Fighters … Aussies Carly McDermott and Stephen Bennett are crew members on the anti-whaling ship Robert Hunter.
Photo: Craig Sillitoe
Frank WalkerDecember 2, 2007
ONE of the first decisions of the new Labor Government when it meets tomorrow will be how to fulfil its election promise to send the Australian Navy south to monitor Japanese whale hunters.
Incoming environment minister Peter Garrett will raise the issue when cabinet holds its first meeting tomorrow after being sworn in by Governor-General Michael Jeffery.
During the election campaign Labor pledged to send the navy or long-range aircraft to gather evidence against Japanese whale hunters in the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary to use in court action.
"It will be one of the first things raised when cabinet meets," a spokesman for Mr Garrett said. "Using the navy is about heightening the pressure on Japan to stop killing whales."
Meanwhile two young Australians are prepared to risk their lives to stop the whale hunt when their anti-whaling ship leaves for the Southern Ocean on Wednesday....
ONE of the first decisions of the new Labor Government when it meets tomorrow will be how to fulfil its election promise to send the Australian Navy south to monitor Japanese whale hunters.
Incoming environment minister Peter Garrett will raise the issue when cabinet holds its first meeting tomorrow after being sworn in by Governor-General Michael Jeffery.
During the election campaign Labor pledged to send the navy or long-range aircraft to gather evidence against Japanese whale hunters in the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary to use in court action.
"It will be one of the first things raised when cabinet meets," a spokesman for Mr Garrett said. "Using the navy is about heightening the pressure on Japan to stop killing whales."
Meanwhile two young Australians are prepared to risk their lives to stop the whale hunt when their anti-whaling ship leaves for the Southern Ocean on Wednesday....
Sydney Morning Herald
The 20th World Aids Day, and what's changed?
1:20PM Saturday December 01, 2007
A student hands out ribbons at Edwardes College in Peshawar, Pakistan. Photo / Reuters
Does the news that the United Nations overestimated the number of HIV infections mean the world has turned the tide on AIDS?
Not according to the most of the media coverage ahead of the 20th World Aids Day today.
The fact that the United Nations got it wrong about the number of people living with the virus is simply "a sampling error", writes Donald McNeil in the International Herald Tribune.
The UN and the World Health Organisation "have eaten a lot of crow" for the mistake of miscalculating the number of infected, comments Los Angeles Times.
But the good news is that the pandemic has peaked, the papers say, most likely in the late 1990s. But that doesn't mean the world can relax and get complacent about AIDS. Even if the estimate of 2.5 million new infections this year is 40 per cent lower than the estimate for 2006, that's "not a particularly happy plateau," McNeil quotes Dr. Robert Gallo, who discovered the AIDS virus.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10479486
Iemma stands firm on Koperberg claims
John Kidman
December 2, 2007
Advertisement
NSW Premier Morris Iemma has vowed to stand by his Environment Minister Phil Koperberg, despite explosive new allegations that the former Rural Fire Service chief beat his wife and stepdaughter.
Details of the claims are reportedly contained in a 10-page affidavit authored by Mr Koperberg's ex-wife, Katherine, in 1987.
Katherine Koperberg is said to allege in the document that she was repeatedly struck across the face and pushed against a wall.
Her then-20-year-old daughter, Paula, who was Mr Koperberg's stepdaughter, was also repeatedly hit, one of the blows allegedly knocking a filling from one of her teeth to the floor.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/iemma-backs-koperberg/2007/12/01/1196394691712.html
Rejection for Islamic school
Heath Gilmore
December 2, 2007
A SYDNEY council is set to reject a proposed Islamic college as tension about religious educational facilities escalates across the city.
Bankstown City Council will determine the development application for the 1200-student Al Amanah Islamic College at Bass Hill on Tuesday night.
Nearly 2500 submissions were received from residents - 1829 against, 649 in support.
