Sunday, July 31, 2016

Royal Commission in youth detention in the Northern Territory

Teenager Dylan Voller hooded and strapped to a chair using a technique recently legalised in the Northern Territory

What is Malcolm Turnbull thinking, choosing a man who is hated by the Aboriginal community to head the Royal Commission into youth detention in the Northern Territory?
Brian Martin QC is the last person our PM should have picked for the job.
In 2005, Brian Martin gave a 24 month sentence - suspended after four months - to a 55 year old man who bashed his 14 year old "promised wife" with a boomerang.  In his sentencing remarks, he said he had taken into account evidence that this behaviour was permitted under Aboriginal law.
So what happened to Australian law, doesn't it apply in the Northern Territory?
Brian Martin will go down in history in Alice Springs for his remarks made when he was presiding over the case of Aboriginal man Kwementyaye Ryder who was bashed to death by five white youths. He said the boys "were otherwise of good character."
The youths, Scott Doody, Timothy Hird, Anton Kleoden, Joshua Spears and Glen Swain spent the night getting drunk and then drove down to the dry creek bed of the Todd River in Alice Springs where homeless Aboriginal people sleep. 
They decided to have some fun and ran their car at the sleeping people at high speed. They even fired a replica pistol with blank ammunition and ran over at least one swag (owned by an elderly man) with their vehicle.
But unfortunately, Kwementyaye Rider threw a bottle at their car as it drove at him.  They came back and smashed a bottle over his head and kicked him until he became unconscious and one of the youths said "don't fuck with us." 
Justice Martin sentenced one of the men to 12 months and the longest time served was four years.  One of his justifications for the light sentences was that the youths would be caused "additional hardship" in prison given the overwhelming majority of inmates are Aboriginal.


Malcolm Turnbull and Juice Martin

Yes Justice Martin has presided over high profile cases such as Snowtown's "bodies in the barrels" case and Peter Falconio backpacker murder trial, but this man is not suitable for such an important job.
The PM had the chance to bring someone in from outside the state with no bias or preconceived ideas about Aboriginal people, but he chose a man who is hated because of past wrongs and his findings will have little credibility.

Edit:  1 August 2016:  THE judge named to lead the Royal Commission into youths in detention in the Northern Territory has resigned from his role, disappointing the Prime Minister.

Saturday, July 30, 2016

Kevin Rudd's dream shattered






I feel a bit sorry for Kevin Rudd.  He's missed out on his dream - to get the chance to become the next UN Secretary General.

He took the Labor Party out of the wilderness and put them into government yet his party felt the need to sack him in his first term and replace him with Julia Gillard.  Not because of any wrong-doing on his behalf, but because they just didn't like him.

And he didn't run away and hide, he sat on the back bench for all to see, totally humiliated.






And just before the general election, Labor realized they couldn't win with Julia Gillard as leader so they asked Kevin to come back. And instead of telling his party they had a damn hide to even ask, he agreed.

They didn't win, but instead of an utter wipe-out, he helped save many Labor seats.

Now he's experienced another personal blow.  He needed the Liberal Party's support to qualify as a candidate for the job of Secretary-General of the United Nations but Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has refused to give it.

Understandably upset, Mr Rudd has released letters which prove that Malcolm Turnbull promised to support him and then at the eleventh hour, changed his mind.

He's been campaigning around the world for months under the impression that his country would back him but he was wrong and now his dream is dead.






Malcolm Turnbull believes that Mr Rudd is not well suited to the job to replace Ban Ki-moon.

His nomination wouldn't have guaranteed him the position, it would have only given him the opportunity to compete with the 12 other candidates from around the world.

After what this man has been through, I would have expected better from the conservatives, but old grudges obviously still linger on.

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Is Russia meddling in the American election?




There is some speculation that President Putin is sabotaging Hillary Clinton's election campaign. Why?

Because Donald Trump may not support NATO nations if they came under attack from Russia, unless he was convinced that they had made sufficient contributions to the Atlantic alliance.

When 20,000 emails were stolen from the Democrat's computer servers, Mrs Clinton's campaign manger Robby Mook said the emails were leaked "by the Russians for the purpose of helping Donald Trump."

Mrs Clinton is trying to convince the people that Trump would go soft on Russia if it threatens nations that have become too independent of Mother Russia.

Trump said once that he would like to "get along with Russia" if he is elected and believes President Putin is a better leader than President Obama.

George Stephanopoulos asked Trump's campaign manager Paul Manafort - "Are there any ties between Mr Trump, you or your campaign and Putin and his regime?"

