NSW: Police target train graffiti gang

AAP General News (Australia)
02-05-2009
NSW: Police target train graffiti gang

Police have raided two homes .. arresting three people .. in a bid to shut down a graffiti
gang which targets Sydney trains and posts its vandalism online.

Investigators allege the teenage gang forced trains on the city's western line to stop
.. filmed their acts of graffiti and the posted …

MONEY COLLECTING PLATFORM STARTS OPERATION IN CHINA

AsiaInfo Services
06-07-2011
Money Collecting Platform Starts Operation in China

BEIJING, Jun 07, 2011 (SinoCast Daily Business Beat via COMTEX) -- China's first money collecting platform Yoopay.cn lately started operation. Within three weeks since its operation, its registered users topped 10,000 and money collected surpassed CNY 1 million.

Yoopay.cn has gained its first round of venture capital investment and submitted patent application to local governments in countries and territories including China, the US and the European Union (EU).

Yoopay.cn has partners like China UnionPay (CUP), Alipay.com, Visa, Mastercard and Paypal. Soon, the Web site will form cooperation with the five major Chinese commercial banks.

Analysys International reveals that China's third-party payment market reaches CNY 1 trillion and the segmented field of money collecting hit CNY 100 billion.

In the US, similar Web sites like EventBrite and Wepay are experiencing rapid growth. EventBrite obtains revenues of USD 200 million a year and has won VC investment of nearly USD 100 million from investors led by Sequoia Capital. Lately, Wepay received VC investment of nearly USD 10 million headed by Highland Capital Partners.

Source: www.techweb.com.cn (June 07, 2011)

KEYWORD: BEIJING INDUSTRY KEYWORD: Internet & Online Services & Media SUBJECT CODE: Internet & Online Services
Online/Direct Banking
SinoCast China Business Daily news
money collecting
VC
investment
payment
US

Copyright 2011 AsiaInfo Services (via Comtex). All rights reserved

QLD:Qld killer rapist won't be released: court

AAP General News (Australia)
12-02-2011
QLD:Qld killer rapist won't be released: court

By Christine Flatley

BRISBANE, Dec 2 AAP - Queensland's attorney-general has won a court challenge to keep
a convicted killer and sex offender behind bars.

Mark Richard Lawrence, 48, has spent almost all of the past 28 years in jail for offences
including manslaughter, rape and sexual assault.

In 2008, a court ordered he be detained past his release date as he was still regarded
as a serious danger to the community.

However, Brisbane Supreme Court Justice Peter Lyons rescinded this order in late October
and ruled that Lawrence should be released under a strict supervision order made under
the Dangerous Prisoners (Sexual Offenders) Act 2003.

Lawyers acting for attorney-general Paul Lucas appealed the decision on the grounds
the order would not sufficiently protect the community from Lawrence.

During the hearing in November, the Court of Appeal was told Lawrence had been diagnosed
by three psychiatrists as a sexual sadist with an antisocial personality disorder.

One psychiatrist concluded Lawrence was only a moderate risk of reoffending if he were
properly supervised.

However, he said any further offence was likely to be violent and life-threatening to the victim.

The doctor acknowledged Lawrence had made genuine attempts to change his sexual and
sadistic urges, but thought it was "likely that his sadistic urges are dormant rather
than defunct".

Peter Davis SC, for the attorney-general, argued that Justice Lyons, in ruling Lawrence
should be released, had not given enough weight to this opinion about the probable impermanency
of the changes.

He also argued Justice Lyons should have more carefully considered the view of another
expert, who said Lawrence's own statements about his improved condition could not be trusted.

In a written judgment handed down on Friday, the Court of Appeal found there was sufficient
evidence to warrant Lawrence's continued detention in order to protect the community.

AAP cf/tnf/tab

KEYWORD: LEGAL: LAWRENCE

� 2011 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Stay safe online

Sharmila Vella
New Straits Times
03-20-2011
Stay safe online
Byline: Sharmila Vella
Edition: New Sunday Times
Section: Learning Curve

THE Internet can be a dangerous place for young people.

Unsuspecting children and young adults often fall prey to online fraud and threats.
Microsoft Malaysia and CyberSecurity Malaysia recently launched Safer Internet Month, which runs until April 10 to keep youth from becoming victims of Internet crimes.

Themed Stop. Think. Connect, the campaign underlines the importance of being aware of online threats.

Although the programme targets youth, security is a source of worry even for the most sophisticated and professional users, says Microsoft Malaysia managing director Ananth Lazarus.

Safer Internet Month aims to address these issues, deliver suggestions and prescriptive guidance on safeguarding the online experience.

"We believe it's our joint responsibility to help make the Internet a safer place for people, especially children, to learn and communicate," Lazarus adds.

The public may traditionally impart notions of safety in their daily lives but the wisdom may not necessarily extend to providing guidance in protecting oneself online - where all of today's technological potentials offer both good and harm.

"We are committed to ensuring that children know the value of identity protection and online privacy, recognise the wonderful opportunities the Internet brings and the potential threats it could have," he says.

