Sunday, March 4, 2012

JAILED WOMAN GETS MORE TIME FOR LARCENY.(CAPITAL REGION)

Byline: BECHETTA JACKSON Staff writer

SCHENECTADY -- A Sloansville woman serving a 3 1/2- to 7-year prison sentence for a forgery conviction in Albany County was given an additional 4- to 8-year sentence Wednesday in County Court after pleading guilty in July to fourth-degree grand larceny and second-degree forgery.

Rosemary C. Gilbert, 45, of Shun Pike Road, was sentenced by County Court Judge Joseph M. Sise to consecutive terms of 2 to 4 years on each conviction. The sentences are to run concurrently with Gilbert's Albany County sentence, Sise said.

In one indictment Gilbert originally was charged with fourth-degree grand larceny. She admitted …

Research facility for plastics packaging.(Update)

A PLASTICS packaging research facility has been opened at the University of Sheffield. FaraPack Polymers is a joint-venture between the Faraday Packaging Partnership and the Polymer Centre at the university. It is a laboratory--based resource combining packaging expertise and technological 'know-how' to salve technical problems and …

Ice storm in central US grounds airliners, knocks out power and is blamed for 5 deaths

An ice storm slickened roads and sidewalks, grounded hundreds of flights, and cut power to tens of thousands in a swath across the central United States as even colder weather threatened.

The wintry weather was expected to continue through midweek, and ice storm warnings stretched from Texas to Pennsylvania.

"Tomorrow may be even more of a dilemma than today because we're going to get even a little bit more colder," said John Pike, a meteorologist in the Weather Service's office in Norman, Oklahoma, on Sunday.

Six traffic deaths were …

Waukegan raid nets $2.6 million in drugs

Police seized drugs with a street value of $2.65 million in araid on a Waukegan apartment.

Confiscated were 12 pounds of pure cocaine worth $2.3 million;four ounces of black tar heroin valued at $350,000, plus gold jewelryand $9,000 in cash.

Waukegan Police Chief Ronald Hauri said his officers and statepolice investigators went to the apartment at 2625 Glen Flora with aNew York murder warrant Thursday evening. …

Ice causes road crash on Bridlington road.

A car skidded on ice coming out of Pinfold Street and collided with another car.

Police were called and …

Saturday, March 3, 2012

CULTURE WARS CREATE AN AMERICA OF INFANTS.(PERSPECTIVE)

Byline: PAUL VALENTINE

A major outcome of the culture wars of the last 50 years can be summarized in a single phrase: the juvenilization of America.

Its impact, fashioned by Madison Avenue, driven by the TV networks, crowned by Hollywood and bought by our social systems from education to religion to the courts, is so pervasive that the good that came out of those same culture wars is now substantively diminished.

The tendency of American adults to revert to or remain in essentially juvenile behavior has grown like spawn in a petri dish of narcissism, instant gratification and reduced attention spans -- the social markers of adolescence -- all carefully cultivated by …

Medical Malpractice Reform Model Pays Off for Victims, Health Care Providers, Public, Says University of Virginia's Jeffrey O'Connell, Co-Creator of Concept.

Byline: University of Virginia

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Feb. 27 (AScribe Newswire) -- Economic modeling of a medical malpractice reform concept known as "Early Offers" shows that the idea has clear advantages to injured persons, health care providers, and insurance companies, as well as the public.

In an article published this month in the New Mexico Law Review, University of Virginia law professor Jeffrey O'Connell, who is regarded as the father of no-fault insurance laws, as well as economist Jeremy Kidd and attorney Evan Stephenson demonstrate how the Early Offers system gives both sides strong financial incentives to settle and avoid the expenses and uncertainties of a protracted legal battle.

Early Offers could greatly speed the resolution of most …

World Gymnastics Championships Results

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — Results Sunday at the world gymnastics championships at Ahoy Arena:

Men
Vault

1, Thomas Bouhail, France, 16.449

2, Anton, Golotsutskov , Russia, 16.366

3, Dzmitry Kaspiarovich, Belarus, 16.316

4, Yang Hak-seon, South Korea 16.266

5, Flavius Koczi, Romania, 16.208

6, Andriy Isayev, Ukraine, 16.049

7, Luis Rivera, Puerto Rico, 15.945

8, Jeffrey Wammes, Netherlands, 15.750

Parallel Bars

1, Feng Zhe, China, 15.966

2, Teng Haibin, China, 15.616

3, Kohei Uchimura, Japan, …

Free training in hot runner systems. (Injection Moulding).(Brief Article)

A FREE on-site two hour hot runner training system is now being offered by PMS Systems to all its prospective customers. The course comprises three modules -- setting, configuring and troubleshooting. More …

Defense chief seeks plan for Guantanamo detainees.(Main)

WASHINGTON - Congress and the Bush administration should work together to allow the U.S. to permanently imprison some of the more dangerous Guantanamo Bay detainees elsewhere so the facility can be closed, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday.

Gates said the challenge is figuring out what to do with hard-core detainees who have "made very clear they will come back and attack this country."

He …

Future Engineers Are Ready: Annual High School Engineering Competition at Christian Brothers University April 6.

Byline: Christian Brothers University

MEMPHIS, Tenn., March 23 (AScribe Newswire) -- The fourth annual High School Engineering Competition, sponsored by the Christian Brothers University School of Engineering, will be held at St. Benilde Hall on the CBU campus Thursday, April 6. There will be four different competitions. Registration is at 3 p.m. and events begin at 3:30 p.m.

The egg drop competition challenges students to design packaging (box and packing) to contain and protect raw chicken eggs from breaking when dropped from a height of 20 feet and more.

In the balsa bridge competition, students design a truss bridge form, constructed entirely …

Local civic groups stage foreclosure marches

The spotlight on the nation's housing crisis continued to shine this week as civic organizations and legislators rallied in the financial districts in Chicago and New York.

The Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, with residents in tow, marched Monday in front of the Federal Reserve Bank on LaSaIIe Street urging lenders to take more proactive action. They also renewed the call for the government to live up to its obligation to solve the housing crisis.

"This is just the beginning of the problem. We still have time to fix the problem. These banks are smarter than the administration on originating, securing and servicing loans.

"They can create the solu-tions needed," Jonathan …

OTB TIES NCAA TO LIVE PROGRAMS.(CAPITAL REGION)

Byline: CATHY WOODRUFF Staff writer

Albany Capital OTB will try its hand at broadcasting live from the Albany Teletheater next month as part of a three-day series of events tied to the NCAA college basketball championship tournament.

The programming slated for Saturday, March 22, will include a half-hour morning show focusing on the NCAA tournament, followed by OTB's ``Down the Stretch'' show hosted by racing commentators and handicappers Mark Cusano and Mike Veitch.

The show will include discussion of recent races with an impact on the Kentucky Derby and other upcoming races and an interview with Capital OTB President Michael Connery.

Friday, March 2, 2012

New Products

Jangus Music?s Wi AudioStream EL

Jangus Music?s Wi AudioStream(TM) EL Pocket Portable Stereo Digital Wireless Microphone & Audio Monitoring System is described by the company as being the fi rst stereo digital wireless system ever to combine all the features required for mini mic and in-ear monitoring in a small, rugged, lightweight design.

