Wednesday, February 29, 2012
FED: Consider expanding biometric border security systems: audit
AAP General News (Australia)
02-26-2008
FED: Consider expanding biometric border security systems: audit
By David Crawshaw
CANBERRA, Feb 26 AAP - Australia should consider fingerprinting passport holders in
addition to using facial recognition technology to minimise identity fraud, a report has
recommended.
The previous government moved in 2005 to introduce facial recognition details on new
passports to improve border security.
But technological improvements since then have prompted other countries, such as the
US and UK, to introduce fingerprinting as another way of cross-matching travellers against
people on a movement …
Teri Gault of The Grocery Game Discusses Extreme Couponing
Wireless News
04-27-2011
Teri Gault of The Grocery Game Discusses Extreme Couponing
Type: News
With the success of TLC's "Extreme Couponing" TV series has come a lot of criticism of this practice, with many viewers taking to the Internet with questions of when extreme couponing turns into hoarding.
According to a release, Teri Gault, founder and CEO of TheGroceryGame.com, a grocery savings website, recently took to her blog in a three-part series discussing TLC's Extreme Couponing and how much is "too much" when it comes to extreme couponing.
"I think the root of hoarding or stocking up applies to all of us and goes back to the beginning of mankind; we all have something in us that should compel us to store up food," said Gault on the Grocery Game blog. "This is healthy and normal, and fine when it's kept in check."
One of the main concepts of saving money with The Grocery Game is the idea of "investing" in products when they are at their lowest sales point in order to stay stocked up until the next time they hit their rock-bottom low price (the sales cycle is about twelve weeks).
"'Investing' is not 'hoarding,' but rather, just smart shopping," said Gault. "However, finding something you often use on a regular basis at a savings of 70 percent off or more may cause you to buy it even though you've invested enough already. If you have enough of one product to last for at least twelve weeks, you probably don't need to buy more of it, even though it's a killer deal."
More information:
www.thegrocerygame.com
((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))
Copyright 2011 Close-Up Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
n/a
QLD:Family tells of its darkest hour
AAP General News (Australia)
08-26-2011
QLD:Family tells of its darkest hour
By Tracey Ferrier
BRISBANE, Aug 26 AAP - The thoughts and prayers of a nation are with him. The arms
of his surviving family and a loving community are around him.
But as Jeremiah Lale spoke of the loss of his wife and five children he seemed alone
in his grief.
"My wife, she took all my kids and leave me behind."
With those heartbreaking words, Mr Lale put all of us where we would never, ever want
to be. In his shoes.
In a courageous address, the 50-year-old explained his desperate fight to save his
wife and children, who were among 11 family members who died in Wednesday's horrific house
fire.
He had woken in the room he shared with wife Teukisia Lale, 42, to find it choked with smoke.
Then came the screams of his children - Jerry, 18, Paul, 17, Lafoa'i, 14, Sela, 10,
and Richie, 8 - who were sleeping elsewhere in the house at Slacks Creek, south of Brisbane.
He yelled to his wife to gather the children in a room and he ran to the back door.
But when he kicked it open, the stairs that would have carried them to safety were gone.
He ran back to the room where he'd told his family to congregate but they were not
there. He ran frantically through the burning home, trying to check other rooms.
"I keep calling my wife's name, my boys, my girls, no one answered," Mr Lale said.
" ... I thought to myself they are already outside. They've jumped from the window."
He jumped himself, and once outside cried out again for his family.
"No one answers and I realised that at that time my wife and my kids, they can't make it.
"If I knew my wife and kids not outside the house, there's no way I'm going to leave
them in there. I'm going to stay inside the house with them.
"My wife, she took all my kids and leave me behind."
The Lale family, who'd been living temporarily at the house, had been due to move into
a new home the next day.
Betsy Neal, a cousin to the dead, said the family could not express its heartbreak,
but was thankful Mr Lale had survived, even if he wished he had not.
"I thank God that he spared those three men ... in his goodness he did that," she said.
The others to survive where family patriarch Tau Taufa, 66, and Misi Matauina, 22.
Mr Taufa lost his wife Fusi, 57, sister-in-law Teukisia, daughter Annamaria, 23, and
eight grandchildren.
Mr Matauina lost his partner Annamaria and the two daughters they had together Lahaina,
7, and Kalahnie, 3. He had fought to to save them, but could not.
The eighth grandchild was Ardelle Lee, 16, daughter of Fusi and Tau's other daughter,
Treicee, who was not at the Slacks Creek home when the inferno erupted.
On Friday afternoon, the final two bodies were removed from the blackened belly of the home.
In the moments before the vehicle emerged, sombre applause erupted in thanks for the
harrowing work forensic experts had just completed.
Five officers who spent three days picking through the ruins of the home were embraced
by mourners, who had vowed to maintain a vigil until the last body was brought out.
Mr Lale's older brother Saul Lale was there to see the van go, pausing as it had on
previous occasions, to allow family members to offer prayers.
"All the memories come back (when the van appears)," he said.
"We're glad that is finished now but it's not over yet."
Funeral arrangements must now be made for a matriarch, her sister, her daughter, and
eight grandchildren.
Fusi Taufa's husband was there to see the last of his family taken away, and thanked
mourners, telling them they were "beautiful".
