Australia Oz in the News
Cycling's sisters come to grief
Cycling’s sisters come to grief after a tragic accident killed one of their teammates and seriously injured five others after a car careened off the road. The members of the Australian National Cycling Team were on a training ride in Europe when an 18-year-old novice driver swerved and struck the team. The driver was not speeding or under the influence, and is expected to receive a suspended sentence in what is being called a tragic accident. The injuries the women received were very severe and the scene was described as gruesome. I can’t imagine …
Date: August 1st, 2005 | No Comments
Cornelia Rau Story, Part 2
A follow-up investigation of the Cornelia Rau incident, where a mentally ill Australian woman was held in detention centers for 10 months while German and Australian governments determined her fate, reveled a lot of ‘no duh’ verdicts such as ‘we screwed up’. Yes, this is the same government that deported an Australian woman to her country of birth, but not citzenship.
Part One
Part Two
Here’s the summary, if you don’t want to read the whole thing:
Processes failed. It was not a failure of instructions � the instructions were not followed. It was a serious failure of management process …
Date: July 21st, 2005 | No Comments
Tour Group Travelers Beware
Tour groups in rugged wilderness sometimes lure people into a false sense of ‘lemming-like’ security. Last week, 11 Lost tourists were led out of gorge in WA after one had been evacuated after falling into a gorge. However, it actually Boosts WA tour company’s bookings, despite the fact the operator is likely to get sued by said lost tour group. The Tour system check after rescue is now being conducted in WA.
Date: June 24th, 2005 | No Comments
Copious Corby Coverage
Had your fill of the Corby coverage yet? If not, here are some select articles related to the trial:
Admission of guilt the key to severity of sentence, says Corby judge
Drug case tests improved Indonesia-Australia ties
Drug traffickers scourge of Bali visitors and locals
The Bali Backlash
Respect verdict - PM
Not everyone feels Corby hard done by
Had enough? Don’t worry, I am sure this story will be around for awhile if you’ve not gotten your fill.
Date: June 8th, 2005 | No Comments
Bali Backpedals
Despite claims that the bookings are not down, “Following the 20-year sentence handed down to 27 year-old Shapelle Corby for drug smuggling on Friday, May 27, the Bali tourism industry has expressed its dismay at reports in the Australian press of calls to boycott tourism in Bali.” This is the only thing the Bali tourism board can really do, to be honest, but I don’t think it’s going to help them much if Australians - and others - do what the vocal group says they are going to do. Bali Tourism Leaders Urge Rationality
Date: June 5th, 2005 | No Comments
John Marsden Interview
Lawyer celeb John Marsden recently granted an interview. The Australian version of a recently passed Johnnie Cochran, Marsden’s most famous trial is that of serial killer Ivan Milat. He managed to free the rapist in the 1970s, who went on to rape, torture and kill several women from 1989-1992. Marsden’s second most-famous ‘client’? Himself, investigated for accusations of pedophilia. Never one to shy from the spotlight, the terminally ill solicitor claims that a woman helped Milat kill his victims - even offering a name. Police say they are, as always, investigating.
Date: July 22nd, 2005 | No Comments
Australia: The Confusing Country
It is interesting to note here that the Europeans always consider themselves vastly superior to any other race they encounter since they can lie, cheat, steal, and litigate (marks of a civilized culture, they say) whereas all the aboriginals can do is happily survive being left in the middle of a vast red-hot desert, equipped with a stick.
Eventually, the new lot of people stopped being Europeans on Extended Holliday and became Australians. The changes are subtle, but deep, caused by the mind-stretching expanses of nothingness and eerie quiet, where a person can sit perfectly still and look deep inside …
Date: July 8th, 2005 | 1 comment
Boycott Bali, Schapelle Corby, and the "whinge" factor
Boycott Bali, Schapelle Corby, and the “whinge” factor is an excellent quickie article about Bali and the affects the ‘Bali Boycott’ is having on the country after the Schapelle Corby case. The author makes an excellent argument that it’s hard to judge how effective the boycott is since you don’t know who was actually ever planning to go to Bali in the first place.
Date: June 22nd, 2005 | No Comments
$�m 'not enough' for husband death
Well, you know, I’d have to agree with the wife on this one. $�m ‘not enough’ for husband death after he died in a plane crash piloted by a stoned and drunk captain. The couple had only been married for 5 days when the man, who was kind enough to give up his seat on an earlier flight so a family could travel together, died.
Date: June 7th, 2005 | No Comments
More Corby Coverage from a Bali Expat
Nick over at Bali Blog has done an awesome job of covering the Corby case from his base in Bali. Of particular note is his conversation with her before sentencing, his time spent at the courtroom and his ideas on what people can do to help Corby. All of these threads have been very active, especially this one, where Nick asks Why she brought drugs into the country. I suggest checking them out if you have an interest in the case.
Date: June 4th, 2005 | No Comments