Aus News 30: Public sick of street violence, says judge

A serial offender, Brooks, 21, has been jailed for four and a half years for brutally assaulting and robbing a teacher, Mr Wresinski. The teacher claimed that he was left bloodied, bruised and with a broken arm after being kicked by the cruel and callous Brooks repeatedly. Mr Wresinski was kind to lend Brooks his bike after knowing that he had no way to get home. Unfortunately, he was robbed and bashed by the cold-blooded youth. He said that he no longer feels safe to walk the streets at night. The judge Tinney stated that the society is sick and tired of this sort of public violence. He also realised that Brooks had a unpleasant upbringing. He was being exposed to environment with domestic violence and with little regard for the law. He was also committed to a crime of assaulting his 75-year-old great-grandmother three years ago.

Comment:
Public violence is getting more prevalent. The saddest issue is that youths never get themselves out of this issue. The apparent root cause here is, the upbringing atmosphere. Children should be instilled with positive attitudes and exposed to convenient environment. This is because they are vulnerable to any issue happening around them, and they are unable to distinguish what is harmful and what is beneficial. Therefore, in order to avoid them from having misconception since young, parenting and positive religious teaching should play an important role here.

Aus News 29: Wild weather leaves path of destruction

Victoria experiences its most devastating floods in more than a decade. A damage bill of tens of millions of dollars is expected after the heavy downfall. Besides, the heavy rainfalls caused landslides, flash flooding and the evacuation of homes. An emergency alert system was created to warn the Victorians about rising flood levels. The residents were sent text and telephone messages telling the dangers in the area. The northeastern townships were issued with emergency evacuation alerts and an estimated hundreds of homes will be affected. The State Emergency Service (SES) was issuing a major flood warning for residents along the river to be aware of the deteriorating situation. The SES claimed that 625 calls were received overnight relating to severe winds and wild weather as well as fallen trees and building damage that affected central Victoria and Melbourne. By the way, the government is arranging emergency relief in affected areas to assist the flood victims. All Victorians are urged to check the forecast in their area, listen to the warnings and be prepared to evacuate if necessary. On the other hand, the iconic Birdsville races were postponed for the first time in their 128-year history after an unseasonal downpour flooded the track. The Bureau of Meteorology forecasts for more wild weather with heavy rain and isolated thunderstorms which could lead to flash flood.

Comment:
Apparently, the Australian government has indeed put their endeavour in handling the severe floods. A deeper look into this issue, what on earth are the major cause for this lamentable disaster? It goes back to climate change issue again. Have human beings realised their responsibilities in putting all these disastrous damages a halt? When are we going to stop exposing to all this disappointing news? Haven't all these devastating natural disasters acted as a portent for us that doomsday is getting closer to us? It's time for us to choose either to save the earth or suffer for what we have done to the earth.

Aus News 28: NSW parliament will hold a conscience vote on a bill for legalised adoption by gay couples

Major parties are dividing over the Bill of whether to allow same-sex adoption. The opposition leader of this Bill, Mr O' Farell, claims that same-sex adoption would deny future kids the chance for a mum and dad. Besides, the Liberal Party also opposed the Bill by saying that it will increase the rate of abortions. They further explained that any mother who put up her baby for adoption would never expect their baby to be brought up by a gay or a lesbian couple. The Bill is expected to be debated today, with all MPs granted a conscience vote for the first time on the isuue. On the other hand, the two major child and welfare charities in NSW supported the Bill, saying it would benefit children and boost the number of carers.

Comment:
There are both advantages and disadvantages of permitting same-sex adoption, like what had been argued by the different parties. In my own view, it goes back to the main issue-- homosexual discrimination. If people are ready to accept homosexual relationships, then same-sex adoption should not be a problem as well. However, it depends on how we look at the issue. Since it is hard to reach a consensus on an issue, government will then have to do something to ensure that the decision on the Bill will satisfy both sides of the argument.

Aus News 27: Teachers call for help with 50,000 unruly pupils

Figures show that more than 50,000 pupils have been suspended from Victorian state schools in the past three years. Most of the suspensions happen in year 9 for boys and year 8 for girls, and a quarter of all suspensions involved girls. Australian Education Union state president, Mary Bluett said student misbehaviour was an increasing problem and schools needed more cash to deal with unruly and troubled kids. For instance, providing schools with the appropriate resources to deliver a broad range of subjects and supporting students with behavioural and emotional problems by restoring and expanding the provision of special settings. She added that suspension is just one action, and it doesn't address the complex issues that lie behind that behaviour, including family circumstances.

