GREEK WORLD MEDIA

Investigation: Doctors were required to repay a total of more than $1.5 million

Source: SMH

One doctor billed the taxpayer for seeing more than 500 patients in a single day, and more than 200 patients on several other days, according to the Medicare watchdog.

The case is in the annual report of the Professional Services Review agency, which disciplines doctors for inappropriate practice.

The doctor, who worked for a company that provided workplace health and safety services, including vaccinations, told the agency they had ”eyeballed” each patient.

A GP who provides 80 or more services on 20 or more days of the year is generally considered to be guilty of inappropriate practice, because professional bodies say it is not possible to effectively treat such large numbers of patients.

The doctor, whose details are not disclosed, billed Medicare for 90 or more services on 29 days, potentially running up a bill of several thousand dollars in inappropriate services. The doctor negotiated a confidential settlement with the agency, which included an acknowledgement that they had engaged in inappropriate practice.
Over the year, 26 doctors were required to repay a total of more than $1.5 million and 11 were suspended from Medicare.

The agency reported that some of the GPs referred for investigation for very high levels of servicing worked in large, extended hours clinics. The agency said these doctors argued they were responding to demand.

The agency expressed concern about possible abuse of generous rebates for chronic disease management. Doctors can charge Medicare more than $135 to prepare a plan to co-ordinate the management of a patient’s disease.

One plan simply listed the patient’s conditions and entered the word ”dental” under goals. Other doctors populated the plans with template entries. In one case, a plan for a patient who had never smoked included advice on strategies for giving up smoking.

The Department of Human Services referred 45 cases to the agency in 2012-13, a 50 per cent increase on 2011-12. However, the increase may be partly attributable to legal challenges, which disrupted the agency’s operations between 2010 and last year.

Blood test to tackle melanoma treatment

Source: News.com.au

A SIMPLE blood test could identify those patients whose melanoma – the most serious form of skin cancer – has started to spread to other parts of the body, according to new research.

The test allows scientists to examine DNA shed from cancer tumour cells into the bloodstream, in particular a gene called TFP12.

The gene usually helps stop healthy skin cells growing out of control, which can potentially lead to cancer.

But in melanoma patients this gene is switched off because of the presence of chemical “tags” known as DNA methylation.

Experts behind the test found that higher levels of DNA methylation suggested the cancer had spread around the body.

Early stage tumours had relatively low levels of DNA methylation, while advanced cancers (those that had spread) had much higher levels, suggesting the gene was more tightly shut down.

Measuring levels of methylated TFP12 in DNA in the blood could help doctors work out whether the disease has spread and what treatments may be needed.

Dr Tim Crook, study author and a consultant medical oncologist based at the University of Dundee, said: “Once melanoma starts to spread it becomes far more difficult to treat. But actually detecting whether or not it has started to spread is also challenging.

“By using a blood test, we have the basis of a simple and accurate way of discovering how advanced the disease is, as well as an early warning sign of whether it has started to spread….

“There’s increasing evidence that the latest treatments are more effective in these early stages and, if we can identify patients whose cancer has only just started to spread, this would significantly improve the chances of beating the disease.”

The same Dundee researchers have identified another potential biomarker – NT5E.

This gene appears to become methylated and switched off as melanoma first develops. But if NT5E becomes unmethylated again, the gene is reactivated and helps the disease to spread more aggressively.

The researchers suggest that NT5E could be a possible target for the development of new treatments to tackle melanoma, particularly for aggressive cancers that have spread to the brain, lungs and other organs.

Professor Charlotte Proby, a Cancer Research UK dermatologist based at the University of Dundee, said: “Using blood tests to assess the landscape of our DNA is a simple way to learn more about what’s going on under the skin. The switching on and off of certain genes seems to affect when, where and why the melanoma spreads.

“Our goal is to develop a panel of similar biomarkers that will help us to accurately detect those patients needing extra treatment to fight their melanoma.

Guide for the final 24 horses in Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup

Source: News.com.au

2011 Melbourne Cup runner-up Red Cadeaux works at Werribee. Picture: Colleen Petch

2011 Melbourne Cup runner-up Red Cadeaux works at Werribee. Picture: Colleen Petch Source: News Limited

IT’S time to read up on the Melbourne Cup form and sort the contenders from the pretenders ahead of the race that stops a nation.

1 DUNADEN

(Mikel Delzangles) 8h By Nicobar – La Marlia (41:10-11-8)

Finished 1-1/4 length 2nd (58.0) Novellist 2400m Fr – Saint Cloud De Saint-Cloud slow track June 23 then ran 6-1/4 length 8th (58.0) Orfevre 2400m Fr – Longchamp Prix Foy slow track Sept 15. Outstanding French stayer who won this race (and the Geelong Cup) in 2011 then produced an amazing last-to-first performance to win the 2012 Caulfield Cup. He again came from well back under 59kg to beat ten rivals home in last year’s renewal of this race and while yet to win since, he has been very competitive at the top level all over the world. Impossible to leave him out.