The campaign is inspired by Safer Internet Day, which is a part of a global movement for all, especially the young.

Organised by Insafe and co-founded by the European Union, Safer Internet Day hosts a series of events and educational materials aimed at helping parents and children to recognise online security threats.

Last year, more than 500 Safer Internet Day events were held in 65 countries and regions.

Globally, volunteers assist in hosting a range of Internet safety- focused events and activities.

The campaign in Malaysia is timely as Internet use here has grown at a staggering rate over the past decade, particularly with the surge of social media and networking adoption.

Malaysia is ranked seventh in Asia with 9.4 million Internet users.

Its people are Asia's 12th most connected community, which spends an average of 14.1 hours on the Internet per user.

In its effort to educate Malaysians on the positive use of the Internet, CyberSecurity Malaysia developed the Cyber999 Help Centre for Internet users to channel their cyber security complaints, get safety tips and specialised services in cyber security.

Chief executive officer Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Husin Jazri says: "We continuously study, analyse, research and innovate to stay ahead and maintain a technological edge."

The public can expect activities such as cyber safety awareness talks in schools in the Klang Valley and seminars for parents and teachers.

"We will also organise online contents such as CyberSAFE, Cyber Treasure Hunt and CyberSAFE Content competition, where we get participants to tell us what they know about cyber safety through digital content such as posters, wallpapers, videos and others," adds Husin.

Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry deputy secretary- general (policy) Datuk Dr Sharifah Zarah Syed Ahmad lauds the campaign's aim to empower Malaysians with knowledge to protect their businesses, property and families.

"It's good that private organisations are taking steps to increase the level of awareness among our citizens, especially schoolchildren, to help them use the Internet positively," she says.

(Copyright 2011)

NSW:Four face court after NSW drugs raids

AAP General News (Australia)
12-08-2010
NSW:Four face court after NSW drugs raids

SYDNEY, Dec 8 AAP - Four men are appearing in court on Wednesday as part of a string
of drugs busts in Sydney and Port Macquarie.

Two 24-year-olds, a 38-year-old and a 41-year-old were arrested by police investigating
the supply of methylamphetamine.

Four search warrants were executed in Port Macquarie and three in the Sydney suburbs
of Alexandria and Rosebery.

During one of the raids in the Port Macquarie area, police seized 429 grams of methylamphetamine.

The four men were charged with large commercial supply of prohibited drugs and refused bail.

They will appear in Port Macquarie Local Court and Central Local Court.

AAP tcm/msk

KEYWORD: METHYLAMPHETAMINE

� 2010 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

OmniTI Completes Alli Sports' Web Site Design and Content Management System

Wireless News
06-25-2010
OmniTI Completes Alli Sports' Web Site Design and Content Management System
Type: News

OmniTI, a consulting firm that solves Internet application and business problems, announced the completion of Alli Sports' new, highly-scalable web site, and a content management system to capitalize on a growing user base.

Looking to bring together news, videos, music, culture, blogs and pictures from events like the Dew Tour and Gatorade Free Flow Tour, Alli Sports asked for OmniTI's help to achieve their business objectives: empowering affiliates to publish their own content for the first time, and accommodating a dramatic increase in site traffic while simultaneously cutting production time in half, according to the Company.
"Given the unique dynamic of our live events, it was critical to build a platform that scaled to accommodate real-time publishing across a multitude of user roles and data types. In many instances, our editorial coverage requires the combination of text, video and stop-action photography to accurately tell a story. During the peak of our season it's not uncommon to have multiple live events, each with a unique set of demands on the underlying architecture. As is the balancing act of building a scalable, multi-faceted system, we didn't want to sacrifice the richness of our offering for speed and efficiency," said Terence Hegarty, the Director of Technology for AlliSports.com. "After the review of numerous 3rd party solutions and specialized agencies we found OmniTI to have unmatched experience and know-how in developing custom publishing systems that scale."

"It is increasingly critical for businesses to maintain regular contact and engagement with their customers. As the way people communicate and consume information changes, a company's online presence becomes more important than ever before," said, Theo Schlossnagle, CEO of OmniTI. "The work we did with Alli Sports highlights our ability to work collaboratively to deliver large- scale solutions specifically tailored to allow for high-volume web site traffic and instant, targeted content distributed to their fans."

OmniTI designed and implemented scalable solutions for highly trafficked sites and clients in need of sound, scalable architectural engineering specific to their business requirements.

Alli, the Alliance of Action Sports, is a global business that encompasses national and international action sports tours and events, multimedia production, and a consumer-facing lifestyle brand. The Alliance includes: the Dew Tour, Winter Dew Tour, Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, King of Wake series, and the Gatorade Free Flow Tour; Alli Productions, which creates original content, produces and presents content with partners, and distributes Alli content through a variety of channels. Alli is owned by NBC Sports and MTV Networks and represents a network of athletes, fans, brands and properties. Its mission is to facilitate the momentous growth of action sports, through competition and lifestyle, for a new generation of fans and athletes.