Comment:
It's true that students nowadays are getting more unruly. I agree that suspension is not the only way to solve the misbehavioural problems, and it is not ideal either. People always point their fingers at those students with misbehavioural problems, yet they never realise that they have the responsibilities to alleviate the problems. Suspend a problematic student will never help to curb the problem, instead, it will create more social issues to the society as society will now have to take up the onus which supposedly belongs to the school counselors. Hence, the Ministry of Education and the school authorities should review this issue and make changes if necessary.

Aus News 26: Geelong teenager Kasey Neville jailed for knifing her lover

A 18-year-old girl, Kasey Neville was jailed for 5.5 years for stabbing her boyfriend, Ronin Will in the lungs and heart. She also pleaded guilty for armed robberies the Shell service station two days before the stabbing. Neville and Will were both high in drugs when the quarrel happened after he was being told that she was pregnant. Two days before, Neville robbed the Shell and fled with cash of $455 to buy heroine and pay drug debts. Luckily, Will has regained consciousness and so Neville could escape from facing a murder charge. She later found out that she was not pregnant. Neville experienced a tragic life since young. She was being kicked out from home and became homeless since she was 15 for excessive substance abuse. She was later being in an abusive relationship with Will. She showed her remorse by confessing to the police and during the court, a birthday card that she wrote to her mother saying that she will turn over a new leaf was read out.

Comment:
This is another miserable teenage social issue. Drug addiction, robbery, teenage pregnancy and teenage murdering are all pointed out in this news. This is so appalling that proper actions are indeed urgent to control the situation. However, one thing that we are comforted with is that the girl has realized her mistakes and promised to turn over a new leaf. Despite this, she still has to be responsible for what she has done. Hopefully the sentence will not destroy her whole life and that she can get out from drug addiction very soon.

Aus News 25: McDonald's opens extra restaurants as business soars

A record shows 1.7 million Australians visit McDonald's each day. It indicates a drastic increase of half a million people since 2007, partly caused by the soaring popularity of take-away food. This fast food chain has opened 50 new outlets in the country in the past three years to meet increasing customers' demand. McDonald's attributes the rise in popularity to its 'healthier choices' menu, but marketing experts claim that the rise is owing to its clever marketing and competitive pricing. They even accuse that the 'healthier choices' menu is actually a ploy to lure customers to buy more traditional menu items such as burgers. They also point out several actions of McDonald's are actually tactics to earn lucrative profit instead of satisfying customers' demand. However, McDonald's, on the other hand, said that their success is mainly due to factors that emphasized around listening and responding to their customers. Although McDonald's has started to cook with a cholesterol-free oil blend, a dietician responds that there are actually much more could be done by the fast food chain, for instance, use less salt in their products, more fibre in their buns and more salad.

Comment:
Apparently, fast food is gaining popularity among consumers. As its name suggests, many people opt for fast food mainly due to its convenience and time-saving. Even if they realise the unhealthy fact of consuming fast food, the convenience that the fast food brings always outweighs the ugly truth. We can't deny the benefits that fast food brings, especially for those office workers and working mothers, yet we should control the frequency of consuming it. Sometimes, I just can't control myself against fast food and I always wonder what exactly makes everybody so obsessed with fast food. Maybe it's time for me, and everyone of you to cut down the consumption of fast food from now on. For the sake of our health, let's say NO to fast food!! (but once in a while should be acceptable)LOL!! XD

Aus News 24: Bus drivers get self-defence classes

Bus drivers will be given self-defence classes and taught techniques to avert any potential violence on public transport. Drivers claim that overcrowding on bus is the main reason to raise temper on buses. Report shows that there has been increasing assaults on STA bus drivers compared to previous year. Drivers have been bashed, spat on and abused by those furious passengers. Besides, bus drivers are more exposed to violence as they often have to handle those drunken and unruly passengers during night time once the rail services finish. Only a small percentage of private bus drivers are given this self-defence training and the Transport Workers Union is trying to make it compulsory and publicly funded.

