Is The Australian Sports Party a Topless Joke?

The Australian Sports Party should apologise for a Facebook photo featuring a topless woman jogging, a women's rights group says.

The picture is accompanied by an anecdote about the woman - see below - described as "voluptuous" and a "babe", who is running with a sign around her neck saying, "If you catch me, you can have me".

Wayne Dropulich of the Australian Sports Party was elected to the Senate in last September's federal election, before the WA count was declared void due to missing ballots.

The party is fielding candidates, including Mr Dropulich, in the re-run of the WA Senate election on April 5 ::

Asteroid To Shave Passed Earth

An asteroid the size of a football field is about to make a close pass by Earth but is not expected to hit or cause any damage. Coined 2014 DX110, the asteroid will be part of a rare class of objects that comes nearer than the moon, NASA says.

The space agency says it will shave by at around 7:00am aest tomorrow. "As happens about 20 times a year with current detection capabilities, a known asteroid will safely pass Earth closer than the distance from Earth to the moon," NASA said on its website.

Its closest approach to Earth will be at about 350,000 kilometres, a bit closer than the average lunar distance of 385,000 kilometres. The asteroid is believed to be about 30 metres across. NASA discovered it as part of its asteroid tracking efforts, called the Near-Earth Object Observations Program.

@mcsixtyfive

source: afp image source: indeepmedia

Anti-vaccine Group Forced to Change Name

We've been following the Australian Vaccination Networks -AVN - belligerence since mid 2013, when the anti-vaccination group was ordered by Australia's Therapeutic Drug Authority to change its name.

The group has finally conceded.

AVN has changed its name to one that more clearly reflects its anti-vaccination views, the group will now be known as the Australian Vaccination-Skeptics Network.

The New South Wales Fair Trading Department has been pursuing the group for some time after receiving complaints about its misleading name.

The organisation tried to challenge a direction to find a new name but was last year ordered by the Administrative Decisions Tribunal to call itself something different.

::

NSW Fair Trading Minister Stuart Ayres says the association's original name was misleading.

"The title wasn't reflecting their strong anti-vaccination stance and so we after receiving numerous complaints requested them to change their name," Mr Ayres said. "They've now complied with that request and the new title reflects their anti-vaccination stance."

The Australian Medical Association - AMA - says it hopes the name change makes sure the organisation is not mistaken for a government agency.

AMA president Dr Steve Hambleton says the new name is much clearer.

"I think it certainly is a lot better than what it was before and I think that people when they see that word 'sceptic' and perhaps even if they see it spelt incorrectly they're actually going to look at it and be a bit suspicious," Dr Hambleton said. "I would have preferred if it was 'the anti-vaccination network', which is well and truly what it is. Lots of people have believed that it was a government site with balanced information."

@mcsixtyfive

RELATED! AVN Ordered to Change Name

Our least favourite getup group, the Australian Vaccination Network has again been ordered to change its name, after losing an appeal against a ruling that its current name is misleading.

The New South Wales Administrative Decisions Tribunal has upheld a ruling by the state’s Fair Trading department that the anti-vaccination group’s current name could mislead the public.

The AVN can elect to make a further appeal against the ruling, but Fair Trading Minister Anthony Roberts has warned the organisation risks a hefty legal bill because the department will seek legal costs.

“The AVN must change its name now,” Mr Roberts said.

The Australian Vaccination Network, which is clearly an anti-vaccine soapbox,  claims to be a lobby and support group that promotes health choices. However, the New South Wales Fair Trading Department maintains that the groups name is intentionally misleading, saying the group “is in fact, an anti-vaccination group.”

The Australian Medical Association was among those that complained to Fair Trading about the AVN’s name :: Read the full article »»»»

RELATED! Anti-vaccine Group Ignores TGA Order

The anti-vaccination group that goes under the banner Australian Vaccination Network – AVN – has failed to comply with a Federal Government order to stop advertising a product as a treatment for cancer. The Therapeutic Goods Administration – TGA – found the group advertised “black salve” on its website and on a promotional DVD.

Black salve – also known as cansema is sold as an alternative treatment for cancer, including skin cancer. The product is commonly classified as an escharotic - a topical paste which burns and destroys skin tissue, leaving behind a thick black scar called an eschar - The TGA warns the substance is extremely corrosive and can leave significant scarring.