Weighing in at 1.08 Oz, this plug-andplay system quickly interchanges from an Ear-worn microphone to la-valier mic or audio monitoring system with a press of a button and swap of accessories, giving you the versatility and value of an all-in-one wireless solution for all types of sound system and computer applications. This fast-tosetup 2.4GHz stereo digital wireless system provides up to 100 feet of secure, uncompressed 16bit, 48kHz CD quality wireless audio connectivity and operates without radio frequency (RF) interference, signal loss, or crackle inherent in UHF/VHF systems.

www.jangusmusic.com

Acesonic?s Multimedia Player

Acesonic has released the BluRay Multimedia Karaoke Player, the Acesonic BDK-2000.

Acesonic?s BDK-2000 Blu-Ray Multimedia Karaoke Player is a multi-functional, high-defi nition, networked, multimedia player. It can play all media from discs, USB drives, local network or Internet in HD quality up to 1080P. The Acesonic Blu-Ray Multimedia Karaoke Player includes an HDMI port and it is compatible with the latest audio, video, picture and karaoke formats including MP3, WAV, WMA, MPEG-1, MPEG-2 (AVI/ VOB), MPEG-4 (AVI), DivX, MKV, RMVB, JPEG, and MP3+G files.

The built-in Blu-Ray multi-format player supports all types of discs such as Blu-Ray discs, DVDs, VCDs, CD+Gs, CDs, and data discs.

A built-in Ethernet port enables streaming content online via BD-Live or local network media fi les on a network PC or network storage. A built-in USB port allows for the user to play music, view pictures or videos stored on a USB drive.

The BDK-2000 includes the most commonly used buttons on the front panel for easy navigation. An optional rack-mount kit enables users to lock their player in any standard 19? rack. The Player also features a headphone output jack, two microphone inputs and a built-in digital audio recording function. The player also includes adjustment for microphone bass, microphone treble, microphone volume, microphone echo, and a music equalizer to fi ne tune performance.

www.acesonic.com

Music Bible Series from Book Sales

The Music Bible series of music instruction books for guitar, keyboard, drum, and saxophone players is now available. The packaging for these full color books is hardcover with internal wire binding and each comes with a CD. Some of the titles include: Learn to Play Guitar; Guitar Chord Bible; Learn to Play Keyboards; and How to Record Your Own Music and Get On the Internet.

www.booksalesusa.com

FBT?s ProMaxX Series

FBT?s ProMaxX Series Powered and Passive Speaker Systems are designed, engineered, and manufactured in Italy. The ProMaxx Series consists of three two-way powered speakers and three two-way passive speakers in lightweight gas injected molded polypropylene cabinets, and a 1200wRMS powered subwoofer, constructed in Baltic birch plywood.

The three powered two-way models, the ProMaxX 14a, ProMaxX12a, ProMaxX 10a, all feature 600wRMS Class D LF amps and 300wRMS HF Class D amps with switch mode power supplies. The amps circuitry is enclosed in an aluminum chassis, whichacts as a heat sink to eliminate thermal shutdowns and the use of a fan to cool the amplifi ers circuitry. Instead of rotary EQ controls, a new control panel features a DSP with eight factory EQ presets to provide easy EQ adjustment for a variety of applications. The control panels also feature balanced XLR in / signal thru out, a high pass fi lter switch, ground lift switch, volume control, power on, and protect and peak LED indicators.

All ProMaxX speakers feature neodymium magnet woofers with die cast aluminum frames and neodymium magnet HF Drivers with titanium diaphragms, custom made for FBT by B&C Speakers. The ProMaxx14a, features a new 14? woofer, to deliver a similar LF frequency response of 15?, in a smaller, yet more effi cient package.

www.fbtusa.net

Yamaha Arius Digital Piano

Yamaha?s 88-note graded hammer action Arius YDP-161B digital piano features AWM Dynamic Sampled piano voices and comes in a new black walnut finish. Providing true piano touch and tone, the YDP-161B is suitable for beginners and experienced pianists alike. The half-damper effect gives players expressive control over sustained sounds when pedaling for a more realistic acoustic piano experience. The two-track song recorder is ideal for using built-in recordings of standard piano repertoire during practice.

Another feature is the ability to mute either hand of the 50 preset songs, letting players practice each hand independently at their own tempo until they?re ready to put the two parts together. Dual headphone jacks allow two people to sit at the instrument and play, practice or teach in privacy without making a sound out of the speaker system.

www.yamaha.com

Sculpturra Digital Designer Styled Piano Line

Sculpturra?s lead model, the X2, has the outward appearance of a contemporary dining/console table measuring 25?x 63?, but the front portion of the unit folds down to reveal a full 88-key piano in a slide-out panel. There are also ten other models in sizes up to a full nine feet concert grand including a limited edition six feet designer grand. All Sculpturra models are designed in-house by Tom Van Rijn, who was trained in design and architecture in his native Holland.

www.sculpturra.com

Casio Privia PX-330

Casio?s Privia PX-330 digital piano features all new grand piano samples and a new Tri-Sensor 88-note scaled hammer action keyboard and weighs only 26 pounds. Four dynamic layers of stereo piano samples are integrated with Casio?s proprietary Linear Morphing System, for a grand piano sound with seamless transitions and a dynamic range. For added realism, the PX330 simulates the sound of the open strings when the dampers are raised by the pedal using Acoustic Resonance DSP. The PX-330 also has 128-note polyphony, enough horsepower for the most demanding musical passages and the ability to layer sounds and use the damper pedal without worry of dropped notes. Utilizing the PX330?s 250 on-board sounds and 180 rhythms, up to 16 tracks can be recorded. Accepting SD memory, songs can be saved and loaded to standard MIDI fi les from the Internet. The PX330 features a built-in metronome and a pitch bend wheel.

www.casio.com

New Choral Works from Carl Fischer

Carl Fischer has made available a new crop of choral works from BriLee Music for middle school and developing choral ensembles. Once again, BriLee has employed the talent of composers such as Vicki Tucker Courtney, Sandra Howard, Greg Gilpin, Earlene Rentz, Patrick M. Liebergen, and more. This new collection contains a wide assortment of folk songs, spirituals and arrangements of masterworks, focusing mainly on unison/two-part chorals, for developing and middle school groups. BriLee also offers selections for treble chorus, male chorus, or mixed ensemble. In particular, directors seeking chorals for the changing male voice will be especially pleased. Finally, BriLee continues to provide free Part-by-Part tracks for individual chorals in the 2011 collection: part-dominant MP3s for each voice part, as well as accompaniment and performance recordings - all available for free at www.carlfi scher.com.

Carl Fischer Music is also now distributing Balquhidder Music?s Complete Canzonets for Two Voices by Thomas Morley, edited by Mark Du-lin. This volume contains the complete works from Thomas Morley?s First Book of Canzonets for Two Voices (BQ119 - Performance Score - $11.95), and has already been praised as ?masterfully adapted? for two trumpets by Chris Martin, Principal Trumpet of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. All of the music in this collection would originally have been sung, played on instruments or a combination of the two. As the original works do not indicate dynamics, tempo markings or articulation, Dulin elected to exclude them here as well.

www.carlfIscher.com

Stone Soup: An Operatic Fable in One Delicious Act from Theodore Presser Company

Theodore Presser Company has announced the publication of Daniel Dorff ?s widely-performed Stone Soup: An Operatic Fable in One Delicious Act (411-41126 - Piano/Vocal Score - $19.95), with libretto by Frank McQuilkin. Written for SATB solo voices and piano or orchestral accompaniment with optional SATB chorus, this light-hearted storytelling work was commissioned by the Young Authences organization. Stone Soup has received well over a thousand school performances in its original piano version, as well as many full productions with orchestra. Using catchy tunes, humor, and a story about food, the message that ?it takes all kinds of people to make up a happy town? is heard as a clear parallel to ?it takes all kinds of food to make stone soup.?

www.presser.com

IK Multimedia?s VocaLive App

IK Multimedia has announced that VocaLive(TM), the fi rst professional performing and recording vocal processor app for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, is now available for download from the iTunes App Store.