Council staff have recommended that the development - a primary and secondary school, a 30-place child-care centre with two residences for caretakers, a reception and convention hall, a sporting hall and an indoor pool - be refused.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/rejection-for-islamic-school/2007/12/01/1196394682295.html
Greenies pay less to park
Heath Gilmore
December 2, 2007
CAR owners committed to lowering the environmental impacts of their vehicles will pay less for parking permits under a new City of Sydney proposal.
The proposed incentive scheme goes before the council's finance committee tomorrow to encourage greater usage of vehicles with lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Existing fees for residents and businesses, which range from $43 to $85, could be halved if the vehicle has a four-star environmental rating. Four fee rates are proposed for the 22,000 available permits: very low impact (50 per cent of the standard fee), low impact (75 per cent); medium impact (100 per cent); and high impact (double the standard fee).
http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/greenies-pay-less-to-park/2007/12/01/1196394682292.html
Clinton office hostage drama
2007-12-01 08:15:51
A man claiming to have a bomb holds hostages at Hillary Clinton's campaign office in a small town in New Hampshire.(00:46)
http://media.smh.com.au/?category=Breaking%20News&rid=33702
No survivors in Turkish air crash
2007-12-01 08:41:21
A Turkish passenger plane has crashed near the town of Isparta killing all those on board.(01:13)
http://media.smh.com.au/?category=Breaking%20News&rid=33702
McDonald's ad made a meal of driving safety
Christine Sams
December 2, 2007
A McDONALD'S advertisement showing a carload of male teenagers ordering a drive-through meal is off the air after an investigation by an industry watchdog.
The advertisement, which shows a P-plater who drives his friends to the fast food restaurant after getting his licence, will not be screened again following claims it promoted unsafe driving.
After airing between November 4 and 12 it was investigated by the Advertising Standards Bureau.
"I think it was one of the most complained about for the month,"Advertising Standards Bureau chief executive officer Fiona Jolly said.
"The complaints made about this ad were that it depicted young boys driving in a manner that wasn't safe. The board noted that a carload of kids in the middle of the day isn't illegal but the board felt that the depiction of the kids really was contrary to all the public safety messages that are out there at the moment to young men on safe driving and safe behaviour in cars. They really felt that this was an ad that did breach the code."
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/mcdonalds-ad-made-a-meal-of-driving-safety/2007/12/01/1196394682307.html
Powers gather on Iran atomic plans but Tehran remains defiant
December 2, 2007
Advertisement
Iran said it would defend its right to nuclear technology as senior officials from the world's most powerful countries gathered yesterday to discuss imposing sanctions against it over its nuclear programme.
The five permanent United Nations Security Council members and Germany agreed in September to delay passing further UN sanctions against Iran until the end of November, pending reports on a probe by the UN nuclear watchdog and an European Union mediation effort.
But EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said he was disappointed after a Friday meeting in London with Iranian chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, which had been seen as a last chance to avert United States pressure for more UN sanctions against Iran over its disputed atomic programme.
Senior officials from the six powers, Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States, were scheduled to begin morning talks in Paris .
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/powers-gather-on-iran-atomic-plans-but-tehran-remains-defiant/2007/12/01/1196394690258.html
Chavez warns US in bid for more power
December 2, 2007
VENEZUELAN President Hugo Chavez has threatened to cut off oil supplies to the US if the superpower interferes in a referendum this weekend over whether he can run for re-election indefinitely.
Mr Chavez also sought to fire up his backers for the tight vote by threatening to end diplomatic ties with Spain unless the former colonial power's King Juan Carlos apologised for telling him to shut up at a recent summit meeting.
The self-styled socialist revolutionary issued the warnings yesterday at a massive rally closing the campaign.
Mr Chavez has frequently issued threats about stopping crude sales to its top customer.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/chavez-warns-us-in-bid-for-more-power/2007/12/01/1196394682748.html
Water torture
December 2, 2007
Whether it's from the heavens above or sanitation below, water is a constant source of danger to the people of Bangladesh, writes Larry Elliott.
