Monday, 19 September 2005

Wave of publicity can make or break sales - LATHAM'S DIARIES, The Australian, 19 September, 2005.

Wave of publicity can make or break sales - LATHAM'S DIARIES: [2 All-round First Edition]

John Stapleton, Natasha Robinson. The Australian; Canberra, A.C.T. [Canberra, A.C.T] 19 Sep 2005: 4.
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Bookshops are reporting healthy numbers of orders. But not everyone is keen to buy what one Melbourne customer called "that [Mark Latham] vitriol". "All the crap I've heard coming out of that ingrate's mouth in the past week has been more than enough for me," said Roger Manning. "I've got better things to spend my money on."
Booksellers Association president Derik Dryden was concerned too many details had come out in the media and people would feel no need to buy the book. "When Loner, Latham's biography, was released it took off with a huge rush and died a week later," Mr Dryden said.
HE may have missed his chance to strut the world stage but, in one respect at least, Mark Latham looks likely to go one up on former US president Bill Clinton.
Booksellers are predicting The Latham Diaries, which go on sale today, could outsell Mr Clinton's mammoth autobiography, My Life, in Australia.
The blanket coverage of revelations from Mr Latham's diaries has led to such interest from the book-buying public that its publishers have decided to bring forward its release by two days, creating a logistical nightmare for Melbourne University Press.
"It is very difficult," said chief executive Louise Adler. "We are dealing with the geographical expanse that is Australia."
Ms Adler said booksellers believed the 450-page tome could sell as well as My Life, which broke publishing records in the US for a non-fiction book.
"The publicity is unprecedented for a political book in Australia," she said.
Ms Adler said Mr Latham was "thrilled to bits" with the response to the book. "We're all delighted. I think it's been a terrific response."
Duncan Johnston, chief executive of Collins Booksellers Group, a franchise of 33 stores, said the company was expecting good sales in city stores but not in country areas. "About 20 of our stores are in large regional towns and a lot of them are saying `Mark who?"' he said. "Whereas in the city, we already have quite a few orders and we expect a lot more to come in the door. The booksellers are rapt in the media attention. Keep it going -- it might be the only way his book sells."
Booksellers Association president Derik Dryden was concerned too many details had come out in the media and people would feel no need to buy the book. "When Loner, Latham's biography, was released it took off with a huge rush and died a week later," Mr Dryden said.
"I'm worried, with all the interviews and everything. Do people feel they have all the dirt and there's no need to read the book? ... I wonder how it can sustain sales."
Bookshops are reporting healthy numbers of orders. But not everyone is keen to buy what one Melbourne customer called "that Latham vitriol". "All the crap I've heard coming out of that ingrate's mouth in the past week has been more than enough for me," said Roger Manning. "I've got better things to spend my money on."
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Friday, 16 September 2005

Conroy 'role' in MP's death, The Australian, 16 September, 2005. Page One.

Conroy `role' in MP's death: [3 All-round Metro Edition]

Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 16 Sep 2005: 1.
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Mr [MARK Latham], 44, said last night that despite Senator [Stephen Conroy] being one of the "culprits" in Wilton's death he was promoted by the Labor Party.
Mr Latham also claimed Senator Conroy became abusive towards fellow Labor colleague Stephen Smith after the West Australian MP agreed to help Mr Latham campaign during last year's election.
Mr Latham and Senator Conroy fell out in the lead up to the October election, when Mr Latham announced plans to seek amendments to the free trade agreement between the US and Australia.

MARK Latham has accused Labor's deputy leader in the Senate, Stephen Conroy, of being partly to blame for the political environment which led to the suicide of Victorian MP Greg Wilton five years ago.
Mr Latham, 44, said last night that despite Senator Conroy being one of the "culprits" in Wilton's death he was promoted by the Labor Party.
"In that episode, failing to support Greg, Stephen Conroy, after the next election, he was promoted to deputy leader in the Senate. For his sins he was promoted," Mr Latham said.
In June 2000, Wilton killed himself on his second attempt. He gassed himself in his car in bushland outside Melbourne, less than three weeks after he attempted to take the lives of his two young children in the same way.
Mr Latham said Wilton had experienced a marriage breakdown and an "incident was made public". "He was in a devastated state, suffering depression and he needed people to support him and help him," he said on the ABC's Enough Rope.
"Far from supporting him, some of those, I suppose they became enemies inside the party, put around in the media that he was going to lose his pre-selection. He would be out of his seat."
Mr Latham said by that stage Wilton had nothing left in his life except his spot in parliament. "That triggered his suicide. It was a tragedy that instead of Labor people supporting him from the top down, the culture was he was a political number rather than a human life."
Mr Latham said the incident illustrated that there was something fundamentally sick within the ALP.
Senator Conroy could not be contacted last night.
Mr Latham also claimed Senator Conroy became abusive towards fellow Labor colleague Stephen Smith after the West Australian MP agreed to help Mr Latham campaign during last year's election.
"I can honestly say I have never had an agenda like Stephen Conroy in the last election campaign," Mr Latham told The Australian.
"When Stephen Smith was coming on to the campaign team to do the advancing and all that, the deputy leader in the Senate rang him up to abuse him, saying, `What are you doing helping Latham?' I have never had an agenda like that."
Mr Latham and Senator Conroy fell out in the lead up to the October election, when Mr Latham announced plans to seek amendments to the free trade agreement between the US and Australia.
After the defeat, Mr Latham accused Senator Conroy of treachery as increasingly damaging stories about his leadership appeared in the media.