2 GREEN MOON

(Robert Hickmott) 7h By Montjeu – Green Noon (25:7-3-0)

Wasn’t suited with the slow pace when 4 length 9th (59.0) It’s A Dundeel 1800m Caulfield Underwood Stks slow track Sept 21 then did his best work late when 7-1/2 length 9th (59.0) Shamus Award 2040m M Valley W.S. Cox Plate Oct. 26. Last year’s winner and has been ticking over OK in his weight-for-age lead-ups which have generally not been run to suit. Goes up 3kg on last year’s win but the stable appear to have aimed him at just the one target this spring and you ignore him at your peril. Key player.

Green Moon, ridden by Brett Prebble (left), works out with stablemate Thought Worthy. Source: News Limited

3 RED CADEAUX

(Ed Dunlop) 8g By Cadeaux Genereux – Artisia (40:7-10-6)

Finished strongly for 1-1/2 length 2nd (61.5) Royal Empire 2716m G B – Newbury Freer Stakes Aug. 17 before running 11 length 4th (62.0) Voleuse De Coeurs 2816m Ire – Curragh Irish St Leger Sept 15. Amazingly reliable stayer who in his past 10 starts has raced in seven different countries – Australia, Japan, China (Hong Kong), UAE, Singapore, Great Britain and Ireland. In that time, he has run 8th in the 2012 Melbourne Cup, finished 8th (of 17) in the Japan Cup, won the Hong Kong Vase, run 2nd in the Dubai World Cup and generally been competitive in most starts. Lost this race by a whisker in 2011 and connections would dearly love to atone here. Handles all types of going and must go in.

4 SEA MOON

(Robert Hickmott) 6h By Beat Hollow – Eva Luna (14:6-3-1)

Looked unlucky to lose on protest when nose 2nd (60.0) Araldo 2520m Flemington Bart Cummings Oct. 5 then raced closer to the lead for 3/4 length win (59.5) Oasis Bloom, Simenon 2400m Caulfield Herbert Power Oct. 12. Imported stayer who has a victory over Dunaden and Red Cadeau at level weights at Ascot on his CV (over 2414m) although he is yet to win at G1 level. Digs in for the fight but will face tougher opposition here than in his lead-up races. Has been placed up to 2900 metres but last bit will be the test.

5 BROWN PANTHER

(Tom Dascombe) 6h By Shirocco – Treble Heights (17:7-3-1)

Followed 3-1/2 length win (60.5) Ahzeemah, Altano 3219m G B – Goodwood Cup Aug. 1 with 4-3/4 length 5th (59.5) Grandeur 2012m G B – Goodwood Greene King Sept 25. UK stayer who went to a new level with a dominant win in the G2 Goodwood Cup in August, beating Godolphin’s class galloper Ahzeemah and leaving the likes of Mount Athos in his wake. That win stamped him as a key player in this race after he sat on a solid pace and fought off all challengers to win comprehensively. Looks to have settled in beautifully here and sure to be in the finish.

Sarah Lynam rides Fiorente (second from right) during a morning swim at the beach. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: News Limited

6 FIORENTE

(Ms G Waterhouse) 6h By Monsun – Desert Bloom (15:3-4-2)

Missed the start and had to be eased early on before finishing 1/2 length 4th (56.5) Happy Trails 2000m Flemington Turnbull Stakes Oct. 5 then was game when finishing 1/2 head, long neck 3rd (59.0) Shamus Award, Happy Trails 2040m M Valley W.S. Cox Plate Oct. 26. Runner-up in this race last year (to Green Moon) and looks to have had a perfect preparation. Fought on determinedly in the Cox Plate after going forward and likely to settle further back here. Gives trainer a super chance to break her hoodoo in this race.

7 FORETELLER

(C J Waller) 7g By Dansili – Prophecy (36:10-4-1)

Missed the start when 4 length 2nd (59.0) Atlantic Jewel 2000m Caulfield Caulfield Stks Oct. 12 then finished 1-1/4 length 4th (59.0) Shamus Award 2040m M Valley W.S. Cox Plate Oct. 26. Grand Sydney galloper who finished better than anything in the Cox Plate to finish on the heels of the placegetters. He’s a proven G1 performer and while the trip is a query, he did run 5th (beaten 1.4 lengths) in the BMW (2400m) earlier in the year. Will give his all.

8 DANDINO

(M Botti) 7h By Dansili – Generous Diana (26:8-9-1)

Followed 1/2 length win (54.0) Suntracer, Najjaar 2716m U S A – Arlington St Leger Aug. 17 with 1-1/4 length 2nd (56.5) Fawkner 2400m Caulfield Cup Oct. 19. Widely-travelled stayer who has finished further back than 2nd just once in his past seven starts. Stormed home to finish runner-up in the Caulfield Cup to indicate he has clearly adapted to our style of racing and the trainer will be keen to improve on last year’s 3rd placing in this race with Jakkalberry. Meets many of his rivals very well at the weights here and makes strong appeal.

Nick Hall (right) celebrates winning the Caulfield Cup aboard Fawkner. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: News Limited

9 ETHIOPIA

(P G Carey) 5g By Helenus – Shona (13:1-1-2)

Finished 7-3/4 length last (59.0) It’s A Dundeel 1800m Caulfield Underwood Stks slow track Sept 21 then followed up with 9-3/4 length 13th (56.5) Fawkner 2400m Caulfield Caulfield Cup Oct. 19. Since finished 2-3/4 length 4th (58.0) Ruscello 2500m Flemington Lexus Stakes dead track Nov. 2. Hadn’t done much since his 2012 Australian Derby win and a 4th in the Cox Plate that year but indicated a return to form with a late finishing 4th in the Lexus on Saturday. Very rough place claims.