"No, there are not" he said.  "That's absurd and there is no basis to it."

Monday, July 25, 2016

Russian athletes and the IOC






IOC officials have ruled that because Russian athletes have been caught out so many times taking drugs, all athletes are now assumed to be guilty, and must provide proof they have a history of being drug-free.

It is now up to sport federations to vet Russia's individual Olympic candidates.

With only 12 days to go, it's a crushing blow and affirms that Russia has carried out an elaborate cheating scheme under government orders.

Olympic committee president Thomas Bach said it was "a shocking new dimension in doping" with an "unprecedented level of criminality."

President Putin says the decision is politically motivated and meant to undermine Russia's standing in the world.

Each athlete's drug testing history will be analysed by a reliable anti-doping authority outside Russia.

Russia's Minister for Sport Vitaly Mutko said he was confident the majority of athletes would meet the criteria, but he won't be going to the Rio Games after IOC officials said last week that no employee of Russia's Sports Ministry would be welcome.

However, 67 Russian athletes are planning to apply to the IAAF to compete in the games.

Saturday, July 23, 2016

Don McLean pleads guilty to domestic violence






To avoid prison time, Don McLean 70, pleaded guilty this week to assaulting his estranged wife.  His charges will be dropped if he stays out of trouble for twelve months.

At first he said it never happened, that she was lying, but later changed his mind when jail time became a real possibility.

He was arrested in January after an incident at his home.  His wife was filing for divorce and the legal papers cited 'adultery, cruel and abusive treatment and irreconcilable differences.'  



His wife and children in happier times


They had been married for 30 years.

McLean's original manuscript and notes to American Pie sold at auction last year for $1.2 million.

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Sonia Kruger branded a racist






In an interview on morning television yesterday, Sonia Kruger said the unthinkable - she would like to stop Muslim immigration into Australia.

"I want to feel safe" she said and "You're not allowed to talk about it."

No, it's true, we are not allowed to talk about it.  Any anti-Muslim criticism is not tolerated, even when it's warranted.

In light of the recent murders of innocents in Europe, Kruger made a sensible, honest statement when she said "As a mother, I believe it's vital in a democratic society to be able to discuss these issues without being labelled racist."

The same old rhetoric is trotted out time after time - 99 per cent of Muslims living in Australia are peace-loving people and any questions about their unwillingness to integrate into our society are immediately shut down.

Among the damning comments made on her Facebook page, she also had a lot of support.  Among other positive comments, Jennie Lynne said "Thanks for being a voice for so many of us Aussies wanting our country to be safe - we are judged and condemned by those who are blind to see what is obvious."

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton told The Australian yesterday that he could certainly understand why Australians might be concerned about national security in the wake of terror attacks in Belgium and France, who have high levels of Muslim immigration. "I want to assure Australians that we do consider whether a person poses a risk to Australia" he said.

"We don't look at religion but we do ask:  is that person going to make the most of the opportunity to come to Australia?  Are they seeking to do harm?"

More than 65 per cent of immigrants who arrived in Australia in 2014-15 for example came in under the skilled migrants program, with 38 per cent of them employer-sponsored.

"It's not about race or religion, but if there is any inkling at all that the person may pose a threat to Australia, they won't be coming, because as we've seen in Europe, we do have to make sure our system is the toughest in the world" Mr Dutton said.

Although the votes are still being counted from the recent election, anti-Muslim Paul Hansen's party is likely to get three seats in the Senate and a fourth seat is still possible.  Surely this is an indication of what the silent majority are thinking.



Keysar Trad



Islamic Friendship Association founder Keysar Trad told The Australian he was "heartbroken" by Kruger's comments, saying she had been in his home and met his family.

"She could see we were everyday Australians, just like everyone else, trying to raise our kids and do the right thing - I thought she was better informed" he said.

Saturday, July 16, 2016

What is Munchausen by Internet?

