Friday, 17 December 2004

Cop pleads guilty to possession, The Australian, 17 December, 2004.

Cop pleads guilty to possession: [1 All-round Country Edition]

Stapleton, John. The Australian; Canberra, A.C.T. [Canberra, A.C.T] 17 Dec 2004: 3.
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The police fact sheet said [Marek Edward Tarnowski] used his credit card to obtain membership to many pornography sites. There was also evidence he used search engines for words such as "young", "pre-teen", "nude" and "Lolita" -- an internet term that refers to pre-teens. He admitted accessing child pornography for two years up to his detection.
A SYDNEY policeman yesterday pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography, after claiming his main interest in surfing the net was to find images of 16-year-old girls.
Marek Edward Tarnowski, 26, a police constable from Engadine in Sydney's south, was caught in September as part of Operation Auxin, the nation's biggest crackdown on child pornography.
Tarnowski had maintained his main interest in viewing pornography had been in seeing 16-year-old girls. But he later admitted to accessing sites that contained "sick stuff" including sites that advertised they contained only images of girls under 14, a police statement tendered to the Sutherland Local Court revealed.
"In summary, the defendant stated his sexual and pornographic interest lay in images of females aged between 16 and 17 years old.
"In his pursuit of these images, the marketing methods of websites causes `popups' to appear, offering links to child pornography websites.
"The defendant stated he would see images of very young children in naked and sexual poses. He maintains his interest primarily lay in the 16-year-old range."
The constable initially denied allegations he had accessed child pornography, but after publicity surrounding Operation Auxin, he confessed to his commander at Kogarah Police Station.
The police fact sheet said Tarnowski used his credit card to obtain membership to many pornography sites. There was also evidence he used search engines for words such as "young", "pre-teen", "nude" and "Lolita" -- an internet term that refers to pre-teens. He admitted accessing child pornography for two years up to his detection.
The case was adjourned to February for sentencing.
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Thursday, 16 December 2004

Freed pedophile lashes out, The Australian, 16 December, 2004.

Freed pedophile lashes out: [1 All-round Country Edition]

Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 16 Dec 2004: 5.
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[Dennis Ferguson] can spend the next fortnight travelling unchecked within NSW before his next report. He has two weeks to return to his most recent address or inform authorities of a new place of residence, according to the NSW Attorney-General's Department.
"It's thanks to the vigilance of NSW police and our tough laws that Dennis Ferguson has had to serve this 15-month sentence in NSW," Mr [John Watkins] said.
NOTORIOUS pedophile Dennis Ferguson was released yesterday, after his latest jail stint, and triggered a near brawl as he tried to avoid the media spotlight.
Ferguson emerged to a waiting media scrum yesterday morning when he left the John Morony Correctional Centre at Windsor in Sydney's west, having served a 15-month term. He tried to dodge cameras as he was escorted to a waiting vehicle, kicking out at photographers before being bundled into the back of a Corrective Services vehicle.
He was then driven to nearby Windsor train station, with camera crews in pursuit. With no one to meet him and carrying only two plastic bags with his possessions, he cut a sad and lonely figure as he kept seeking protection from a barrage of questions, sitting first on a platform bench, then moving about thestation with police trying to keep order.
Ferguson can spend the next fortnight travelling unchecked within NSW before his next report. He has two weeks to return to his most recent address or inform authorities of a new place of residence, according to the NSW Attorney-General's Department.
NSW Police Minister John Watkins said police would be "watching his every move", but neither the police nor the minister could say where Ferguson might head once he'd been dropped at Windsor station.
After two weeks, his bail conditions require him to advise police of where he will live and work.
Originally imprisoned in Queensland for 14 years for sexually molesting three young children in a Brisbane hotel room, Ferguson was again jailed in NSW in November last year after he breached conditions requiring him to disclose employment that may bring him into contact with children.
He was picked up only months after his release when he tried to sell cleaning products to a school.
"It's thanks to the vigilance of NSW police and our tough laws that Dennis Ferguson has had to serve this 15-month sentence in NSW," Mr Watkins said.
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Wednesday, 15 December 2004

Still the cancer capital, but it's no death sentence, The Australian, 15 December, 2004,.