10 FAWKNER

(Robert Hickmott) 6g By Reset – Dane Belltar (20:9-3-3)

Got hampered near the 1400m and lost a plate when short neck, head 3rd (55.5) Happy Trails, Puissance De Lune 2000m Flemington Turnbull Stakes Oct. 5 then stormed home for 1-1/4 length win (55.0) Dandino, Dear Demi 2400m Caulfield Caulfield Cup Oct. 19. Produced a career-best performance to win the Caulfield Cup after an unlucky run in the Turnbull Stakes. Has gone to a new level this campaign and stable knows what it takes to win this race. Comes into calculations.

11 MOURAYAN

(Robert Hickmott) 8h By Alhaarth – Mouramara (41:5-8-5)

Beat half the field home when 3-1/2 length 7th (59.0) Foreteller 1600m Flemington Makybe Diva dead track Sept 7 then raced on the pace before finishing 3 length 8th (58.0) Seville 2400m Randwick The Metro. Oct. 5. Since finished 8 length 7th (59kg) Side Glance 2000m Mackinnon Stakes on Saturday. Was 7th in this race last year and won the Sydney Cup three starts back over this distance lugging 58kg although this is a much deeper race. 8yo who only battled home in the Mackinnon on Saturday but he’ll appreciate getting down in the weights and will run the trip out but place hopes look best.

Craig Williams aboard the flying Mount Athos at Werribee trackwork. Picture: Colleen Petch. Source: News Limited

12 SEVILLE

(Robert Hickmott) 6h By Galileo – Silverskaya (19:2-6-1)

Followed 1/2 length win (55.5) Julienas, Sneak A Peek 2400m Randwick The Metro Oct. 5 with 5-1/2 length 7th (59.0) Shamus Award 2040m M Valley W.S Cox Plate Oct. 26. Has mixed his form since arriving from the UK 18 months ago but his best runs indicate a horse of some talent. Showed great fight to win the G1 Metropolitan two starts back when wore blinkers for the first time and his Cox Plate run looked the perfect lead-up for this race. Still a query at the trip but impossible to dismiss totally.

13 SUPER COOL

(M A Kavanagh) 4g By Fastnet Rock – Queen Mother (14:4-2-3)

No match for the first two when 4 length, length 3rd (58.0) Atlantic Jewel, Foreteller 2000m Caulfield Caulfield Stks Oct. 12 then far from disgraced when 3-1/4 length 5th (57.5) Shamus Award 2040m M Valley W.S. Cox Plate Oct. 26. Stuck on gamely in the Cox Plate and while he was runner-up in last year’s VRC Derby over 2500 metres, his best form to date has been over shorter trips. Has a touch of class but will need things to fall his way.

14 MASKED MARVEL

(Robert Hickmott) 6h By Montjeu – Waldmark (17:4-1-2)

Just missed when short neck 2nd (59.0) Honorius 2000m Randwick Craven Plate dead track Oct. 5 then never a threat when 11-1/2 length 13th (59.0) Shamus Award 2040m M Valley W.S Cox Plate Oct. 26. Wasn’t suited by the conditions in the Cox Plate and he’s well weighted here on his best UK form which includes a win over the likes of Brown Panther and Sea Moon in the 2011 UK St Leger. Conversely, that was his last win and his career may have peaked back then. Take on trust.

Model Jess Gomes with trainer Chris Waller’s Melbourne Cup hope, Hawkspur. Source: News Limited

15 MOUNT ATHOS

(L M Cumani) 7g By Montjeu – Ionian Sea (26:8-1-1)

Finished 8-3/4 length 8th (60.5) Brown Panther 3219m G B – Goodwood Cup Aug. 1 before running head 2nd (62.5) Harris Tweed 2816m G B – Goodwood March Stakes Aug. 24. Finished a luckless 5th in this race last year and stable are back to try to break their hoodoo in this event. Carries the same weight as he did last year and looked to be back in form at his most recent run before heading here this time. Definite threat.

16 ROYAL EMPIRE

(Saeed Bin Suroor) 5h By Teofilo – Zeiting (13:5-5-1)

Followed head 2nd (60.5) Prince Bishop 2414m G B – Kempton Park September Stks Sept 7 with 2-1/2 length 2nd (58.5) Secret Number 2414m G B – Ascot Cumberland Lodge dead track Oct. 5. Very consistent stayer but hasn’t raced outside of G3 level to date. Three starts back he scored over Red Cadeaux and stablemate Lost In The Moment (6th in the 2011 Melbourne Cup) in the G3 Freer Stakes which is the same race Mount Athos won before finishing 5th in this race last year. Give some thought.

17 VOLEUSE DE COEURS

(M D Moroney) 5m By Teofilo – Vadorga (13:5-3-2)

Followed 1/2 length 2nd (61.0) Royal Diamond 2816m Ire – Curragh St Leger trial Aug. 24 with 6 length win (61.0) Ahzeemah, Saddler’s Rock 2816m Ire – Curragh Irish St Leger Sept 15. Nominated for the race when trained by Dermot Weld, this mare carried 61kg to win the G1 Irish St Leger by six lengths in September and meets the 4th placegetter from that race, Red Cadeaux, a kilo and a half better for beating it by 11 lengths. She is unbeaten in two tries at the trip and while she handles all conditions, she is a superior wet-tracker. Comes right into calculations.