OmniTI:

omniti.com

Alli:

allisports.com

((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))

Copyright 2010 Close-Up Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
n/a

QLD: Heritage gone to the grave in vandalism attack

AAP General News (Australia)
12-17-2009
QLD: Heritage gone to the grave in vandalism attack

BRISBANE, Dec 17 AAP - Vandals have smashed historic tombstones at one of Queensland's
oldest cemeteries, leaving a $100,000 damage bill.

Nineteen tombstones at the Goodna Cemetery, southwest of Brisbane, were smashed with
metal poles ripped from graves.

Some of the tombstones dated back to 1898, and a 1922 life-size memorial of an angel
was smashed beyond repair.

Cemetery Trust Secretary Paul Tully said he was sickened by the attack.

"This is the worst case of vandalism in the cemetery in the past 150 years," Mr Tully said.

"It is disappointing to see so much damage, there will be families coming here at Christmas
time and they will be devastated."

Police are at the scene collecting evidence.

Mr Tully said a knife, found near the crematorium, was used to destroy niche walls.

Fingerprints will be taken from the knife as well as from a granite gravestone that
was vandalised.

Mr Tully said three young men were seen acting suspiciously at the cemetery in the
days before Wednesday night's attack.

"There is every possibility that the attackers were people with idle time during the
school holidays," he said.

The Goodna Cemetery is one of the oldest in Queensland and was established in 1859.

AAP ka/tnf/it

KEYWORD: CEMETERY (PICS AVAILABLE)

2009 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Fed: Terror group should be listed: Brandis

AAP General News (Australia)
08-09-2009
Fed: Terror group should be listed: Brandis

Shadow attorney-general GEORGE BRANDIS says the Somali-based al-Shabaab group should
be listed as a terrorist group in Australia.

He says he's surprised it's not already on the list .. with five men facing charges
of plotting a suicide attack on Sydney's Holsworthy barracks after counter-terrorism raids
in Melbourne last week.

Al-Shabaab has been proscribed in the US for 18 months.

Senator BRANDIS has told Sky News he thinks Attorney-General ROBERT MCCLELLAND is dragging
his feet on counter terrorism policy.

AAP RTV saj/jmt

KEYWORD: TERROR BRANDIS (CANBERRA)

2009 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Vic: Firefighters welcome milder weather forecast

AAP General News (Australia)
02-14-2009
Vic: Firefighters welcome milder weather forecast

By Mariza O'Keefe

MELBOURNE, Feb 14 AAP - Emergency services have welcomed forecasts of milder weather
for Victoria and say it will help them continue in their battle to contain several ongoing
bushfires.

On Saturday afternoon, 4,500 firefighters were battling 12 out of control blazes in Victoria.

"The weather forecast for the next week that's been provided to us by the bureau is
very encouraging for firefighters," Country Fire Authority deputy chief officer Geoff
Conway said.

"The conditions will remain not so much benign, but they're certainly quite mild."

He said these conditions would allow firefighters to continue work in consolidating
control lines and backburning over the next few days.

The fires and backburning work is expected to cause increased amounts of smoke in the
communities surrounding Victoria's major fires.

Residents living near the fires in Murrindindi, Wilsons Promontory, those near the
Bunyip State Park and the Maroondah/Yarra Complex fire have all been warned of increased
smoke expected in these areas.

The fires are currently not posing a direct threat to any communities.

Residents of metropolitan Melbourne have also been warned about increased smoke from
the bushfires this weekend.

EPA Victoria director of environmental services Bruce Dawson said that with predicted
northeasterly winds, Melbourne would continue to be affected by smoke.

The death toll remained at 181, but police said on Saturday the number of houses destroyed
had increased to 1,834 homes, while 413,000 hectares have been burnt out.

Police are urging the public to stay away from the townships devastated by Victoria's bushfires.

They are appealing to the public to allow residents in Whittlesea and Kinglake to take
the first tentative steps towards rehabilitating the fire devastated areas.

Emergency services also want to avoid unnecessary traffic on the roads as they continue
their relief efforts and battle blazes in the areas.

Meanwhile, Marysville residents made an emotional return on Saturday to the devastated
township for the first time since the fires.

Police placed heavy restrictions on the visit to the township - now designated a crime
scene - and residents travelled in a fleet of shuttle buses and were not allowed off the
bus or even to take photos.

The blaze that razed Marysville was being treated as suspicious, police confirmed on Friday.

Fire authorities have said blazes around Mount Riddell and Mount Juliet, east of Melbourne,
are not expected to threaten nearby residents, but ash may fall around Healesville.

Department of Sustainability and Environment spokesman Stuart Ord said heavy resources
were being thrown into the fires near Healesville over the weekend to establish containment
lines before the hotter weather returns.

"We have got about of 50 to 60 bulldozers just in that area working on the fire edge,"

Mr Ord said.

"We're throwing everything on that to try to get containment lines on it."