Comment:
I often hear of passengers being abused or bullied by drivers but rarely for another way round. Maybe it is not so prevalent and it is good to initiate a self-defence training for the bus drivers to defuse the violent situation. However, it has to be continuously and consistently supported by the authorities. The community should also realise their responsibilities of being patient and disciplined. As the use of public transport is getting more significant nowadays, cooperation from all parties is indeed necessary to prevent further problematic issues from rising.

Aus News 23: Swine flu alert at Queensland University of Technology's Gardens Point campus

A student of QUT was diagnosed with swine flu and an email had been sent out by the school authority to notify all the students and staff. The email stated that the university is carrying out cleaning process to combat the swine flu threat. High risk areas have been identified and public areas will be cleaned more regularly to prevent the spread of germs. The email also included some preventative steps to be taken to minimize the spread of influenza.

Comment:
I think this news will definitely alert those who are going to QUT next year to further their tertiary education. Anyway, i don't think the condition will last long if all parties are aware of the problem and take up preventative measures to stop the widespread of swine flu. Here are some recommended steps from the health authorities:
1. stay at home if you develop flu-like symptoms and consult your medical practitioner
2. wash your hands frequently
3. use tissues when coughing and sneezing
4. dispose of tissues in a waste receptacle
Remember, prevention is always better than cure!!!

Aus News 22: West Australian man 'imported $2.1m worth of cocaine

A 34-year-old man has been arrested in Perth for importing 6kg of cocaine, which worth about $2.1 million from US. Police claimed that this is the biggest drug seizure for this year and alleged that the drug trafficker hid the drugs inside five muscle growth accelerator containers. A further 200 grams of cocaine-suspected powder had been found by a sniffer dog when the police searched the man's apartment. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commander said that this drug seizure manages to save Perth $1.74m in health and social costs. He added that the AFP is committed in confronting the drug trafficking and this seizure should be seen as a warning to those who are intending to import illegal drugs into the country. The maximum penalty for the offence could be up to $825,000 fine and/or life imprisonment.

Comment:
This is a significative issue that we should take note of. The Australian police has indeed done a good job in arresting the illegal drug trafficking. It also helps to cut down cases of drug addiction, which later on creates a healthier community. Accordingly, all countries should committed in combating this issue and that heavier penalties on drug traffickers ought to be imposed. The society should also be more alert so that they won't be the victims who are used by the drug traffickers to import the illegal drugs.

Aus News 21: Climate prompts fish move

The erratic climate change has caused one third of the coastal fish in Australia to move territory. The rising sea temperature is assisting the warm-water species like the rock blackfish to expand their population and become more abundant. However, the cool-water species are struggling, and 19 Tasmanian species are declining dramatically and facing extinction. This is because they can't sustain in the warmer condition and have nowhere to escape. A research found out that southeast Australia was a climate change hotspot, with the sea temperature rising by almost two degrees in certain areas.

Comment:
Animals are getting endangered with rising temperature. This issue seems trivial, but it is a true fact that is happening nowadays. It should be seen as a warning before a more severe impact coming in. Everyone of us has contributed to the climate change, and it not only affects our daily lives, but also others like the innocent animals. Hence, it is our responsibility to bring it back to the norm. Holding campaigns with no positive responses from the society itself is never sufficient. Environmental programs with no practical actions will just put all the efforts in vain. Concisely, cooperation from all parties is the key to curb, or at least reduce the ramification of this erratic climate change.

Aus News 20: Public toilet perverts put on notice in Victoria

Individuals who spy people in public toilet and film bashing and road trauma would be prosecuted under the surveillance laws. The Victorian Law Reform Commission found out that public privacy has been eroded with the proliferation of surveillance devices such as the CCTV cameras, video-enabled mobile phones and the prevalent use of internet sites like Facebook and You Tube. The commission recommends the individual watchdog to regulate the use of these surveillance devices and that new charges on any private offences will be introduced soon. The purposes are, to outlaw hidden cameras in toilets and change rooms, to ban filming of violence and accident scenes for entertainment, as well as to avert filming for intimidation purposes.