Antoine Creton puts Verema through his paces at Werribee trackwork. Source: News Limited

18 HAWKSPUR

(C J Waller) 4g By Purrealist – Mollyhawk (23:7-6-0)

Had no luck when 1/2 length 5th (56.5) Happy Trails 2000m Flemington Turnbull Stakes Oct. 5 then was severely hampered in the early stages before storming home for 2-1/2 length 7th (54.5) Fawkner 2400m Caulfield Cup Oct. 19. Emerged as a potential spring contender during the Brisbane winter carnival when three successive wins culminated in victory in the G1 Queensland Derby. He has been luckless after drawing wide barriers in his two most recent lead-up runs including a superb effort in the Caulfield Cup after striking early trouble and being forced back to the rear of the field. Looks one of the key local hopes.

19 SIMENON

(W P Mullins) 7g By Marju – Epistoliere (32:6-4-6)

Finished head 2nd (58.5) Ahzeemah 3299m G B – York Lonsdale Cup dead track Aug. 23 then was hampered near the 2000m before finishing 3/4 length, short head 3rd (56.5) Sea Moon, Oasis Bloom 2400m Caulfield Herbert Power Oct. 12. Irish stayer who mixes flat and jumps racing back home and he scored two wins at the 2012 Royal Ascot festival over 4000m-plus trips before finishing runner-up in this year’s Ascot Gold Cup (4023m). Will be vastly improved by his Caulfield run and you know he’ll be strong at the finish. Worth consideration.

20 IBICENCO

(P G Moody) 6h By Shirocco – Iberi (21:4-3-2)

Found trouble near the 1200m and stewards queried the run 4-3/4 length 12th (53.5) Seville 2400m Randwick The Metro. Oct. 5 then scored neck win (56.5) Verdant, Moudre 2400m Geelong Cup heavy track Oct. 23. Import who won last year’s Sandown Cup over this distance and returned to his best last time on a heavy track in the Geelong Cup. His only poor run this campaign has been in The Metropolitan when he found trouble in the run and he could be the surprise packet here given his ability to run the trip out. Not the worst.

Dear Demi is a great lightweight hope for owner John Singleton. Picture: Peter Wallis Source: News Limited

21 VEREMA

(A De Royer-Dupre) 5m By Barathea – Vermentina (12:4-2-1)

After 3/4 length win (55.0) La Pomme D’Amour, Goldtara 2800m Fr – Longchamp Prix De Nieuil July 13 scored 1/2 length win (58.5) Joshua Tree, Dance Moves 3000m Fr – Deauville Prix Kergorlay dead track Aug. 18. Interesting mare who is trained by the same trainer as 2010 Cup winner Americain. Only started racing 18 months ago and she has put together successive wins at G2 level leading into this while her only run over this trip resulted in a 3rd in the Dubai Gold Cup in March. Has come a long way in her 12 starts and ticks a few boxes here. Major player.

22 DEAR DEMI

(C E Conners) 4m By Dehere – Shirley (28:6-5-6)

Jumped awkwardly before finishing 2-3/4 length 8th (54.5) Happy Trails 2000m Flemington Turnbull Stakes Oct. 5 then was eased in the early stages before running 1-1/4 length, nose 3rd (53.0) Fawkner, Dandino 2400m Caulfield Cup Oct. 19. Another big effort when rearward in transit, switched back to the fence and closed intently when clear on winner for 3/4 length 2nd (56.5) Side Glance 2000m Flemington Mackinnon Stks Nov. 2. Caught the eye in the Caulfield Cup when she stormed home for third and was a bit unlucky in the Mackinnon. Won the VRC Oaks (2500m) here last year and she is on track to pull out a big run in this. Blowout chance.

Ruscello wins Lexus Stakes 1:32

Bottom weight Ruscello puts in courageous performance to claim the Lexus Stakes along the rails from Let?s Make Adeal as the two come away to fight out the finish. The five-year-old comes into $41 from $301 for the Melbourne …

23 TRES BLUE

(Ms G Waterhouse) 4h By Anabaa Blue – Tres Ravi (10:4-2-1)

Followed 3/4 length win (56.0) Montclair, First Mohican 2500m Fr – Deauville Prix De Reux dead track Aug. 4 with head win (53.5) Penglai Pavilion, Slow Pace 2500m Fr – Deauville Gp Deauville dead track Aug. 25. Emerging French stayer who is now with Gai Waterhouse. Comes through different form lines to many of the other international runners but he clearly has plenty of talent. Must be included.

24 RUSCELLO

(Ed Walker) 5g By Cape Cross – Sea Picture (18:5-3-4)

Following 1-1/4 length, 3/4 length 3rd (61.5) Cat O’Mountain, Castilo Del Diablo 2213m G B – Kempton Park (95) Sept 6 ran short head 2nd (58.0) Backbone 2000m Caulfield (84) Oct. 16. Made most of the running and kept on courageously for short neck win (54.0) Let’s Make Adeal, Araldo 2500m Flemington Lexus Stakes dead track Nov. 2. All-the-way winner in the Lexus on Saturday (in slow time) but can expect a great deal more pressure in this. Place perhaps.