Advertisement
Charles Dickens would have felt at home in the streets of Dhaka. The barefoot children waiting for their mothers and sisters to come home from the textile mills, the chimneys of the brick factories vaguely visible in the smog. And the stench.
Like Victorian London, the shanty towns of Bangladesh's capital reek of excrement dropped from makeshift hanging toilets perched precariously on bamboo stilts a couple of metres above the mire. Bangladesh is the object of the world's pity as it deals with the cyclone that killed more than 3000 people. Yet when the television appeals are over, when attention has switched to another country stricken by flood, famine or earthquake, the stench of raw sewage will remain. And it will still be the second-biggest killer of children after respiratory illnesses. Two hundred perish every hour as a result of living conditions that would cause an outcry if they occurred in the West, and should cause an outcry for being allowed to happen anywhere.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/water-torture-for-people-of-bangladesh/2007/12/01/1196394682754.html
Support for Rio merger
December 1, 2007
The world's sixth largest steelmaker, Tata Steel Ltd of India, has backed BHP Billiton's proposed merger with Rio Tinto, saying it is a necessary outcome.
THE world's sixth largest steelmaker, Tata Steel Ltd of India, has backed BHP Billiton's proposed merger with Rio Tinto, saying it is time for the industry to consolidate.
Tata managing director B. Muthuraman said that while there was concern a combined entity could drive up market prices for iron ore, a merger was a necessary outcome.
"It is a natural thing to happen," said Mr Muthuraman.
"It is good for the commodity industry, which has had serious cycles over the last 25 to 50 years. It is time, I think, that both the steel industry as well as the commodity industry consolidate assets."
http://business.smh.com.au/support-for-rio-merger/20071201-1eai.html
WHO WE ARE: A weekly column about Australia
by David Dale
Published in The Sun-Herald, 2/12/2007
At my primary school, a decade or three ago, we had to do this chant, with appropriate gestures, before the headmaster addressed the weekly assembly: "I love my Queen, I honour my God, and I salute the flag". On election night, a week ago, there was a fair bit of flag saluting, in the form of assertions about the greatness of our nation. But where was God and where was the Queen? And was their absence a sign that Australia has achieved political maturity?
Lets deal with the deity first. Both leaders were photographed going to church on Sunday, but in their speeches on Saturday, they gave God no credit or blame. This would have been unthinkable in the United States. If Kevin Rudd was a US politician, he'd have thanked the Lord for his success, while John Howard would have said the result was the Lord's will and he'd seek consolation through prayer. But they didn't, because we're not that kind of country. Our politicians can get by without divine intervention.
In last year's census, 70 per cent per cent of Australians nominated a religion (64 per cent a Christian variety). But only 19 per cent of Australians attend church at least once a month. And only 40 per cent of the people who get married do it in church.
http://blogs.smh.com.au/sit/
Look Left, look Right, look …
Alan Ramsey
December 1, 2007
The soaring influence of Julia Gillard. The rise and rise of John Faulkner and Penny Wong. The ascendancy of Anthony Albanese over Martin Ferguson. The depth of the Labor Left and the immense authority of a prime minister firmly of the Right. All are in play in the new Labor government to be sworn in on Monday. Plus, the national capital gives Kevin Rudd the biggest Labor vote in the country - and he dumps both its shadow ministers! Lots of strands in the new beginning.
In the old ending, too.
John Howard lost everything, except Janette: the election, his government, his leadership, even his own seat. Peter Costello has withdrawn into backbench obscurity for the next three years.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/look-left-look-right-look-/2007/11/30/1196394619997.html
Unions can rebuild and we'll all be better for it
Adele Horin
December 1, 2007
The Liberal Party's desperate attempt to demonise unions and vilify their leaders left most electors bemused rather than terrified, it appears.
Thuggish union power is ancient history and, as a result, the scare campaign failed to get the expected traction. Young people in ACTU focus groups were puzzled by the depiction of unionists as "fanatics" and "extremists" who stormed into dress shops and itched to control the levers of government. They hadn't seen a decent strike in years, thanks to Howard government laws that de-fanged the unions. In the workplaces where young people congregate, unions are more often absent than intimidating.