ABC Health and Wellbeing
by Joel Werner and Olivia Willis



Dana Dirr, trauma surgeon and mother of 11, was hit by a drunk driver on the eve of Mother's Day in 2012.
She was pregnant at the time.
Doctors managed to save her baby, but Dana died in hospital.
To make matters worse, one of her children, a 7-year-old boy, had cancer at the time.
Dana's husband posted an emotional tribute to his wife on Facebook, which quickly went viral — eliciting an outpouring of grief.
But the story turned out to be entirely fake.
Lies, exaggeration … and even making yourself sick
The tale of Dana Dirr was actually a case of Munchausen by internet, a syndrome that sees people feign illness online in an attempt to garner the sympathy and attention of others.
"Munchausen syndrome refers to people who have evolved a severe and chronic lifestyle in which they lie about illness, actually enact illness or exaggerate an illness they have, or, in the most extreme cases, make themselves sick," Professor Marc Feldman said.
Professor Feldman, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Alabama and the world's foremost authority on Munchausen syndrome, says Munchausen by internet is the latest iteration a syndrome with a long history.
"It used to be that people had to go from emergency room to emergency room, they would have to study up on illness and try to appear authentic when they were faking. Now all you have to do is sit at home in your pyjamas and click into a support group and make up a story," Professor Feldman said.
Because of this, Professor Feldman suspects Munchausen syndrome is now "more common than it's ever been."
"[People] do it not because they are trying to make money from it or get on disability [benefits], they do it because it's inherently gratifying. They get attention and sympathy and care that they feel unable to get in any other way," he said.
There are even cases in which abusive parents have made their own children sick — an iteration often known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy.
Belle Gibson case 'straightforward malingering, fraud'
According to Professor Feldman, what separates Munchausen syndrome from fraud is that it isn't about ripping people off; it's about fulfilling a psychological and emotional need.
Professor Feldman says instances of alleged deception like that of disgraced ‘wellness’ blogger Belle Gibson, who profited by more than $500,000 in book and app publication deals after claiming to have cured her terminal cancer with holistic medicine, are not examples of Munchausen syndrome.
"The moment someone goes online and gets money as a result of their lying about illness, that becomes a criminal activity," Professor Feldman said.
 "In the case of Belle Gibson and others, there was such an avid search for money and fame that you have to conclude … that's just straightforward malingering, it's fraud, and it needs to be prosecuted."

But the distinction between Munchausen syndrome and fraudulent, malevolent deceit isn't always so clear-cut.
"Sometimes there are cases in which someone, say, has gone online and faked cancer for a long period time, and well-meaning people will provide them, without their asking, for gifts. That, I have a hard time just dismissing as malingering," Professor Feldman said.
The psychiatrist explains that turning down support — whether it's an offer of money or a bunch of flowers — increases the likelihood of being exposed as a fraud, "because it makes no sense". As a result, Feldman says people with Munchausen syndrome are therefore compelled to accept the gifts that come their way.
"The moment that happens, even though the overall picture is clearly one of Munchausen syndrome … the police tend to step in, and they ignore the pursuit of sympathy and attention and just declare it's all fraud from beginning to end," he said.
Munchausen syndrome is recognised in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – the 'bible of psychiatry' – under the name "factitious disorder". But the jury is still out on Munchausen by internet.
"Munchausen by internet is not classified as a mental illness. We don't know what it is, frankly," Professor Feldman said.
The difficulty in understanding the syndrome no doubt stems from the difficulty in studying those who have it. Professor Feldman and his colleagues are, after all, only looking at cases where the deception has failed.
"Where it's crafty and skilful, we probably never know that the person has lied about illness and have no opportunity to count them in statistics," he said.
Meet 'hoax hunter' Taryn Harper Wright
So how can you tell when someone is faking an illness online?
Taryn Harper Wright, a self-described ‘hoax hunter’, was the first person to discover the Dana Dirr ruse.
She says there are often inconsistencies in the information someone with Munchausen by internet gives.
"You'd be surprised at how often a character name will change or the person will say they have six siblings and suddenly they will have two," Ms Harper Wright said.
Moreover, she adds that "drama" is nearly always central to the narrative of a story crafted by someone with Munchausen by internet.

"Every single day something dramatic is happening, and if it's not to do with the cancer battle or whatever illness they are struggling with, one of their neighbours will die in a car accident, or somebody will be hurt in a skydiving accident. There is just tonnes and tonnes and tonnes of drama," she said.
Ms Harper Wright's discovery of the complex Dirr family story was almost by accident, but nonetheless, went viral. Her revelation struck a chord amongst many childhood cancer support groups, some of which the fake Dirr family had ingratiated themselves with.
"After I exposed everything and they realised that none of it was true … they were genuinely grieving for that person and they felt a sense of loss, that they had lost this friendship with these people that never actually existed," she said.
According to Professor Feldman, the groups of people who provide support — whether online or in real life — are "universally devastated" when an illness is exposed as being fake.
"Sometimes these lies have gone on for months, if not years, and you get invested in what that other person is telling you and you start to really care about them … And to have the house of cards go crumbling down is a devastating experience," he said.
Following her exposé of the infamous Dirr family, Ms Harper Wright now has a community of people working together to unravel fake afflictions online.
But hoax hunting isn't without its ethical ambiguities. If Ms Harper Wright gets it wrong, she could end up accusing someone with a serious, often life-threatening, illness of 'faking it'. And even if she is right, she's still confronting someone who, in all likelihood, is dealing with some sort of serious mental health issue.
"Nobody that is having a happy life decides, 'Oh, I'm going to go online and pretend that my child is dying.' So, I think that they've got something going on too … And I think that that needs to be understood a lot better than it is," she said.
So can people with Munchausen syndrome be treated?
"The professional literature is pretty clear on whether or not treatment works: it's an emphatic no," Professor Feldman said.
"Trainees who are learning about Munchausen syndrome and factitious disorder are told pretty much: if you encounter a patient with Munchausen syndrome, run as fast as possible in the opposite direction."