AAP mok/pmu/goc/apm

KEYWORD: BUSHFIRES VIC 2ND UPDATE

2009 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Fed: Govt set to continue to attack oppn as economic vandals

AAP General News (Australia)
08-27-2008
Fed: Govt set to continue to attack oppn as economic vandals

The federal government is expected to ramp up its attack on the opposition today over
its plans to block various key budget measures.

The opposition's formally agreed to oppose Labor's $2.5 billion plan to scrap a tax
exemption on condensate .. a light crude oil extracted from natural gas.

The opposition says the tax will push up domestic gas prices in Western Australia.

The condensate bill adds to a list of laws the opposition has pledged to block in the
Senate .. including the tax on alco-pops .. and changes to the Medicare levy surcharge
threshold.

It is still considering its position on a luxury car tax .. but will block part of
a trade practices bill .. aimed of introducing a tighter test for predatory pricing.

Prime Minister KEVIN RUDD and Treasurer WAYNE SWAN branded the opposition economic
vandals yesterday for vowing to block legislation .. a message they are expected to continue
to push today.

AAP RTV kms/wz/fdf

KEYWORD: SENATE (CANBERRA)

2008 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Vic: Man to stand trial after surviving suicide pact

AAP General News (Australia)
04-21-2008
Vic: Man to stand trial after surviving suicide pact

By Melissa Iaria

MELBOURNE, April 21 AAP - A Melbourne man who entered into a suicide pact with his
girlfriend and survived will stand trial charged with helping her to die.

Douglas Lawrence Flavell, 63, was today ordered by Magistrate Elizabeth Lambden to
stand trial on a charge of aiding Everlyn Targosz, 44, to commit suicide.

Flavell, of Braybrook in Melbourne's west, and Targosz, of Footscray, had been dating
for two years when they went ahead with their plan at Sunshine on November 26, 2005.

Witness statements tendered in court reveal the pair filled up their car with petrol,
bought a plastic hose at Bunnings and cheeseburgers from McDonald's before executing their
plan.

Flavell told police he drove the pair to a remote spot the next morning where Targosz
hooked up the hose to the car exhaust.

He said he got out of the car and stood by a fence while Targosz remained and eventually died.

Flavell then drove with her body in the back seat of the car to his former de facto's
house to tell her Targosz had died.

He then drove to a friend's house, where an ambulance was called.

Flavell said he had tried to talk Targosz out of suicide many times, including on the
day of the event, but she would not listen.

"He said it was mainly Everlyn's decision to end their lives and he just went along
with it," forensic medical officer Edward Morgan said in his statement.

"He said he felt bad about her dying and feels he would have been better off dying as well.

"He was ambivalent about his own future without her."

Flavell was an alcoholic who wrongly believed he had stomach cancer, while Targosz
had schizophrenia, the court was told.

Dr Morgan said in his statement Flavell and Targosz had tried to take their lives several
times before.

Evelyn became depressed after losing her house, while he wanted to die after wrongly
believing he had stomach cancer despite not having any tests.

In a suicide note to her children, Evelyn wrote: "I will always love you's (sic) all
and I am happy now".

Dr Morgan said Flavell was fit to be interviewed by police over the death, but added
he was concerned he was a future suicide risk particularly as he had lost his main social
support.

After his police interview Flavell was admitted as an involuntary patient at a Werribee
psychiatric facility for three weeks.

Ms Lambden ordered Flavell stand trial and bailed him to appear at the County Court
for a case conference on June 30.

He has reserved his plea.



* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline
on 13 11 14 or SANE Helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263).

AAP mi/goc/mn

KEYWORD: FLAVELL

2008 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Nourishing memories

NECHAMA VEEDER
Jerusalem Post
12-07-2007
Headline: Nourishing memories
Byline: NECHAMA VEEDER
Edition; In Jerusalem
Section: Features
Page: 26

Friday, December 7, 2007 -- 'We knew we wanted to do something to give back to the community and for survivors. We didn't want [to create] a reference book. We wanted something that would be out and about and would be used, something that would be part of someone's life," says Jonathan Caras, who together with his wife Sarah created the Holocaust Survivor Cookbook.

When people hear about it, they say, "A Holocaust survivors' cookbook? What is it, boiling boots?" says Jonathan, 24.

It's easy to understand people's reactions - recipes are not usually associated with the darkest period in modern Jewish history.

But the Holocaust Survivor Cookbook is more than just a recipe book. Over a period of more than two years, the Carases gathered testimonies from Holocaust survivors and their families. Each story is accompanied by a family recipe (or two or three), along with photos of the families throughout the years - and, of course, of the food.

"It started two years ago with the passing of my grandmother-in-law," explains Jonathan.

After the couple married in January 2005, they moved to Nahlaot and immediately went in search of a project that would enable them to "give back to the community," says Jonathan. Jonathan and Sarah, both full-time students, found the Mahaneh Yehuda-based charity Carmei Ha'ir and decided to embark on a fund-raising project for the organization.

"We wanted to do a cookbook, but we didn't have an idea [for it], and then my grandmother passed away," explains Sarah, 23, originally from New Jersey.