Comments:
The invention of new technologies nowadays has prompted more criminal offences. This law should have been implemented earlier. Those perverts who like to offend others' privacy should be given heavy penalties. Besides, the use of surveillance devices has to be controlled as well. Public should also be more alert so that they will not be the easy targets or the next victims of those perverts.

Aus News 19: Dying woman with rare blood disease needs drugs worth 40k

A newlywed lady, Jenny Sturrock, 29, is suffering from a rare blood disease which prevents her to have children. She has to rely on three litres of blood transfusion every month to replenish her blood supply. The doctor told her that she may put herself and her baby on risk if she wants to have children, unless she goes for the treatment with a drug called Soliris, which is the world's most expensive drug, costing around $40,000 per month. As Jenny always dreams to have her own children, she appealed to the Prime Minister, Ms. Gillard, pleading her to save her life by financing her treatment. Ms Gillard has promised to look into her plight and said that government has a program of supporting lifesaving drugs on the basis of technical and expert advice.

Comment:
Some may easily argue that it's not worth to put such a lump sum of money(tax revenue) on a person. This sounds reasonable, and the amount could have actually been put on more productive projects. However, if this amount could save a life and make her life better, don't you think the people of the country should feel proud for saving a life? For me, it shouldn't be seen as a waste of money, but an indirect way of raising fund to save a life. Perhaps the government should also come out with better policy or program to solve this kind of inconvenience in order to ensure that the welfare of its people is guaranteed.

Aus News 18: A Geelong grandmother waited two hours for police while her home was attacked

A 82-year-old grandmother was left in frighten for almost two hours when her windows were being smashed last Saturday. Her granddaughter, Caroline claimed that her grandmum had called the police right after she heard the clashed of a stone on her windows from the lounge. However, a second hit happened after 15 minutes and she called the police again and begged them to come immediately but they did not turn up for more than one and a half hours. Caroline kept on saying that her grandmum gave her a call after that sobbing for help. She said that her grandmum was afraid that her house would be intruded. She rushed to her grandmum's place and waited for the police. When the police eventually came to their assistance, they apologized with the reason being there was only one car available for the night. The police sergeant explained that it was a norm for the police station there to operate with only one divisional van and a sergeant on a Saturday night, and the demand for services were pretty high.

Comment:
I am quite appalled and feel sympathy for the old victim. The police should not have responded this way to an old folk, what if her house was really being intruded? The reason given by the police should be seriously taken into consideration. Perhaps, and indeed some changes have to be made to the so-called typical way of their operation. For instance, increase the number of patrolling cars and available police staff.

Aus News 17: Compensation insult to bikeway rapist's last victim

A serial bikeway rapist from Brisbane has been caught and jailed for 16 years. However, this case creates another issue regarding the compensation for the victim. The last victim, a 29-year-old woman, who was raped and is now living like a virtual recluse, has received a compensation of $21,750. This amount seems unfair to the lady as the two witnesses of the case who managed to assist the police to arrest the rapist by just writing down the rapist's registration number have been granted $25,000, which is apparently more than the amount the victim received. This payment is seen as an insult for the victim as the one-off act of the two kind citizens has been granted higher than the suffering she is facing now or even for the rest of her life. The rapist mentioned that he has no assets and no means of paying the money and the lady will now have to apply to the State Government to make an ex-gratia payment.

Comment:
The compensation for the victim and the grant for the two witnesses should be seen separately as two different issues. I agree that the two helpful citizens deserve the rewards and it can be an example to encourage the society to cooperate with the authorities by providing information whenever it is needed, rather that sit back and afraid of being involved in the case. As for the victim, unfortunately, it is hard for the government to pay full compensation, but then she could try to apply to get the compensation on her damage. Some may say that it is definitely unfair for a victim who has suffered a dreadful ordeal to fight hardly for the right amount of compensation that she supposed to get, but don't you think that a more practical counselling for the victim sounds more logical, rather than just paying the compensation in the form of money, which has nothing to do with the psychological damage of the victim? Think about it!

Aus News 16: Drink driver Jasmin Henley let off for being over the city limit

A Sydney woman, Jasmin Henley, was lucky enough to escape from a conviction of drink driving with the reason being, there are no public transport in the area she lives. She claimed that she was having two glasses of wines over dinner with her colleagues while attending a work function in the Eastern Suburbs. The magistrate dismissed the charges after found out that there are no alternatives in that remote area for Henley to get back home. However, this decision would definitely set a risky precedent, as those who live in remote area would misunderstand that they are permitted to drink drive in that area.

