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Aussie footballers sit tight after 'mild' tsunami

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 28 Oktober 2012 | 23.08

A major 7.7 magnitude earthquake has rocked the Queen Charlotte Islands off the west coast of Canada.

MEMBERS of a Queensland indigenous rugby league team are holed up in an Hawaiian evacuation centre awaiting tsunami updates.

Two of Arthur Beetson's sons were with the team at Kaiser High School, on the island of Oahu, where they were advised to stay until the severity was known of the tsunami generated by an earthquake in Canada.

The team - captained by former Brisbane Bronco Ian Lacey and consisting mostly of Queensland Cup players - had played a Hawaiian All Stars team at the high school, which is on the side of a hill.

Rugby league writer Steve Mascord was with the team and said the players had been relaxed about the unfolding situation.

"They had music on and they were dancing (but) now they're starting to get a little bored," Mr Mascord told AAP.

"There was talk of going to a pub nearby ... There's certainly no real alarm."

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued an alert for all Hawaiian islands on Saturday night (Sunday AEDT), hours after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake rocked an island off Canada's west coast.

Tad Kanski of Newport Beach, California unties his family's sailboat moored at the Ala Wai Harbor after learning of a tsunami warning. Picture: AP

Bu the tsunami which hit Hawaii on Sunday was mild, forcing a state-wide evacuation but apparently failing to cause major damage.

Television images from the island of Oahu showed relatively small waves peacefully rolling toward shore.

Shortly after, forecasters lifted a tsunami warning issued in the wake of the quake.

"Based on all available data the tsunami threat has decreased and is now at the advisory level and not expected to increase," the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre announced.

The centre warned, however, that sea level changes and strong currents could still occur and present a hazard for swimmers and boaters.

"The threat may continue for several hours," the centre cautioned.

The quake hit Canada near the Gwaii Haanas region.

Highways and roads in coastal areas were reopened, allowing thousands of residents and hundreds of tourists to return to their homes and hotel rooms.

But the tsunami succeeded in disrupting the weekend activities of many tourists and residents.

Countless Halloween parties were interrupted, restaurants, bars and movie theatres emptied, and highways quickly filled with cars heading away from beach areas.

Tourists from Waikiki to Turtle Bay in Honolulu were evacuated to higher floors in their hotels, and major tourist centres looked abandoned for several hours.

Governor Neil Abercrombie declared a state of emergency when the first alert was sounded and kept it in force.

"We are taking a wait-and-see approach - we want everyone to be safe," said the governor's spokesperson, Donalyn Dela Cruz.

Erica Avegalio, centre, and her brother Albert Avegalio, right, load up on water and food at the Times Supermarket after learning of the tsunami threat. Picture: AP

Initially, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said there was no "destructive widespread tsunami threat" after the 7.7 magnitude quake shook the Queen Charlotte Islands off the west coast of Canada.

But later it issued a warning, saying a tsunami had been generated by the earthquake and that it was headed toward Hawaii.

The epicentre of the Canadian quake, which occurred at 8.04pm on Saturday (1404 AEDT on Sunday) was located 139 kilometres south of the town of Masset, the US Geological Survey said.

Numerous aftershocks, some as strong as magnitude 4.6, followed the initial quake.

Emergency officials in British Columbia urged residents in low-lying coastal areas to be alert to instructions from local officials and be prepared to move to higher ground.

"The tsunami alarm went off and everybody went to the evacuation site," Danny Escott, owner of the Escott Sportfishing lodge near Masset, said by telephone.

Lyndon Fong of Honolulu fills up his gas tank after learning of the tsunami warning. Picture: AP

But officials in Canada sought to calm the population.

Natural Resources Canada said in a statement that the quake was felt across much of north-central British Columbia, including Haida Gwaii as the Queen Charlotte Islands are also called, Prince Rupert, Quesnel and Houston.

But the ministry also played down the effects on Canada, saying: "There have been no reports of damage at this time."

Mr Mascord said the Australian consul-general to Hawaii was at the game and had advised the players to remain at the school until the conditions became clearer.

"Kaiser High School is a safe zone, so this is where people will come if there is trouble, so the boys are pretty relaxed about that," Mr Mascord said.

"There are roads closed, and the bottom floors of hotels in Waikiki have been evacuated.

"But apparently people are still shopping in Waikiki, so we're just waiting for more news and hoping we can return to our hotels."