Actually, the story of Sarah's grandmother, Elizabeth Silberstein, is the only account in the book that is not accompanied by a recipe.

Born in Vienna, Silberstein moved to Belgium - illegally - in 1938. Her father was arrested in 1940 and she never saw him again. In 1942, her uncle Ernst jumped from a train from Auschwitz and told Silberstein's mother about the camps; her sister then took her to a convent to hide. She stayed there until 1946 when l'Association Israelite d'aide aux Victimes de la Guerre, a Jewish organization looking for hidden Jewish children, came to rescue her. Her family had been deported in 1943 and was eventually taken to Auschwitz. Silberstein married at 21 and had three children, including Sarah's mother.

"She didn't cook. It was like, meat and potatoes - just throw it in a pot," says Sarah. "It was important to my mom that there wasn't a recipe in the book because she didn't have one."

Instead, her mother provided a poem for the cookbook.

The Holocaust Survivor Cookbook does include some recipes from Sarah's family, though. "My father's parents had a deli, so he wrote about them. I can vouch for those recipes, but I can't vouch for the rest of them," says Sarah.

The couple did not give any instructions for the type of recipes to submit, and the result is a melting pot of family history.

Some of the recipes are for traditional prewar Eastern European fare, but others have clearly become part of the family canons more recently. Interspersed among recipes for honey cake, latkes, cabbage rolls and gribines (described as a chicken appetizer) are those for Chinese cookies, minute steaks, mandarin orange salad and Hawaiian chicken.

"Some of the recipes were from the old country," says Jonathan. Others were from the grandchildren of survivors.

"I was a little skeptical at first" about the type of recipes people would send, he says. "A lot of heimishe [homey] cooking is simplistic. Eastern European Jews didn't have a lot of options but you can see how creative you can be with limited resources. A lot of times delicious cooking can go a long way. You just need to put a bit of heart into it."

Since the Carases began the project, it has been adopted by their friends and family. "My mother-in-law in Maryland went all over the East Coast collecting testimony personally," says Sarah. "Our goal was to get 100 stories. In the end there were 129."

"She was really our executive of PR," Jonathan chimes in about his mother.

The publishing date was repeatedly pushed back due to the sheer volume of responses - achieved with no advertising - and the book was finally published in September.

Publicity for the cookbook was managed through word of mouth, an Internet portal (www.survivorcookbook.org) and interviews in the US Jewish media.

"By the time we were ready to publish, organizations had heard about the project through newspapers," says Jonathan. "Our goal is twofold. Every cent that comes from the book - after expenses - goes to Carmei Ha'ir."

They are also trying to sell the book in bulk to schools and synagogues for half price for use as a fund- raiser.

So far they have sold the first 5,000-copy print run and are working on the second.

The first check will be presented to Carmei Ha'ir in a ceremony on December 23 by Jonathan's sister, who will be here with a birthright israel group.

In addition to the charity aspect, the Carases want to use the book in a more personal way in order to raise the profiles of Holocaust survivors by asking people to tell the contributors' stories when they serve their dishes.

"When we started the project we weren't sure how people would take it," says Jonathan. "We had the challenge of making something about the Holocaust that wasn't horribly depressing. The community that we created because of this - everyone who submitted - really went over and above our expectations to spill their hearts out in an emotional way. We challenged them to bring us into their lives, to explain to us how the war affected their family."

As well as creating a cookbook people will use, Jonathan believes the project has played a small but significant part in preserving survivors' stories.

"Some people wrote to us saying that this was the first time they'd ever had the recipe for their chicken soup written down on paper," says Jonathan. "There were a number of stories in there that this was the first time the story was written down on paper."

And Sarah is confident the book's title will draw people in. "People say, 'Holocaust Survivor Cookbook? What does this mean?' And then they look at it," she says.

(BOX 1) A survivors tale

Marion Weinzweig

Phoenix

I was born in Lublin, Poland, in the late spring of 1940 or 1941 and was named Mania Sztajnman. My parents moved to Opatow shortly after my birth because all of my father's family lived there. My birth was not recorded with the local authorities so as not to have a record of me. We had to move out of our family house into a horrible ghetto. Although only Yiddish was spoken in our home my family taught me to speak Polish so I would not be able to trip myself up.

About three weeks before all of the Jews in Opatow were herded to Treblinka by the Germans and Ukrainians to be murdered, my parents arranged for a Polish farm couple, the Ropelewskis, to take me in until they could come and fetch me. My parents gave their money and furniture to the Ropelewskis.

One day my parents took me to the town square and handed me over to Mrs. Ropelewski, who was being driven by a young carriage driver. It was in September of 1942 and I was approximately 18 months old. They kept me for several weeks, then had their carriage driver leave me at the doorstep of a convent in Klimintow. I was the youngest child there. I was baptized. I have little memory except that I was very hungry all the time, scared, and darkness was all around me. I have recurrent nightmares of running and dead bodies all around. In 1945 the retreating Germans bombed the convent, destroying it completely. Luckily we were able to run out, but we saw all of the carnage left behind. I was then transferred to a convent in Loniow.