Supreme Court rejects appeal on conviction, sentence in Greek Patriarchate Affair

Source: jpost

Businessman forged signature of bed-ridden Patriarch in fraudulent KKL-JNF real estate purchase.

Israeli woman meets the greek patriach 521

Israeli woman meets the greek patriach 521 Photo: JIM FLETCHER

The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal for a reduced sentence and fine by a central player in the Greek Patriarchate Affair, one of the most scandalous and galling frauds pulled off in Israel’s history.

The decision was announced Sunday, though it was handed down on Friday.

The central appeal was filed by convicted Israeli businessman Benno Zussman against his five-and-a-half year sentence and over NIS 4 million in fines, for his part in a conspiracy and fabricated deal between Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund and Jerusalem’s Greek Patriarchate.

The scandal culminated with Zussman and Yaakov Rabinovich, conspiring to forge the signature of an ailing and bed-ridden Greek patriarch to sign over valuable real estate in Jerusalem for a comparatively small sum.

The state had cross-appealed, asking for an even harsher sentence and higher fine, which was also rejected.

Another point of high drama in the case was Zussman’s fleeing to Romania, where he avoided prosecution until 2010, when, after extensive efforts, he was extradited to Israel.

The other parties in the affair, which dates back to April 2000, such as KKL-JNF and well-known lawyer Jacob Weinroth, were never found to have known about the conspiracy and were also considered to have been fooled, though they were key players in the fabricated transaction.

In September 2012, the Jerusalem District Court convicted Zussman of fraud and sentenced him to five-and-a-half years in prison, fined him NIS 4 million and ordered him to pay compensatory damages of NIS 250,000.

In his appeal, he asked the court to overturn his conviction for fraud, and asked the court for a lighter sentence and a lower fine should it uphold his conviction.

Zussman said that the lower court failed to properly consider the testimony of several of the other parties who were present at the time the transaction was finalized who all testified that the Patriarch was of sound mind.

He also said that the lower court ignored a recording he presented in which one of the Patriarch’s aids appears to confirm that Zussman genuinely paid significant funds to the Patriarch.

The state said that his fine was much lower and his prison sentence shorter than that of his co-conspirator, Rabinovich, convicted and sentenced years before while Zussman was still in Romania.

The Supreme Court upheld the lower court’s findings of fact, stating that the witnesses that Zussman referred to were nearby, but never actually in the room with the Patriarch, reducing the value of their testimony. It added that the recording did not constitute proof when Zussman failed to produce documentary evidence in support of paying the Patriarch and when the Patriarch’s aid failed to testify on his behalf in court.

In convicting Zussman, the district court said the fraud was extraordinarily sophisticated and one in which the reality of what happened was hard to believe.

At an earlier stage when the Supreme Court stiffened Rabinovich’s prison sentence from four to six years, it called the plot one of the largest and most cunning real estate frauds in the state’s history.

Zussman had cultivated a close relationship with the Greek Patriarchate for years.

He exploited these ties to craft a vast real estate conspiracy to “buy” invaluable Greek Patriarchate lands in the capital’s Rehavia neighborhood, near the old Jerusalem bus station and in Beit Shemesh.

Zussman and Rabinovich convinced others that aging Patriarch Diodoros wished to “sell” many of the valuable lands for a paltry $20m., in exchange for a 999-year lease (which would automatically be renewed every 99 years).

KKL-JNF was thrilled about the deal as it had concerns that when its current lease on those lands from the Greek Patriarchate runs out, the Patriarchate would demand an inordinate sum for a new lease.

When Zussman, Rabinovich, Weinroth, a notary named Avraham Peri, a medical evaluator named Dr. Bruno Austfeld and KKL-JNF representative Mordecai Tenuri arrived to get the patriarch’s signature for the deal, Zussman and Rabinovich went into see the patriarch only with the notary, claiming he was too ill to see all those present.

Ultimately, Zussman and Rabinovich visited the patriarch (having told him beforehand it was a holiday visit) and convinced the notary to confirm the patriarch’s signature, telling him that the patriarch had already signed.

Austfeld was convinced to go along with confirming the procedure even though he did not examine the patriarch.

They then proceeded to pocket $16m. of the $20m. “purchase price,” which was supposed to go to the patriarch – one of the reasons the prosecution seeks a higher fine.

Diodoros was patriarch from 1981 until his death in 2000.

Adventure World launches new spooky attraction the Abyss roller-coaster

Source: News.com.au

Hold onto your hat! Picture: Jackson Flindell Source: News Limited

The Abyss roller-coaster was unleashed on Halloween night. Picture: Jackson Flindell Source: News Limited

BOASTING a G-force thrust greater than a space shuttle launch and reaching speeds of up to 85km/h, you could be forgiven for being a little nervous about riding on the Abyss at Adventure World.

The Perth theme park officially launched its spooky ride on Halloween night, giving competition winners and the media the first chance to ride the thriller.

The two-minute adrenalin-pumping journey begins in darkness with several speedy turns and rolls that will give you a head rush. Next comes the slow, perpendicular lift, full of trepidation for the inevitable plunge back down to Earth.

That massive 30m drop is both exhilarating and a little nauseating, and is the sixth steepest roller-coaster drop in the world.