In the days since the fire, words of thanks - to God and to the tight-knit community
that has mourned alongside them - have been frequently uttered.
Before the last bodies were taken away, Mr Taufa met with members of Logan's Islamic
Society, who had come to pay their respects.
"We have been inspired by the father, inspired by his words," Imam Ahmad Ghazaleh said.
"People see it as an atrocity but he sees it as a gift for God. He understands there
is a giving in the taking, and a taking in the giving."
AAP tnf/gd/dep/de
KEYWORD: FIRE WRAP (WITH PIX, VIDEO AND FACTBOX)
� 2011 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.
WA:Perth waterfront finally going ahead
AAP General News (Australia)
02-15-2011
WA:Perth waterfront finally going ahead
West Australian Premier COLIN BARNETT says the redevelopment of the Perth waterfront
is finally going ahead .. announcing today construction will start early next year.
The premier says cabinet has approved 270 million dollars in funding for the project
in next year's budget.
Mr BARNETT says despite decades of talk from successive Liberal and Labor governments
about the project .. he can guarantee it will become a reality.
The project .. which will transform Perth's Swan River foreshore .. will include the
construction of a 2.7 hectare inlet .. a boardwalk and promenade.
Construction is expected to be completed in mid 2014.
AAP RTV jsj/sw
KEYWORD: WATERFRONT (PERTH)
� 2011 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.
NSW:Global child porn ring busted
AAP General News (Australia)
12-01-2010
NSW:Global child porn ring busted
Police say they expect more arrests after busting an international network of child
exploitation websites .. which sold sickening images of youngsters as young as three years
old being abused.
A global taskforce of detectives brought down the 230 websites as part of a wider operation
.. which has led to 30 thousand customers being identified in 132 countries and hundreds
of arrests.
Federal police assistant commissioner NEIL GAUGHAN says some of the child exploitation
images are likely to have been made in Australia.
He says some of the website customers are also likely to live in Australia.
AAP RTV mdg/wjf/af
KEYWORD: WEBSITES (SYDNEY)
� 2010 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.
NSW: War memorial vandalised on eve of Anzac Day
AAP General News (Australia)
04-25-2010
NSW: War memorial vandalised on eve of Anzac Day
Vandals who attacked a suburban Sydney war memorial on the eve of Anzac Day have been
condemned by official guests at Sunday's dawn service.
New South Wales Premier KRISTINA KENEALLY and the state's RSL President DON ROWE say
they're disgusted .. over news a group of teenagers desecrated the Anzac Cenotaph outside
the Arncliffe RSL club last night.
Police say the culprits threw rubbish around the site and snapped a flagpole in half.
Police say they are keen to speak to up to a dozen teenage males .. described as Mediterranean-Middle
Eastern in appearance .. seen in the area before the incident.
AAP RTV bzs/wz
KEYWORD: ANZAC NSW VANDAL (SYDNEY)
� 2010 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, Dec 11
AAP General News (Australia)
12-11-2009
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, Dec 11
Breakfast Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 0430
Nobel Obama Prize (OSLO)
US President BARACK OBAMA has accepted the Nobel Peace Prize .. uncomfortably acknowledging
his role as a leader at war .. while insisting that conflict can be morally justified.
OBAMA'S elevation to a pantheon of winners .. alongside the likes of NELSON MANDELA,
MOTHER TERESA and MARTIN LUTHER KING .. before he has even spent a year in office .. has
sparked international debate.
OBAMA told the audience he received the award with great humility .. saying his accomplishments
were slight compared to previous giants.
Nobel Winners (STOCKHOLM)
Australian-born scientist ELIZABETH BLACKBURN has received her Nobel prize from Swedish
King CARL GUSTAF XVI at a gala ceremony in Stockholm.
The formal event .. held as tradition dictates on the anniversary of the death of prize
founder ALFRED NOBEL in 1896 .. took place at Stockholm's Concert Hall.
Ms BLACKBURN .. Australia's first female Nobel laureate .. was among other 2009 Nobel
laureates to receive their prizes overnight.
The 60-year-old dual Australian/US citizen shared the Medicine Prize with JACK SZOSTAK
and CAROL GREIDER .. both of the United States .. for research into cellular ageing.
Climate Wong (CANBERRA)
Climate Change Minister PENNY WONG says Australia will push for the most ambitious
agreement possible at Copenhagen .. believed to be a 25 per cent reduction in carbon emissions.
But the federal opposition's finance spokesman .. BARNABY JOYCE .. says there's no
guarantee the coalition would even support a global agreement to cut emissions by 15 per
cent by 2020.
That's despite the coalition previously backing Labor's reduction target range of five
to 25 per cent.
Senator JOYCE has told Sky News the Coalition won't honour anything until it sees the details.
Summit Aust Numbers (COPENHAGEN)
Our leaders are under fire for the large contingent of Australian public servants sent
to the Copenhagen global climate change summit .. and the huge amounts of fuel burnt to
fly them.
The federal government is sending 95 federal representatives .. from Prime Minister
KEVIN RUDD down to bureaucrats .. doctors .. police .. a driver .. and someone to handle
baggage and passports.
And several states are also sending representatives.
Environmentalists say that's at least three-thousand hours of flying .. meaning huge
amounts of jet fuel burnt because of the long distance flown.