Friday, July 15, 2016

Where is Karen Ristevski?

Karen




It's happening again.  A married couple have a heated argument and the wife mysteriously disappears, never to be seen again.  The distraught husband pleads with the public to come forward with information.

But we've seen it all before.  In almost every case in recent history, the husband is finally arrested for his wife's murder.  It's called trial by media, and heaven help her husband if he's innocent.

Two weeks ago Melbourne woman Karen Ristevski disappeared and police fear she is now dead.  Her husband Boris said they had an argument about financial matters affecting the family business and she went for a walk to cool off.

At a recent press conference, a Channel 7 reporter asked Mr Ristevski directly if he killed his wife.  His Aunt Patricia was distressed and called an immediate halt to the meeting.  "That's really not appropriate at the moment.....honestly, I have to say, that is really inappropriate....this is about Karen, not about anything else, this is about finding Karen.

Mr Ristevski and their daughter



"That was the last thing she said to me" Mr Ristevski said.  "I'm going to go and clear my head...she always walked in the door after calming down."

The couple's luxury home has been searched and Mr Ristevski was interviewed by police and later released, pending further developments.

Saturday, July 9, 2016

Tony Blair and the Chilcot Report






Tony Blair could be put on trial for his role in taking Britain to war in Iraq.

MPs are examining whether the former Prime Minister can be impeached and forced to account for his actions in front of MPs and peers.

Under impeachment rules "holders of public office, for high treason or other crimes and misdemeanours" can be put on trial in Parliament.

Excerpts from Tony Blair's address

The decision to go to war in Iraq and remove Saddam Hussein from power in a coalition of over 40 countries led by the USA, was the hardest, most momentous, most agonising decision I took in 10 years as British Prime Minister.
For that reason, today I accept full responsibility, without exception and without excuse. I recognise the division felt by many in our country over the war and in particular I feel deeply and sincerely - in a way that no words can properly convey - the grief and suffering of those who lost ones they loved in Iraq, whether the members of our armed forces, the armed forces of other nations, or Iraqis.
The intelligent assessments made at the time of going to war turned out to be wrong. The aftermath turned out to be more hostile, protracted and bloody than ever we imagined. The coalition planned for one set of ground facts and encountered another, and a nation whose people we wanted to set free and secure from the evil of Saddam, became instead victims to secular terrorism.
For all of this, I express more sorrow, regret and apology than you may ever know or can believe.

Tony Blair isn't the only one who should acknowledge the mistake and apologise for supporting President Bush by sending troops to Iraq, our Prime Minister John Howard and most of the free world went with him.

And by the time we woke up and discovered that thousands of innocent civilians died for no reason and the war was started on a lie, it was too late.

This week, John Howard didn't feel the need to apologise for his part in the war, he took President Bush's side without question, as did every other country.  America called on her friends to rally and join them in the "Coalition of the Willing" and they did, in spades.

But the US made a terrible mistake, and so did we.

Friday, July 8, 2016

The Oscar Pistorius justice farce





Convicted murder Oscar Pistorius has been sent back to the same cell in the hospital wing of Pretoria's Kgosi Mampuru prison to serve six years for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

But the six year sentence is a joke, and the judge knew only too well that because of a loophole in South African law, he could be out in less than a year.

He has already spent a year in the hospital wing reserved for vulnerable inmates. The South African Dept of Correctional Services said the special accommodation was due to his disability.

The farce started when Pistorius was found not guilty of premeditated murder and was convicted of the lesser charge of culpable homicide.

When prosecutors managed to get the charge lifted to murder, it seemed that justice had finally prevailed and expectations were high, but insead, the judge has let him off.

And what a performance he gave in court.  We walked around on his stumps.  He vomited, cried and collapsed when pictures of his victim were shown. 