VocaLive provides vocalists with a suite of 12 real-time professional vocal effects along with a capable recorder for studio quality sound in a portable package. When used with the new iRig Mic, VocaLive gives singers an easy-to-use but extremely powerful music creation tool that provides professional results previously achievable only with expensive hardware or complex computer software.

VocaLive includes 5 Vocal Effects - Pitch Fix (for tuning correction or stylized quantization FX), Choir (a 3part harmonizer), Morph (an X-Y pitch and formant shifter that changes the tonal quality of the voice from subtle deepening to radical gender bending), De-Esser and Double (Double effect gets unlocked by registering) - along with 7 Studio Effects - Reverb, Delay, Parametric EQ, Compressor, Chorus, Phazer and Envelope Filter - that together create the perfect vocal processing solution. The effects can be combined into a chain of three processors and saved as presets. A collection of dozens of Presets is also included to get users up and running immediately.

www.ikmultimedia.com/vocalive

US Patent Issued on Feb. 15 for "Internet Operating System Through Embeddable Applet-Style Application" (Pennsylvania Inventor)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 21 -- United States Patent no. 7,890,574, issued on Feb. 15.

"Internet Operating System Through Embeddable Applet-Style Application" was invented by Brent J. Angeline (Friendsville, Pa.).

According to the abstract released by the U.

S. Patent & Trademark Office: "An Internet-based operating system providing data and application software stored on a server that may be selectively downloaded to a client device upon request, allowing server-based applications to be accessed and executed on the client device. The end user, operating a client device may access a wide variety of application software with no need to purchase, install, and maintain the software on his machine. Using an easy-to-use GUI, a user selects an application, opens existing or creates new files. The application executable code is identified by a link embedded in a stream of markup language, typically XML. The operating system allows complex applications to be executed on thin clients having limited memory/storage capacity."

The patent was filed on May 10, 2006, under Application No. 11/431,679.

For further information please visit: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?

Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=7890574&OS=7890574&RS=7890574

For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

Brazil Joins Resources To Build Research Base

Brazil is becoming a valuable source of new science that stems from its relationship with its rich natural resources, according to a report from an independent think tank based in the United Kingdom.

The report, Brazil: the natural knowledge economy, was written as part of the Demos think tank's wider Atlas of Ideas research project, which has already studied China, India and South Korea. (http://www.demos. co.uk/projects/atlasofideas/overview; http://www.demos.co.uk/files/Brazil_ NKE_web.pdf) The next phase of the project will consider the science, research and technology capacities of 15 Islamic countries.

Kirsten Bound, the report's author, said at its launch: "Because we don't hear about it doesn't mean that nothing is happening in Brazil."

She pointed out that although Westerners may believe that the Wright brothers invented the aeroplane in 1903, Brazilians are taught that it was actually invented in 1906 by a local called Alberto Santos Dumont. (A fierce historic debate about the issue apparently turns on the definition of a practical aircraft.) What isn't in dispute is that in 2005, Brazilian aerospace company Embraer launched the first commercial aircraft to fly on biofuels, a feat that drew on more than 30 years of local development work on extracting ethanol from sugarcane.

"In Brazil, the key competitive advantage comes when the two ends-resources and knowledge-come together," Bound said.

Brazil's resources include a land mass that makes it the fifth largest country in the world and a population of 186 million, 85 percent of whom live in urban areas. The country has a stable economy, which the World Bank predicts will grow 4.6 percent per year between 2006 and 2010. In 2005, literacy rates were 89 percent, 93 percent of households owned a TV, 462 people out of every thousand had a mobile phone, and 156 per thousand had Internet access.

Education is being strengthened in Brazil, so the country will produce 20,000 Master's degrees and 10,000 Ph.D.s in 2009. Recent policy initiatives include introducing laws to subsidize companies that hire Master's and Ph.D. students; efforts to improve links between university research and industry; and a strong attempt to increase the country's R&D intensity. Under the Programme of Accelerated Growth in Science, Technology and Innovation, introduced in November 2007, Brazil will also invest $20 billion by 2010 in a bid to increase R&D spending from 1 to 1.5 percent of GDP.

Science and Innovation Concentration

Although science and innovation activity is becoming distributed throughout Brazil, Bound's analysis suggests that six states-S�o Paulo, Rio De Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul, Parana, and Santa Catarina-account for around 80 percent of this activity. Much of the work is concentrated in the southeast of the country, especially in Sa?o Paulo, which hosts five of Brazil's top eight universities. Yet Manaus, a city of 1.6 million in the middle of the Amazonian rain forest, is home to a thriving microelectronics industry, as well as the National Amazon Research Centre. Other regions are home to clusters in aerospace technology, telecommunications and IT, health, biotech and pharmaceuticals.

Bound argues that Brazil's combination of natural and intellectual resources means it is well positioned to address important global issues such as the energy crisis, food shortages, climate change and environmental preservation: "It's the shift from learning to fly to learning to deal with the consequences of doing so."

For example, the country has been developing sustainable biofuel technology since 1975. According to Prof. Luiz Augusto Horta Nogueira of the Natural Resources Institute of the University of Itajuba? in Minas Gerais, Brazil now produces 16 percent of its total energy needs from bioethanol (made from sugarcane) and bioelectricity (made from bagasse, a sugarcane residue). This is the equivalent of 780,000 barrels of oil a day.

More than 30 million Brazilian cars run on ethanol or an ethanol/gasoline mix. The yield of ethanol per unit area planted has increased 2.6 times over the past 30 years, with further improvements expected.

"Ethanol is now cheaper than gasoline, being competitive with oil at $45 per barrel," Nogueira said, and is produced without subsidies. Brazil has also been careful to husband its sugar cane resources, introducing new varieties to maintain biodiversity, finding ways to use wasps to control a key sugarcane pest, and developing new logistical and management techniques to cut costs.

"For every unit of energy we put into this system, we get eight to ten times as much energy out," said Nogueira. He compared that to the output of corn biofuels, which he claims only deliver 1.3 times as much energy as is used to produce them.

Global Energy Provider

Nogueira laid out an ambitious analysis of Brazil's potential to become a global energy provider without affecting food production. He said that Brazil's total area is 851 million hectares (MHa), of which 355Mha, or 42 percent, is farm land. Of that, 76.7MHa, or 9 percent of the total, is cultivated, with just 3.6MHa, or 0.5 percent, used for sugarcane for ethanol. Nogueira estimated that 23MHa of land would have to be given over to sugarcane in order to provide 10 percent of global gasoline requirements.

"There's a large amount of room to increase our sugar cane crop without affecting food production," he said. "Area restrictions are not our natural constraint."

Nogueira also pointed out that Brazil was well placed to grow this crop because of its high natural rainfall, an issue with which other areas, such as the western United States, may struggle.

"Biofuels, when properly produced, offer an effective approach to face the new challenges produced by climate change, energy and food security and socio-economic activation in developing countries," he added.