In my opinion, this is definitely an unfair judgement. The woman could have move closer to the city for a dinner if she wanted to have a few drinks, or perhaps she should not drink in the first place if she knew that there would be no alternatives for her to get back home safely. The rationale given to dismiss the charge may sound reasonable, yet it would become an excuse for those drink driver sooner or later if no further actions are taken. Hence, the government should realise the importance to provide more public transports in rural areas in order to cut down the cases of drink driving which could lead to road fatalities.

Aus News 15: Parents warned by school principal for being foul-mouthed

The principal of the Cranbrook Primary School, Rob Lauder was fed up with the irresponsible behaviour of the foul-mouthed parents who dropped the F-word in front of kids around the school compound. The parents who often wait for their children at the school grounds have been criticised for slipping out their rough words within the earshot of students. This is frustrating as they are supposed to use proper language at school compound. The principal had sent warning letters to parents about their swearing in front of school kids.

Comment:
This is a real life example which shows the irresponsible attitudes of parents. Parents should be a role model for their children but they fail to make it for most of the time. It is so prevalent today to see the youngsters, or even primary school kids to say rude words without even knowing the true meaning behind. In other words, they are just following each other until it becomes a trend, and think that it is awesome to be foul-mouthed. It shows how crucial is proper parenting to children. Hence, parents have to take note and realise the every action or behaviour that they show to their kids before pointing their fingers accusing the innocent kids who are just following something which they think are nothing wrong to them. However, it is pleased to see that the school authority is taking action towards this issue although it seems trivial. Hopefully this commitment could be consistently applied to each school so that to create awareness and I believe that every single step taken, could make a difference at the end.

Aus News 14: Extremely rare dolphin threatened

A new report shows that nearly two thirds of the Snubfin Dolphins, Australia's only endemic dolphins, that live in Roebuck Bay show injuries from boat hits and fishing gear snags. The problem occurred because the dolphins' foraging and socialising grounds overlapped the heavily used recreational fishing zone in the bay. Investigation found out that the slow-moving dolphins, often in shallow water, were hit by speeding boats across the bay. Even more injuries were caused by lost or discarded fishing line and hooks that cut into the animals' skins. The Roebuck Bay Working Group, which is set up to protect the bay's ecosystem, sets some guidelines to minimise harm to the dolphins, dugongs, turtles and other wildlife. They clarified that their intention is not to stop any fishing, but to urge those who are fishing to slow down and to try and look after their line. On the other hand, the WWF's spokeswoman stated that the key is to raise awareness, yet state, territory and federal governments must also show their commitment in preserving the areas that are essential to the Snubfins' survival, including more research, which could see it put on the threatened list.

Human's irresponsible acts are putting the lives of this rare species in danger. Humans are having massive fishing activities without realising the impact on the endangered species. Besides, the development of tourism sector also, in a way, disturb the natural ecosystem. Hence, the authorities should take the initiative to launch campaigns in order to raise awareness. In addition, tourists should also be educated on how to protect the animals while enjoying their trips. By doing so, it is believed that we could at least prevent the extinction of certain precious species, for instance, the Snubfin Dolphins.

Aus News 13: Mobiles to take off on Aussie flights after ACMA ruling

The Australians will be able to use mobiles during their domestic flights soon after the communications watchdog gives the approval. This awesome ruling is set by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) with the purpose to revolutionise the domestic airline travel and bring Australia to the competitive edge with other developed countries which have enjoyed this technology for some time. The consultation with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) shows no technical objection to the new arrangement and that the domestic airline passengers will soon be enjoying texting, checking emails and using data during flights. The ACMA chairman explained that they have approved radio communications licensing arrangements to facilitate and allow airlines to deploy mobile communication services on their aircraft through special on-board systems. In implementing these arrangements, the ACMA was conscious of the need for harmonisation with aviation safety regulations as well as the protection of terrestrial communications networks from interference. However, there is only one carrier, the Aeromobile, who is able to provide the service so far, with the appalling international roaming charges, despite the communications taking place in domestic skies. Telstra therefore responded that consumers are not supposed to be restricted to only one provider while using their mobile devices in flight. It added that Australia has a thriving competitive mobile market and thus, it should be extended to the skies as well.

