Sunday 30 July 2006

Mark Latham, The Australian, 2006.

John Stapleton

 Former Labor leader Mark Latham failed to appear at a Sydney court yesterday for the ongoing progress of his court case deriving from his alleged attack on News Ltd photographer Ross Schultz. 

 Latham is charged with common assault, malicious damage and stealing from a person. He has been accused of destroying a $9,000 digital camera after he confronted the photographer outside a fast food outlet. 

 The media, once his biggest supporter, remain fascinated by Latham. They turned up in large numbers for his non-appearance at Campbelltown Court, where his case was adjourned for another month, and also showed up at his house in nearby Glen Alpine. 

 With hostilities now well entrenched, the media expected nothing but abuse from the former prime ministerial hopeful. 

A fortress like air has descended over his house. The famous gate on the driveway at the side of the house, where Latham has been repeatedly photographed giving the media the benefit of his views, has now been covered with old sheets and tarpolans to block off any view into his backyard. 

 An intrepid crew from Channel Ten stuck a camera over the top of the gate. ``Get off the property, get off the property,'' Latham shouted back at them. The general view amongst the media is that Latham has entered some bag lady's world, not just a recluse but something madder again. 

 The Australian, not for the first time, bravely climbed over the locked child proof fence that blocks the path to his front door and knocked. We were ignored.

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Friday 28 July 2006

Janette tells of shock at cancer, The Australian, 28 July, 2006.

Janette tells of shock at cancer: [6 NSW Country Edition]

Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 28 July 2006: 7.
Show highlighting
At Sydney's Royal Hospital for Women to promote a campaign by the Women's Cancer Foundation to raise awareness of ovarian cancer, Mrs [Janette Howard] said her illness, "just after John became Prime Minister", had been "quite a challenging time".
Mrs Howard told Narelle Feeney, 32, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer last year when her son Zachary was three weeks old, that the diagnosis "must be very confronting".
Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone attended a function at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, Labor health spokeswoman Julia Gillard was at the Royal Brisbane, Democrats leader Lynn Allison appeared at the Royal Women's in Melbourne and Susie Annus, wife of Labor leader Kim Beazley, appeared at the King Edward Memorial Hospital in Perth.

IN a rare display of public candour, Janette Howard has spoken openly to cancer patients about her own battle with the disease.
At Sydney's Royal Hospital for Women to promote a campaign by the Women's Cancer Foundation to raise awareness of ovarian cancer, Mrs Howard said her illness, "just after John became Prime Minister", had been "quite a challenging time".
She said her diagnosis of breast cancer had forced her to re- evaluate her own life and made her realise that women too often put the welfare of their husbands and children before their own.
"My cancer wasn't ovarian," she told the women. "But it comes as a shock to you. Women go to the doctor more often than men, but I think women often postpone their own needs ... `when my children get through this, when my husband is through that'. I think that is a big issue for women. You put yourself at thebottom of the list.
"I look back at my life and think, `I should have thought that might be important and gone to the doctor' and you don't. If you are ignoring symptoms, you are not really helping your family. It is a hard lesson to learn."
Mrs Howard told Narelle Feeney, 32, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer last year when her son Zachary was three weeks old, that the diagnosis "must be very confronting".
She even had a conspiratorial twinkle in her eye when one of the women sought her thoughts on being a grandmother. She said it was unfortunate her own children hadn't yet reached that stage in life.
"I am still waiting ... If they put that on TV my daughter will just kill me," she said. "It is their lives and when they decide to do things.
"But Melanie will kill me because she is the only one that is married. My sons (Tim and Richard) are not at that stage yet. You wish for them to be happy and married and have family and it is very nice when it happens."
Mrs Howard's appearance was part of a rare show of bipartisan support from women politicians or female partners of male politicians across the country.
Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone attended a function at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, Labor health spokeswoman Julia Gillard was at the Royal Brisbane, Democrats leader Lynn Allison appeared at the Royal Women's in Melbourne and Susie Annus, wife of Labor leader Kim Beazley, appeared at the King Edward Memorial Hospital in Perth.
The events came ahead of public hearings next week by a Senate inquiry into gynaecological cancers.
About 70 per cent of those diagnosed with ovarian cancer die from the disease. There is no screening test for early detection and, with only initially vague symptoms such as abdominal pain, it is often misdiagnosed.
www.womenscancer foundation.org
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Monday 24 July 2006

Iran to blame for Lebanon war: Jewish leader, The Australian, 24 July, 2006.