The players are travelling with the Arthur Beetson Foundation as part of a 39-person party, which includes the rugby league legend's sons as well as tribal dancers who performed before the game.

The Queenslanders won 70-8 against the Hawaiian All Stars, who themselves were coached by former North Queensland Cowboy Cory Paterson.


23.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sex like sport in Aust: Robbie Williams

SEX is like a sport in Australia, according to Robbie Williams, who says the country is blessed with some "cracking players".

But the bad news for any Aussie angel hoping to let him entertain her on a future tour Down Under is that the English pop singer says he's "loved up" with his wife after the recent arrival of their first child.

The 38-year-old, who's renowned for his cheeky humour and risque on-stage behaviour, says trips to Australia allow him to push the boundaries.

"I love coming to Australia because it's encouraged, I'm given more rope in Australia," he told the Seven Network on Sunday.

"Sex is like a sport in Australia ... and what a cracking set of players you have over there."

Williams and his actress wife Ayda Field became parents for the first time last month with the arrival of Theodora Rose.

He said becoming a father was "unexplainable" but it had made him a better man.

"She came out and I went 'this is all I want to do, this makes sense, I want to be with her, I want to watch her grow, and I want to be daddy'."

In a wide ranging interview ahead of this week's release of his eighth studio album, Williams, who has been teetotal for 12 years, also touched upon his well-documented struggles with substance abuse.

"Unfortunately I'm a textbook addict," he said.

"I will use anything at all possible to change the way I feel."

He said that at his lowest ebb, although he never considered committing suicide, he didn't care whether he lived or died.

"There were moments where I didn't care if it ended (although) I don't think I was going to end it."

But Williams said he was now a very different person.

"I'm very content, I'm loved up, I've got a little girl I need to look after.

"I'm very pleased, honoured and happy to do that."

Williams' new album, Take The Crown, will be released on November 2.


23.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Today's kids get both barrels

Catherine Page Jeffery with her daughter Eve Jeffery and her husband David Jeffery at their Glebe home. Picture: Kristi Miller Source: The Daily Telegraph

THE hyphen's out and double barrels are in - but there's no name and shame these days as more mums pass their maiden moniker down to the kids.

With hyphenated surnames long regarded as pretentious posturing, women are opting for a streamlined approach by simply merging their name with their husband's.

When Channel 9 boss David Gyngell and TV host Leila McKinnon welcomed their first child Edmund McKinnon Gyngell into the world this month, he joined a new wave of children to get a double-barrelled surname - sans hyphen, of course.

Research by Swinburne University of Technology senior sociology lecturer Dr Deborah Dempsey and Monash University associate professor Jo Lindsay suggests this approach is more popular for mothers than children.

But almost half of families now have members with different surnames as mums retain their self-identity.

"This is definitely a new trend, " demographer Bernard Salt said, adding female empowerment played a major part in the development.

"After 40 years of advancement in society, women are equals within relationships and within the child's name - especially where women are successful in their own right as Leila McKinnon is."

The Gen Y ideology of allowing for options also plays a major role.

"It is like dual citizenship where at 18 a child gets to choose which country they want to be a citizen of," Mr Salt said.

"With these surnames they get to road test both names, see which one fits best and possibly choose one of the two names when they are adults."

Catherine Page Jeffery, 34, of Glebe, and daughter Eve are an example of the modern mother and child. The mother's maiden name was Page and her husband David was Jeffery so she opted to become Catherine Page Jeffery when they married.

Although Ms Page Jeffery wanted to keep her maiden name, she felt it was important to have a connection with her husband and daughter - so adding Jeffery was logical.

"A hyphen seemed unnecessary to me. The space looked nicer and I knew a few people who had chosen this option," she said. Daughter Eve has only taken her dad's name to keep it simple.

"My husband assumed her name would be Page Jeffery, but then I decided on Jeffery," Ms Page Jeffrey said.

"You have to think about the future and give them an opportunity to choose a double-barrelled surname when they get married."

Dr Dempsey believes double-barrelled surnames with hyphens are not as popular primarily because they sound "pretentious".


23.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Julia's plan to 'Asianise' Australia

Asia expert Andrew MacIntyre says the Asian Century white paper is a good start – but the government must follow through.

JULIA Gillard has outlined an ambitious plan to "Asianise" the Australian economy and education system to tap into the vast middle-class markets that will emerge in China, India and Indonesia in the next two decades.