Cultural Diversity Another Resource

Bound argues that Brazil's cultural diversity could be seen as another resource that could be called on to enable international collaboration. Brazil has the largest Japanese population outside Japan, a large Ukrainian population, and is home to the world's largest Italian restaurant: "There's no fear of taking the best from all cultures and using it."

Brazil's ambassador to the UK, His Excellency Carlos Augusto Santos-Neves, applauded the Demos report, in part for reflecting the complexity of the situation in Brazil and in part because of its efforts to highlight the link between Brazil's future prospects and its land.

"We have an obsession with our territory. We feel the need to understand what our territory and our country is all about," he said. "The idea of a natural knowledge economy fits well with Brazil's intellectual tradition of [valuing] people who explain what Brazil is."

The ambassador also made a pitch for the value of using Brazilians to address Brazilian issues. "Where we have used resources and looked for explanations that belong to our country, we have been successful," the ambassador said. "Where we have imported ideas, we have been less successful. We do well when we are very close to our obsession with our territory."

Bound suggested that Brazil had the opportunity, while it is in the global spotlight caused by the coining of the term BRICS, to accelerate its economic growth through sustainable innovation in ways that might provide a lead for others.

"If Brazil gets the natural knowledge economy right it could have lessons for all of us," Bound concluded.

[Sidebar]

TechTalk

"Innovation is about doing it yourself-internal start-ups, acquisitions, and partnering."-John Chambers, chairman and CEO Cisco Systems, Inc., on CNBC.com, Sept. 3

[Author Affiliation]

Luke Collins writes about science and technology from London, England Luke@lukecollins.org

Syrian tanks reach city where crackdown killed 65

BEIRUT - Syrian tanks rolled toward a tense central city mourningthe deaths of dozens of protesters, reaching the outskirts lateSaturday - hours after a funeral procession through streets linedwith shuttered shops and uniformed security forces, witnesses said.

The government lifted its stranglehold on the Internet, which hasbeen key to motivating people to join the 11-week uprising, but thecrackdown that has left more than 1,200 people dead since March didnot relent: Troops killed at least six protesters in Jisr al-Shughour in the north, according to the Local CoordinationCommittees, which helps organize and document the protests callingfor the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.

Syria's state-run news agency, SANA, said "armed criminal groups"attacked several police stations in Jisr al-Shughour, killing twopolicemen.

At least 65 protesters were killed in Hama on Friday, the SyrianObservatory for Human Rights said.

The tanks at the entrance to Hama caused new alarm. The city roseup against Assad's father in 1982, only to be crushed by a three-week bombing campaign that killed thousands.

"Dozens of tanks are reaching the southern outskirts of thecity," said an activist who lives in a nearby town. "They willprobably lay a siege, then storm Hama."

The move toward Hama could mean that the army is preparing for amajor operation there.

similar to recent offensives in other areas, including thesouthern city of Daraa, the coastal city of Baniyas and the centraltown of Rastan.

HOW TO REALLY QUIT SMOKING - FOR GOOD

It's not enough to simply promise to stub out the butts for yourNew Year's resolution.

Massachusetts residents, though, should have a somewhat easiertime given that smoking cessation programs are covered by the 2006health law. Folks in Boston can also get two weeks of nicotinepatches for free, while supplies last, from the Boston Public HealthCommission; Mass. residents in other areas may qualify too, butthere are certain restrictions. Call 800-Quit-Now for more details.

So what does it take to succeed at quitting? A study publishedlast week in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that usingan Internet program that detailed quitting approaches like nicotinetherapy wasn't enough for most to keep abstaining over a period of18 months. Using an online program combined with individualtelephone support raised success rates from 3.5 to 7.7 percent.

17gdaily3.ART

Buffett: Gates to help on Berkshire's board; Investment wizard says that the Microsoft chairman has a 'good business mind'

OMAHA, Neb. - Investment wizard Warren Buffett said last week thatadding fellow billionaire Bill Gates to the board of BerkshireHathaway Inc. will help ensure Berkshire's success, even afterBuffett is gone.

"With Bill, you've got one of the best minds in the world. He'sgot a good business mind, and he is interested in things beyondbusiness," said Buffett, the 74-year-old chairman and chief executiveof Berkshire.

Gates, the 49-year-old founder and chairman of Microsoft Corp.,the world's largest software company, and Buffett are both worth morethan $40 billion each and are the two richest people in the world.They have been friends since 1991.

Buffett said Gates understands Berkshire's corporate culture,which includes making long-term investments and buying businesses tohelp them grow. "You've got a person who wants very much to helpduring my life and beyond my life," Buffett said.

It is similar to making Gates a trustee of a will, Buffett said."There's nothing more important to me than that Berkshire" continuesas a strong company, Buffett said.

Buffett said he was reluctant to ask Gates to join Berkshire'sboard because Gates is busy and Berkshire will take some of his time.

"But he said 'yes,' '' Buffett said.

Shareholders voted Gates onto Berkshire's board at the company'sannual meeting last weekend. He had been appointed to the board inDecember to fill the vacancy left by the July death of Buffett'swife, Susan. Berkshire Hathaway, based in Omaha, is a holding companywith stakes in many different companies.

One day after taking questions for nearly six hours at Berkshire'sannual meeting, Buffett and Berkshire vice chairman Charlie Mungerheld a nearly three-hour news conference. Asked about the newspaperindustry, they said readership and the ability of newspapers to makemoney have declined over the years because of television and theInternet dispersing news and advertising.

"Newspapers used to generate huge amounts of cash," Buffett said,but those days may be over.

Copyright 2005 by Telegraph Herald, All rights Reserved.

Fed: migrants continue to fuel Aust's population increase - ABS


AAP General News (Australia)
04-28-2004
Fed: migrants continue to fuel Aust's population increase - ABS

CANBERRA, April 28 AAP - Overseas-born people boosted Australia's population by 250,000
in the five years to June 30, 2002, Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures released
today showed.

By comparison, the number of people born in Australia increased by 868,000 in the same
period, the ABS said.

The percentage of people born overseas remained stable at 23 per cent of the population.

After the United Kingdom (1.1 million or six per cent of Australia's population in
2002), were New Zealand (414,000 or two per cent), Italy (235,000 or 1.2 per cent), Vietnam
(171,000 or 0.9 per cent) and China (165,000 or 0.8 per cent).

The ABS said New Zealanders (90,000 people), Chinese (33,000), South Africans (29,000)
and Indians (23,000) added the largest numbers of people to Australia's population in
the five-year period, after Australian-born.

People born in Iraq (nine per cent) and South Africa (eight per cent) were the fastest-growing
groups in Australia's population over the same period

But the Iraq-borns' rapid growth was partly as a result of starting from a small base
(19,100 in 1997).

People born in the UK continued to make up the largest percentage of overseas-born
people but this figure had declined marginally each year over the five year period, the
ABS said.

More than half of the annual growth of Australia's population for the period came from
net overseas migration.

The ABS said 11 per cent more settlers arrived in Australia from 2001-02 to 2002-03
while permanent departures also increased, by 10 per cent.

There was a continuing trend towards Australian-born people leaving permanently.

They had been about half of all permanent departures since 1998-99.

AAP dep/jg/cjh/bwl

KEYWORD: MIGRANTS

2004 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Vic: Prominent Anglican clergyman ordained a Catholic priest


AAP General News (Australia)
12-23-2003
Vic: Prominent Anglican clergyman ordained a Catholic priest

A prominent Anglican clergyman known for his hardline stance on gay clergy and the
ordination of women has become a Roman Catholic priest.