Iran to blame for Lebanon war: Jewish leader: [1 All-round Country Edition]

Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 24 July 2006: 2.
Show highlighting
ONE word -- Iran -- summed up the escalating war between Israel and the Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, a 2500-strong gathering of Sydney's Jewish community was told last night.
The immediate past president of the Zionist Federation of Australia, Ron Weiser, said he had never seen the Jewish communities in Australia and Israel so closely united.
Rabbi [Jeremy Lawrence] said there was a strong sense of solidarity and outrage among the Australian Jewish community over theattacks on Israel.
ONE word -- Iran -- summed up the escalating war between Israel and the Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, a 2500-strong gathering of Sydney's Jewish community was told last night.
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies chief executive Vic Alhadeff laid the blame for the conflict with Iran, and denied last night's gathering at the Great Synagogue was organised to counteract the publicity generated by the march of up to 25,000 Lebanese through the city on Saturday.
"What this issue is about is in one word: Iran," he said.
"The criticism is that Israel has been excessive. The point that is missed is that proportionality is not about what happened yesterday, it is measured against the extent of the threat.
"The threat is enormous and extends to Iran's world view, which is to destroy the state of Israel and to push every last Jew into thesea."
While the words were strong, those present wanted to show their support for the Israeli Government over its handling of the Middle East conflict.
The immediate past president of the Zionist Federation of Australia, Ron Weiser, said he had never seen the Jewish communities in Australia and Israel so closely united.
"We regret the loss of civilian life, but it is a tactic of Hezbollah to hide its weapons in mosques, homes and hospitals," Mr Weiser said yesterday.
"They consider it a public relations victory when their own people are killed. They are a cancer that needs to be removed from Lebanon.
"In my entire life there has never been such unity amongst Jewish people.
"This is not a Left-Right issue -- this is a threat to the existence of Israel."
Great Synagogue chief rabbi Jeremy Lawrence led the packed auditorium with a prayer for kidnapped soldiers: "Oh Lord ourGod, Supreme King of Kings, we pray today for the lives of ourbrothers. May we find them unharmed. May our own efforts for their liberation be blessed withsuccess."
Rabbi Lawrence said there was a strong sense of solidarity and outrage among the Australian Jewish community over the attacks on Israel.
He said many were praying for a resolution that enabled Israel and its neighbours to live harmoniously and in peace, to respect each other's human rights.
"It's not surprising that the Australian coverage highlights humanitarian stories and the details of Australian interests," Rabbi Lawrence said.
"Israel needs to respond to the terrorists where they are, and it is they who have chosen to position their launching pads in and alongside residential neighbourhoods," he said.
"In the last week 800 missiles have been fired into Israel, into mixed population centres. These contain thousands of ball bearings calculated to cause maximum physical damage. That is very frightening."
* 2800 Australians have been evacuated from Lebanon since Friday
* A further 3000 berths were available yesterday on three ships commissioned by DFAT
* Evacuees are being taken to Larnaca in Cyrpus or the Turkish port of Mersin. Numbers arriving at each destination are unclear because of security concerns
* 500 evacuees arrived at Sydney airport yesterday on three chartered flights from Cyprus
* Another charter flight is expected to arrive in Perth today
* On Wednesday, 234 Australians were taken to Cyprus aboard a Greek naval vessel. Another 60 were taken to Cyprus on British military helicopters
* Last Monday, about 160 Australians travelled in two buses to Damascus in Syria and then on to Amman in Jordan. Some arrived back in Australia last week
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Iran solely to blame for conflict, says Jewish leader, The Australian, 24 July, 2006.