What follows is a series of disorientating and stomach-churning loops before the ride ends.

The Abyss has the broadest range of G-forces and speed of any theme park ride in Australia.

It includes -1 to 4.5 G-forces, which is close to those achieved by Formula 1 cars at corners or pilots catapulted off a Navy aircraft carrier.

You’ll need a strong stomach for this adventure ride. Picture: Jackson Flindell Source: News Limited

As I disembarked from the ride, my legs were shaking and my heart was still pounding for a couple of minutes after the experience.

It was just as thrilling the second time around as the Abyss took riders on a journey including four inversions, a rollover loop, cobra roll and incline loop.

The $12 million Abyss has been billed as Australia’s most thrilling roller-coaster and is the single largest investment at Adventure World since it launched in 1982.

The Abyss cost a whopping $12 million to build. Picture: Jackson Flindell Source: News Limited

Adventure World chief executive Mark Shaw said the Abyss would firmly place WA on the world theme park stage.

The 630m-long ride was custom built in Germany with the theme pieces built at a facility in the Philippines that specialises in fit-outs for theme parks around the world.

The impressive landscape features 30 three-metre tall ancient druid “Guardians” throughout the mysterious terrain and an arch at the entrance.

Massive upturned trees with exposed roots also help create a spooky atmosphere.

The Abyss has been billed as Australia’s most thrilling roller-coaster. Picture: Jackson Flindell Source: News Limited

Winners from an online game competition experienced the ride first and many were screaming with every twist and commenting afterwards that it was the best ride in Australia.

Local MP – and self-confessed roller-coaster thrill seeker – Joe Francis described the Abyss as an “amazing piece of mechanical engineering”.

Mr Shaw told those gathered to try the Abyss they should feel apprehensive before going on the ride.

“It’s smooth, fast, it’s even better in the dark,” he quipped. While I have enjoyed other rides in the world more, the Abyss is certainly the best thrillseeking ride in Australia and is sure to attract tourists seeking an adrenalin rush.

Species of Humpback Dolphin Found in Australia

Source: National Geographic

Hiding in plain sight, researchers have discovered a new species of humpback dolphin living off the northern coast of Australia.

The discovery came when scientists with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) tried to settle a decades-old argument among marine mammal researchers.

“For many years, there’s been this debate about the number of species of humpback dolphins,” said Howard Rosenbaum, director of the WCS ocean giants program. Scientists have proposed everything from two to four species within the group’s genus Sousa.

But there was never enough good evidence supporting claims of more than two species, Rosenbaum said. So about ten years ago, the community decided that until they had more information, they’d recognize only two species—the Atlantic humpback dolphin and the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin.

New Science

Rosenbaum and colleagues decided to revisit this old argument, and started collecting physical and genetic samples from humpback dolphin populations throughout their range. This included samples from West Africa, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and off the coast of Australia.

“From a management standpoint, the marine mammal community has specified that they need at least two different forms of evidence to justify different species [designations],” said Rosenbaum.

So he and his colleagues tried to collect as comprehensive a data set as possible to get the best chance of putting this argument to rest. Usually, genetic analyses into the question of new species consider only DNA from an organism’s mitochondria—the cell’s battery pack.

This is because mitochondrial DNA is inherited only through the mother and is easier to work with than DNA from a cell’s nucleus, said Martin Mendez, assistant director for the Latin American and Caribbean program at WCS.

But Mendez and colleagues looked at DNA from both parts of the cell. That, combined with physical characteristics including the length of the dolphins’ beaks and the number and position of their teeth, suggested there were four species of humpback dolphin. Not two.

Three of those species were ones researchers had previously proposed. They encompass a species off of West Africa (S. teuszii), one in the central and west Indian Ocean (S. plumbea), and one in the eastern Indian and west Pacific Oceans (S. chinensis).

The fourth species, an as-yet unnamed group off the north coast of Australia, was a pleasant surprise, said Rosenbaum. (Related: “From Darth Vader to Jelly Doughnuts, Weird Species Names Abound.”)

In some ways, this species is new to science, said Mendez. But in other ways, it isn’t because researchers have known about this group down in Australia for a while. They just didn’t realize it was a different species.

It’s rare to find a new species of mammal, said Mendez. “[But] it’s also not crazy to find new species when you’re using the kind of [genetic] information we’re using.

“One of the reasons we’re finding new species is because we’re finding new tools,” he explained. “Genetics opens a new window into these kinds of questions.”

Aiding Conservation

Mendez is hopeful that this discovery—reported this week in the journal Molecular Ecology—will help in the management of this IUCN Red List group. The Atlantic humpback dolphin is considered vulnerable, and the Indo-Pacific group is considered near threatened.

The legal framework used to protect vulnerable species is based on species designations, he explained. “We’re proposing that Australia has its own humpback [dolphin] species, which has implications for conservation strategies.”

“Countless dolphins die every year as bycatch in fisheries,” said Rosenbaum. The humpback dolphin is subject to particularly high rates of bycatch, and in some places is hunted directly.

“By describing these different species, we hope that this sets the stage not only for the appropriate conservation protections to be put in place by different countries, [but that] it also helps reduce threats like bycatch.”