Climate Coal (COPENHAGEN)
As the world tries to strike a deal on global warming at Copenhagen, Australia is exporting
more coal than ever before.
Government figures show Australia .. the world's biggest coal exporter .. sold more
than eight billion dollars worth of coal to other countries in the September quarter alone.
Coal is one of the dirtiest ways of generating energy and some conservationists say
the world must wean itself off coal to avoid dangerous climate change.
Jobs Reaction (SYDNEY)
Yesterday's unexpected fall in the unemployment rate for November has buried any hope
of the Reserve Bank holding interest rate rises.
The next possible date is February 2 .. and it's expected the RBA will use the November
unemployment figure of 5.9 per cent to justify another increase in the base interest rate.
Opposition Shadow Treasurer JOE HOCKEY has already accused the government of spending
too much money on preserving jobs .. saying it'll drive up interest rates .. and eventually
cost jobs.
Unemployment in New South Wales has dropped slightly .. to six per cent .. in Western
Australia the jobless rate increased to 5.2 per cent from five per cent in November.
A record number of South Australians have jobs .. despite a modest rise in unemployment
in November from 5.5 per cent .. up from 5.3 per cent in October .. and the ABS says unemployment
in Queensland is up by 0.1 of a percentage point .. to 6.1 per cent.
Hospitals (CANBERRA)
Private hospitals pushing to carry out elective surgery procedures done in public hospitals
have used the release of a Productivity Commission report to back their case.
The Australian Private Hospitals Association says elective waiting lists could be wiped
out .. if the federal government pays the private sector to pick up the slack.
Chief executive MICHAEL ROFF says the commission report shows patient costs are lower
in private hospitals .. they're safer .. and already perform 60 per cent of all surgery
with lower infection rates.
Swim (SYDNEY)
The wife of former Olympic swimming coach TERRY BUCK has branded child sex abuse claims
against her late husband as lies and says his accuser was a had been family friend.
LARAINE BUCK has fired back at former Olympian GREG ROGERS .. who has renewed claims
that he and his brother were sexually abused by BUCK as swimmers in the 1960s.
She's told the Nine Network she's absolutely certain what's being said about her husband
of 40 years are lies.
Health Records (CANBERRA)
We'll all have our own electronic health record number by the middle of next year ..
if federal government plans go ahead.
The government has released draft legislation establishing the system .. that'll lead
to personal e-health records .. and slash 630 million off the health budget every year.
Federal Health Minister NICOLA ROXON says a national e-health system will allow health
providers to share patient records and improve care.
Hybrid (MELBOURNE)
Australia's car industry makes history today .. when its first locally-built hybrid-powered
car rolls off Toyota's Melbourne production line.
The cleaner .. greener Toyota Camry is the first market-ready hybrid car to be completed
at Toyota's Australian headquarters at Altona in Melbourne's west.
BRIEFLY IN OTHER NEWS:
UK Holt (MADRID)
A British quadriplegic yachtsman has left Spain's Canary Islands in a specially designed
boat .. in a bid to become the first disabled person to sail across the Atlantic.
Italy Abortion (ROME)
Italy has given a final go-ahead to the abortion drug RU-486 .. capping years of debate
and defying opposition from the Vatican.
Q150 (BRISBANE)
Queensland Governor PENNY WENSLEY has used the state's 150th birthday celebrations
to call for a closer focus on reconciliation .. during yesterday's Proclamation Day event
in Brisbane.
IN FINANCE:
Economy (CANBERRA)
The federal government is sticking with its unemployment forecast of 6.75 per cent
for next year .. even though another surprisingly strong jobs report has left economists
wondering whether it'll even hit six per cent.
The jobless rate unexpectedly fell to 5.7 per cent in November .. meaning 100-thousand
people have joined the workforce in the past three months.
Commonwealth Securities chief economist CRAIG JAMES says Australia has lived up to
its reputation as the Wonder From Down Under .. with Australia now having the strongest
economy in the developed world.
AND IN SPORT:
GOLF AUST (COOLUM, Qld)
Korean surprise packet MIN-KYU HAN will take a four-shot lead into the second round
of the Australian PGA Championship at Coolum after his course record nine-under 62 yesterday.
Queenslander RYAN HALLER is in outright second on five-under, with five Australians
a shot further back - STUART APPLEBY, MATT GRIFFIN, SCOTT STRANGE, ANDREW DODT and HENRY
EPSTEIN.
WC18 STADIUM (SYDNEY)
Football Federation Australia and the National Rugby League have both applauded a proposed
$150 million makeover of ANZ Stadium that would help soccer's bid to host the FIFA World
Cup.
A retractable and transparent roof over the stadium, changing the venue to a rectangular
shape and an extra 7,000 seats are all on the cards in a draft master plan development.
SHIELD NSW CLARK (SYDNEY)
New South Wales captain STUART CLARK has been forced to withdraw from the Sheffield
Shield match against Queensland starting today with a back injury.
CLARK experienced back pain after the Blues' one-day win at the Gabba and is expected
to be sidelined until the new year.
ENDS BREAKFAST ROUND-UP
Broadcast Desk inquiries 24 hours: 02 9322 8714
AAP RTV psm/
KEYWORD: BREAKFAST ROUND-UP
2009 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.