Comment:

Well, I would say this is a brilliant step taken by the Australian government. I wonder when are we going to do the same thing in Malaysia. Maybe some are still concerning several reasons like the safety to use mobile devices during flights, but if Australia and some other developed countries can do this, then why can't we? It is true that this move may sound a bit too 'advanced' for us as a developing country, but this is what we have to strive for if we don't want to be lagged behind. It will definitely be cool if one day later we are able to use our mobiles during a flight. Let's look forward to it! =)

Aus News 12: Stop parents teaching kids to drive

According to a motoring body survey, most of the respondents believe that parents do not have sufficient driving skills to teach their children how to drive properly and therefore they should be barred from doing so, as a means of improving road safety. One of the many reasons given was that parents will have the tendency to pass on their own bad driving habits to the kids. On the other hand, the RAA manager of mobility and safety, Wendy Bevan said claimed that banning parents from guiding their children in how to drive is not ideal. She explained that parents should be suppported so that to guarantee their confidence and the skills required to instruct the beginner driver to drive correctly. In addition, it is better if the parents could go with their children attending the driving lesson with a qualified instructor as this teaches parents the proper driving manner as well.

The increasing road accidents nowadays could be one of the impacts resulted from bad driving habits. It is true that parents might pass on their bad driving habits to their children or mislead them the proper driving manner. In my opinion, it is not an ideal way to deter parents from teaching their kids to drive, as some children would feel more confident and learn better from their parents. Hence, it is best to encourage parents to attend driving lesson with their children, together with accredited driving instructor, so that parents learn the correct way to guide their children, and on the same time, reduce the possibility of passing on the bad habits to their kids.

Aus News 11: WA crime rate on the slide

The latest crime statistics shows that the overall reported rate of crime in the West Australia is declining, which is a decrease of 12.7 per cent in the last financial year. According to Mr. Porter, the Attorney General who announced the statistics today, said that the reported offences had continued a downward trend in the past 18 months. The government sees tackling crimes and anti-social behaviours as their major priority. The collaborative efforts among the WA Police, Corrective Services and all other relevant agencies and arms of government have resulted in this pleasant outcome. They have put more police patrolling the street, introduced a series of legislative measures to target particular kinds of offending, seen a more stringent approach to parole, taken more serious offenders off the streets and significantly expanded the delivery of rehabilitative programs in their jails. However, they claim that there are still rooms for improvement and that tackling crimes will always be put in precedence. The Police Commissioner, Karl O’Callaghan was proud that his staff were playing excellent roles in tackling crimes. He also claimed that a number of policing and justice initiatives, as well as environmental factors had contributed to the cut in crimes.

This is indeed a pleasant news to hear of. The commitment of West Australian authorities in tackling crimes should be learned and followed by all other countries. Perhaps Malaysian government should also consider to adopt to a more effective approach, for instance, increase the effectiveness of police forces, reinforce the legislative rules, etc, so that to create a crimes-free society one day later. It seems hard, but it is never impossible if we really have the determination to achieve it!

Aus News 10: Fugitive's Facebook page may be a fake

Justin Grant, a 21-year-old fugitive who slipped away from his guards during a hospital visit in Townsville was found developing a Facebook account accepting friend requests and jeering the authorities who were unable to track him. His mother is urging him to surrender. According to a senior government minister, police believe that the Facebook page run by the fugitive may be a 'clever ruse' being run by someone else to confuse the police. The police is now looking into the case on whether the site is a deception, and warned the public that anyone assisting the fugitive will be facing criminal charges.

It is admittedly true that Facebook is so prevalent nowadays to the extent that people are using it abusively, even involving crimes. Besides, this case serves as a reminder to all of us that social networking through Facebook maybe harmful as the account created may not be true. The so-called 'friend' that we added may have a hidden characteristic which we may never know. This is why there are so many headlines nowadays stating that people, particularly the teenagers, being deceived through Facebook or some other social networking. Accordingly, it is crucial for us, the society and the authorities to realize the fact behind and map out expeditious strategies to curb this problem entirely.