Nor did the fear tactics resonate with older people. They expected no resurgence in union militancy under stern Kevin Rudd. If some voters scurried back to the Liberal fold under the hammering of scary advertisements it was not nearly enough to keep that "70 per cent union-dominated" front bench from triumphing.
It was a do-or-die election for the unions. Three more years of Howard, and the bosses' free-for-all would have become entrenched in the culture. The Labor victory has dealt unions back into the game. It gives them a chance to rebuild. Yet it hardly signals the return of the salad days. The revival of the unions is in their owns hands.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/unions-can-rebuild-and-well-all-be-better-for-it/2007/11/30/1196394614560.html
Skeletons should come tumbling out of the closet
Mike Carlton
December 1, 2007
If the new Rudd government follows hallowed custom, one of its first tasks in power will be to rummage through the cupboards of its departed predecessor, looking for skeletons.
There should be plenty of them after almost 12 years. A good many of the more incriminating documents will have been shredded or carted away by frantic Coalition ministers in the panic that followed the election result, but a thorough forensic search will surely turn something up. It always does when governments change.
The departmental files on the fanciful Iraq war intelligence or the AWB scandal might be a fruitful field for study and I suspect there is much more we could learn about the Immigration Department's carefree practice of banging people away behind the razor wire of the detention centres if it didn't like the look of them.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/looking-for-skeletons/2007/11/30/1196394614566.html
Google to bid in wireless auction
December 1, 2007 - 9:24AM
Taking a bigger step into wireless, Google said on Friday it plans to bid in the government's auction of airwaves in January to acquire bandwith for mobile devices.
The Federal Communications Commission auction of spectrum in the 700 megahertz (MHz) band is part of the nationally mandated switch to digital television in 2009.
The internet search giant for months has signaled its interest in the auction, which begins January 24, which will free up spectrum airwaves for more efficient wireless Internet service for consumers.
"We believe it's important to put our money where our principles are," Eric Schmidt, Google chairman and chief executive, said in a statement.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/biztech/google-to-bid-in-wireless-auction/2007/12/01/1196394690436.html
How Lori Drew became America's most reviled mother
December 1, 2007
A 13-year-old's suicide highlights the risks to teens of predatory behaviour online, writes Ian Munro.
Vulnerable … Tina and Ron Meier's daughter, Megan, killed herself after being dumped by "Josh", in reality a female neighbour.
Photo: Peter Newcomb/The New York Times
Advertisement
It is an odd sensibility that gave Lori Drew comfort at the funeral of the 13-year-old girl to whose suicide she almost certainly contributed.
But there is much that is odd about Lori Drew. Drew, then 47, told police she felt better when she learned Megan Meier had previously considered suicide, before she hung herself in a wardrobe of her Missouri home a year ago.
That would suggest Drew considered it somehow less reprehensible to anonymously torment a mentally unsettled teenager than someone of sterner stuff.
In any case, Megan's mother, Tina Meier, said there was nothing to suggest her daughter would have taken her own life. But an internet "romance" with a boy called Josh Evans changed all that.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/frail-egos-caught-in-killer-net/2007/11/30/1196394672124.html
Australians unleash true selves online
Asher Moses
November 30, 2007
Online interaction has given rise to a generation of Australians who are more comfortable with their online personas then their true self.
Advertisement
Australians are facing an online identity crisis, using the web and social networking sites to unleash their alter egos, new research suggests.
Symantec's Identity Survey, conducted by Woolcott Research, found Australians typically had more than 10 virtual identities. They included profiles on sites like MySpace and YouTube, email accounts, game avatars and characters in virtual worlds.
"This is what we used to call multiple personality disorder," said Andrew Fuller, a clinical psychologist and fellow of the University of Melbourne's Department of Psychiatry.
