Cruise ship squeezes - just - under Sydney's Harbour Bridge
The tallest ship ever to visit Sydney gave bridge walkers a fright this morning, passing under the city landmark with barely two metres to spare, as the Sun Princess made its first visit downunder.
At 49.4 metres high the cruiseliner weighs 77,500 tons, is nearly three football fields in length and arrived in Sydney after a whistlestop tour including stops in Seattle, Cook Islands and Dunedin.
A spokesman revealed the tide had been the most significant factor in allowing the ship to safely pass under the bridge and dock in port.
"They keep a close eye on the tidal charts, there's a clearance for the bridge at the lowest tide," the spokesperson said.
"The clearance will change all the time depending on the tide.
"The weight of the ship is not a factor, the weight is pretty constant."
The superliner, complete with a grand four-storey atrium, eight restaurants and cafes, four pools and five spas, made dock just before 9am (NZT).
The vessel, which can house 1950 passengers, will now be based permanently in Australia and is due out of port early tomorrow afternoon enroute to Brisbane.
Bagelblogger: Does anyone else feel 2 meters is just a little too close?
References:
NZ Herald: Cruise ship squeezes
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Yeshamesh! Borat has a girl
Sacha Baron Cohen and Australian actress
Isla Fisher has given birth to a baby girl.
Sacha Baron Cohen, the English comedian behind the characters Borat and Ali G is Isla Fisher's fiance.
The couple were last photographed in Los Angeles earlier in the week.
Sources say
Wedding Crasher's Isla Fisher has became a mum for the first time but a spokeswoman from Shanahan Management, said they knew nothing about the birth.
Fisher is best known in Australia for her portrayal of Shannon Reed in the long running channel Seven show Home and Away.
She has shot to prominence in the US after playing the slightly unhinged love interest of Vince Vaughn in the 2005 movie
The Wedding Crashers.
The Daily Mail reported that Fisher had said she would take a break from her film career to concentrate on parenthood.
"There is no way I am going to worry about missing out on work or the pressure to lose weight," she told the paper on Tuesday.
"At the moment I am not even planning any work. As far as I am concerned I am fully booked up in my personal life and I can't see beyond that."
"I plan on just colouring in books. I'll focus on that for the next few years."
The couple announced their engagement in 2004 but have still not set a date for their wedding.
Bagelblogger: Thats going to be one crazy house
References:
SMH: Yeshamesh! Borat has a girl
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It's over for Hakoah Club
ONE of Sydney's best-known Jewish institutions, the Hakoah Club in Bondi, has been sold to the Toga Group for $19 million following members' overwhelming support at a heated and emotional meeting last night.
Late yesterday Toga Group increased its bid from $18 million to $19 million, apparently to stave off a challenge from a rival developer, St Hillers, which had bid $19.5 million. The vote, which required a two-thirds majority of members, was carried by 619 in favour and 68 against.
Almost 1000 members attended the meeting, chaired by the former club president Frank Lowy, who described it as a "very sad day".
The club's president, Phil Filler, said revenue had dropped from $14 million a year to $5 million over the past 10 years. "In my heart it's a sad day but nevertheless vindicates that we're doing the right thing," he said.
The club was founded in 1939 by Jewish migrants. Membership had fallen and it was in debt.
The Toga Group expects to use the site for a Medina hotel.
Bagelblogger: A few people might not like what I've got to say. I visited the Hakoah Club last year on a trip to Sydney, despite all that I had heard, and read via the Hakoah
website, it was a bitter disappointment.
Instead of being a 'vital celebration' of Jewishness and a resource for the community it looked like any other similar RSL club in Sydney. There was a distinct lack of activity apart from beers being served over the bar and the drone of Pokies, a long ago dated feel to the club and most disconcerting was a lack of Jewishness to its feel.
It was really quite sad.
The current management feels justified in its path of selling the club due to a drop in turn over in the last decade. One imagines the original founders would have been less concerned about turn over and more concerned about actual service delivery.
The lack of turn over in my view is reflective of membership voting with its feet.
The one thing I will say is I had serious concerns about the security of the Club and its location which I will not detail here, a change to a better location hopefully will solve this.
Hopefully any change to a new location will include a heart transplant..
Read More:
Club History
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Antisemitic Assault on Jewish Teenagers
From JTAPolice are investigating an anti-Semitic assault on two Orthodox Jewish teenagers in Melbourne, Australia.