Aus News 9: 'I wanted to kill him,' says teen who boasted of attack on Facebook

A young armed teen, aged 18, attacked a 15-year-old boy on a tram by slitting his throat with a knife. The attacker also boasted on Facebook that he had been on bail at the time of the attack..According to the police, the accused told the victim that he was the 'king of Melbourne' and he threatened the boy not to cry or else he would kill him. The accused then rummaged through the victim's bag and took away his mobile phone and iPod nano. Worse still, he cut the victim's neck by using a knife, causing him to bleed. Before leaving, he even threw some harsh words on the victim, intimidating him. After that, he bragged on Facebook, stating that he had a stabbing and a robbery as well as an assault pending, and that he still got bailed. The victim's mother, on the other hand, was mad with the injustice that happened on his son. She claimed that her son was traumatically injured, while the attacker was freed on bail! According to a report of the attacker's interview with the police, the criminal told that he wanted to be a murderer, and that his lawyer would definitely get him off all this. By the way, the victim told the police that the tram driver did nothing to help him after the attack. And the tram driver, in his statement, replied that such case happens a lot and that the attacker had already got off at that time, so he thought there was no need for him to call a police. Anyway, the teen attacker had pleaded guilty for all his crimes and will be brought to the court in November.

I was so appalled when reading this news. The teen attacker was not regretting on what he had done. This reflects how serious are the teen issues nowadays. The attacker maybe comes from a bad family background, which causes him to have some sort of psychological problems, thus leading him towards criminal acts. Besides, the act of the tram driver also reflects the norm of the society that is considered to be disgraceful! Hence, it's vital for all of us to realize this ugly truth and play our roles in securing the future of our next generation.

Aus News 8: Mother-of-two attacked with screwdriver in terrifying home attack

A mother of two daughters, Jenny was being attacked by an unknown intruder while she had just reached home from shopping. She was attacked from behind as she walked through the front door. The intruder punched on her face several times and then dragged her into a room and struck her by using a screwdriver, cutting her neck. He tied up her hands and tried to put a bag over her head before leaving the house. Jenny was able to untie the electrical chords bounding around her hands and sought aid from two carpenters nearby in a shocking and injured condition. The two carpenters rushed to the scene and unfortunately they were just a few minutes from catching the intruder. Jenny has now in a stable condition, with fractured cheek and cuts to her neck. The police is now looking into the case and seeking for the cruel intruder.

It is undeniable that social issues are getting more severe nowadays. The criminals behave cruelly and this puts the lives of people in risks as they lose confidence on their personal safety. It seems like criminals are everywhere and crimes are happening every moment. Hence, in order to get rid of this concern, the authorities, in particular, should play a major role by increasing patrols around the areas that have high rates of crimes so that to guarantee the security of the society. The society should also realize their obligation in cutting down the crimes rate by giving cooperation to the authorities, and respond actively and positively towards any related campaign held by the government.

Aus News 7: Mad Max actor Stephen James jailed for child sex abuse

An actor of the movie Mad Max, Stephen James and his partner, Garth Witbek have been jailed for sexually abusing a 16-year-old boy. According to the news, James were purportedly assisting the boy to enter the film industry, and the victim was offered free acting lesson and a car by James to achieve his acting dream. During the lessons, the victim was forced to take off all his clothes and sexual abuse took place after that. James also persuaded the victim to start a relationship with him and there was once where the victim was made to watch a homosexual pornographic film. The boy started to avoid the lessons and told his mother about the abuse. Both men have pleaded guilty for their shameful offence and sentenced to jail.

In my opinion, the sexual abuse has left the victim a bitter memory which maybe perpetual for the rest of his life. He will lose trust on people and may even get into certain psychological problems subsequently. As such, proper counselling should be given to those young adults so that they will know the proper way to deal with the unfortunate incidence.

Aus News 6: School bullies more likely to become anti-social adults

SCHOOL bullies are three times more likely to engage in anti-social behaviour in their early 20s, while victims experience higher levels of depression and anxiety, according to a study revealed in The Sunday Telegraph.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has uncovered, for the first time, the damaging and ongoing effects bullying can have on children in their adult life.

Researchers tracked 1000 Australian children over three different stages of their lives - when they were 12 years old, 13 and again at 23 - and discovered tragic results.