Iran solely to blame for conflict, says Jewish leader: [2 All-round First Edition]

Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 24 July 2006: 2.
Show highlighting
ONE word -- Iran -- summed up the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, a 2500-strong gathering of Sydney's Jewish community was told last night.
Political analyst Hirsh Goodman received a standing ovation when he declared: "This six million ain't going nowhere." He said the main lesson of the war was that Iran, as the backer of Hezbollah, could not be allowed to become a nuclear power with the capacity to destroy Israel.
Israel's ambassador to Australia, Naftali Tamir, blamed Hezbollah and their backers in Iran and Syria for the conflict. "Nobody wants to see Palestinian or Lebanese mothers or fathers crying, or to witness the death of innocent Arabs as well as Israelis."
ONE word -- Iran -- summed up the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, a 2500-strong gathering of Sydney's Jewish community was told last night.
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies chief executive Vic Alhadeff laid the blame for the conflict with Iran, and denied last night's gathering at the Great Synagogue was organised to counteract the publicity generated by the march of up to 25,000 Lebanese through the city on Saturday.
"What this issue is about is in one word: Iran," he said.
"The criticism is that Israel has been excessive. The point that is missed is that proportionality is not about what happened yesterday, it is measured against the extent of the threat.
"The threat is enormous and extends to Iran's world view, which is to destroy the state of Israel and to push every last Jew into the sea."
While the words were strong, those present wanted to show their support for the Israeli Government over its handling of the Middle East conflict.
The immediate past president of the Zionist Federation of Australia, Ron Weiser, said he had never seen the Jewish communities in Australia and Israel so closely united.
"This is not a Left-Right issue -- this is a threat to the existence of Israel," he said.
Great Synagogue chief rabbi Jeremy Lawrence led the packed auditorium with a prayer for kidnapped soldiers: "Oh Lord ourGod, Supreme King of Kings, we pray today for the lives of ourbrothers. May we find them unharmed. May our own efforts for their liberation be blessed withsuccess."
Rabbi Lawrence said there was a strong sense of solidarity and outrage among the Australian Jewish community over the attacks on Israel.
He said many were praying for a resolution that enabled Israel and its neighbours to live harmoniously and in peace, to respect each other's human rights.
A string of highly charged speeches had the audience, from orthodox Jews in full traditional garb to teenagers in jeans and sneakers, in rapturous and emotional applause.
Political analyst Hirsh Goodman received a standing ovation when he declared: "This six million ain't going nowhere." He said the main lesson of the war was that Iran, as the backer of Hezbollah, could not be allowed to become a nuclear power with the capacity to destroy Israel.
Israel's ambassador to Australia, Naftali Tamir, blamed Hezbollah and their backers in Iran and Syria for the conflict. "Nobody wants to see Palestinian or Lebanese mothers or fathers crying, or to witness the death of innocent Arabs as well as Israelis."
Muslim leader condemns Islamic oppression -- Page 4
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Monday 17 July 2006

Dark days return to city's streets, The Australian, 17 July, 2006. Additional reporting. Page One.

Dark days return to city's streets: [1 All-round Country Edition]