The incident took place Monday night in the heart of Balaclava, a heavily populated Jewish neighborhood.
According to police, the teens were set upon by two men who hurled anti-Semitic abuse at them. One of the victims suffered a slight head injury but did not require hospitalization.
“One of the offenders is potentially one of the assailants from an assault earlier this year,” Police Det. Craig Anderson told JTA.
In August, an Orthodox Jew was beaten by a baseball bat in the same neighborhood.
Manny Waks, the executive officer of the B’nai B’rith’s Anti-Defamation Commission, said this incident “comes on top of what we witnessed several months ago with serious assault also targeting Jewish students. We have faith in the Victorian Police and the law enforcement agencies, and we hope the perpetrators are brought to justice.”
Mr Bagel: Despite the confidence expressed in the Victoria Police Force, the question that begs to be asked is how many of these recent hate crimes effecting the Jewish community have been solved? The answer is very few.
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Following his recent Australian appearances Vocalist and musician Yonatan Razel has been voted by YNet readers as singer of the year in Jewish music category
After a week long voting the results have come in for the YNet Alternative Jewish Music award;Thousands of Ynet readers voted, entering the site, choosing vocalist of the year and
he is Yonatan Razel who narrowly edged out his own brother Aaron for the top spot. Razel received the award from Ynet at a festive ceremony during the Festival of Jewish Music held during Succot in Beit Shemesh.
Ynet readers vote: Yonatan Razel vocalist of the year
From YNet
Yonatan Razel who finally released ‘All in All’, his first album, after many years of expectations even made history when the song appeared on the prestigious playlist of Army Radio. He attended the award ceremony where he was told that not only was he vocalist of the year but that his song "Zion" (Love will come out of Zion) had been selected as the song of the year. He came to the stage where he performed the winning song to the sound of cheers and applause from the audience.
In the category of songs inspired by Jewish sources, readers chose Od Yeshama by Adi Ran from his collaborative album with Srulik Hirshtik and the Five Voices Band. The Moshav Band took the honors in the genre of non-Hebrew music with their album "Misplaced". The band has recently signed a major contract with Sony Records. The biggest surprise of the night was no doubt the Ynet music award for best band which went to Red Heifer who won despite the fact that they have not had much media exposure.
I am not worthy but thanks anyway
Razel who was clearly excited addressed the audience with a shaking voice. “Bless God. Thanks so much to the audience, I really don’t feel that I am worthy of the honor but if the audience has chosen this then it makes me happier than appearing on the playlist of army radio. Thank you so much. I only hope I can return the love.”
Mishael Dickman of Red Heifer said: “We are very happy to have been chosen and want to thank everyone who has supported and encouraged us over the years. It is our audience that gives us our strength. The band is really excited about this award which gives us a push to do more in the industry.”
Yonatan Razel's Melbourne, Australia appearances:
Yonatan Razel- Ani Ledodi (A.Razel) Live in Melbourne
Yonatan Razel- Ivdu Et HasHem Bsimcha Live in Melbourne 5768
More:
Meir Panim concert with Dudu Fisher and Avram Fried (more)
Yonatan Razel- Bnei Beitcha
kipper tip to Jewish Blogmeister
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Australia's Prime Minister John Howard has just finished announcing the federal election and in an amazing timely delivery for our remote community we have received rather deceptive envelopes addressed personally to each person able to vote.
No, these envelopes aren't from the Electoral commission they're from one of the major Political parties. Which one? Well lets just say the one that has been misspending millions of dollars of tax payers money in supposed Public Information ads which are anything but.
My local MP was nice enough to send me some postal vote application forms inside!
Considering the Polling booth is quite a drive away from me, the election is on a Sabbath, and I hate queuing up at the local polling booth as the local representatives feign that they actually do care what you think, I prefer to send my vote in by postal vote.
Who will I vote for? Well lets just say I thank my local representative for caring enough to give me the postal nomination forms, but I wouldn't go counting your eggs quite yet.
Giving the local school an Australian Flag from your office was a nice gesture, not giving them the funding to buy paper toweling for the toilet block for a year is plain nasty.
Instead of spending hundreds of millions of dollars on TV advertising telling us how good the Federal government is I'd rather my kids have hand towels. The odd hospital would help too.
But hey thanks for the forms and the replied paid envelope ...