My father found me after surviving Auschwitz and Buchenwald. The nuns did not want to release me - I was Catholic. They brought all the girls into the room and told him that he had to pick me out. He had not seen me in three and a half years but he picked me. They demanded 5,000 zlotys from him, so he had to beg for the money from the Jewish committee. I hated my father because he was Jewish and he was a "Christ killer." My mother was murdered in Treblinka, and that is why I don't know exactly when I was born. My father did not remember. I was malnourished and had a head full of lice. We went to Lodz and I prayed to Christ every night and ran into every church I saw.

My father found a brother alive in Worth of the Danube near Regensburg in Germany so we went there with great difficulty. We had to sneak across the Russian border to get to the American zone. Had we been caught we would have been shot dead. We spent three years in Germany before our visas came through to go to Canada. At eight years of age I was into my fourth language and third name change and had lived a lifetime and had not yet gone to school.

All of my life I wondered if the real Mania Sztajnman was still in Poland and I was a Polish impostor. At the age of 48 I finally accepted the fact that I was Mania when my granddaughter was born and she had the exact blue eyes and expression as my father.

I now live in Phoenix, Arizona, and have three children and four grandchildren.

(BOX 2)

Kishke

450 gr. casings washed in cold water and scraped free of fat.

Cut casings every 30 cm. Sew one side together.

For 3 or 4 casings:

1 1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup oatmeal

1 small onion, chopped fine

1 tsp. paprika

3/4 cup corn flake crumbs

1 cup ground chicken fat

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. salt

Combine ingredients and stir well. Stuff casings loosely. Sew up other end and rinse.

Keywords:

Copyright 2007 Jerusalem Post. All Rights Reserved

NSW: P-plater charged with street racing

AAP General News (Australia)
08-06-2007
NSW: P-plater charged with street racing

A teenage P-plater's been charged with street racing and two cars have been confiscated
.. after a collision in Sydney's inner-west left two people injured.

Police say two Nissan Pulsar hatchbacks were being raced side-by-side .. one on the
wrong side of the road in Guildford at 3pm (AEST) yesterday.

The Pulsar on the wrong side of the road collided with a Nissan making a right hand
turn at an intersection.

The 20-year-old driver of the Pulsar involved in the collision was trapped in the wreckage
for a short time .. before being taken to Westmead Hospital where he remains with leg
and chest injuries.

The 17-year-old driver of the Nissan was taken to Westmead Hospital with shoulder injuries
but was later released.

The driver of the other Pulsar involved was taken to Merrylands Police Station .. where
his licence was suspended.

He's been conditionally bailed to appear at Parramatta Childrens Court on August 28.

Police expect to interview the 20-year-old man when he's released from hospital later today.

Both the Pulsars have been confiscated.

AAP RTV kd/af/ibw

KEYWORD: STREET (SYDNEY)

2007 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Qld: Stiff new fines for motorists from March 1

AAP General News (Australia)
02-12-2007
Qld: Stiff new fines for motorists from March 1

Drivers in Queensland will be slugged with heavier fines and penalties from next month
as part of a crackdown on the state's growing road toll.

Tailgating .. running red lights .. and driving with a DVD or TV visible to the driver
.. will all attract bigger fines and penalties.

Premier PETER BEATTIE's announced the measures after a state cabinet meeting in the
north Queensland town of Atherton.

He says it's to help reduce inattention .. aggressive driving and distraction.

Mr BEATTIE says over the past 72 hours there have been some horrific accidents .. including
a smash just south of Ingham that claimed four lives.

He says while the cause of that crash isn't known .. it's clear the simple mistakes
people are making on the roads every day are costing people their lives.







The fine for running a red light jumps from 135 dollars and three points to 225 and
three points .. tailgating leaps from 30 dollars and one point to 175 and one point ..

and having a DVD or TV visible to the driver will jump from 60 dollars and one point to
100 dollars and three points.

AAP RTV rad/pjo/bart

KEYWORD: DRIVERS QLD (BRISBANE)

2007 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Tas: Howard dismisses industrial relations protests

AAP General News (Australia)
08-26-2006
Tas: Howard dismisses industrial relations protests

JOHN HOWARD has again laughed off protests over workplace reform .. with up to 100
unionists lobbying outside the Liberals state conference in Hobart today.

It follows angry confrontations at the prime minister's engagements in northern Tasmania
yesterday.

But Mr HOWARD's dismissed signs calling for protection of your rights at work.

He's told the conference .. the first right at work is to have a job.

And he says on that test .. the current government is the fairest Australia's had in 30 years.

Mr HOWARD says unemployment is at 30-year lows .. and there have been 159 thousand
jobs created since the introduction of Work Choices legislation.

The PM says a strong economy is the greatest guarantee of job security.