MARTIN CHULOV, BEIRUT, Additional reporting: John Stapleton. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 17 July 2006: 1.
Show highlighting
Beirut at its best is a noisy hub of car horns, sub-woofers and Arabic pop songs. Cars of all shapes and sizes usually squeeze into thenarrow roads like shoals of fish, past high-street pedestrians and vibrant street stalls. But stray dogs now roam on city bypasses that usually teem with ramshackle Mercedes taxis and the ritzy four- wheel drives of the new Lebanon.
The explosions convinced many of the 1000-odd Australians still in Beirut to make plans for an exit, though with air, road and sea routes all blocked or dangerous, John Howard yesterday called on them to remain in secure locations indoors.
The Israeli bombardment of south Beirut has wrecked bridges and roads. Huge craters from one-tonne bombs dot the main thoroughfares, and jagged glass lies everywhere. The few motorists who dare take to the streets speed furiously through tunnels, especially the two passing under Beirut airport's main runways, which have been bombed six times in the past four days.
THE renaissance jewel of the Middle East was as empty, still and forlorn yesterday as it was during the bleak and bitter days at theend of the civil war in 1990.
Beirut, from the blitzed Hezbollah heartland in the southern suburbs to the Sunni Muslim and Christian areas in the east and west, is a ghost town, its French-style boulevards abandoned, its bustling centre a no-go zone and its hotels rapidly emptying.
Work has even stopped on the new Ivana Trump tower, an icon of the new-age opulence here.
Beirut at its best is a noisy hub of car horns, sub-woofers and Arabic pop songs. Cars of all shapes and sizes usually squeeze into thenarrow roads like shoals of fish, past high-street pedestrians and vibrant street stalls. But stray dogs now roam on city bypasses that usually teem with ramshackle Mercedes taxis and the ritzy four- wheel drives of the new Lebanon.
Gulf Arab tourists who had promised to turn this tourist high season into a bonanza have fled to the Syrian border to face kilometre-long chokeholds of people trying to flee.
On Saturday, the mosque muezzins were still calling both Shia and Sunni, and church bells chimed across town. But next to no one turned up.
Life in the melting-pot city was being conducted behind closed doors, just as it was during Beirut's darkest years.
The central city has stayed free of the clutches of Hezbollah, but it has not been spared the startling thump of Israeli shells.
At dusk on Saturday, four explosions bracketed the oceanfront -- two aimed at a lighthouse and another two at Beirut's main port.
The shells had targeted the Lebanese military's radar installations, which Israel says were instrumental in guiding a missile that crippled one of its warships 16km off the coast the day before.
The explosions convinced many of the 1000-odd Australians still in Beirut to make plans for an exit, though with air, road and sea routes all blocked or dangerous, John Howard yesterday called on them to remain in secure locations indoors.
The Prime Minister said the Government was considering an emergency plan to ferry Australian nationals to Cyprus, but not until theexisting dangerous security position eased.
"The judgment has been made by our people on the ground -- and this is a judgment shared by the British, the Americans and theCanadians -- that this is too dangerous a way of trying to get people out," Mr Howard said.
"I want to say to Australians
Continued -- Page 2
From Page 1
who are worried about their loved ones in Lebanon, we are doing everything we can 24 hours of the day to arrange an evacuation plan.The most likely way of evacuation on my advice is by ferry to Cyprus, and we are actively exploring all the possibilities in relation to that."
The commitment was of little comfort to those Lebanese Australians sitting helpless at home as their loved ones were stuck in thewar zone.
Sydney businessman and Maronite Christian Marcel Aouad, like hundreds of other Australians of Lebanese descent, just wants his family back, and he says the Government is not doing enough.
His wife Lynette and 20-year-old son Matthew, a student at Macquarie University, went to Lebanon 10 days ago as part of a religious attempt to cure Matthew of Crohn's disease, a debilitating infection of the intestines.
Matthew's grandmother in Lebanon had made a special pledge for him to a shrine near the northern village of Batroun for the beloved Saint Rafqa, hoping this would help, although he has only taken enough medication for a fortnight.
Mr Aouad said he had pulled every string he could to get the family out to Syria yesterday. But at the last minute, after paying out thousands of dollars, the plan fell through. Now he doesn't know where to turn.
"I just want my family back," he said. "We are proud Australians. I am the only one who was not born here. We are very muchAustralian citizens and we need our Government's help.
"I would like to see the Australian Government reacting in a more urgent manner. We deserve better."
But there is seemingly little respite in store for those in Beirut. An oil fire from an Israeli air raid near the airport late last week is still spewing smoke. The still air and mountains ensure it stays trapped above the city.
The smoke hangs heaviest over the southern suburbs, which were pounded again yesterday in fresh Israeli attempts to annihilate theHezbollah guerrillas who hide there.
As we drove through the core of the Hezbollah heartland, a huge shell thumped into a building to our right. Three more landed within 10 seconds, the concussion waves knocking a motorbike rider to the road and shattering windows.
The Israeli bombardment of south Beirut has wrecked bridges and roads. Huge craters from one-tonne bombs dot the main thoroughfares, and jagged glass lies everywhere. The few motorists who dare take to the streets speed furiously through tunnels, especially the two passing under Beirut airport's main runways, which have been bombed six times in the past four days.
Circling Israeli warplanes make even a short trip through the empty streets a risk.
Middle Eastern Airlines, Lebanon's national air fleet, has been allowed to break an air blockade and evacuate some of its Boeings fromthe airport, but only a few have been able to take off from the short space of runway still usable between bomb craters.
Beirut by night is, for now, a thing of the past. Only one tiny bar opened during the past two evenings and the usually pumping nightclub district has been virtually abandoned.
Lebanon still has a strong matriarchal society "and the mothers want their families around them at a time like this", one man said.
"Even if they wanted to go out, they wouldn't. Life in Beirut until the Israelis leave will be spent in loungerooms and balconies," he said.
"But we have all been down this path before. Things will be back to the way they were, God willing."
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Thursday 13 July 2006