Of the 596 respondents, one in five felt their online identities were closer to their "true self" than their real-world identity. When narrowing the results down to "power users" of social networking sites, dating sites, virtual worlds or gaming sites, the figure jumps to 40 per cent.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/australians-unleash-true-selves-online/2007/11/30/1196394603400.html
Kiwi teen named as cyber gang mastermind
November 30, 2007 - 4:48PM
Police questioned the suspected teenage kingpin of an international cyber crime network accused of infiltrating 1.3 million computers and skimming millions of US dollars from victims' bank accounts, officials said Friday.
Working with the FBI and police in the Netherlands, New Zealand police raided the home of the 18-year-old in the North Island city of Hamilton and took him into custody along with several computers, said Martin Kleintjes, head of the police electronic crime centre.
He was later released without charge after being questioned, though police said he was still part of their investigation.
The case is part of an international crackdown on hackers who allegedly assume control of thousands of computers and amass them into centrally controlled clusters known as botnets.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/security/kiwi-teen-named-as-cyber-gang-mastermind/2007/11/30/1196037116019.html
How Lori Drew became America's most reviled mother
December 1, 2007
A 13-year-old's suicide highlights the risks to teens of predatory behaviour online, writes Ian Munro.
Vulnerable … Tina and Ron Meier's daughter, Megan, killed herself after being dumped by "Josh", in reality a female neighbour.
Photo: Peter Newcomb/The New York Times
Advertisement
It is an odd sensibility that gave Lori Drew comfort at the funeral of the 13-year-old girl to whose suicide she almost certainly contributed.
But there is much that is odd about Lori Drew. Drew, then 47, told police she felt better when she learned Megan Meier had previously considered suicide, before she hung herself in a wardrobe of her Missouri home a year ago.
That would suggest Drew considered it somehow less reprehensible to anonymously torment a mentally unsettled teenager than someone of sterner stuff.
In any case, Megan's mother, Tina Meier, said there was nothing to suggest her daughter would have taken her own life. But an internet "romance" with a boy called Josh Evans changed all that.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/frail-egos-caught-in-killer-net/2007/11/30/1196394672124.html
The new orient express
December 1, 2007
Radical new routes from the Top End will improve links between Asia and Australia. Clive Dorman reports.
There used to be a novelty signpost on the Darwin beachfront that pointed out Darwin is roughly the same distance from some of Asia's big cities as it is from Melbourne and Sydney. It's unlikely Jetstar's strategic planners ever saw the sign but they've been working feverishly with modern distance-measuring programs to formulate a radically new way of linking Australia and Asia.
From 2009, using small jets and Darwin as a stopover, Jetstar will begin flying from Australia's east-coast cities to Asian cities where demand does not justify non-stop services with bigger planes.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/news/the-new-orient-express/2007/11/29/1196037053808.html
Woman tells of rape in a hospital toilet
Ben Cubby
December 1, 2007
"I THOUGHT the hospital was a safe place, but to be raped in hospital by another patient, it is terrible, the last thing I ever expected."
These are the chilling words of a young woman who was allegedly dragged into a toilet at Westmead Hospital and sexually assaulted by a male patient, the latest in a string of shocking incidents in hospitals to come to light.
The pain remains raw a year after the alleged assault took place because the woman, who asked not to be identified, is forced to keep returning to Westmead to receive treatment for her blood condition.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/11/30/1196394622513.html
Luhrmann's company in dispute over hired boats
On a mission ... Darren Foster protests outside Fox Studios.
Photo: Jacky Ghossein
Eammon Duff
December 2, 2007
BAZ LUHRMANN'S production company has been accused of being "un-Australian" after refusing to pay $16,000 to a contractor for supplying props and equipment for the director's epic new movie.
While filming Australia in north Queensland, Bazmark Films asked Darren Foster to provide a historic sailing boat. The hire charge was paid but the boat was returned minus its rare hand-carved wooden figurehead made in the 1930s.
Mr Foster, a marine salvage operator, is also still waiting to be paid for the hire and upgrade of a barge that was due to store props and equipment during location shooting in Bowen.