Also published on news.com.au


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Monday, 12 September 2005

Detainees in hunger strikes, suicide bid, The Australian, 12 September, 2005.

Detainees in hunger strikes, suicide bid: [1 All-round Country Edition]

Tom Richardson, John Stapleton. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 12 Sep 2005: 6.
THREE asylum-seekers were in hospital last night after a suicide attempt by a detainee in South Australia and a hunger strike by two Bangladeshis in NSW.
"The department has a duty of care towards detainees it takes seriously," the spokesman said. "If the health or wellbeing of a detainee is threatened by his or her own actions, then the department, through the detention services provider, will ensure the detainee receives necessary treatment and supervision."
Two Bangladeshi nationals were removed from the Villawood detention centre in western Sydney on Thursday after a prolonged hunger strike and remained in hospital last night. A departmental spokesman said the men were in a stable condition.

Full Text


THREE asylum-seekers were in hospital last night after a suicide attempt by a detainee in South Australia and a hunger strike by two Bangladeshis in NSW.
Zimbabwean Peter Jackson Mode, 24, was taken unconscious from the Baxter detention centre late on Saturday night after slashing his wrists with broken glass.
He was discovered by a fellow detainee.
Last month Mr Mode's ankle was broken in a struggle with six guards after he intervened on behalf of another detainee who had refused to go to the management isolation unit. Police are making inquiries into the incident.
Mr Mode was conscious last night and in a stable condition in hospital in Port Augusta.
A spokesman for the Department of Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs would not discuss his medical treatment "for privacy reasons".
"The department has a duty of care towards detainees it takes seriously," the spokesman said. "If the health or wellbeing of a detainee is threatened by his or her own actions, then the department, through the detention services provider, will ensure the detainee receives necessary treatment and supervision."
The incident follows warnings from refugee advocate groups that the mental health of asylum-seekers in detention continues to decline.
Rural Australians for Refugees spokesman John Highfield said the attempted suicide was "further evidence that these detention centres are factories for mental health problems".
He said Mr Mode was in a "very depleted mental state", having been released from hospital with a broken ankle only to be locked up in the notorious Red One high security compound.
Two Bangladeshi nationals were removed from the Villawood detention centre in western Sydney on Thursday after a prolonged hunger strike and remained in hospital last night. A departmental spokesman said the men were in a stable condition.
"The department does not respond to these sorts of actions," he said. "These men are protesting their detention. Their protest will not change the outcome of their cases.
"The cases are decided on their merits. Both men have been in the country for some time and have been repeatedly found to have no legal right to a visa. From information available to the Department of Immigration, neither qualify for a visa on any grounds."


Also published on news.com.au


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Distress lingers at Ground Zero, The Australian, 12 September, 2005.

Distress lingers at Ground Zero: [1 All-round Country Edition]