Photographer Jimmy Nelson finds the last tribes on earth

Source: News.com.au

The Kazakhs are Turkic people originating from the northern parts of Central Asia. For more than two centuries the men have hunted on horseback with trained gold eagles. Picture: Jimmy Nelson Source: Supplied

IT WASN’T that they were unfriendly – they had repeatedly offered him of vodka, which, not being much of a drinker, he’d refused. But after failing to persuade them to pose for him, he decided to put his camera away and play the grateful guest.

The result was that in no time at all he got steaming drunk and slumped into an alcoholic stupor. The next thing he knew, he was waking up in a teepee tent surrounded by about 30 people with a bladder fit to burst.

Wrapped up in about eight layers of clothes and with the temperature minus-40c outside, British photographer Jimmy Nelson had no option than to pee in his pants and drift back off to sleep.

The next thing he knew was the tent had collapsed under a stampede of reindeer – animals who, unbeknown to him, are attracted to the salt in urine. Soon the beasts had surrounded him trying to lick his clothes.

“At the beginning the Tsaatan people were absolutely livid. But by making a complete plunker of myself and becoming the laughing stock of the group, they finally began to open up.”

The Tsaatan (reindeer people) of northern Mongolia are a nomadic tribe who depend on reindeer for nearly all aspects of their survival. Picture: Jimmy Nelson Source: Supplied

Gaining the acceptance of people has been the key to Jimmy’s work.

Jimmy, who travelled widely as a young man before becoming a successful commercial photographer, has spent the last three years photographing 35 of the most aesthetically beautiful and remote tribes in all corners of the world.

His new book Before They Pass Away is a snapshot of these tribes as they are now and stands as both a piece of art and an historical document.

Photographer Jimmy Nelson visited 35 tribes in three years before publishing Before They Pass Away by Jimmy Nelson, published by teNeues, 128, also available as Collector’s Edition XXL, http://www.teneues.com Source: Supplied

His journey took him across all five continents, visiting such far-flung places as the mountainous region of Bayan Olgii in Mongolia, the Baliem Valley of Papua New Guinea and the wildest parts of southern Ethiopia.

One of the tribes was the Mursi in Ethiopia, where the women wear clay plates in their lower lips. At the age of 15, girls get pierced, after which their lips are stretched out to create enough space to place the lip plate.

The lip plates are believed to have been invented to make women less attractive to slave traders. The Mursi are one of the last tribes to wear the plates and if the latest generation, increasingly influenced by the modern world, choose not to practice the tradition it may soon die out altogether.

While he is careful to point out that the book is primarily a commercial project as opposed to some grandiose political statement, Jimmy hopes it will create a greater awareness of the beauty and individuality of the people he has encountered and encourage a positive dialogue between the tribes and the modern world.

The Himba are an ancient tribe of semi-nomadic herders, living since the 16th century in scattered settlements throughout the region of the Kunene River in northwest Namibia and southwest Angola. Picture: Jimmy Nelson Source: Supplied

He said: “The essence of the project is to make people aware of how scarce their individuality is. Not to be patronising, but to say this is what you are and to show them they have a value that is precious.

“The world is changing and we’re not going to stop it, but I hope in my own way, to encourage them not to abandon everything that makes them so individual.”

The Drokpa Tribe, which numbers around 2,500, live in three small villages in the Dha-Hanu valley of Ladakh, which is situated in Jammu and Kashmir, a disputed territory between India and Pakistan. They are the only authentic descendants of the Aryans left in India. Picture: Jimmy Nelson Source: Supplied

While all the tribes he encountered were completely different in terms of appearance, the similarities were obvious.

“From a social perspective they were the same,” Jimmy says. “The further you get away from civilisation, the more people work as a family unit, the greater respect they have for the older generations and for each other. The further away you get, the kinder people are.”

Growing up in Africa, Asia and South America, British photographer Jimmy Nelson developed a deep fascination for the indigenous cultures he encountered and has seen first hand how the world has changed.

Photographer Jimmy Nelson intends to visit another 35 tribes before they die out. Picture: Jimmy Nelson Source: Supplied

But it is the pace of change in the past five or six years, due to the internet and improved roads, that he has found most startling.

The Maori are the indigenous people of New Zealand, who arrived in New Zealand in the thirteenth century AD having made the epic sea voyage from the islands of Eastern Polynesia. Picture: Jimmy Nelson Source: Supplied

Legend has it that twelve large canoes each carried a different tribe. Even today, most Maori people can say which original tribe they are descended from. Picture: Jimmy Nelson Source: Supplied

When he visited the tribes in southern Ethiopia, for example, the journey from the airport took him three weeks. Today after new roads have been built to the area it would only take a couple of days.

The next step is to return to all the tribes he photographed and show them the completed book. Then he intends to photograph a further 35 tribes in more politically unstable areas of the world where he would require special permission from authorities’ helpto get access.

The people of Ladakh live in very high mountain valleys between the Himalaya and Karakoram ranges in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The Ladakhi share the beliefs of their Tibetan neighbours. Tibetan Buddhism, mixed with images of ferocious demons from the pre-Buddhist Bon religion, has been the principal religion in Ladakh for more than a thousand years. Picture: Jimmy Nelson Source: Supplied

Independent Senator for South Australia, Nick Xenophon, move to Give SA Migration, Investment Boom

Independent Senator for South Australia, Nick Xenophon, will be moving legislative changes to Australia’s visa rules to encourage migrants to invest in the state.