AAP RTV rgr/tm

KEYWORD: WORKPLACE HOWARD (HOBART)

) 2006 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

WA: Solo windsurfer reports illness on epic journey

AAP General News (Australia)
04-19-2006
WA: Solo windsurfer reports illness on epic journey

Ten days into a bid to windsurf solo from Western Australia across the Indian Ocean
.. Frenchwoman RAPHAELA LE GOUVELLO's battling serious seasickness.

But the French team monitoring her says despite a burning stomach-ache and severe weakness
.. 45-year-old LE GOUVELLO'S still covering around 110 kilometres a day.

She's on a 75 day .. six-thousand-300 kilometre voyage from WA .. to the French island
of Reunion .. off Mauritius.

The windsurfing attempt is her fourth and follows successful crossings of the Atlantic
Ocean .. the Mediterranean Sea .. and the Pacific Ocean.

AAP RTV lk/cp/tm

KEYWORD: LEGOUVELLO (PERTH)

2006 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Fed: Concessions the government has had to make on Telstra sale

AAP General News (Australia)
08-17-2005
Fed: Concessions the government has had to make on Telstra sale

Concessions the government has had to make to sell Telstra:



First tranche (33.3 per cent) December 1996:

* $1.1 billion from sale proceeds for Natural Heritage Trust, with Tasmania to get bulk of funds

* $250 million Regional Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund, with $58 million going
to Tasmania and $53.1 million to Queensland.



Second tranche (16.6 per cent) June 1999:

* $1 billion social bonus package, of which $150 million went to Tasmania.



Third tranche (51.8 per cent) August 2005:

(in-principle agreement from joint party room)

* $2 billion trust fund to address telecommunications shortfalls.

* $1.1 billion for the rollout of broadband, new regional clever networks, mobile services
and additional services for indigenous communities.

* Telstra's network and retail operations to be split.



(Note: Telstra completed a share buyback in November 2004, taking the government's
stake in the company to 51.8 per cent)



AAP mfh/sb/jt

KEYWORD: TELSTRA (FACTBOX)

2005 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

maudlin

maudlin And now where’er he goes
Among the Galilean mountains
Or more unwelcome ways,
He's followed by two faithful fountains;
Two walking baths;
Two weeping motions;
Portable and compendious oceans.


The English poet Richard Crashaw (1613–1649) wrote this curious poem about Jesus and Magdalene. Mary Magdalene is often portrayed by classical painters with eyes swollen and red from weeping. In an early French form her name was spelled Madelaine; in English it was Magdalene. Gradually the name was corrupted to Maudlin, which has come to stand for stupidly sentimental. To be unguardedly drunk is to be maudlin drunk, characteristic of one who goes on a crying jag after overimbibing. Any tearfully or weakly emotional person is maudlin, whether drunk or a teetotaler. The word is applied to those who shed tears over little or nothing.

The British pronunciation of Magdalene is “maudlin,” and the spelling followed the sound. Cambridge University has an institution named Magdalene College. Oxford University has its Magdalen College. But whether or not the final “e” is used, the names are pronounced the same—“Maudlin.”

Fitch Rates $779.4MM Merrill Lynch Mortgage Investors Series 2003-WMC1.

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 11, 2003

Merrill Lynch Mortgage Investors, Inc. (MLMI), series 2003-WMC1 $298 million class A-1, $343.2 million class A-2, $100 class R certificates and notional certificates class S are rated 'AAA' by Fitch Ratings. In addition, Fitch rates the $56.6 million class M-1 certificates 'AA ', $39.3 million class M-2 certificates 'A', $30.3 million class B-1 certificates 'BBB' and $11.9 million class B-2 certificates 'BBB-'.

The 'AAA' rating on the senior certificates reflects the 19.04% total credit enhancement provided by class M-1, M-2, B-1, B-2, initial overcollateralization, and monthly excess interest. Additionally, the 'AA' rating on the class M-1 certificates reflects the 11.89% credit enhancement provided by class M-2, B-1, B-2, initial overcollateralization, and monthly excess interest. The 'A' rating on the class M-2 certificates reflects the 6.93% credit enhancement provided by class B-1, B-2, initial overcollateralization, and monthly excess interest. The 'BBB' rating on the class B-1 certificates reflects the 3.10% credit enhancement provided by class B-2, initial overcollateralization, and monthly excess interest. The 'BBB-' rating on the class B-2 reflects the 1.60% credit enhancement provided by the initial overcollateralization of 1.60%. In addition, the ratings reflect the quality of the loans, the integrity of the transaction's legal structure as well as the capabilities of HomeEq Servicing Corporation, as servicer and Wells Fargo Bank Minnesota NA, as Trustee.

The Group A mortgage loans consist of fixed rate and adjustable rate mortgage loans secured by first and second liens on residential properties with a cut-off date pool balance of $370,025,643. Approximately 19.52% of the mortgage loans are fixed-rate mortgage loans and 80.48% are adjustable-rate mortgage loans. The weighted average loan rate is approximately 8.23%. The weighted average remaining term to maturity is 337 months. The average principal balance of the loans is approximately 137,454$. The weighted average original loan-to-value ratio is 85.13%. The properties are primarily located in California (54.43%), New York (5.51%) and Florida (3.31%).