Children who were bullied showed signs of depression when they grew older.

"What we found with the victims is that once they were established in this role, abuse was likely to continue," Dr. Jodie Lodge said.

Dr Lodge found that one in four children were bullied at schools - and that 95 percent of students were bullied more than once.

“They also experienced a number of social adjustment problems during adolescence and by their early 20s, were more likely to have higher levels of depression, anxiety and stress.”

Dr. Lodge, who presented the ground- breaking findings at a conference last week, said bullies tended to perform poorly academically and were more likely to drop-out of school.

They were also more likely to use drugs, be involved in physical fights and engage in other criminal activity in adult life.

“Those who bullied in adolescence were three to four times more likely to be involved in anti-social behavior and physical violence by their early 20s," Dr. Lodge said.

“It seems that once they're on this trajectory or pathway, it's something that stays with them into adulthood."

Verbal abuse and insults were the most common forms of bullying reported by both boys and girls.

Physical violence was more prevalent among boys, while girls tended to bully by socially excluding others.

Dr Lodge said children who were both bullies and victims were particularly at risk as they suffered greater degrees of social and academic problems, were generally unpopular and had fewer friends.

Psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg said the results showed we needed to act urgently.

“We know bullying has been linked with self-harm and attempts at suicide so it's a very, very serious issue and we need to address it," he said.

Argumentative Essay-- TV Viewing #Final

It is indisputable that the invention of television has brought a tremendous change to the life of its audience. The population of households in developed countries for the nonce who own at least one television set has exceeded ninety per cent (Sharif 1999). According to American Time Use Survey (2003), average hour spent by Americans per day in watching television is approximately 2.5 hours. Sociologists and experts are bickered over the issue of whether television is a blessing or a curse when there are claims that extensive television viewing has eaten into our lives. Correspondingly, I strongly assert that television viewing brings more advantages than disadvantages as it develops critical thinking skills, informs people about global issues and acts as a relaxing tool for its viewers.

First, television viewing encourages critical thinking, a skill that is indispensable in the society and schools. Through this amusing and interesting medium, it provides food for thought regarding issues over a variety of human problems ranging from globalization to homelessness. It also demonstrates subjects like science and geography in a distinctive and diverting way that helps learners to understand the information well (Leigh 2001). A case in point, families can comment on how a dispute is settled in programmes and consequently discuss over possible measures to better resolve the conflict (Sharif 1999). Accordingly, critical thinking is developed during the discussion over an issue.

In addition, there is no doubt that television allows access to the latest local and world issues (Rutherford 2002). People receive first-hand information on the latest events around the world via news programmes aired on television. Subsequently, young people become more aware of global issues and this indirectly inspires them to participate in certain favourable activities such as charity works (Sharif 1999). According to Rutherford (2002), the knowledge attained can also motivate public to be actively involved in the issues risen, thus applying pressure on authorities like councils, major companies and even national governments. This will urge the decision-makers to deliberate the responses from the audience and by doing this, it forms a force for democracy. Hence, it is assured that television viewing is beneficial when it connects people with world’s issues.

Furthermore, television viewing is literally beneficial in the sense that it assuages and relaxes its viewers after a hard day at work or at school. The rationale is that viewers can have a peace of mind and get prepared to focus on their next task. Moreover, by engrossing in a programme, they temporarily neglect their tension and frustration that resulted from the rising requirements and anticipations put on them. This is especially vital in helping them to regroup and gain a more balanced view over certain problems (Rutherford 2002). This can be further evidenced by the UK Time Use Survey (2000) which indicates that full-time workers spend their leisure mostly on television, video and radio. Ergo, watching television is definitely advantageous as it entertains its viewers.

All in all, I am in full support of the claim that television viewing brings more advantages than disadvantages as it develops critical thinking skills, informs people about global issues and acts as a relaxing tool for its viewers. Nevertheless, reports about television tend to concentrate on its adverse impacts (Leigh 2001). It is undeniable that television viewing can be harmful, yet not to the extent that it is nonsensical. Indeed, it is up to the viewers themselves to watch moderately or else television could be a scientific monster after all. Apparently, if viewers can use the medium intelligently and with discrimination over the choice of programmes, television can play a significant role in promoting positive values.