Under the current Significant Investor Visa rules, a migrant can become a permanent resident if they have at least $5million to invest in a particular state, and maintain that investment for four years.

Senator Xenophon is proposing an amendment to the Migration Act to be introduced later this year, that will lower the threshold for the visa requirement from $5million to $2million if a state has regional migration status and population growth at least 30% below the national average.

The current average national population growth is 1.8%—South Australia at 0.9% is 50% below the national average, with the only state lower being Tasmania, at 0.1%.

“If you want to give this state a massive boost overnight, we need to change the Significant Investment Visa rules,” Nick said.

Senator Xenophon unveiled the plan at the SA Press Club ‘State of the State’ forum this afternoon.

“Just imagine what 3000 skilled investor migrants each with $2million would do for the state—it would be the equivalent to $6billion investment alone and a significant shot in the arm to start-up and existing businesses, and with it, a massive investment in investment and jobs.”

Two weeks for the opening of the 2nd International Colloquy in Sydney between 15 and 17th November

MEDIA RELEASE

31 October 2013

The second International Colloquy with title: “Parthenon. An Icon of Global Citizenship” will take place at the University of Sydney between 15 and 17th November. The event is hosted by the International Organising Committee – Australia – for the Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles (IOC-A-RPM) with the support of the British and American Committees.

The event will be opened by the Premier of NSW, The Hon Barry O’Farrell MP on Friday the 15th of November at the Nicholson Museum (University of Sydney, Camperdown Campus).

A provisional program for the 3 day event is now available on the event’s website :
http://www.parhtenonmarblesaustralia.org.au/colloquy2013.

The organisers believe that the global community will be inspired to be part of the conversation, comprising a mix of lectures, visual presentations and workshops and wide public participation, through the use of the popular Social Media platforms Facebook and Twitter.

Workshops, on the major themes of Education, Activism, Litigation and Economy, will be open to the online community around the world through the use of special hashtags (#). Workshop participants will be able to follow and discuss comments by the online community in real time.

Since mid-year the campaign for restitution has increased in pace. This Colloquy has been a major focus of social media activity drawing global attention from Committees and interested individuals. The Greek Minister for Culture and Sports, Panos Panagiotopoulos, has suggested Greece/UK mediation through UNESCO as one possible strategy. All the latest developments will be discussed at this event, which will help to build international interest and momentum in the campaign for return of the Parthenon Sculptures.

Visit the event’s website for more information.
http://www.parthenonmarblesaustralia.org.au/colloquy2013

Christos Tsiolkas still amazed at book’s runaway success

Christos Tsiolkas

BARRACUDA – Christos Tsiolkas

Christos Tsiolkas’ Barracuda, a big-hearted social realist novel set in Melbourne. You might have read Tsiolkas’ previous novel, 2008’s The Slap; his analysis of middle-class Australian culture and its relationship to the subcultures around it was a worldwide success.

This new novel is about success and failure, and what it means to be a good man.

Danny, a young teenager from a working-class family, has a dream of sporting success and a body that will help him achieve it. Like many young men in this position, he is given access to a great school, a passionate coach and the chance to make a heroic dash for the prize. But at what cost to his family, his friends and his sense of what is right?

Danny finds he can’t always achieve what he sets out to do, and the shame that comes with this is the subject of his struggle. He is gay in a group of straights, working class in a group of well-to-do boys, a wog in a sea of skips. Why can’t his parents be more like those of his new friends? What does it mean to be really different, when your body won’t do what you want it to do? And who do you trust in this life: your mentors, your parents, your friends? Are they all doing just what they need to do to get ahead?

As Christos Tsiolkas says in the Monthly Book interview:

“I think that ethos of ‘the winner takes it all’ – of the individual who, by their own talent or genius, is successful as if they are disconnected from the social, from family, from everything – I think that’s one of the plagues (laughs) in our society at the moment. So I was very aware of that as a writer. And I could see it in someone like Danny that that too was, I think, a destructive thing … I think the thing about the hero in something like sports, say, with swimming or football, with young men like Danny, is the aspiration is to be Superman. And when they’re being Supermen, we are cheering them, and we are making them gods, and we are giving them licence to believe that they stand alone, that they can be anything they want to be. But they make one mistake, and we tear into them.”

It’s a coming-of-age novel that isn’t afraid to look into the darkness of the human heart and the murky world of developing sexuality.

And it takes on a technically difficult task: how do you keep a reader engaged in the repetitions of effort required in training and the winning of race after race in the waters of a variety of swimming pools?

Here’s Christos again:

“There are a series of words and expressions, and a couple of phrases, that form a chorus in the book. That’s one thing I wanted to do, but part of the work on the book was actually making sure that I didn’t overuse them, that they didn’t become banal by then. So that was one of the tasks.

… the breathing part, you know, the breathing in and the breathing out … and the other thing I wanted to do, and this was a real challenge, was how do you convey to a reader the discipline and actually the monotony that is part of that swimming process?”

Christos Tsiolkas succeeds mightily in this task of keeping the reader engaged, and Danny’s life and his intensities will stay with you long after you’ve finished the book. You might even detect a longing to dive into the water and test yourself against its force.

Watch the interview

Read the transcript