John Stapleton, Additional reporting: Annabelle McDonald and Jonathan Porter. The Australian; Canberra, A.C.T.[Canberra, A.C.T] 12 Sep 2005: 4.
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His brother [Andrew Knox] was on the 103rd floor of the World Trade Centre's north tower, working as a construction project manager, when American Airlines Flight 11 cut into the building. With co- workers he made his way to the roof, hoping to be rescued. By mobile phone a co-worker was heard to say: "Andrew, I can't breathe". He replied: "I can't breathe either". Those were the last words heard from him.
"It never goes away. It's constantly on the news and there's been Bali, Madrid and London, constant reminders every day," his twin Paul Gyulavary said. "What he achieved in his short life is remarkable. He lived the life of 10 people.
MANY families of those killed in the Twin Towers on September 11 four years ago still struggle to forgive. They will never forget.
Stuart Knox, 33 -- principal of the small school at Woomera in outback South Australia -- said yesterday was a hard day.
His brother Andrew was on the 103rd floor of the World Trade Centre's north tower, working as a construction project manager, when American Airlines Flight 11 cut into the building. With co- workers he made his way to the roof, hoping to be rescued. By mobile phone a co-worker was heard to say: "Andrew, I can't breathe". He replied: "I can't breathe either". Those were the last words heard from him.
"Four years down the track, the feelings are still the same," said his twin brother Stuart. "All of the families would like there to be some justice for Osama bin Laden."
Andrew Knox was a passionate unionist and ALP supporter, and his brother believes that he would have probably stood for parliament. "I am past the anger at his life being cut short, but I look at the fact that it was tied into such a political event.
"This world, since September 11, hasn't gotten any better. You look not just at Bali but all the other terrorist acts. I can certainly empathise with the families of Bali and London."
Architect Peter Gyulavary, 44, who had lived in the US for 20 years and worked on major infrastructure projects around the world, was on the 91st floor of the World Trade Centre's south tower.
"It never goes away. It's constantly on the news and there's been Bali, Madrid and London, constant reminders every day," his twin Paul Gyulavary said. "What he achieved in his short life is remarkable. He lived the life of 10 people.
"Peter's body was recovered intact. His soul is no longer at Ground Zero. When I think about Peter I don't think about how he died but how he lived."
Mr Gyulavary said the terrorist attacks have left a burden on Muslims across the world. "Islamic leadership groups in Australia should come out more loudly and more constantly against the attacks."
A memorial bench in Gosford and a star near the Southern Cross are what Jacqui van Deinsen and her husband have to remember their daughter Lesley Thomas, who died at the age of 40. The family arranged to have a star named after their daughter.
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Monday, 5 September 2005

Family toasts sheriff for rescuing stricken Aussies - Katrina's Wake, The Australian, 5 September, 2005. Page One..

Family toasts sheriff for rescuing stricken Aussies - KATRINA'S WAKE: [7 NSW First Edition]

Kevin Meade, John Stapleton. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 05 Sep 2005: 1.

Abstract

TWENTY Australians remained trapped or missing in the devastated city of New Orleans last night, while another 40 had managed to reach safety in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Bud Hopes, 33, from Brisbane, who is being lauded as a hero for his role in protecting the women, said: "The Australian ethic is don't leave your mates behind. We want to know why the Australian Government left us behind. We just feel totally abandoned," he said, Peter McNeil, Brisbane father of 22-year-old John McNeil, one of the Australians rescued from the Superdome, said Mr Hopes had played an "unbelievable" role in keeping the tourists together and leading them to safety.
An estimated 40 Australians were still trapped in New Orleans last night. So far, 31 Australians are known to have escaped the disaster zone, according to Foreign Minister Alexander Downer.