Ballarat's former Anglican Dean BILL EDEBOHLS, who's married with children, was ordained
in Melbourne's St Patrick's Cathedral last month.

The Pope allows married priests who convert to Catholicism an exemption from the vow of celibacy.

A spokesman for St Peter's Catholic Church in the Melbourne suburb of Keilor East says
Father EDEBOHLS is busy preparing for a Christmas mass there.

DAVID CHISLETT, Rector of the Anglican All Saints Church in Brisbane and a friend of
Father EDEBOHLS, has told ABC Radio some so-called Anglo-Catholics are unhappy with the
direction of the Anglican Church.

This year's appointment of an openly gay man as bishop of New Hampshire in the United
States and the 1992 move to ordain women as priests has seen divisions in the Anglican
Church.

AAP RTV rb/gfr/dl/jmt

KEYWORD: ANGLICAN (MELBOURNE)

2003 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Fed: Navy ship rescues Solomons Islanders

00-00-0000
Fed: Navy ship rescues Solomons Islanders

An Australian warship has saved six men from heavy seas in the Solomon Islands aftertheir canoe took on water and sank.

The defence department says HMAS Hawkesbury, with 42 crew, had just finished a mercydash ferrying a sick baby to the regional hospital in Ghizo, one of the Solomons' islands.

The crew spotted two men in the water and found another four after a search.

Their powered canoe was swamped in big waves and capsized.

HMAS Hawkesbury commanding officer PAUL MANDZIY says the crew battled heavy seas andwinds of up to 35 knots to launch an inflatable boat to pick up the men.

AAP RTV kmh/wz

KEYWORD: SOLOMONS RESCUE (CANBERRA)

Thursday, March 1, 2012

NSW: Road changes in central Sydney for tunnel roadwork

00-00-0000
NSW: Road changes in central Sydney for tunnel roadwork

SYDNEY, April 6 AAP - Sydney motorists are bracing for delays caused by new trafficconditions in the CBD during construction work on the Cross City Tunnel.

The NSW Roads and Traffic Authority said the changed conditions would be in place from8pm (AEST) tonight for the next two-and-a-half years as construction work on the CrossCity Tunnel is stepped up.

The $680 million Cross City Tunnel will run under the city between Darling Harbourand Kings Cross, linking Sydney's eastern suburbs with the west.

A Cross City Tunnel spokesman said motorists should try to avoid the entire westernedge of the CBD for the duration of the traffic changes, which will last until October30, 2005.

"We would expect that these changes, despite signage and prior notice, will impacton traffic on the western edge of the CBD," he said.

The spokesman said businesses, residents and other interested parties in the area hadbeen contacted and warned about traffic changes.

And as part of the campaign for motorists to avoid the area, they could take advantageof a $12 park and ride scheme, which would cover the cost of daily parking at DarlingHarbour as well as a round trip into the city on the Monorail, he said.

"We're building a motorway that will take 90,000 cars off the road each day, but atthe same time we have to build it while those 90,000 cars are still on the road," he said.

The spokesman said the changes were necessary because heavy machinery, including sixtunnelling machines, were due to start work in the construction area.

Among the traffic changes:

- Druitt St would be reduced to two lanes, including one bus lane, west of Kent St,while a mandatory right-turn would be introduced for all vehicles in the right lane ofDruitt Street, at Clarence St and Kent St.

- Sussex St would be two-way between Liverpool St and Druitt St, to provide an alternativeroute to Anzac Bridge via Liverpool Street.

- Vehicles over 6m long would be prevented from travelling Northbound on Sussex St,north of Liverpool St, while no right-hand turn would be permitted from Sussex St southboundonto Druitt St.

- Through traffic would be prohibited in York Street between Market Street and DruittStreet, except for buses, taxis, service vehicles and general vehicles accessing the QueenVictoria Building car park.

AAP smb/gmw/kim/de

KEYWORD: TUNNEL

SA: Houses evacuated in Adelaide fire

00-00-0000
SA: Houses evacuated in Adelaide fire

Fire has threatened the historic South Australian town of Old Noarlunga, forcing theevacuation of several houses.

South Australian Country Fire Service spokesman BRENTON RAGLESS says flames came within30 metres of an historic church and houses.

He says the church came close to being lost.

Around 150 fire service firefighters backed up by 20 fire trucks and three water bombingaircraft fought for four hours to control the fire, which was controlled by about 6.30pm.

Mr RAGLESS says …

WA: Children overboard people smuggling trial begins

00-00-0000
WA: Children overboard people smuggling trial begins

PERTH, Aug 26 AAP - A people smuggling trial of three Indonesians allegedly involvedin the children overboard affair began in the Perth District Court today.

The men Ganjang (one name only), Jacky Lerebulan and Geri Bebri Iraratu are chargedwith bringing 219 non-citizens to Australia illegally between October 1 and October 8last year.

The asylum seekers the trio allegedly brought to Australia became notorious after thefederal government accused them of throwing children overboard when their boat was interceptedby HMAS Adelaide off Christmas Island.

The claims were later proven false, and the incident is now subject to a senate inquiry.

The trial, which began today, continues.

AAP lk/bd/tnf/sb

KEYWORD: BOAT SMUGGLE

NSW: Man rescued from inside underground pipe in Sydney

00-00-0000
NSW: Man rescued from inside underground pipe in Sydney

SYDNEY, April 18 AAP - A man was rescued in Sydney this morning after suffering breathingdifficulties 80 metres into an underground pipe.

The maintenance worker was working in the horizontal pipe about 80m from a man holeon the corner of Phillip Street and Parramatta Road at Petersham in Sydney's inner westaround 4am (AEST).

He had become fatigued and experienced breathing difficulties, a police spokesman said.

"The man, who was wearing breathing apparatus, was conscious throughout the incidentas he was assisted by Police Rescue personnel," the spokesman said.

Ambulance officers were at the scene on standby.

He was taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for assessment.

AAP rk/arb/jmd

KEYWORD: PIPE

Fed: Fewer plane crashes but more deaths in 2001, says ATSB

00-00-0000
Fed: Fewer plane crashes but more deaths in 2001, says ATSB

CANBERRA, Feb 4 AAP - Australian aircraft had fewer accidents in 2001 than the previousyear, but the accidents that did occur caused a higher number of deaths, figures releasedtoday showed.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau statistics for aeroplanes showed 183 accidentsresulted in 22 deaths in 2001, compared with 199 accidents but only 18 deaths in 2000.

Helicopters had 43 accidents and five deaths in 2001, compared with 46 accidents resultingin three deaths the year before.

Queensland led the accident rate, with 52 aeroplane accidents and eight deaths, and18 helicopter …

NSW: US emergency workers say Aust prepared for tragedy


AAP General News (Australia)
12-06-2001
NSW: US emergency workers say Aust prepared for tragedy

US emergency workers say Australia is well prepared to cope with incidents like the
September 11 terror attacks.

Members of the Fire and Rescue Department of Fairfax County in Virginia have praised
the readiness of New South Wales emergency services personnel.

Firefighter DEWEY PERKS says Australia has taken measures to prepare itself for an emergency.

He says it has a very ordered methodology, which is well thought out and well executed.

The US fire and rescue workers, whose base is near Washington city, are in Australia
to discuss emergency management with New South Wales authorities AAP RTV rhp/jjs/wjf/jh

KEYWORD: EMERGENCY (SYDNEY)

2001 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

NSW: Woman shot in bungled robbery


AAP General News (Australia)
04-23-2001
NSW: Woman shot in bungled robbery

A woman has been shot during a bungled armed hold up of a newsagency near Bankstown,
in Sydney's south-west.