And it paid off.  He got away with murder and will be out within a year and return to a life of privilege.

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Hamdi Alqudsi on trial

Hamdi Alqudsi leaving Parramatta Court



An alleged jihadi recruiter Hamdi Alqudsi 41, who planned to go to Syria to fight, changed his mind when he was told the toilets were filthy, there was no toilet paper and you had to shower with a bucket of water.

A Supreme Court jury was given transcripts of conversations on WhatsApp and Skype at his trial for allegedly recruiting seven young men to fight in Syria.  He has pleaded not guilty.

Two days after the conversations about the harsh conditions, he decided not go.

"My father is having knee reconstruction so therefore no one will be able to take care of my elderly mother whose got cancer and my younger brother who's got MS.  As soon as he is able to get back to taking care of mum, then I will leave immediately."

The court heard his Sydney home was raided on 3 December and jihadi literature was found, including one document titled "killing oneself to protect information."

During cross examination, it was revealed that five males aged between 20 and 30 also lived at the house with Alqudsi and his wife Carnita Matthews.

The trial continues. 

Monday, July 4, 2016

Derryn Hinch claims victory in the Senate





Australia's general election at the weekend was a disaster.  Both the conservatives and the Labor Party cannot claim victory because it's so close, they are waiting on postal votes and counting is said to continue for weeks.

Meanwhile, both leaders are sweet-talking the Independents, promising them God knows what.

But media personality Derryn Hinch looks set to be elected to the Senate and although he hasn't reached the required quota for one of the 12 available Senate seats in Victoria, he took to Twitter to claim victory.

Hinch will make his political debut on the back of the Derryn Hinch's Justice Party platform of tough sanctions for paedophiles and sex offenders.

In 1998, Hinch served 12 days in prison and was fined $15,000 for contempt of court after he publicly revealed paedophile Roman Catholic priest Michael Charles Glennon's prior conviction while his trial was still pending.

In June 2011, he was convicted of breaching a suppression order against the names of two sex offenders and sentenced to five months home detention.

In October 2013, he was found guilty of contempt of court for breaching a suppression order and revealing details of Jill Meagher's killer, Adrian Ernest Bayley's criminal history.  The judge gave him 90 days to pay $100,000 contempt of court fine or face 50 days in jail.  He chose the latter.

In sentencing Hinch in October, Victorian Supreme Court Judge Stephen Kaye said his web posts had been populist and self-serving.  "Your conduct was grossly irresponsible" Justice Kaye said. "Although you thought you knew better than Justice Nettle, clearly you did not."

It was Hinch's sixth conviction for contempt of court or related offences, a record which Justice Kaye said was disgraceful.

So after 50 nights in prison, Hinch came out, shaken but resolute.

......."the guards and the other guys treated me pretty well but it was no picnic.... you are talking strip searches, bend over, the whole lot......and to wake up on your 70th birthday and have a guard say happy birthday, it was tough."

Hinch served much of his sentence in 23 hour lockdown in maximum security, in accordance with his wishes, worried about his health and safety.  In June 2011, he underwent a successful liver transplant after being diagnosed with liver cancer and given only a few months to live.

During that time in lockdown, he worked on his campaign - Protect Our Children - that calls for a public register for sex offenders. "Serial sex offenders have their names, photos and addresses suppressed by the courts on release... a public register is a right and a national duty that is long overdue."

"I've come out of a place where 93 per cent are sex offenders, I know what these men look like, but when they come out - you won't."

So how many Australian journalists come to mind who would be prepared to undergo 50 nights in a 23 hour lockdown cell?  

Saturday, July 2, 2016

Aldi Australia launches affordable furniture range




Every week, early bird shoppers queue outside Aldi stores across the country to get this week's bargains.  And there are plenty of them.

Now the German grocery chain is planning to take on IKEA by offering its own affordable furniture. They call it Aldi's Designer Living Room Range.

Aldi is selling a lounge chair with matching ottoman for $349 while Harvey Norman's version sells for $2,000 and the same designer product by Eames Office sells for $6,500.


Aldi chair (not real leather) $349.00


Eames alternative (real leather) costs $6,500.


Aldi is also offering an Eiffel dining chair for $39.99.  The Eames alternative costs $439.





Can you tell the difference?




So understandably, Gerry Harvey from Harvey Norman is worried and asks shoppers to consider the safety of the imitations. 

Retail expert Colin McLeud believes the new range will send shock waves through the retail industry. "I think Aldi have just put IKEA on notice" he said.

At last, clever overseas retailers have found  their way into our markets producing great products at cheaper prices and tipping our retail industry on its head.