The gift of giving, Margaret Olley donates millions in paintings to NSW Arg Gallery, The Australian, 13 July, 2006.


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Monday 10 July 2006

39 years on, Gipsy Moth meets us halfway, The Australian, 10 July 2006.

39 years on, Gipsy Moth meets us halfway: [1 All-round Country Edition]

Stapleton, John. The Australian; Canberra, A.C.T. [Canberra, A.C.T] 10 July 2006: 3.
Show highlighting
A FLOTILLA of vintage craft greeted Gipsy Moth IV, the boat made famous by Francis Chichester when he sailed it single-handedly around the world 39 years ago, as it arrived in Sydney yesterday for only the second time.
Skipper Richard Baggett said even with six crew on board, the 16m- long Gipsy Moth IV was not the easiest boat to sail and his admiration for Chichester's achievements had only grown. Young people, some of whom had never seen the sea before, have won coveted places to work as crew on parts of the re-enactment.
A FLOTILLA of vintage craft greeted Gipsy Moth IV, the boat made famous by Francis Chichester when he sailed it single-handedly around the world 39 years ago, as it arrived in Sydney yesterday for only the second time.
Its arrival marked the halfway point in an against-all-odds re- enactment of Chichester's historic voyage, which began in Plymouth, England, in August 1966. It was the first true solo circumnavigation of the globe via the three capes and was the fastest trip around the world by any small vessel. It was also notable for Chichester's age at the time, 65.
His round-the-world expedition captured the world's imagination, made front-page headlines in Australia and became a symbol of human triumph in the face of adversity.
While Chichester died of lung cancer in 1972, those re-enacting his trip are sure he would have been proud of their efforts.
Skipper Richard Baggett said even with six crew on board, the 16m- long Gipsy Moth IV was not the easiest boat to sail and his admiration for Chichester's achievements had only grown. Young people, some of whom had never seen the sea before, have won coveted places to work as crew on parts of the re-enactment.
"Chichester would have loved what we are doing with the boat," Baggett said. "He was all about rising to challenges and pushing theenvelope, and sharing that with young people."
More than 250,000 people turned out to watch Gipsy Moth IV when it returned to Plymouth in May 1967, while millions watched on television.
The yacht was stored in dry dock in Greenwich, London, until last year, when it was restored by enthusiasts following a campaign, called Stop the Rot, by Yachting Monthly magazine. It was then decided to re-enact Chichester's voyage.
Expedition spokeswoman Anna Symcox said she could not wipe the smile off her face at the sight of the Gipsy Moth IV sailing under the Harbour Bridge.
"It is one of the most perfect moments, to have got halfway round the world," she said. "We have achieved so much. It is the halfway point and we are heading home after this.
"People said we couldn't do it. I think that is what drove Chichester as well. There have been dark times when we ran out of money, but something always came up to save the day. It is the Chichester touch."
Chichester was the author of books including Solo to Sydney (1931), Alone Across the Atlantic (1961), The Lonely Sea and the Sky (1964) and Gipsy Moth Circles the World (1967).
Gipsy Moth IV will be open to the public at the National Maritime Museum next weekend.
On Thursday, Princess Anne, in Sydney as part of a tour of the Pacific region, will go for a sail aboard the yacht.
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