Mr Foster has threatened to take the company to court. The boat was used as a backdrop in a scene shot on the Bowen waterfront. Mr Foster says the production company asked him to supply the barge to store equipment during filming but, at the last minute, said it was not required.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/film/luhrmanns-company-in-dispute/2007/12/01/1196394681137.html
Sexperts: When sex gets boring
2007-10-30 00:05:00
Halle Berry's partner is said to have become bored of sex when the couple were trying to get pregnant. This week Brooke Hemphill investigates the drama of fertility.(04:15)
http://media.smh.com.au/?category=Sexperts&rid=33364
Sexual Education 101
2007-11-20 00:05:00
From church, the web and to porn, adults are getting their sex education from many different sources. Brooke Hemphill looks into what's available.(03:46)
http://media.smh.com.au/?category=Sexperts&rid=33364
Published in The Sun-Herald, 2/12/2007
At my primary school, a decade or three ago, we had to do this chant, with appropriate gestures, before the headmaster addressed the weekly assembly: "I love my Queen, I honour my God, and I salute the flag". On election night, a week ago, there was a fair bit of flag saluting, in the form of assertions about the greatness of our nation. But where was God and where was the Queen? And was their absence a sign that Australia has achieved political maturity?
Lets deal with the deity first. Both leaders were photographed going to church on Sunday, but in their speeches on Saturday, they gave God no credit or blame. This would have been unthinkable in the United States. If Kevin Rudd was a US politician, he'd have thanked the Lord for his success, while John Howard would have said the result was the Lord's will and he'd seek consolation through prayer. But they didn't, because we're not that kind of country. Our politicians can get by without divine intervention.
In last year's census, 70 per cent per cent of Australians nominated a religion (64 per cent a Christian variety). But only 19 per cent of Australians attend church at least once a month. And only 40 per cent of the people who get married do it in church.
http://blogs.smh.com.au/sit/
Look Left, look Right, look …
Alan Ramsey
December 1, 2007
The soaring influence of Julia Gillard. The rise and rise of John Faulkner and Penny Wong. The ascendancy of Anthony Albanese over Martin Ferguson. The depth of the Labor Left and the immense authority of a prime minister firmly of the Right. All are in play in the new Labor government to be sworn in on Monday. Plus, the national capital gives Kevin Rudd the biggest Labor vote in the country - and he dumps both its shadow ministers! Lots of strands in the new beginning.
In the old ending, too.
John Howard lost everything, except Janette: the election, his government, his leadership, even his own seat. Peter Costello has withdrawn into backbench obscurity for the next three years.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/look-left-look-right-look-/2007/11/30/1196394619997.html
Unions can rebuild and we'll all be better for it
Adele Horin
December 1, 2007
The Liberal Party's desperate attempt to demonise unions and vilify their leaders left most electors bemused rather than terrified, it appears.
Thuggish union power is ancient history and, as a result, the scare campaign failed to get the expected traction. Young people in ACTU focus groups were puzzled by the depiction of unionists as "fanatics" and "extremists" who stormed into dress shops and itched to control the levers of government. They hadn't seen a decent strike in years, thanks to Howard government laws that de-fanged the unions. In the workplaces where young people congregate, unions are more often absent than intimidating.
Nor did the fear tactics resonate with older people. They expected no resurgence in union militancy under stern Kevin Rudd. If some voters scurried back to the Liberal fold under the hammering of scary advertisements it was not nearly enough to keep that "70 per cent union-dominated" front bench from triumphing.
It was a do-or-die election for the unions. Three more years of Howard, and the bosses' free-for-all would have become entrenched in the culture. The Labor victory has dealt unions back into the game. It gives them a chance to rebuild. Yet it hardly signals the return of the salad days. The revival of the unions is in their owns hands.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/unions-can-rebuild-and-well-all-be-better-for-it/2007/11/30/1196394614560.html
Skeletons should come tumbling out of the closet
Mike Carlton
December 1, 2007
If the new Rudd government follows hallowed custom, one of its first tasks in power will be to rummage through the cupboards of its departed predecessor, looking for skeletons.