The vision, much of which is already underway, includes plans to free up tourist and business travel within the region, to lift Australia's tax-free threshold "to at least $21,000", to scrap inefficient state taxes such as stamp duty and to have Australian schools engage with at least one Asian school to promote language learning.

It would also provide Australian students with continuous training in Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian or Japanese throughout their schooling.

As part of the cultural refocusing, the ABC and SBS would be asked to provide more extensive coverage of the region "in all aspects of their content and programming, with special attention to news and information coverage".

Unveiling her long-awaited Asian Century white paper in Sydney, the Prime Minister declared "history asks great nations great questions - Australia is no exception".

She said the world was moving eastward to Australia's advantage and our location and high living standards would provide a valuable edge.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard speaks during the release of the Government's White Paper on "Australia in the Asian Century", at the Lowy Institute in Sydney. Picture: AFP

"For the first time in our history, Asia is not a threat to our high-skill high-wage road. It is a reason to stay on it, " she said.

Accordingly, the paper lays down long-term targets designed to boost national income, dramatically lift productivity, propel the education system into the global top five and "deeply integrate" economic links with Asia driving Australia's intra-regional trade to constitute "at least one-third of GDP, up from one-quarter today".

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said the Opposition "broadly welcomed" the paper, which constituted mainly "predictable common sense".

He said it appeared, however, that the Government was playing catch-up with the Opposition, which had always argued for a policy emphasis of "more Jakarta and less Geneva".

Among the few immediate initiatives is a commitment to provide 12,000 Australia Awards (Asian Century) Scholarships for studies here and in the region in the next five years.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard says Asia's wealth should drive a profound change in our thinking about our economic relationship with the region. Picture: AFP

There also is a goal of elevating 10 Australian universities into the world's top 100 universities by 2025.

The Government wants the white paper to lead a transformation of Australia's mostly commodity-based export approach, toward a high-wage, high-skills service-based economy.

Ms Gillard said this was needed to meet growing Asian demands for education and technical expertise driven by the region's exploding middle classes.

Employers groups including the National Farmers' Federation welcomed the white paper.

"Today, the important role for farmers in providing food, fibre, knowledge and expertise to the Asian region and, the challenges we must overcome to succeed in doing so, have been recognised," said the NFF's Jock Laurie.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard (centre) along with former Treasury secretary Ken Henry (left) and Frank Lowy, after delivering the white paper. Picture: Dan Himbrechts

But the Opposition's Julie Bishop dismissed it as disappointing and merely ''a grab-bag'' of existing government policies put together by Labor spin-doctors.

She said it appeared that the rigorous work of former Treasury head Ken Henry had been rewritten by Labor insiders to reflect government policy.

BY 2025 ...

EDUCATION: Children will graduate from high school with a working knowledge of Asia and every Australian university will be encouraged to send students to universities in Asia, to ensure the next generation's leaders are Asia-literate.

BUSINESS: Australia will be in the world's top five when it comes to ease of doing business after a National Productivity Compact with the states and territories, focused on regulatory and competition reform.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott at Parliament House in Canberra today. Picture: Gary Ramage

INFRASTRUCTURE: Infrastructure needs will be planned at least 20 years ahead and the National Broadband Network will reach across Australia, giving access to all corners of the Asian region.

AGRICULTURE: Producers and processors will be globally renowned as competitive, innovative and sustainable suppliers of high-quality food and agricultural products to Asia.

TRADE: Trade with Asia will increase from one-quarter to one-third of Australia's gross domestic product.

ENVIRONMENT: Australia will be a world leader in sustainable food production, energy, water use and biodiversity conservation.

TOURISM: Work and holiday agreements will be expanded and tourists will find it easier to get a visa, with a focus on attracting Chinese travellers.

Former Australian prime minister Bob Hawke (centre) arriving to listen to current Prime Minister Julia Gillard release the Asian Century white paper. Picture: AFP

DEFENCE: Trust and co-operation will be built in the region, supporting Asia's role in global order, and Australia's strong alliance with the US will be maintained for regional stability.

PUBLIC SECTOR: One third of the board members of Commonwealth bodies and one-third of senior leaders in the Australian Public Service will have deep experience in Asia.

REGIONAL AUSTRALIA: State and local governments will be diversifying their economic bases and making their own trade links with Asian counterparts.

Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke congratulates Prime Minister Julia Gillard after she delivered the white paper. Picture: Dan Himbrechts


23.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Surgeon used finger to plug rapper's heart

Rapper Jelal Edmunds (Lazy J) with Dr Michael Byrom at Sydney town hall for St Vincent life ball. Picture: Turner Grant Source: The Daily Telegraph

X-Factor rapper Jelal Edmunds (Lazy J) who was stabbed in the heart. Picture: Adam Taylor Source: The Daily Telegraph

WITH no pulse and no heartbeat, rapper Jelal Edmonds had to be brought back from the dead.

It was only by chance that heart surgeon Dr Michael Byrom had been on hand to treat the former X-Factor contestant and rising hip-hop star, known as Lazy J.

The 19-year-old was rushed to St Vincent's Hospital a fortnight ago after being stabbed in the heart and severing an artery during an attack outside a club in Darlinghurst.

Dr Byrom was at the hospital with a team of transplant doctors after they were called to receive donor organs.

But when Dr Byrom examined the patient he had trouble finding his heart.

"When I opened his chest, I had to look twice because it was still," Dr Byrom said yesterday. "I looked at the heart, then I looked at the lungs, and I thought 'Well, this has to be it'."


With Jelal's heart in his hands, Dr Byrom quickly discovered the reason his blood pressure had dropped and he had no pulse. What he did next brought Jelal back to life.

"He had a hole in his heart, so I had to put my finger in that until his circulation restarted," he said.

Incredibly, just a fortnight after saving Jelal's life, the pair was reunited on stage at the hospital's inaugural and aptly named Life Ball on Saturday night.

Jelal's parents Mani and Rana, who hugged and thanked the doctor, cried as their son's miraculous survival story was shared with the 400-strong crowd at the Sydney Town Hall.

"It was the most magical experience. To see my son and the doctor together, I'll never forget that moment," Ms Edmonds said.

Dr Byrom said Jelal's survival was a combination of everything aligning - from his incident happening so close to the hospital, the work of paramedics and the doctors being there at the right time.

"If any one of these things hadn't happened, he would have died, absolutely," Dr Byrom said.

Hospital spokesman David Faktor said the patient and doctor reunion was incredibly compelling for everyone at the ball.

"Jelal's outlook served as a major inspiration for all those present - both supporters and staff alike," he said.

Jelal and his best friend Panapa Iafeta, who perform as Lazy J and Big Guy, had just finished a gig at Club Eleven on Oxford St, when they were approached by two men, and an altercation broke out which lead to Jelal being stabbed. Two men have been charged over the incident.


23.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Stacey sent packing in record vote

Stacey Wren talks to Big Brother host Sonia Kruger after becoming the ninth person to be evicted from the house. Picture: Channel 9 Source: Supplied

IN A record-breaking public vote and just 10 days before the finale, Stacey Wren, has become the ninth person to be evicted from the Big Brother house.

The quirky, fun-loving 24-year-old advertising account manager from Sydney's Surry Hills received enough votes to save her in any other week of the competition, but the support did not help this time around and she polled just 24 per cent of the total.

Stacey is well liked in the house and it was her first and only nomination after almost 80 days of competition.

"It's my stinking luck," she giggled. "Kicked out first time! It's OK - it's just the way the cookie crumbles."

*Join a live blog with Stacey from 12.30pm Monday

Her close friend in the house, Benjamin, 32, shook off a week of moping about his third nomination and was saved with 30 per cent of the vote. Host Sonia Kruger wondered aloud if having both nominated the same week had split the vote, given how similar their fan bases are.

Stacey appeared shocked by the huge number of people voting to save Estelle, who has been perpetually targeted by the other housemates in nominations and this week attracted disapproval for her very flirty behaviour with Michael and Sam.

"It's basically her trying to get any sort of attention from any type of male in the house," Stacey said. "She is the type of person who loves that fluff of the feathers from men."

But while the housemates have their reservations about the 23-year-old law student, rapper and skater, the public does not and her huge fan base saw her receive 46 per cent of the vote saving her from her seventh nomination.

"Why?" Stacey asked host Sonia Kruger. She also pointedly refused to concede Estelle could win saying: "I'm not even going to give Estelle the gratification".

Explaining the comment, Stacey said: "Estelle basically said in the first week 'You know, I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to win the money. That stuck in my mind and I thought about that the whole way through and I thought: you know what? I'm not going to give her the gratification."

Instead Stacey predicts either her close friend Ben, or Michael will walk away with the $250,000 first prize – and she says they deserve to.

For her part Stacey will return to work at Frost Design in Sydney, but her dream is to pursue a career in television or radio. She said the Big Brother experience was the "coolest thing in the world".