Vic: Child protection chief defends DHS
AAP General News (Australia)
08-03-2009
Vic: Child protection chief defends DHS
MELBOURNE, Aug 3 AAP - Victoria's child protection chief has defended departmental
methods following the bashing death of a toddler.
Police late on Sunday confirmed the two-year-old girl had died earlier that day at
Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital after she was admitted on July 7 with critical brain
injuries from an attack at her home in the state's west.
Child Safety Commissioner Bernie Geary said his office would investigate how the Department
of Human Services (DHS) had impacted on the toddler's life and her family.
"I don't know that old methods aren't working," he told ABC Radio on Monday.
"There is an army of people out there, whether they be professional or voluntary ...
who work very hard with these children who are on the margins and there's some wonderful
work that's done.
"Unfortunately, as we experience here, sometimes children are harmed or die and when
that happens we take it to the nth degree."
Mr Geary will hand his findings to the Victorian Child Death Review Committee, an advisory
body comprised of experts in areas such as paediatrics, drugs and alcohol, and mental
health.
The committee will deliver a report to Community Services Minister Lisa Neville.
The committee publishes details of inquiries into the deaths of children known to child
protection in its annual report, which is tabled in parliament.
Only days before the fatal assault the girl was sent to child care with what looked
to be black eyes.
Childcare workers raised concerns with DHS welfare officers, who visited her home,
but she was allowed to stay there.
Her 26-year-old father had been charged over her injuries but was found dead days before
he was due to face court.
Police said there were no suspicious circumstances.
AAP mj/gfr/cdh/jfm
KEYWORD: TODDLER GEARY
2009 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.
Qld: Stabbings rife on eve of a new year
AAP General News (Australia)
12-31-2008
Qld: Stabbings rife on eve of a new year
By David Barbeler
BRISBANE, Dec 31 AAP - Queensland Police have warned troublemakers that extra officers
will be on the beat for New Year's Eve after a recent spate of knife attacks.
Two boys were stabbed when two groups clashed on the Victoria Bridge in central Brisbane
on Tuesday night.
Police said the two groups, which were not believed to know to each other, were crossing
the bridge at about 10pm (AEST) when a verbal altercation, then a melee took place.
A 14-year-old and a 17-year-old from one group were taken to Royal Brisbane Hospital
for treatment of various stab wounds.
That incident followed a stabbing on the intersection of Brunswick and Ann streets
around 5am (AEST) on Sunday.
After that stabbing, one of two victims walked from the area and approached two taxis
before collapsing.
Both underwent surgery and have been released from hospital.
Acting Police Commissioner Ian Stewart warned troublemakers there would be three times
as many police officers on duty across the state for New Year's Eve celebrations.
"The whole point is, it's knives today, what is it tomorrow?" Mr Stewart said.
"We're always concerned when people without any lawful or reasonable excuse would be
walking around with cutting instruments, knives and the like.
"It is a very worrying trend and it's something that we're looking at."
Mr Stewart encouraged people to simply walk away and put their egos in their pockets.
"And if they are concerned that they continue to be bothered by another group, walk
up to police, there will be many, many police out tonight."
Premier Anna Bligh said she was concerned about the number of knife attacks in both
Brisbane and on the Gold Coast in recent weeks.
"Knives are regarded as a weapon under the weapons act and carriage of a knife in public
is illegal," Ms Bligh said.
"And people who are carrying knives can expect to feel the full force of the law.
"If you see people doing the wrong thing, make sure that you stay away and you talk
to the police as quickly as possible."
AAP djb/ahe/cdh
KEYWORD: EVE QLD POLICE
2008 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.
Ath: Russian Kaniskina wins women's walk
AAP General News (Australia)
08-21-2008
Ath: Russian Kaniskina wins women's walk
BEIJING, Aug 21 AAP - Russian walker Olga Kaniskina added the Olympic gold 20km medal
to her world championships title today.
Kaniskina won the event held in teeming rain in a time of one hour 26 minutes and 31 seconds.
Kjersti Tysse Platzer of Norway was second (1:27:07) and Elisa Rigaudo of Italy (1:27:12)
was third.
Athens bronze medallist Jane Saville was the leading Australian, finishing 20th in 1:31:17.
MORE jds/mo
KEYWORD: OLY08 ATH WALK LEAD
2008 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.
Vic: Farmers converted on CDMA
AAP General News (Australia)
04-15-2008
Vic: Farmers converted on CDMA
EDS: Adds VFF comments
By Greg Roberts
MELBOURNE, April 15 AAP - Telstra believes its bush customers will not be worse off
with the closure of its CDMA mobile network but cannot offer a guarantee.
Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy announced today the telco had met the
government's requirements to close the CDMA mobile phone network from April 28.
CDMA customers must now move across to Telstra's Next G network, despite farmers' groups
and the federal opposition saying network coverage was still poor and there were problems
in swapping systems.
Telstra would work to make sure every customer was notified via SMS about the closure
of the network, Telstra Country Wide Group managing director Geoff Booth told reporters
today.
"We have our 1800 888 888 number, a full retail accreditation program and we've got
consumer coverage advocates who will go out and visit customers in their location," he
said.
"We hope they're not disadvantaged, if customers have not made the move by the closure
we will hold their numbers for 28 days so there will be an opportunity after to move across,
but the network will not be working on the 29th.
