to convey was: "If a woman who shows herself off, she is to blame, but a man should be able to control himself".

He said if a woman is "covered and respectful" she "demands respect from a man". "But when she is cheap, she throws herself at the man and cheapens herself."

Sheik Hilaly also insisted his references to the Sydney gang rapes were to illustrate that Skaf was guilty and worthy of receiving such a harsh sentence.

Waleed Ali said Sheik Hilaly was "normalising immoral sexual behaviour" by comparing women to meat and men to animals and entirely blaming women for being victims.

"It's basically saying that the immoral response of men to women who are not fully covered is as natural and as inevitable as the response of an animal tempted by food," he said.

"But (unlike animals) men are people who have moral responsibilities and the capability in engaging in moral action."

Revelation fo the Mufti's comments comes after he criticised Mr Howard last month in The Australian for saying a minority of migrant men mistreated their women. Sheik Hilaly said such a minority was found in all faiths. "Those who don't respect their women are not true Muslims."

"There's a small percentage found among all religions, but we don't recognise ours as Muslims."

Aziza Abdel-Halim said Sheik Hilaly's remarks during Ramadan were inaccurate and upsetting to the Muslim community.

"They are below and beyond any comment (and) do not deserve any consideration."

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20645635-2,00.html

Subject: Peter Foster arrested in Fiji !!

Hehehe, did you see what happened to that conman Peter Foster been up tp lately?? (See story: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20645333-2,00.html)

This idiot was trying to escape the Fijian police for his bogus scams when he took off, jumped off a bridge, then hit his head on a passing boat.

Peter, you are such a LOSER !!

Quoted from babes_mate

... This idiot was trying to escape the Fijian police for his bogus scams when he took off, jumped off a bridge, then hit his head on a passing boat...

ROFL, he'll never live it down!