There should be plenty of them after almost 12 years. A good many of the more incriminating documents will have been shredded or carted away by frantic Coalition ministers in the panic that followed the election result, but a thorough forensic search will surely turn something up. It always does when governments change.
The departmental files on the fanciful Iraq war intelligence or the AWB scandal might be a fruitful field for study and I suspect there is much more we could learn about the Immigration Department's carefree practice of banging people away behind the razor wire of the detention centres if it didn't like the look of them.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/looking-for-skeletons/2007/11/30/1196394614566.html
Google to bid in wireless auction
December 1, 2007 - 9:24AM
Taking a bigger step into wireless, Google said on Friday it plans to bid in the government's auction of airwaves in January to acquire bandwith for mobile devices.
The Federal Communications Commission auction of spectrum in the 700 megahertz (MHz) band is part of the nationally mandated switch to digital television in 2009.
The internet search giant for months has signaled its interest in the auction, which begins January 24, which will free up spectrum airwaves for more efficient wireless Internet service for consumers.
"We believe it's important to put our money where our principles are," Eric Schmidt, Google chairman and chief executive, said in a statement.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/biztech/google-to-bid-in-wireless-auction/2007/12/01/1196394690436.html
How Lori Drew became America's most reviled mother
December 1, 2007
A 13-year-old's suicide highlights the risks to teens of predatory behaviour online, writes Ian Munro.
Vulnerable … Tina and Ron Meier's daughter, Megan, killed herself after being dumped by "Josh", in reality a female neighbour.
Photo: Peter Newcomb/The New York Times
Advertisement
It is an odd sensibility that gave Lori Drew comfort at the funeral of the 13-year-old girl to whose suicide she almost certainly contributed.
But there is much that is odd about Lori Drew. Drew, then 47, told police she felt better when she learned Megan Meier had previously considered suicide, before she hung herself in a wardrobe of her Missouri home a year ago.
That would suggest Drew considered it somehow less reprehensible to anonymously torment a mentally unsettled teenager than someone of sterner stuff.
In any case, Megan's mother, Tina Meier, said there was nothing to suggest her daughter would have taken her own life. But an internet "romance" with a boy called Josh Evans changed all that.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/frail-egos-caught-in-killer-net/2007/11/30/1196394672124.html
Australians unleash true selves online
Asher Moses
November 30, 2007
Online interaction has given rise to a generation of Australians who are more comfortable with their online personas then their true self.
Advertisement
Australians are facing an online identity crisis, using the web and social networking sites to unleash their alter egos, new research suggests.
Symantec's Identity Survey, conducted by Woolcott Research, found Australians typically had more than 10 virtual identities. They included profiles on sites like MySpace and YouTube, email accounts, game avatars and characters in virtual worlds.
"This is what we used to call multiple personality disorder," said Andrew Fuller, a clinical psychologist and fellow of the University of Melbourne's Department of Psychiatry.
Of the 596 respondents, one in five felt their online identities were closer to their "true self" than their real-world identity. When narrowing the results down to "power users" of social networking sites, dating sites, virtual worlds or gaming sites, the figure jumps to 40 per cent.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/australians-unleash-true-selves-online/2007/11/30/1196394603400.html
Kiwi teen named as cyber gang mastermind
November 30, 2007 - 4:48PM
Police questioned the suspected teenage kingpin of an international cyber crime network accused of infiltrating 1.3 million computers and skimming millions of US dollars from victims' bank accounts, officials said Friday.
Working with the FBI and police in the Netherlands, New Zealand police raided the home of the 18-year-old in the North Island city of Hamilton and took him into custody along with several computers, said Martin Kleintjes, head of the police electronic crime centre.
He was later released without charge after being questioned, though police said he was still part of their investigation.