"The minister has said he agrees with us that there is equivalence and the facts are
there are 6,400 Next G base stations and less than 3,500 CDMA base stations, so it is
a bigger network and has much bigger coverage," Mr Booth said.
The $1 billion-plus Next G network signalled a new era that would give rural and regional
Australians access to the same world-class services available in Melbourne and Sydney,
he said.
The Victorian Farmers Federation had opposed closing down the network but president
Simon Ramsay said it now believed the Next G network would offer a "superior" service
to customers.
"We conducted a survey, people responded with a number of complaints about Next G including
hardware, availability, reliability and speed that we passed on to Telstra," he told AAP.
"We believe the concerns have been addressed and the network's getting better so, on
that basis, there's no reason to continue the extension of CDMA.
"Having said that we strongly urge users of the system unhappy or upset with the service
to deal directly with Telstra and ask us to mediate but don't wait for the last minute
to change over."
AAP gr/pmu/apm/cdh
KEYWORD: CDMA TELSTRA NIGHTLEAD
2008 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.
NSW: Man wanted over neighbour's shooting may have died: police
AAP General News (Australia)
12-11-2007
NSW: Man wanted over neighbour's shooting may have died: police
Police using cadaver dogs have searched bush on the New South Wales central coast ..
for a man wanted over the shooting of a Wollongong father of four in a noise dispute.
They've combed bush at Mt White near Gosford .. in the hunt for STANLEY FRANCIS MAGUIRE.
The 59-year-old disappeared after allegedly killing 41-year-old STEPHEN HOLMES with
a single shotgun blast to the chest on November 24 .. on the front lawn of his Woonona
home .. north of Wollongong.
MAGUIRE's car was found abandoned the next day just off the F3 Freeway at Mt White.
Detective-Senior Sergeant BRAD AINSWORTH says they haven't found MAGUIRE .. despite
around 20 reported sightings since the shooting.
But he says if he did try to hide in bush near the freeway .. with limited food and
clothing in dangerous terrain .. there's every possibility he's dead.
AAP RTV sk/nap/was/tm/bart
KEYWORD: MAGUIRE (WOLLONGONG)
2007 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.
FED: Labor slams PM's nuclear plans
AAP General News (Australia)
04-28-2007
FED: Labor slams PM's nuclear plans
SYDNEY, April 28 AAP - Federal opposition treasury spokesman Wayne Swan has slammed
Prime Minister John Howard's plans to expand the nuclear industry in Australia.
Mr Howard has instructed ministers and departments to take immediate action on a four-stage
plan to prepare Australia for a nuclear future and report back to him by the end of this
year.
The expansion could ultimately include nuclear power stations, uranium enrichment and
nuclear waste treatment, it was reported today by News Limited.
But Mr Swan told AAP today the prime minister is playing politics as the party prepares
to debate its uranium mining and nuclear policy.
"John Howard has been in parliament for over 30 years and suddenly the Australian people
are expected to believe that on the day of the Labor Party national conference that's
debating uranium he's suddenly discovered a new way to fast-track nuclear power," he said.
"It's just not credible nor is it dignified for the prime minister of Australia to
play politics in such a silly and demeaning way.
"Australia has abundant supplies of gas and coal which will supply our energy needs
for hundreds of years."
MORE kd/lh
KEYWORD: NUCLEAR SWAN
2007 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.
WA: Krakouer threatened with payback following court appearance
AAP General News (Australia)
12-28-2006
WA: Krakouer threatened with payback following court appearance
By Nicolas Perpitch
PERTH, Dec 28 AAP - Richmond Aboriginal AFL star Andrew Krakouer has been threatened
with traditional payback by family members of a man he is charged with assaulting in Fremantle.
The Tigers player, 23, and his brother Tyrone Krakouer, 21, appeared in the Fremantle
Magistrates Court today charged with assault causing grievous bodily harm.
Justin Robin Martin, 24, sustained head injuries in an incident in Fremantle on Friday
night. He is in the intensive care unit of Perth's Charles Gairdner Hospital in a serious
but stable condition.
About two dozen police stood guard outside the court amid fears of reprisals by more
than 20 friends and family of Mr Martin, who is also Aboriginal.
"Hey Jimmy, what goes around comes around ... 10 times worse," yelled one woman as
the brothers drove away under police escort after their court appearance.
Inside the court, lawyers for the Krakouers said their clients were likely to plead not guilty.
Andrew Krakouer's lawyer John Prior asked for his client's next court appearance to
be on January 4 because of his footballing duties.
"My client Andrew Krakouer is a professional footballer who plays for Richmond and
he's due to return to Melbourne now," Mr Prior told the court.
The two brothers will appear in Fremantle Magistrates Court for a committal mention on January 4.
Andrew Krakouer was granted bail with $10,000 surety and an order not to approach Mr Martin.
Mr Martin's grandmother, Theresa Walley, told reporters outside court there could be
traditional Aboriginal payback against the Krakouers.
"If the court doesn't give justice there will be payback," Ms Walley, who describes
herself as a Fremantle Nyoonga elder, said.
"You can't walk out into the street, or go into a pub and have a drink, without a crowd
wanting to bash you up, you're running from the crowd all the time."
Ms Walley said Andrew Krakouer and her grandson had been friends who played local football
together.