Still the cancer capital, but it's no death sentence: [1 All-round Country Edition]

Sid Maher, John Stapleton. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 15 Dec 2004: 5.
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"This suggests that although we have more cancers, the health system seems to be performing relatively well in early diagnosis and treatment," said Ian McDermid, author of the report, Cancer in Australia 2001.
He said Australia's middle-class lifestyle could also be contributing to the incidence of some cancers such as breast cancer, with alcohol a factor in 12per cent of cases, and colorectal cancer, which could be sparked by dietary factors.
Despite high survival rates, sun exposure continued to give Australia and New Zealand the highest melanoma incidence and mortality rate in the world. There were 374,000 new skin cancer cases in 2002.
AUSTRALIA has higher cancer rates than many developed countries, but also has some of the world's best survival rates.
A report released yesterday found Australian cancer rates were higher than in Canada and Britain and similar to those in the US.
Australian men have a one-in-three chance of developing cancer by age 75, while women have a one-in-four chance.
But the number of deaths in Australia, compared to the number of cases diagnosed, is lower than in the US, Britain, Canada and New Zealand.
"This suggests that although we have more cancers, the health system seems to be performing relatively well in early diagnosis and treatment," said Ian McDermid, author of the report, Cancer in Australia 2001.
Mr McDermid said the ageing population was a major contributor to the rise in cancer rates. When age was factored in, cancer death rates were actually falling as anti-smoking programs, campaigns to encourage better diets and sun protection schemes took effect.
He said Australia's middle-class lifestyle could also be contributing to the incidence of some cancers such as breast cancer, with alcohol a factor in 12per cent of cases, and colorectal cancer, which could be sparked by dietary factors.
Living in a remote area was also a factor in cancer detection. Lung cancer, cervical cancer and cancer of the uterus as a proportion of cancer deaths were higher in remote areas.
Mr McDermid said screening programs might also be driving up the levels of detection of some cancers, but earlier detection through these programs was increasing the chances of recovery.
Mother of two Sally Crossing, who was diagnosed with breast cancer more than 10 years ago, will today undergo a mastectomy, two months after breast cancer reappeared in her system.
Her reaction the first time was typical of cancer victims: disbelief, anger and guilt that she may have brought it on herself. Now she is grateful to Australia's medical system, and that it granted her nine years of extra life, and with good management she will be around to see her grandsons grow.
"If I hadn't had this advance diagnosis a couple of months ago, early in its progression, I could well be looking at a pretty dark picture," 58-year-old Ms Crossing said.
"I am glad I am living in Australia, because I was monitored very closely. That means I can do something about it; I don't just have to say I am going to die and lump it, so to speak."
Despite high survival rates, sun exposure continued to give Australia and New Zealand the highest melanoma incidence and mortality rate in the world. There were 374,000 new skin cancer cases in 2002.
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Monday, 13 December 2004

Man on road rage charges, The Australian, 13 December, 2004.

Man on road rage charges: [1 All-round Country Edition]

John Stapleton, Amanda Hodge, Additional reporting: Jennifer Sexton. The Australian; Canberra, A.C.T.[Canberra, A.C.T] 13 Dec 2004: 3.
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Mr [Ben Sarkis], a father of two who worked as a draftsman, did not regain consciousness and died in hospital at 8.30pm on Saturday with his wife at his side. A neighbour said the couple had a tradition of going out to dinner every Saturday night. Mr Sarkis's family said he had been planning to retire with his wife to Queensland, partly because Sydney traffic had become too aggressive.
A MAN is to appear in court today charged with manslaughter after a road-rage incident on Saturday in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Glebe allegedly led to the death of a 60-year-old motorist.
At Parramatta Court yesterday the accused, Maka Afu, 35, did not apply for bail. He was charged with manslaughter and malicious intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Police will allege Ben Sarkis stopped at traffic lights and left his vehicle to confront the driver of a car about being cut off earlier.
The 60-year-old was allegedly punched and fell to the road. Police told the court Afu left the scene after the argument. Shortly afterwards police arrested Afu at his home in Marrickville.
Mr Sarkis, a father of two who worked as a draftsman, did not regain consciousness and died in hospital at 8.30pm on Saturday with his wife at his side. A neighbour said the couple had a tradition of going out to dinner every Saturday night. Mr Sarkis's family said he had been planning to retire with his wife to Queensland, partly because Sydney traffic had become too aggressive.
Mr Sarkis's daughter Ramona, 27, described her father as very outgoing. "He used to joke a lot and would help people," she said. "He was a good father."
The incident prompted Police Commissioner Ken Moroney to call on drivers to keep their cool.
"Keep calm. When someone else around you has lost their head and is exhibiting inappropriate behaviour in the manner by which they are driving their car, certainly take a note of the number of the motor car, the time, the date and the place, and report the incident to police," he said.
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Sunday, 12 December 2004

Location wrong for Lawson St community health facility, The South Sydney Herald, December, 2004. Front Page.









My son Sam with his much loved dog Major and Redfern neighbour Craig Kentell and his two daughters.
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Saturday, 11 December 2004

Aussie under arrest 'just seeking wife', Weekend Australian, 11 December, 2004.