"I think it changed my life," she said. "People have always said to me you're a little bit crazy, a little bit weird and I feel like I've gone into the house and met… a majority of people who are similar and that made me feel OK about myself. I walked out of there feeling proud."

The Big Brother final will be held on Wednesday, November 7.


23.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mild tsunami disrupts life in Hawaii

A MILD tsunami has hit Hawaii after a powerful earthquake off the west coast of Canada, forcing a state-wide evacuation but apparently failing to cause major damage.

Television images from the island of Oahu showed relatively small waves peacefully rolling toward shore.

Shortly after, forecasters lifted a tsunami warning issued in the wake of the quake.

"Based on all available data the tsunami threat has decreased and is now at the advisory level and not expected to increase," the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center announced.

The centre warned, however, that sea level changes and strong currents could still occur and present a hazard for swimmers and boaters.

"The threat may continue for several hours," the centre cautioned.

Highways and roads in coastal areas were reopened, allowing thousands of residents and hundreds of tourists to return to their homes and hotel rooms.

But the tsunami, set off by a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck off the west coast of Canada, succeeded in disrupting the weekend activities of many tourists and residents.

Countless Halloween parties were interrupted, restaurants, bars and movie theatres emptied, and highways quickly filled with cars heading away from beach areas.

Tourists from Waikiki to Turtle Bay in Honolulu were evacuated to higher floors in their hotels, and major tourist centres looked abandoned for several hours.

Governor Neil Abercrombie declared a state of emergency when the first alert was sounded and kept it in force.

"We are taking a wait-and-see approach - we want everyone to be safe," said the governor's spokesperson, Donalyn Dela Cruz.

Initially, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no "destructive widespread tsunami threat" after the 7.7 magnitude quake shook the Queen Charlotte Islands off the west coast of Canada.

But later it issued a warning, saying a tsunami had been generated by the earthquake and that it was headed toward Hawaii.

The epicentre of the Canadian quake, which occurred at 8.04pm on Saturday (1404 AEDT on Sunday) was located 139 kilometres south of the town of Masset, the US Geological Survey said.

Numerous aftershocks, some as strong as magnitude 4.6, followed the initial quake.

Emergency officials in British Columbia urged residents in low-lying coastal areas to be alert to instructions from local officials and be prepared to move to higher ground.

"The tsunami alarm went off and everybody went to the evacuation site," Danny Escott, owner of the Escott Sportfishing lodge near Masset, said by telephone.

But officials in Canada sought to calm the population.

Natural Resources Canada said in a statement that the quake was felt across much of north-central British Columbia, including Haida Gwaii as the Queen Charlotte Islands are also called, Prince Rupert, Quesnel and Houston.

But the ministry also played down the effects on Canada, saying: "There have been no reports of damage at this time."


23.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Alesha, 6, bitten by death adder

Alesha Mills, 6, at her Cairns home after surviving a bite from a death adder. Picture: Brendan Francis Source: The Cairns Post

A CAIRNS mum says she is amazed at the fighting spirit of her young daughter, who survived a bite from one of Australia's most venomous snakes.

Six-year-old Alesha Mills is now recovering at home after the 30cm death adder struck her toe on Friday afternoon, putting her in hospital for two nights.

"She's a little fighter," mum Rebecca Mills said.

The pint-sized primary school student heard the family dogs barking and went to investigate when she was bitten by the deadly snake near a side fence.

"I've never heard her scream so loud in her life," Ms Mills said.

She quickly applied a compression bandage and dialled triple-0.

Alesha being treated with antivenene in Cairns Base Hospital.

But once at hospital, blood tests failed to show any signs of venom, causing doctors to question whether she was actually bitten by the snake.

"It was only after they took her compression bandages off that she went straight downhill," Ms Mills said.

After her leg began to swell and she began vomiting, doctors administered a venom detection test, which showed the bite was from a death adder.

"I was petrified to see a six-year-old in so much pain, she just deteriorated so quickly," she said.

Facing the risk of organ failure if untreated, Alesha was rushed to the emergency department at Cairns Base Hospital, where she was treated with antivenene.

"There's a high risk of anaphylactic shock but luckily she went through it with no real reaction," Ms Mills said.

She said snakes were commonly sighted around the family home, which is surrounded by thick bushland and near the Cairns Tropical Zoo.

"We live in the middle of the scrub so there's not much you can do about them," she said.


23.08 | 0 komentar | Read More
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