Mr Martin's mother, Sheryl Martin, briefly arrived to join the waiting crowd and broke
down in tears to be comforted by relatives.
When the Krakouers emerged more than an hour after their court appearance, they left
via a back entrance with Andrew driving one car and a police vehicle providing a security
escort.
Justin Martin's younger brother, Kerin Martin, 21, later told AAP he was angry at what
had happened and the family was devastated.
"At first I was pretty angry, but dad just said just think about Justin getting better,
so I've been thinking about Justin," Kerin Martin said.
He said his brother was in intensive care with machines to help him breathe.
"When he went into a fit (on the night of the alleged attack), I think he got a lot
of stuff in his lungs so they need to clear his lungs up," he said.
"It's pretty devastating, just worried about Justin."
He said despite what had happened, Andrew Krakouer's mother and his mother were friends.
"His mum and my mum go to the same church and they're good I think."
AAP np/jlw/jjs/cdh
KEYWORD: KRAKOUER NIGHTLEAD (PIX AVAILABLE)
2006 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.
WA: Girl and mother injured by car
AAP General News (Australia)
08-20-2006
WA: Girl and mother injured by car
Police in Perth say a man's likely to be charged .. after a 10-year-old girl and her
mother were badly injured .. when his out-of-control car ran into their stationary vehicle.
The 36-year-old woman and her daughter were injured yesterday .. when the 27-year-old
man lost control of his vehicle.
Police say the car crossed two traffic islands before smashing into their car in the
northern suburb of Kingsley.
They say the mother has serious internal injuries .. while the daughter has serious
head injuries and is in an induced coma.
Police say the man had been driving in an erratic fashion on Perth's Mitchell freeway
.. weaving from side to side before the accident.
It's believed other motorists tried to get him to pull over .. but he took an exit
ramp off the freeway .. striking a curb and eventually ploughing into the stationary car.
AAP RTV lk/tm/srp
KEYWORD: CAR (PERTH)
) 2006 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.
NSW: Doctors to operate on East Timorese baby next week
AAP General News (Australia)
04-13-2006
NSW: Doctors to operate on East Timorese baby next week
SYDNEY, April 13 AAP - Sydney doctors will operate on an East Timorese baby next week
to fix a hole in her heart.
Two-month-old Maria Soares will undergo a four-hour operation on Thursday at the Sydney
Children's Hospital in Randwick in a last-ditch bid to save her life.
The hospital's director of clinical operations, Michael Brydon says the operation will
be very risky because of Maria's weight of just 1.9kg.
The hospital normally conducted about 100 ventricular septal defect operations per
year, but only about 10 operations were considered as risky as this, he said.
Tests have revealed the hole in Maria's heart is pumping too much blood into her lungs.
If she were to get a chest infection before the operation, she would die.
"You need to get in there (and operate) and correct this before she gets into serious
trouble," Dr Brydon told AAP today.
"Operating on a baby this size is risky."
The baby's health will be touch and go for about two days after the operation, and
she will be ventilated by a breathing machine, Dr Brydon said.
After about three or four days, doctors should know if the little girl will pull through.
Maria, who arrived in Australia yesterday, would have died if she had stayed with her
family in East Timor, he said.
AAP ae/ved/sco/nf
KEYWORD: SOARES DAYLEAD
2006 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.
Monday, February 27, 2012
J.D. Edwards Certifies FieldCentrix Mobile Field Service Automation Interface With J.D. Edwards 5.
Business Editors & High-Tech Writers
DENVER & IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 10, 2002
J.D. Edwards & Company and FieldCentrix(R) Inc. announced the certified interface between FieldCentrix Enterprise field service automation software and J.D. Edwards CRM software.
The integration was built using XPI(TM) (eXtended Process Integration), J.D. Edwards' technology that allows multiple, disparate applications to share information in real time within the enterprise, and provides external collaboration among vendors, partners and suppliers.
FieldCentrix Enterprise is the leading mobile field service automation solution available today. It combines wireless communications, mobile devices (including handheld computers, laptops, and PDAs), workflow software, and the Internet to automate the costly, time-consuming, paper-intensive processes associated with field service operations. These processes include communication between the field service worker and the office, receipt of work assignments, completion of work orders, and making information ready for invoice and payroll. This solution, combined with J.D. Edwards' robust service management software, now provides customers with a world-class field service application.
"FieldCentrix provides J.D. Edwards customers with robust scheduling, dispatching, and mobile functionality, and rounds out the J.D. Edwards CRM service management offering," said Joel Reed, director of CRM product marketing at J.D. Edwards. "Creating an interface using XPI makes the integration much stronger and more attractive to our mutual customers who are already working with a multitude of different systems and applications."
Developed for FieldCentrix by the J.D. Edwards Collaborative Applications Practice (CAP) group, the XPI-based integration is certified by J.D. Edwards and allows FieldCentrix to offer fully executable eXtended Business Processes (XBPs) that tie together FieldCentrix, J.D. Edwards and other applications in the enterprise. The result is a seamless solution for mid-market to mid-cap customers who want to add mobile field service automation to their existing CRM applications.
"With the completion of our certified XPI-based integration, we continue to address the requirements of enterprise-class customers and offer a best-in-class solution for field service operations," said Mike Gillis, vice president of strategic development for FieldCentrix. "We now provide standard interoperability with J.D. Edwards CRM applications as well as many other applications our customers use."