The Group B mortgage loans consist of fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgage loans secured by first liens on residential properties with a cut-off date pool balance of $423,702,285. Approximately 19.60% of the mortgage loans are fixed-rate mortgage loans and 80.40% are adjustable-rate mortgage loans. The weighted average loan rate is approximately 7.925%. The weighted average remaining term to maturity is 345 months. The average principal balance of the loans is approximately $196,431. The weighted average original loan-to-value ratio is 82.97%. The properties are primarily located in California (60.28%), New York (5.61%) and Arizona (3.06%).

WMC is a mortgage banking company incorporated in the State of California. WMC was owned by a subsidiary of Weyerhaeuser Company until May 1997 when it was sold to WMC Finance Co., a company owned principally by affiliates of Apollo Management, L.P., a private investment firm. As of March 2000, WMC changed its business model to underwrite and process 100% of its loans on the internet via 'WMC Direct'.

For federal income tax purposes, multiple real estate mortgage investment conduit (REMIC) elections will be made with respect to the trust estate.

bTrade.com Wins EC*CO Award.

WebAccess2000(TM) Named Best Supply Chain Management Product of the Year

IRVING, Texas, Oct. 6 /PRNewswire/ --

bTrade.com, a leading provider of e-Business infrastructure solutions, has won the inaugural EC*CO Award for WebAccess2000(TM), software that enables rapid, secure and cost-effective data transport and transformation for the small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that traditionally have been locked out of B2B. The announcement was made at the Electronic Commerce World 2000 Conference and Expo in Orlando, Florida.

The EC*CO Awards, which stand for Electronic Commerce Community Ovation Awards, acknowledge cutting-edge products and services in the electronic commerce marketplace. bTrade.com's WebAccess2000 was given the EC*CO Award for "The most innovative and unique supply chain management product of the year" by a panel of judges representing a cross section of academia, media and business. Mark Hoffman, Chairman and CEO of Commerce One, Inc. and a keynote speaker at the Electronic Commerce World 2000 Conference and Expo, presented the EC*CO Award to bTrade.com.

WebAccess2000 is a new desktop software application that seamlessly and bi-directionally translates EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) documents from many of the world's largest supply chain power players to Internet protocols, and then automatically imports the EDI documents into the accounting and other back-office systems used by more than 9.5 million SMEs. WebAccess2000 allows SMEs to easily expand their reach to the supply chain without changing the way they do business or incurring the prohibitively expensive use of VANs (Value- Added Networks) or EDI. In addition, WebAccess2000 can be installed and deployed within minutes, not the typical six to nine months that other solutions offer.

"We are tremendously excited about the honor and recognition given WebAccess2000 by this prestigious panel of judges at Electronic Commerce World 2000," said David Lonsdale, CEO of bTrade.com. "The EC*CO Award is additional validation of not only the technological innovation that WebAccess2000 represents, but also the bottom-line business value it represents for so many small to medium-sized enterprises that want to successfully, securely and rapidly participate in the supply chain."

According to the sponsors of the EC*CO Awards, bTrade.com rated superior according to the following criteria:

-- The competitive advantage achieved by the WebAccess2000 users

-- The uniqueness of WebAccess2000 within the eMarketplace

-- The extent to which WebAccess2000 adds business value to a user's

enterprise

-- Industry impact and sustaining value

-- Ease of integration and interoperability with existing technology.

WebAccess2000 is available immediately for a one-time software fee of $750.00. bTrade.com provides ASP services for an additional $90.00 per month fee.

About EC Media Group

EC Media Group, a Thomson Financial Media company, is a leading provider of information for e-business professionals across a wide range of sectors, including business intelligence, financial services and health care technology. Backed by an extensive intelligence network, the industry's most experienced analysts and journalists, and the full resources of Thomson Financial Media, EC Media Group is uniquely positioned to keep subscribers and conference attendees apprised of leading-edge e-business trends. Currently, EC Media Group offers a number of the market's most widely read and highly respected publications, including Electronic Commerce World, Financial Service OnLine, Health Data Management, DM Review, Internet Health Care Magazine, and EC Technology News. In addition, EC Media Group sponsors some of today's leading professional convocations, including Electronic Commerce World Conference and Exhibition, the preeminent event in its field. For more information, visit the EC Media Group website at http://www.ecmediagroup.com.

About bTrade.com

bTrade.com (www.bTrade.com) has more than ten years of experience providing over 100,000 trading partners in a Global 2000 customer base with universal platforms that offer secure data transport, translation and transformation applications. bTrade.com links e-Business partners and communities without requiring changes to any existing applications while dramatically reducing, if not eliminating, the associated risk, complexity, time, and cost.

For more information, please contact:

Katherine Kirkpatrick Susan Lee Butts

Director of Marketing Communications Associate

bTrade.com Peter Arnold Associates

kkirkpatrick@btrade.com susan@parnold.com

972/580-2982 781/239-1030