The authority ordered last month the group must stop advertising the product as a treatment for cancer, or suggesting that other cancer treatments are ineffective. The TGA said in its ruling the AVN “was not able to produce valid supporting evidence in relation to their claims”. It also said there was “no credible, reliable clinical or scientific evidence to demonstrate that the product is effective in the treatment of any cancer” :: Read the full article »»»»

RELATED! New Study Finds Vaccination Rates of Australian Children are ‘Reassuringly High’

Research from the National Health Performance Authority has found 77,000 Australian children are not fully immunised. The study – Healthy Communities: Immunisation rates for children in 2011-12 – measures the percentage of children who were considered fully immunised at one, two, three and five years of age. It found 32 areas where the percentage of children fully immunised was 85 per cent or lower for at least one age group. The Australian Medical Association says anything below 93 per cent is unsafe.

The success of immunisation programs depends on public support. A lack of public support for these programs can contribute to a significant increase in preventable diseases, and can be directly linked to the resurgence of once common illnesses like measles and pertussis – whooping cough – of which we’ve recently seen outbreaks of in Australia.

Scientific evidence for the effectiveness of large-scale immunisation is well published, in the US full-vaccination from birth save an estimated 35,000 lives annually and prevents an estimated 14 million infections. Some opponents of vaccination argue that the reduction in infectious disease are a result of improved sanitation and hygiene – rather than vaccination – or that the diseases were already in decline before the introduction of vaccination, unlike medicine however, they don’t process any evidence for these anecdotes.

Repating sometimes is the only way of getting a point across; for vaccination programs to work, 93 per cent of people need to be immunised, any number below this presents a danger for communities. In Australia there are pockets with rates of immunisation as low as 85 per cent. More concerning however is that there are communities relying on Dr Google for medical information, forming what the perceive as informed decisions and lowering immunisation rates in the process. Affluent Eastern Sydney for example has an immunisation rate of 89 per cent, this well educated region is choosing to place it’s children in danger of serious infection due to misguided information? :: Read the full Cankler article »»»»

source: abc source: ama image source: indeepmedia

...and the most tweeted pic goes to?

A selfie of host Ellen DeGeneres with stars including Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper taken during Hollywood's annual Academy Awards ceremony has become the most shared photo ever on Twitter.

Kevin Spacey, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and new Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o also crowded into the picture, which was snapped by Cooper after DeGeneres mingled with stars seated in the audience.

DeGeneres shared the selfie via her Twitter feed, it was subsequently shared, or retweeted, more than two million times in about two hours during the broadcast of the 86th annual Academy Awards :: Read the full article »»»»

New Aussie Weekend Newspaper Hits the Stands

A crisp new weekend newspaper has hit the stands in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne this morning, hoping to prove that print media can thrive in this digital age. The Saturday Paper is produced by property developer and publisher  Morry Schwartz - the man behind the influential Quarterly Essay and The Monthly - The Saturday Paper is edited by 25-year-young former Fairfax journalist Erik Jensen.

The Saturday Paper will be on stands each weekend in print, it'll also be published online and as a mobile app. Mr Schwartz has attracted some heavy hitting pens to the new paper, including former Fairfax journalist, author and social commentator David Marr :: Read the full article »»»»

Facebook Snags Mobile Messaging Service WhatsApp

The socialnetworking site that is Facebook has announced it's buying mobile messaging service WhatsApp in a deal worth an $US19 billion, expanding its global footprint. WhatsApp is a cross-platform mobile app that allows users to exchange text messages without having to pay carrier charges.

The deal bolsters the social network - currently populated with more than 1.2 billion members - with the 450-million strong WhatsApp, which will be operated independently.

It's Facebook's biggest acquisition and comes less than two years after Mark Zuckerberg's firm raised $16 billion in the record breaking public stock offer. The WhatsApp deal includes $US12 billion in Facebook shares, $4 billion cash and $3 billion in RSUs - Restricted Stock Units - for employee retention.

Facebook said via it's blog the deal that "the deal supports Facebook and WhatsApp's shared mission to bring more connectivity to the world. The combination will help accelerate growth and user engagement across both companies. "

Unlike Facebook, WhatsApp is a slim operation, with less than 35 engineers - 1 engineer to 14 million users - it processes 50 billion messages a day, across 7 platforms. The attraction runs much deeper than popularity, WhatsApp will not only boost Facebook's international coverage, more importantly, it will add up to 350 million mobile users to Facebook's advertising offer :: Read the full article »»»»

Internet is a "Gift from God" According to the Pope

Pope Francis says the internet is "a gift from God" and called on Catholics to "boldly become citizens of the digital world".