Aussie under arrest `just seeking wife': [1 All-round Country Edition]

Annabelle McDonald, John Stapleton. Weekend Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 11 Dec 2004: 2.
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He could think of no reason for the arrest. "Maybe he lost his money or his passport," Mr Jamal said at home before leaving on a pilgrimage overseas. "He does not know anyone in Iraq." Another of the seven Jamal brothers, Mohammed, 21, said while he loved all his siblings including four sisters, he had been closest to [Ahmad Jamal]. "He wanted to go and find a wife, come back to Australia, settle down and have children." He said Ahmad was a "good-natured kid" who had no terrorist connections. "It is all bull, I can tell you now, it is all a crock. He just wouldn't be involved in something like that. It has been a big shock to the family. It is Iraq -- the most dangerous country on the planet." The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan is the ruling power in Kurdistan.

THE family of a 22-year-old Australian man arrested in Iraq has denied he had any connections with terrorism, saying he went to the Middle East in search of a wife.
Ahmad Jamal, a spraypainter from western Sydney, was detained in northern Iraq by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, according to a report by the International Red Cross handed to Australian consular officials in Amman.
The November 30 report was passed on to the Jamal family in Sydney this week. Ahmad is a brother of Sydney fugitive Saleh Jamal, who is awaiting trial in Beirut on terrorism charges. A Lebanese judge has claimed Saleh, 28, had been planning to travel to Iraq with several al-Qa'ida operatives before his arrest in Lebanon.
The brothers' father Mahmoud Jamal, 67, said yesterday he was mystified about why Ahmad had been discovered in northern Iraq. Mr Jamal said Ahmad had left Sydney five or six months ago for Saudi Arabia to find a wife. "He wanted to marry a truthful woman," said Mr Jamal, who has lived in Australia for more than 40 years.
Ahmad also travelled through the Middle East last year. He and another brother, Omer, were refused entry to Jordan and quizzed by ASIO on their return to Australia.
Mahmoud Jamal described Ahmad as "quiet, happy, respectful and religious".
He could think of no reason for the arrest. "Maybe he lost his money or his passport," Mr Jamal said at home before leaving on a pilgrimage overseas. "He does not know anyone in Iraq." Another of the seven Jamal brothers, Mohammed, 21, said while he loved all his siblings including four sisters, he had been closest to Ahmad. "He wanted to go and find a wife, come back to Australia, settle down and have children." He said Ahmad was a "good-natured kid" who had no terrorist connections. "It is all bull, I can tell you now, it is all a crock. He just wouldn't be involved in something like that. It has been a big shock to the family. It is Iraq -- the most dangerous country on the planet." The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan is the ruling power in Kurdistan. Its representative in Australia, Simko Halmet, said he had been unable to confirm Ahmad's arrest but that he might have been treated with suspicion because of his family's background. "It is not a tourist place," Mr Halmet said. "What was he doing there, knowing the situation in Iraq?" A Foreign Affairs Department spokesman said it had delayed informing the Jamal family while they tried to confirm details of Ahmad's arrest. He said attempts by consular officials in Baghdad and Amman to contact him had so far failed.

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Friday, 10 December 2004

Laptop users in danger of deleting their sperm, The Australian, 10 December, 2004.

Laptop users in danger of deleting their sperm: [1 All-round Country Edition]

Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 10 Dec 2004: 3.
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"For a long time men seeking to have children, especially after some failed attempts, have been encouraged not to wear tight underpants and to allow a more natural temperature in that region," he said. "This study adds evidence to what has already been known anecdotally." Professor [John Macdonald] said while heat did not affect the ability to become aroused, it did affect the quality and quantity of sperm.
THEY may be portable and convenient, but laptop computers may also carry hidden dangers -- especially for teenagers and young men.
The computers, which have exploded in popularity in recent years, can reach high operating temperatures that could heat up the scrotum, affecting the quality and quantity of men's sperm, according to a study.
If the men did not curtail their laptop use, they could face problems in 15 to 20 years when they wanted to start a family, said Yefim Sheynkin, from the State University of New York.
"Long-term use may have a detrimental effect on their reproductive health," he said.
"It is very difficult to predict how long the computer can be used safely.
"It may not be at all, if the testicular temperature goes up high within a very short period of time." John Macdonald, from the Men's Health and Information Resource Centre at the University of Western Sydney, said "the close proximity to heat can affect male fertility".
"For a long time men seeking to have children, especially after some failed attempts, have been encouraged not to wear tight underpants and to allow a more natural temperature in that region," he said. "This study adds evidence to what has already been known anecdotally." Professor Macdonald said while heat did not affect the ability to become aroused, it did affect the quality and quantity of sperm.
He said most men did not put laptops on their laps and usually there was something, such as a desk, between it and their genitals. "Our advice would be to continue keeping that distance," he said.
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