Sheryl Kingstone from Yankee Group comments, "Application integration frameworks, such as XPI, are a necessity in today's business environment. Companies require interoperability with various internal and external enterprise applications to efficiently run their operations. This announcement is a step in the right direction to building a platform for multi-vendor collaborative commerce. FieldCentrix becomes the mobile field service spoke in the J.D. Edwards hub of integrated CRM solutions."
FieldCentrix(R) Enterprise mobile software is integrated with J.D. Edwards 5, including CRM service management, and OneWorld(R) ERP applications.
About FieldCentrix
Based in Irvine, Calif., FieldCentrix has been shipping production mobile field service automation systems since 1998 and is the largest and most experienced provider of mobile, Internet-based software solutions for the field service industry. The company's software solutions address the problems associated with the costly maintenance and repair processes for mobile technicians, service companies, and manufacturers. For more information about FieldCentrix, call 1.888.552.0101, or visit the company's Web site at www.fieldcentrix.com.
About J.D. Edwards & Company
J.D. Edwards (Nasdaq: JDEC) makes customers stronger, enabling them to solve their most important business challenges. The company offers collaborative enterprise software as well as consulting, education and support services. J.D. Edwards' offerings are differentiated by a deeply ingrained attitude of listening to customers, innovating on their behalf, and delivering solutions as part of a results-oriented relationship. Founded in 1977 and headquartered in Denver, J.D. Edwards focuses on long-term business partnerships and helping its 6,500 customers in more than 110 countries collaborate electronically to manage their business processes, supply chains, and supplier and customer relationships. For more information visit www.jdedwards.com or call 1.800.727.5333.
Copyright(c)J.D. Edwards World Source Company, 2002. J.D. Edwards is a registered trademark of J.D. Edwards & Company. The names of all other products and services of J.D. Edwards used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of J.D. Edwards World Source Company. All other product names used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Mexican Snack-Food Makers Team To Cut Costs.
MEXICO CITY, Jul 13, 2001
Mexican snack-food makers Fritos Encanto and Tostiricas Nieto, both based in the northern city of Monterrey, on Thursday said they had formed an alliance entailing joint procurement operations, Mexico City daily Reforma reported. Tostiricas Nieto owner Ismael Palacios Nieto said the two companies also remained in negotiations to expand the new alliance into other areas of activity - including distribution. "The deal we've just signed is to jointly procure inputs," Palacios said. "We're looking to reduce our production costs and step up to the large companies that sell products like ours," he said. Tostiricas Nieto has annual sales of approximately 20 million dollars, around 30 percent of which are export sales. The company exports snack food to Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, the United States, Canada and France.
URL: www.securities.com
Copyright 2001 Internet Securities, Inc., all rights reserved. A Euromoney Institutional Investor Company.
SUBJECT CODE: Re
News Provided by COMTEX (http://www.comtexnews.com)
Lowering the touch tone.(Brief Article)
Call centres would be a comedy if they were not such a tragedy for brokers
"Good morning. Thank you for calling Preposterous life, Call Centre 1, my name is Cynthia, how can I help you?"
Does this ring a bell? When I hear this, I assume the staff have been on a Victoria Wood training programme. The problem is that Victoria Wood is a comedienne.
We recently carried out detailed research with Swiss Re looking at the service IFAs get from providers. It may not surprise you the responses were not all favourable. The big issue to us is that many IFAs support providers whose service is poor. Common responses were:
* We have to use the best product regardless of service (often quoting compliance).
* We will put up with bad service if it does not hurt the client
* Most are bad.
* A provider which had good service when we gave them business has gone downhill and we still have to deal with them.
In the "good old days", each provider had a local office and a team of broker consultants. The consultant and the support people knew the IFAs and their clients. People took ownership of problems.
Why did it change? like all industries, there was pressure to cut costs. The fad of the early 90s was Business Process ReEngineering, business-speak for changing the way we do things. The obvious area for cuts was distribution. The sales and marketing cost of putting a policy on the books varied from [pound]150 to more than [pound]500, excluding commission.
Along came the axe. So-called telesales consultants replaced broker consultants. Call centres in remote offices replaced regional offices. High-quality telephony and advanced technology ensured the call centre had all the data to ensure first-class service.
So why don't IFAs get first-class service? Inexperienced staff are handling IFA queries. They refer to someone else when they do not know the answer. They are nameless, you get someone different each time. No one takes ownership.
Instead of direct-dial numbers giving access to individual human beings, we now have touch-dial systems that, if you are lucky, give you access to a call centre. The technology is not good enough. The electronic files are not recording all communications and this results in inefficiencies, delays and frustration.
The messages from the research for IFA Survey 2000 are clear:
* IFAs do not like call centres.
* IFAs do not like nameless people who refer queries.
* IFAs do not like inefficient touch-tone telephone systems.
So what do they want?
* They want people to own problems.
* They love technical helplines.
* They like a name with a personal number.
It is really not too hard, is it? So, who are the winners?
In addition to a good brand and a broad product range, Standard life still employs a big salesforce working from regional offices.