The case is part of an international crackdown on hackers who allegedly assume control of thousands of computers and amass them into centrally controlled clusters known as botnets.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/security/kiwi-teen-named-as-cyber-gang-mastermind/2007/11/30/1196037116019.html
How Lori Drew became America's most reviled mother
December 1, 2007
A 13-year-old's suicide highlights the risks to teens of predatory behaviour online, writes Ian Munro.
Vulnerable … Tina and Ron Meier's daughter, Megan, killed herself after being dumped by "Josh", in reality a female neighbour.
Photo: Peter Newcomb/The New York Times
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It is an odd sensibility that gave Lori Drew comfort at the funeral of the 13-year-old girl to whose suicide she almost certainly contributed.
But there is much that is odd about Lori Drew. Drew, then 47, told police she felt better when she learned Megan Meier had previously considered suicide, before she hung herself in a wardrobe of her Missouri home a year ago.
That would suggest Drew considered it somehow less reprehensible to anonymously torment a mentally unsettled teenager than someone of sterner stuff.
In any case, Megan's mother, Tina Meier, said there was nothing to suggest her daughter would have taken her own life. But an internet "romance" with a boy called Josh Evans changed all that.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/frail-egos-caught-in-killer-net/2007/11/30/1196394672124.html
The new orient express
December 1, 2007
Radical new routes from the Top End will improve links between Asia and Australia. Clive Dorman reports.
There used to be a novelty signpost on the Darwin beachfront that pointed out Darwin is roughly the same distance from some of Asia's big cities as it is from Melbourne and Sydney. It's unlikely Jetstar's strategic planners ever saw the sign but they've been working feverishly with modern distance-measuring programs to formulate a radically new way of linking Australia and Asia.
From 2009, using small jets and Darwin as a stopover, Jetstar will begin flying from Australia's east-coast cities to Asian cities where demand does not justify non-stop services with bigger planes.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/news/the-new-orient-express/2007/11/29/1196037053808.html
Woman tells of rape in a hospital toilet
Ben Cubby
December 1, 2007
"I THOUGHT the hospital was a safe place, but to be raped in hospital by another patient, it is terrible, the last thing I ever expected."
These are the chilling words of a young woman who was allegedly dragged into a toilet at Westmead Hospital and sexually assaulted by a male patient, the latest in a string of shocking incidents in hospitals to come to light.
The pain remains raw a year after the alleged assault took place because the woman, who asked not to be identified, is forced to keep returning to Westmead to receive treatment for her blood condition.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/11/30/1196394622513.html
Luhrmann's company in dispute over hired boats
On a mission ... Darren Foster protests outside Fox Studios.
Photo: Jacky Ghossein
Eammon Duff
December 2, 2007
BAZ LUHRMANN'S production company has been accused of being "un-Australian" after refusing to pay $16,000 to a contractor for supplying props and equipment for the director's epic new movie.
While filming Australia in north Queensland, Bazmark Films asked Darren Foster to provide a historic sailing boat. The hire charge was paid but the boat was returned minus its rare hand-carved wooden figurehead made in the 1930s.
Mr Foster, a marine salvage operator, is also still waiting to be paid for the hire and upgrade of a barge that was due to store props and equipment during location shooting in Bowen.
Mr Foster has threatened to take the company to court. The boat was used as a backdrop in a scene shot on the Bowen waterfront. Mr Foster says the production company asked him to supply the barge to store equipment during filming but, at the last minute, said it was not required.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/film/luhrmanns-company-in-dispute/2007/12/01/1196394681137.html
Sexperts: When sex gets boring
2007-10-30 00:05:00
Halle Berry's partner is said to have become bored of sex when the couple were trying to get pregnant. This week Brooke Hemphill investigates the drama of fertility.(04:15)
http://media.smh.com.au/?category=Sexperts&rid=33364
Sexual Education 101
2007-11-20 00:05:00
From church, the web and to porn, adults are getting their sex education from many different sources. Brooke Hemphill looks into what's available.(03:46)
http://media.smh.com.au/?category=Sexperts&rid=33364
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