Full Text

TWENTY Australians remained trapped or missing in the devastated city of New Orleans last night, while another 40 had managed to reach safety in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Horror stories of the complete breakdown in law and order have emerged from shocked survivors, many furious at the lack of action by the Australian Government.
Elsewhere though, families and friends celebrated news that loved ones had survived the disaster.
One Brisbane family toasted Louisiana sheriff Gregory Champagne, who rescued two sisters-in-law from the nightmare of New Orleans.
Fiona Seidel, 27, and Katie McLean, 25, were trapped for more than five days in their room on the 14th floor of a hotel in the city's French Quarter.
Afraid to venture out into the streets, where looters and dangerous gangs roamed, they were eventually forced to leave the hotel on Thursday after its owner told them he could no longer guarantee their safety. The pair started walking towards a refuge at the city's convention centre more than 1km away.
It was then that they met Sheriff Champagne, of St Charles, a district on the outskirts of New Orleans.
"He deserves a medal," Ms Seidel's husband, Andrew Glendenning, said at the couple's home in Brisbane's north yesterday.
"He was very good to them. He took them into his home."
Sydney woman Denise Drake survived six days trapped in a New Orleans church with little food or water after her home was flooded.
Continued-Page 2
From Page 1
However, the 29-year-old's nightmare has just begun.
Her partner is missing, and with dead bodies littering the streets and armed gangs patrolling the city, she does not know where to start looking.
Her mother, Mercedes Riviera, said her daughter was safe but extremely concerned for her husband's safety.
"She is alive, but she's not being evacuated. Only the injured are being evacuated now," Ms Riviera said yesterday.
"She is OK, but she hasn't heard from her partner -- she doesn't know where he is. I want her to come home, but she is in love."
Meanwhile, serious fears are held for a young NSW family who have not been heard from since the hurricane struck.
Tracey Barron, 33, husband Peter, 35, son Campbell, 10, and daughter Kennedy, 9, last spoke to their family as they attempted to flee from New Orleans.
Tracey's younger sister, Sarah Whitehead, said the family had been stuck in gridlock as they attempted to leave the city and had not been heard of since.
Among those rescued from the squalor were Karen Marks, 25, from Melbourne and her aunt, Pamela Whyte. The four days the pair spent huddled together in the New Orleans convention centre had been "hell on earth", they said.
They were so afraid of being attacked and robbed by thugs roaming the site they took it in turns to have short naps. Karen's mother, Joy Marks, said the pair had been "extremely distressed" by their ordeal.
"Karen thought they had all been left to die," she said. "They reported seeing several people die from lack of food and water."
Also relieved were the family of Sydney women Lisa Van Grinsven, 23, and her sister Michelle, 21, who had been trapped in the crowded Superdome.
Their sister Johanna, 19, said her sisters believed they had come close to death several times.
They were part of a group of women who had been kept safe by a number of Australian men who formed a circle around them.
"The boys found any kind of weapon they could," Johanna said yesterday.
"They were holding umbrellas because that was all they could find to protect themselves."
Bud Hopes, 33, from Brisbane, who is being lauded as a hero for his role in protecting the women, said: "The Australian ethic is don't leave your mates behind. We want to know why the Australian Government left us behind. We just feel totally abandoned," he said, Peter McNeil, Brisbane father of 22-year-old John McNeil, one of the Australians rescued from the Superdome, said Mr Hopes had played an "unbelievable" role in keeping the tourists together and leading them to safety.
WHERE ARE THE AUSTRALIANS?
An estimated 40 Australians were still trapped in New Orleans last night. So far, 31 Australians are known to have escaped the disaster zone, according to Foreign Minister Alexander Downer.
* Tracey Barron, 33, husband Pete, 35, and their children Campbell, 10, and Kennedy, 9, from NSW's Hunter Valley, were attempting to flee New Orleans but have not been in contact with family since early last week.
* Sisters-in-law Fiona Seidel, 27, and Katie McLean, 25, from Brisbane, were rescued from a hotel in New Orleans's French Quarter and taken to Baton Rouge.
* Denise Drake, 29, from Sydney, is alive in New Orleans but may have lost her American partner.
* Karen Marks, 25, from Melbourne, and her aunt Pamela Whyte - evacuated from New Orleans.
* Queensland 22-year-old John McNeil organised for a group of about 60 foreigners, including 10 Australians, to leave the Louisiana Superdome after an angry mob became threatening - he has now been evacuated.
* Lisa, 23, and Michelle Van Grinsven, 21, from Sydney - evacuated.
* Bud Hopes, 23, from Brisbane - evacuated.
* Elise Sims, 20, from Adelaide - evacuated
* Jack and Gloria Slinger, from Perth - evacuated.
* Denise Riviera, 29 - still trapped in New Orleans.
* Mick Ryan, 25, from NSW - evacuated.
* Yasmin Bright, 22, from NSW - evacuated.
* Rockhampton, Qld, couple Tim and Joanne Miller linked up with another Australian couple, Gary and Cynthia Jones - the four were living in an abandoned New Orleans mall before being evacuated.
*
This is a list of Australians known to have been trapped after Hurricane Katrina and widespread flooding in New Orleans, according to staff reporters and agencies

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Thursday, 1 September 2005

Science backs the good oil, The Australian, 1 September, 2005.

Science backs the good oil: [1 All-round Country Edition]

John Stapleton, Leigh Dayton. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 01 Sep 2005: 5.
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Dr [Paul Breslin]'s group, which includes Russell Keast of the RMIT University in Melbourne, reported last night in the journal Nature that the benefits of theMediterranean diet lay in a compound they discovered in olive oil and named oleocanthal.
OLIVE oil contains a naturally occurring compound that acts like a common painkiller, international scientists claim.
The finding may explain the benefits of the so-called Mediterranean diet, according to team leader Paul Breslin, a sensory scientist with the Monell Chemical Senses Centre in Philadelphia.
"The Mediterranean diet, of which olive oil is a central component, has long been associated with numerous health benefits, including decreased risk of stroke, heart disease, breast cancer, lung cancer and some dementias," he said.
Dr Breslin's group, which includes Russell Keast of the RMIT University in Melbourne, reported last night in the journal Nature that the benefits of theMediterranean diet lay in a compound they discovered in olive oil and named oleocanthal.
The compound suppresses the same pain pathway as ibuprofen, one of Australia's best-selling, non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory medications.
The discovery was made when Dr Beauchamp attended a gastronomy meeting in Sicily. At the time, he was investigating the throat- biting "perceptual qualities" of ibuprofen.
"I had considerable experience swallowing and being stung in the throat by ibuprofen," he said. "So when I tasted newly pressed olive oil while attending (themeeting), I was startled to notice that the throat sensations were virtually identical."
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