IFAs are not happy that Scottish Widows has withdrawn local service. On the other hand, it is the one office that seems to have cracked the telesales problem. From the IFAs' viewpoint, it employs qualified people who provide answers.
Norwich Union and Legal & General have also had some success. L&G would not win the top award for service right now but it has setup a system for key accounts that is working and in the field it has a consultant, what it calls a business development manager. Servicing the same account is a telesales person based in Cardiff and an administrator based in Hove. Because it has the right technology, each member of the trio knows what the other has done. The survey shows its service provision to networks is well regarded.
Ninety per cent of those interviewed said service played a part in selection. But when we looked deeper, only 52 per cent could consider removing providers of bad service from panels so nearly half support bad service providers.
FSA proposals are bringing poor service to the fore. This just might make IFAs rethink who they support.
Despite recent criticism of broker consultants, when asked if they wanted any relationships with provider personnel and if so who, 85 per cent said they preferred a relationship with a broker consultant.
What of the future? We asked IFAs what technology they were investing in and what effect this would have on provider communication.
Eighty-seven per cent of respondents have websites or immediate plans to build them. Once internet access is unmetered, most communications will be online. But there are concerns. IFAs still want technical helplines - they do not trust electronic systems to solve problems and they still expect consultants to provide marketing and sales solutions.
Largely, IFAs do not use provider extranets because there are no standard systems. Providers seek competitive advantage by differentiation, IFA administrators need standardisation.
The survey carries a simple message. Use standardised and efficient systems for transmission of data but ensure qualified and competent people are on hand to own problems, provide technical help and sales support. Easy isn't it?
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Food Talk.
Branding itself as a little piece of Tunisia in the heart of Dubai, Le Carthage presents culturally inspired cuisine. It is on the border of Satwa and Jumeirah 1, which could well pass for the UAE's heart, although sadly this particular location has no soul. Up the escalator and hidden in an obscure corner of the even more obscure Al Ghazal Mall, this is not an establishment that many are likely to chance upon. Shame, as the food is really rather good and to my knowledge it's the only Tunisian themed restaurant in town. As far as North African cuisine goes, there's Tagine at the One and Only Royal Mirage and Marrakech at the Shangri-La, but as their names imply, these are Moroccan and there's an entire country in between Tunisia and Morocco. In appearance Le Carthage is a combination of a French patisserie and East African inspired teahouse. Beautifully ornate sweets and biscuits beam up at you from the glass counter near the door and more people appear to pop in to buy kilogrammes of these delicate petit fours, than they do to actually pull up a seat to eat. We were uncertain if they actually serve food, but the vast menu reveals that the kitchen is very much in business. Tunisians are a laid back bunch who pride themselves on their traditional slow cooked dishes. But had our hosts at Le Carthage been any more laid back, they would have been horizontal. This is not the ideal place for a brisk, business lunch; instead opt for a leisurely evening experience or a lazy and drawn out Saturday afternoon lunch with friends or family. We'd already polished off one bread basket by the time our starters arrived. The crisp fresh rolls were accompanied by three dainty bowls of shredded radish with lemon, a devilishly hot harissa in olive oil, sweet strips of onions dotted with raisins and some tangy black olives that smacked of hot dry summers and the Mediterranean sea. Thankfully, when it eventually materialised, the Hannibal Kanya, my partner's starter, bore no resemblance to the Doctor Lecter character from the film 'Silence of the Lambs'. The only victims of skinning were the tomatoes in the aubergine salad; an interesting and more solid take on the Lebanese dip mouttabel. And, to her relief, not one of the four Tunisian tapas styled dishes left a bitter taste in the mouth; the braised carrots were, in fact, as sweet and soft as a sleeping baby and the chopped cucumber and tomato salad provided a juicy accompaniment for the small inviting sausages of spicy minced lamb. My tagine of the day starter injected the meal with an element of surprise. Our waiter had described is as being 'very nice, with some cheese and eggs'. Which indeed it was, but it was not a tagine as I know it. There was no cone-shaped clay pot covered a simmering stew, instead a school bus yellow mound of fluffy omelette the size of an ostrich egg surrounded by a garland of lemon slices was proudly presented. It was as thick as Rapunzel's plaits and, feeling it tip my cholesterol to a dangerous level, I gave up. We could have done with a little break in between courses - a siesta would have been nice - but the staff had stirred themselves from their nonchalant pace and I was swiftly presented with my mosli. A Tunisian speciality, this time I got the clay hood, which was lifted to reveal a hefty hunk of slow-cooked lamb in a rich salty brown gravy. Two potatoes stood to attention on either side, while the generously portioned and full flavoured meat slid off the jutting leg bone virtually before my utensils had made contact with it. My partner's dish, entitled 'fell a la Tunisienne' was not as generous in the meat department, but there was no shortage of chilli infused, polo mint shaped pasta with a dense tomato sauce. To put it bluntly, this is heavy stuff. If you're intending to go and lose yourself in the desert for a few days, be sure to get yourself to Le Carthage first - you may even last the five to seven days that a camel can go without eating. With groaning stomachs, we had to take our dessert away in a big box. The immaculate bonbons could have been designed by high end Swiss watchmaker; such is the intricate attention to the detail and precision in colour of each individual desert. At dhs120 for half a kilo, they're not cheap, but time and personalised care comes at a price.
2007 Al Sidra Media LLC
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