Police say a man wearing a ski mask and armed with a gun entered the Sefton newsagency
at about 10am this morning demanding money.

It's believed the gun discharged when another staff member tried to disarm the man.

The woman, who also worked at the newsagency, was injured by the discharge.

The woman was taken to Westmead Hospital where she is in a serious but stable condition.

Police believe there may have been an accomplice involved who drove the getaway car.

AAP RTV ld/jjs/rsm

KEYWORD: SHOT (SYDNEY)

2001 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

WA:Typo excuse for voting card ridiculous: One Nation


AAP General News (Australia)
02-08-2001
WA:Typo excuse for voting card ridiculous: One Nation

By Selina Day

PERTH, Feb 8 AAP - One Nation today described as ridiculous attempts by a senior West
Australian minister to pass off the positioning of One Nation ahead of Labor on sample
how-to-vote cards.

WA Health Minister John Day came under fire today over a letter and voting card he
sent to households in his eastern Perth electorate recommending voters put One Nation
second last and Labor last in Saturday's election.

The preference order breaches Liberal policy of putting Pauline Hanson's party last,
but Mr Day said today the …

Diary add for Friday, December 8, 2000


AAP General News (Australia)
12-08-2000
Diary add for Friday, December 8, 2000
SYDNEY


1200 - Minister for Western Sydney Kim Yeadon will attend the Western Sydney Industry
Awards Luncheon, Carlton Hotel, 350 Church Street, Parramatta. Contact: Warwick Ponder
9228 3688 or 0409 369 711.



AAP RTV jjs/apm

KEYWORD: DIARY FRIDAY ADD DECEMBER 8, 2000

2000 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Fed: Bosses won t back use of corporations power Labor


AAP General News (Australia)
04-26-2000
Fed: Bosses won t back use of corporations power Labor

CANBERRA, April 26 AAP - Not many bosses would back federal government plans to use
the corporations power of the constitution to bring about workplace reform, Labor said
today.

Workplace Relations Minister Peter Reith has mooted using the powers to bring about
change, particularly since the collapse of his second wave industrial legislation last
year.

Under section 51 of the constitution, federal parliament has the power to make laws
concerning foreign corporations and trading or financial corporations.

Legislating on workplace matters in relation to single or groups of corporations would
allow the federal government to override state industrial laws.

"Peter Reith keeps talking about using the corporations power and raising the prospect
either directly or indirectly that the corporations power might allow him to override
states," opposition industrial relations spokesman Arch Bevis told AAP.

"I'm sure that it is not just all of the states, Labor and Liberal, that he would have
an argument over with that, there are many employers who do not support that.

"There are many employers who think they get a more direct, less legalistic process
if they go through their local state tribunals than if they had to go through the federal
system."

He said major industrial disputes including the BHP, ACI and waterfront issues had
all gone through the courts.

"There are plenty of employers, like the unions, who don't want to get themselves tied
up in the costs and red tape that the legal system involves.

"They'd much rather have the less formal avenues that are available to them under the
state tribunals."

Mr Bevis denied Labor's plan to abolish Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs) in government
would also put pressure on the courts.

"The AWAs have not been designed to reduce red tape and legal burden," he said.

"The AWAs have been designed to reduce minimum protections for ordinary workers and
they've been used exactly that way with the government's own employees."

AWAs were used by only one per cent of the workforce, he said.

"The truth is they've been duds."

AAP dep/mfh/jtb/br

KEYWORD: CORPORATIONS

2000 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

NSW: Rival stations call for 2UE s expulsion from industry body


AAP General News (Australia)
02-10-2000
NSW: Rival stations call for 2UE s expulsion from industry body

Sydney radio station 2UE has reportedly been threatened with expulsion from its own
industry body in the wake of the so-called cash for comments inquiry.

The Australian newspaper reports rival stations have asked the Federation of Australian
Radio Broadcasters, known as FARB, to consider expelling 2UE in punishment for bringing
the sector into disrepute.

The Australian Broadcasting Authority has attached two new conditions to 2UE's radio
licence that say the broadcaster must make disclosures each time a sponsor's name is mentioned.

The new conditions follow a four month investigation by the ABA into the sponsorship
dealings of 2UE broadcasters JOHN LAWS and ALAN JONES, which found 2UE breached industry
guidelines 95 times.

Macquarie network shareholder JOHN SINGLETON has told the newspaper the network has
asked FARB to expell 2UE and says other stations should not be punished because of 2UE's
actions.

AAP RTV km/wz

KEYWORD: DEALS (SYDNEY)

2000 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

FED: Water Police called in to help handle unruly passengers


AAP General News (Australia)
12-08-1999
FED: Water Police called in to help handle unruly passengers

By Karen Michelmore

SYDNEY, Dec 8 AAP - Police have been called in to prevent a repeat of a drunken rampage
by several school leavers on a South Pacific cruise "holiday from hell".

The teenagers damaged cabins and sprayed fire extinguishers, while others on the Fair
Princess fought, swore and abused other passengers while bingeing on alcohol, said cruise
company P&O Australia.

The liner docked in Sydney yesterday before leaving last night on another cruise.

P&O Australia has now called in the NSW Water Police to help them refine their techniques
for dealing with unruly passengers.

The company will also limit the amount of duty free alcohol passengers can bring back
from port and drink in their cabins.

Today P&O Holidays managing director Phil Riley told AAP that three NSW police officers
boarded the ship last night as it left Sydney with another group of 900 celebrating school
leavers.

After the trouble on the previous cruise, P&O contacted each of the 197 passengers
aged over 30 booked on last night's holiday and six cancelled their bookings.

Last week four school leavers were kicked off the Fair Princess and several other passengers
complained about their South Pacific trip, which was overrun with more than 900 school
leavers.

Just 250 of about 1,150 passengers were aged over 22, Mr Riley said.

One young man who was asked to leave the ship in New Caledonia for fighting was thrown
out of his Noumea hotel room for the same thing the next day, he said.

"He continued to act in that manner. The boy has obviously got a problem," Mr Riley said.

He said he asked three members of the Water Police, including a youth counsellor and
crowd control expert, to join the cruise to help with the company's security techniques.

One problem was there was no legal restriction on the amount of alcohol passengers
could bring on to the ship because it was in international waters.

"We have put a company stop to that in future, ... not only with school leavers ...

only one litre of alcohol per person over the age of 18 will be permitted on board."

The company was prepared to search bags before passengers reboarded the ship.

"This has been a constant problem for us at Port Vila (in Vanuatu) where excessive
amounts of alcohol are sold at the duty free shop there to anyone of any age.

"They don't have the same sort of restrictions (that) we face."

Mr Riley said passengers who emptied the fire extinguishers would have been prosecuted
if they had been caught.

He said unruly behaviour occurred on other cruises.

"We try and identify that element and put them off."

Ten passengers on board the cruise have complained about not being told of the large
number of school leavers.

P&O is negotiating compensation with then on an individual basis, he said.

AAP km/sb/cjh/br i

KEYWORD: CRUISE NIGHTLEAD

1999 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

VIC: Remand prisoner escapes briefly during hospital visit


AAP General News (Australia)
04-23-1999
VIC: Remand prisoner escapes briefly during hospital visit

MELBOURNE, April 23 AAP - A remand prisoner charged with murder being held at Melbourne's
privately-run Port Phillip Prison today made a dash for freedom in central Melbourne in peak
hour after a hospital visit, a spokesman for the prison said.