"The internet... offers immense possibilities for encounter and solidarity. This is something truly good, a gift from God," the Argentine pontiff said in his first World Communication Day message, given annually by the pope.

"Let us boldly become citizens of the digital world.

"Let our communication be a balm which relieves pain and a fine wine which gladdens hearts.

The 77-year-old pontiff is a keen Twitter user whose account has attracted more than 10 million followers.

But he also makes a point of privileging human relationships and physical touch, often walking among the crowds who flock to see him in St Peter's Square and embracing the ill or disabled :: Read the full article »»»»

Facebook Compared to a Disease

Facebook has been called lots of things since it rise to stardom in 2006. According to 2 US researchers however, the social network is most comparable to an infectious disease.

The researchers reckon that the online behemoth is experiencing a spike, right before its decline, they also claim the social network will lose 80 per cent of users by 2017.

Two doctoral candidates in mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton University made their claims in a paper published online at a scientific research archive, but not yet peer-reviewed.

Facebook losing 800,000,000 user might seem like a fantasy, if history is any measure however it may just happen.

Based on the rise and fall of MySpace, John Cannarella and Joshua Spechler say that Facebook, the largest online social network in history, is set for a massive fall :: Read the full article »»»»

Gates Predicts No Poor Nations by 2035

Bill Gates has made the overtly bold prediction that there "will be almost no poor countries left by 2035". In the sixth annual letter published by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr Gates says that there are already clear signs of progress toward this end.

"By almost any measure, the world is better than it has ever been," he wrote in the letter. "People are living longer, healthier lives. Many nations that were aid recipients are now self-sufficient."

Countries once considered poor, such as China, India, Brazil and even Botswana, now have growing economies, he says. In Africa more broadly, life expectancy has risen since the 1960s despite the HIV epidemic.

More children are going to school and fewer people are hungry and where health conditions have improved, birth-rates have declined, the letter states :: Read the full article »»»»

China Arrests Scholar Ilham Tohti

A prominent scholar has been arrested in China just weeks after criticising the government in an interview with Australia's ABC, Ilham Tohti's family say around 30 police came to his home to take away the Beijing based ethnic Muslin Uighur, he is now being held in an unknown location.

China's foreign ministry spokesman, Hong Lei, says Mr Tohti is "suspected of breaking the law" computers have been removed from his home, but no further details would been given.

Mr Tohti's supporters fear his detention is part of a wider crackdown on dissent coming out of the far-Western Xinjiang province following an apparent car fire suicide attack at Tiananmen Gate.

Ilham Tohti is well known for his research on Uyghur-Han relations and is a vocal advocate for the implementation of regional autonomy laws in China, Mr Tohti, a prominent blogger, was the host of Uyghur Online, a website that discusses Uyghur issues. Tohti was previously detained shortly after the 2009 Ürümqi riots by the authorities :: Read the full article »»»»

Million Dollar Picasso Sold in Charity Raffle for $150

A million-dollar drawing by Pablo Picasso was snapped up on Wednesday by a 25 year-old American art lover at a online charity raffle for a mere 100 euros, $AU150.

Jeffrey Gonano said he had been looking for a picture to hang on his living room wall when he read a news article about "L'Homme au Gibus" ("Man with Opera Hat"), raffled by Sotheby's in Paris.

Despite the enormous value of his new acquisition, Mr Gonano has vowed not to sell the artwork, at least for the time being :: Read the full article »»»»

Kings Cross Brothel Owner Jennifer Weatherstone Given Light Sentence Over Child Prostitution

A Sydney brothel owner who prostituted a 14-year-old girl has been given a suspended jail sentence and a good behaviour bond. Jennifer Weatherstone, 50, was convicted of two counts of causing a child to participate in child prostitution in 2011.

The court heard the teenager, known as "Charlie", went to police on her first night working at the brothel after she was left to have unprotected sex with a "disgusting" 75-year-old man. She said she'd run away from home and claimed Weatherstone had offered her a job without asking her age.