The prisoner, whose name has not been released, had attended a special prison ward at St
Vincent's Hospital where an ultrasound was conducted over a self-inflicted injury, the
spokesman for the prison management firm Group Four said.

"He was about to be put back in the prison van. He was hand-cuffed, but not hand-cuffed to
the prison officer," the spokesman said.

"He yanked away, pulled away the cuff the officer had hold of and ran out of the hospital
grounds," he said.

An ambulance driver who witnessed the incident tried to use his vehicle to thwart the
escape attempt, but the prisoner evaded him, he said.

The prisoner ran out onto the major central Melbourne intersection of Victoria Parade and
Nicholson St, and ran towards a car, apparently intending to get in the car but the driver
sped off, the spokesman said.

He then ran along tram tracks and was almost hit by a tram, he said.

But the dash for freedom ended when the two prison officers, both employees of Group Four,
caught up with the prisoner.

A spokesman for the Victoria Police said the police prison squad was investigating the
incident.

AAP gf/cdh

KEYWORD: ESCAPE VIC

1999 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

SA: Tour cyclists warned: wear helmets or face fines


AAP General News (Australia)
01-15-1999
SA: Tour cyclists warned: wear helmets or face fines

ADELAIDE, Jan 15 AAP - Elite international cyclists training for next week's Tour Down
Under have been warned to wear helmets or face $49 on-the-spot fines.

Police today signalled a crackdown on riders who did not abide by South Australian law
after members of the public complained that some of the cyclists were not wearing helmets
during training sessions.

Senior Sergeant Terry Roberts, who is involved in the planning for events such as the Tour
Down Under, said the riders would not be given any special treatment.

"They now become …

FED:Main stories in Thursday's AM program


AAP General News (Australia)
12-22-2011
FED:Main stories in Thursday's AM program

SYDNEY, Dec 22 AAP - Main stories in Thursday's AM program:

- Indonesian police are investigating accusations that three soldiers were involved
in helping people smugglers organise the final stage of an operation that led to the fatal
asylum seeker boat tragedy at the weekend.

- Health authorities in Britain and Australia have been attempting to ease concerns
about the safety of a brand of breast implants, after the French government considered
recalling them.

- The European Central Bank has taken more emergency action to protect the solvency
of the region's struggling lenders by handing out more than half-a-trillion Euros in cheap
loans.

- The federal government is under pressure to abandon its plans for an interest rate
cap for short-term and pay day loans, but a consumer group says there's evidence to support
such a move.

- A London company says it is boycotting timber products from Tasmania because of lobbying
by activists.

- The mourning for Kim Jong-il continues unabated in North Korea, but there are signs
emerging the transition of dynasty to his son Kim Jong-un may lead to real change.

- The pre-trial hearing for US Army intelligence analyst Bradley Manning, accused of
leaking top secret information to whistleblower website Wikileaks, is nearing a close.

- Syrian opposition leaders have called for emergency meetings at the UN Security Council
and Arab League to address the worsening violence in the country, following reports that
250 people have been killed since Monday.

- The Victorian government is banning poker machines with headphones because of concerns
they could help gamblers disconnect from reality.

AAP ra/jcd

KEYWORD: MONITOR ABC AM

� 2011 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Vic: CFA and MFB say: we get on fine


AAP General News (Australia)
02-20-2009
Vic: CFA and MFB say: we get on fine

Victoria's two firefighting bodies have rejected claims of parochial infighting ..

with the heads of both organisations saying they work well together.

The Country Fire Authority and Metropolitan Fire Brigade say they understand career
firefighters were frustrated about not being sent to blazes .. but the whole state was
affected and they couldn't risk leaving some parts unprotected.

CFA …

FED:Competition to lower NBN prices: govt


AAP General News (Australia)
07-29-2011
FED:Competition to lower NBN prices: govt

Communications Minister STEPHEN CONROY has played down reports households will have
to pay high prices for high-speed broadband, as he switched on the NBN in another mainland
town.

Internet retailer Internode released the first pricing plan last week, saying households
will pay at least $60 and up to $190 a month for combined phone and internet services
on the National Broadband Network.

But as Senator CONROY switched on the NBN in Kiama, on the New South Wales south coast,
he told reporters the big companies have yet to release their price packages, and competition
will lead to lower prices.

Meanwhile, NBN Co chief executive MIKE QUIGLEY insists the NBN is capable of reaching
peak speeds of 100 megabits per second.

He says reports some connected households had not been able to reach such speeds could
be attributed to retail service providers not buying enough capacity and individuals working
on older computers.

AAP RTV ih/wjf/apm

KEYWORD: NBN (SYDNEY)

� 2011 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

FED:Moon turns red on Saturday


AAP General News (Australia)
12-09-2011
FED:Moon turns red on Saturday

The moon will turn red tomorrow for the second time this year.

Stargazers will have to wait until 2014 for a repeat performance of the celestial spectacular,
visible only in Australia and parts of Asia.

It's the second total lunar eclipse this year, following one in May.

Australia's east coast is one of the best places on earth to see the eclipse and it
can be seen from just before midnight tomorrow until 3am Sunday (AEDT).

The entire moon will turn red as it slips into the earth's darkest shadow.

AAP RTV tr/crh

KEYWORD: ECLIPSE (SYDNEY)

� 2011 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

FED:Japan to boost Australian exports: NAB


AAP General News (Australia)
04-05-2011
FED:Japan to boost Australian exports: NAB

Australian farmers can expect a jump in both demand and the price of their produce
.. following the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan.

The latest analysis from the National Australia Bank says the ongoing nuclear scare
also makes it very likely that Japan will increase its imports.

That's good news for Australia .. which exports more agricultural goods to Japan than
any other country.

The NAB analysis has found the new export demand is also likely to drive up commodity
prices over the medium term .. particularly beef .. pork .. chicken and rice.

The March 11 disasters have largely affected the North Tohoku region .. which is Japan's
fourth largest food bowl and produces about 20 per cent of the country's rice.

AAP RTV cj/tm/psm/

KEYWORD: AGRICULTURE NAB (CANBERRA)

� 2011 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

FED:Record number of births


AAP General News (Australia)
12-14-2010
FED:Record number of births

More babies have been born in Australia in the past five years than during any other
time in the nation's history.

The Bureau of Statistics says almost 300 thousand babies were born in each of the past
two years .. and more than a quarter of a million for each of the three years before that.

The bureau's study has also found that women have less children .. on average .. if
they're part of a higher socioeconomic demographic.

AAP RTV ms/sb/af

KEYWORD: BIRTHS (CANBERRA)

� 2010 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

HighLights of the AAP National Wire at 14:30, Aug 6


AAP General News (Australia)
08-06-2010
HighLights of the AAP National Wire at 14:30, Aug 6

Eds: Reissuing to remove Poll10 Abbott 2nd Wrap. No further wrap to come after Poll10
Abbott Wrap which has already moved



POLL10:

CANBERRA - Prime Minister Julia Gillard has defended the government's economic credentials
in the wake of the report into Labor's controversial schools stimulus program. (Poll10
2nd Update) Wrap to come



CANBERRA - Prime Minister Julia Gillard is unrepentant about her government's Building
the Education Revolution (BER) scheme, despite a finding it inflated building costs by
up to 12 per cent. (Poll10 Schools 2nd Update, with factbox) Wrap to come

SYDNEY - The NSW opposition is calling for NSW Education Minister Verity Firth to be
sacked after an independent taskforce criticised the state government's management of
a building stimulus program. (Poll10 Schools NSW) Wrap to come

See also Poll10 Schools Greens, Comment from Chris Pyne to come



CANBERRA - Up to 100,000 more Australians could be allowed to vote in the August 21
election after the High Court ruled parts of the Electoral Act were unconstitutional.

(Poll10 Getup)

To come: Comment from Bob Brown, Poll10 Getup Wrap



SYDNEY - The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has maintained its forecasts for strong
economic growth in Australia, but much depends on the resource sector's timetable for
starting major projects. (RBA Statement) See also RBA Statement Analysis

SYDNEY - The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) monetary policy statement released on
Friday underscored the strength of the economy, Treasurer Wayne Swan says. (Poll10 Economy
Swan)

See also Poll10 Stiglitz Gillard, Poll10 Economy Abbott

Poll10 Economy Wrap to come



DEVONPORT - Two weeks ago Natalie Wyllie logged on to social networking site Facebook
only to discover that her local MP Sid Sidebottom had deleted her as a "friend" from his
public profile. (Poll10 Abbott Wrap, with pics and video)

Also Poll10 Gillard Wrap to come



CANBERRA - Health Minister Nicola Roxon says the coalition's $3.1 billion plan to fund
an additional 2800 hospital beds - 1500 more than Labor - doesn't add up. (Poll10 Health
Roxon) Poll10 Health Wrap to come



CANBERRA - Coalition MPs are only wrestling with plans for paid parental leave because
of childcare problems created by Labor, a Liberal backbencher argues. (Poll10 Parental
2nd Update)



CANBERRA - Prime Minister Julia Gillard has accepted that Kevin Rudd is not the source
of damaging cabinet leaks which threatened to derail Labor's election campaign. (Poll10
Rudd Update)



MELBOURNE - Labor has stepped up the fight to retain the marginal seat of Melbourne,
splashing out cash for stormwater projects. (Poll10 Melbourne, with pix)



BRISBANE - They're demanding action from 1700 kilometres apart but the theme is the
same - fix the Bruce Highway. (Poll10 Highway)



See also Poll10 Gillard Churches, Poll10 Rail, Poll10 Petrol, Poll10 Workforce, Poll10
Pyne, Poll10 Gay, Poll10 Environment





OTHER NEWS:



PERTH - A Muslim school director facing trial over fraud charges has been attacked
in Perth amid debate over whether a witness could give evidence wearing a burqa, his lawyers
say. (Burqa Update, with pix) Wrap to come



SYDNEY - A Sydney man has been jailed for at least 10 and a half years for the "brutal"

killing of his girlfriend's baby son, which a court has been told included stomping on
the infant's chest. (Baby) Wrap to come



MELBOURNE - Coroners finding into the death of Lauren James who died after liposuction
on her buttocks, knees and thighs went wrong in January 2007. (James to come, after finding
delivered from 1530)



CHRISTCHURCH - Ravaged by injury, condemned by critics and staring a dreaded piece
of history in the face, the beleaguered Wallabies have resorted to brainwashing themselves
into believing they can beat the All Blacks. (Tri Aust Wrap to come)



MORE mn

KEYWORD: HIGHLIGHTS NATIONAL (REISSUING)

� 2010 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

FED: National holiday road toll rises to 38


AAP General News (Australia)
12-26-2009
FED: National holiday road toll rises to 38

FOLLOWING IS A BREAKDOWN OF ROAD FATALITIES THIS HOLIDAY SEASON 2009-2010:



New South Wales 13

Victoria 10

Queensland 5

Western Australia 6

South Australia 1

Australian Capital Territory 0

Tasmania 2

Northern Territory 1

_______________________________________

NATIONAL TOTAL: 38



(EDS: National road toll figures are for the period 0001 December 18 to 2359 January
3. Some states and territories have different periods.)





AAP RTV jrd/wz/jl/ao

KEYWORD: TOLL NATIONAL (FACTBOX)

2009 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Main stories in tonight's 1800 Seven News


AAP General News (Australia)
08-15-2009
Main stories in tonight's 1800 Seven News

SYDNEY, Aug 15 AAP - Highlights of tonight's Seven News at 1800.

- NSW Treasurer Eric Roozendaal has cautioned the Reserve Bank to move carefully on
interest rates amid fears Sydney's housing recovery may stall.

- Human remains found in bushland near Wollongong are those of a Chinese man reported
missing five months ago, police say.

- Authorities say it could be weeks before the remains of the Australians who died
in a Papua New Guinea plane crash return home.

- A pilot has died after an ultralight helicopter crashed on a property in northwest Sydney.

- A heli-skiing guide has died in an avalanche in New Zealand but four clients with
him, including an Australian, escaped with their lives.

- Right to life advocates will appeal the decision to let quadriplegic Christian Rossiter
die through starvation.

- Food manufacturer Leggos has launched an investigation after a shard of glass was
found in a jar of pasta sauce by a Sydney woman last night.

- The first elephant calf to be born in Australia has been blessed for good health
and success during a traditional Buddhist ceremony in Sydney.

AAP jcc/

KEYWORD: MONITOR SEVEN 1800

2009 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

NSW: Rees' home under guard over fears of bikie payback


AAP General News (Australia)
04-06-2009
NSW: Rees' home under guard over fears of bikie payback

Armed police are guarding the homes of NSW Premier NATHAN REES and some of his senior
ministers round the clock .. over fears of payback from outlaw bikie gangs.

Within hours of the passing of laws on Friday .. giving the courts the power to declare
the gangs illegal .. police orders were issued to assign extra officers to watch over
Mr REES and Police Minister TONY KELLY.

The Daily Telegraph says police sources have confirmed that several politicians' homes
are being monitored around the clock.

Government sources says the level of protection is unprecedented for a premier.

A spokesman for Mr REES says his office won't comment on the additional security arrangements.

There's no details okn whether any direct threats have been made to the premier or
any of his ministers .. or whether the heightened security is a precautionary measure.

AAP RTV ao/psm/

KEYWORD: BIKIES REES (SYDNEY)

2009 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Vic: Elephants to shift to open plain zoo


AAP General News (Australia)
12-02-2008
Vic: Elephants to shift to open plain zoo

MELBOURNE, Dec 2 AAP - Melbourne Zoo's five Asian elephants are to be moved to Werribee
Open Range Zoo for better care and welfare.

The Age newspaper reported that zoo staff agreed the "ideal" option for the care of
the elephants was to relocate them from their enclosure at the Melbourne Zoo at Parkville
to the wide open spaces at Werribee, Zoos Victoria chief executive John Willis said.

The move would take place in the next five or six years, he said.

It is two years since the controversial $2.5 million importation of three Thai elephants
to Melbourne and five years since a Thai-themed "Trail of the Elephants" was completed
at a cost of $15 million.

"There is a discussion taking place on the concept that we need to look at moving them
down to a more open plains; within the next five or six years' time would be ideal," Mr
Willis said.

Early this year Fairfax reported concern among staff and animal experts about mistreatment
of animals at Parkville.

This included the stabbing of one elephant by a handler using a long, thin tool known
as a marlin spike.

In response, the Victorian government established an animal care watchdog body, the
Welfare Peer Review Committee.

AAP jrd/it

KEYWORD: ELEPHANTS

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