Weatherstone, who owns the Sparkling Chandeliers brothel in Sydney's notorious Kings Cross, told the court she thought the girl looked least 19 and that she'd also found a Facebook page which listed the girls age as 24 :: Read the full article »»»»

How Far Can Facebook Advertising Go? Would Google Put Up With These Tactics!?

Facebook has become a social media behemoth with an insane reach, more than a billion users around the planet, with the majority logging into the site several times daily it's hard to see how advertisers can go wrong. 

It isn't the ahre mass of users that Facebook push, it's the huge amount of data the company keeps on each user, advertisers are coaxed with the opportunity to target exactly the audience they want. 

Among mainstream advertisers, theres still a bunch of discussion on whether Facebook advertising is affective, deeper; does Facebook advertising simply generate leads, or does it drive direct sales? Clearly the argument isn't simple, 

Facebook offers advertisers several layers, from sponsored posts, full pages and mobile feeds to tradition button ads. And with multiple formats within its 10 categories, its offer is extensive. 

With such a long reach, a massive combination of placement options and metrics that are more measurable than almost any other platform, why wouldn't you advertise on Facebook? :: Read the full article »»»»

I first noticed this on December 2, 2013

...and there it was again the following day?

...seriously Facebook, is this ok?

even after opting out...

Paul Walker Killed in Car Accident

Actor Paul Walker, best known for his hit roles in The Fast and The Furious movie franchise, has been killed in a fiery car crash in California. The 40-year-old actor was a passenger in a Porsche that lost control and crashed in Santa Clarita, north of Los Angeles, killing both occupants :: Read the full article »»»»

Marvel's Latest Superneat, SUPERHERO, Kamala Khan

Our love for female superheroes is well documented - Abbey Chase - there's something surreally sublime, a female fitted out in a fetishy, flashy outfit, mmmm.

Well world, meet Marvels latest superhero, a teenage Muslim-American girl living in - where else but - Jersey City.

Kamala Khan is the creation of two Marvel staffers, Steve Wacker and Sana Amanat. Inspired by stories of Ms Amanat's youth, the pair hit up G. Willow Wilson - author, comicbook creator and convert to the faith of Islam - to jump onboard :: Read the full article »»»»

Dressed For Death, Pia Interlandi’s Garments for the Grave

In almost every culture, death is shrouded with ritual, the entombment of the dead is most commonly preceded by its dressing.

In Islam it's a white cotton cloth, Judaism's Tachrichim bindings and in the west's it's a tradition of grave clothes, solid black woollen suit or head to toe frock.

The corporeal commonality is the preparation of a dead body for it's journey to the other-side.

In an increasingly secular society, it's a wonderfilled thing to see an artisan reaching back through these traditions, seeking out something deeper from the aesthetically pleasing.

Despite clothing being almost exclusively about covering outside of the body, Ms Interlandi asks the most intimate question of the dead, where and what is soul? :: Read the full article »»»»

Man-Booker Prize Opens To ALL Written English

The organisers of the prestigious Booker Prize for literature have announced it is expanding to cover all novels written in English. The prize - which has been open only to citizens of the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland since its launch in 1969 - will from 2014 see competition from US authors, although any author writing in English anywhere on the planet can become eligible. "The winner of the Man Booker Prize from 2014 will be able to say 'I am the best in the English speaking world'," Booker Prize Foundation literary director Ion Trewin told reporters. Organisers rejected suggestions that the prize would be overrun by US authors and put British, Irish, Indian, Canadian and other Commonwealth authors at a disadvantage :: Read the full article »»»»

REBLOG! New Australian Mental Health Report Says 'No Progress' in 30 Years

If you've followed my blog, you'll know I have a passion for mental health. This slight obsession has allowed me a tiny window into a world that for most doesn't exist. A tragic place who's border is much finer than most would expect, at any given moment almost any breathing human can topple from a well balanced mental health, into a world that is not only coddled by confusion, but largely ignored by the galaxy.

Mental health truly works in shades-of-grey, what for one person might simply be an anxious moment, is for another a life crippling disability. And although medicine - and medicine of the mind - has made huge discoveries over the past three decades, a new report suggest the insights gained might not have improved the overall life of suffers

The damning report undertaken by The University of Sydney's Brain and Mind Research Institute - BMRI - has found the life expectancy for people suffering a mental illness hasn't improved in 30 years. The finding is in stark contrast to the advances made for Australians suffering from illnesses like heart disease and cancer :: Read the full article »»»»

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