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Controversial Sheik Tajeddin al-Hilaly may no longer be the Australian Islamic communities Mufti, but the reasons for his dismissal seem to have not been serious enough to prevent him taking on a formal major teaching role at the Lakemba Mosque.
The Sheik is teaching more than a quarter of all classes at the Largest of Sydney's Mosques situated in the suburb of Lakemba.
It is a certain irony that this Sheik is deemed to be too controversial to be Australia's Mufti, but is deemed qualified to teach Australia's Islamic youth in Arabic, Islamic morals, and classes exclusively for women.
In a time other Islamic figures have called for the expression and acceptance of more moderate ideas, it seems the Lakemba mosque is continuing to appear to be out of step with the greater Islamic community.
Serious questions need to be raised whether this controversial cleric is indeed qualified to teach in a country and community that prides itself on tolerance and acceptance.
References:
AJN: Hilaly still teaching in lakemba
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from the ABC
PM announces November 24 poll
Prime Minister John Howard has announced Australia will go to the polls on November 24.
Mr Howard launched the election campaign after visiting Governor-General, Major General Michael Jeffery, earlier today.
He says in the weeks ahead people must decide who is most able to not only to preserve Australia's prosperity, but build it to make sure it is fairly spread.
"Is it a Government that has a proven track record in those areas? Or is it an inexperienced group of men and women, 70 per cent of whom are former trade union officials?" he said.
"The right leadership has the experience to further expand the the prosperity of the Australian economy.
"The right leadership is the leadership that's willing to take unpopular decisions in the short-term that have a long-term benefit for the Australian community.
"This country does not need new leadership, it doesn't need old leadership. It needs the right leadership."
Mr Howard says he is committed to ensuring full employment.
"That 33-year low [of 4.2 per cent unemployment] can go lower with the right policies. There is no reason why the current unemployment can't go lower," he said.
He also highlighted plans to enforce national security, Australia's interests overseas, and address climate change and water shortages.
Responding to questions regarding his comments this week on Indigenous reconciliation, Mr Howard says "we still have a long way to go".
"I have always wanted to achieve reconciliation," he said.
"What I believe the NT intervention has done, is provide a remarkable and a fortuitous opportunity.
"Not only do you have to unite conservative and progressive Australia, you've got to unite the symbolic with the practical."
Future government
Mr Howard says if re-elected, Peter Costello will remain as Treasurer and Alexander Downer as Foreign Minister.
He says voters cannot rely on the same commitment from Kevin Rudd regarding potential future ministers.
"You all know if Mr Rudd was to win, Mr [Robert] McClelland would not be his minister for foreign affairs," he said.
Mr Howard says there is "nothing balanced" about a federal Labor government and state Labor governments.
"We will have a Labor Govt in power at every level in Australia for the first time since Federation. There is nothing balanced about that."
Federal Parliament still needs to be formally dissolved for the election campaign.
The election is likely to be fought in the key areas of health, education, the economy, but also climate change and national security.
Other state-based issues will also likely play big roles, for example the approval of the Gunns pulp mill and Mersey Hospital takeover in Tasmania and local council amalgamations in Queensland.
The Labor Party needs to win an extra 16 seats outright to claim a majority government.
The Coalition has had a string of poor opinion polls, a recent Newspoll showed Labor with an election-winning lead over the Coalition, with 56 per cent of the vote after preferences, compared with 44 per cent for the Government.
Mr Bagel: Apparently Container ships are on high alert looking for refugees overboard as this report goes to air...
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Ghada Karmi
Thats basically what the author of the disgraceful opinion peace that appeared in the
Melbourne Age today would have you think.
The title of this surreal voyage in avoidance of responsibility is
Israel the roadblock to peace in Middle EastThe opinion piece is written by Ghada Karmi, who is a Palestinian academic at the University of Exeter, Britain, and the author of Married to another man: Israel's dilemma in Palestine.
Below I've taken a few quotations out of the article and put them in a more generalised plainer oft repeated format.
Just in case you have any doubts the aim of this opinion piece take a look at the title.
"Israel the roadblock to peace in Middle East"
Heres a few claims of the article.
Its all the Jews fault...
"It has now dawned on most people that the terrorist attacks on America and Europe, the al-Qaeda rhetoric about the suffering of fellow Muslims, and the instability in the Middle East are connected with the unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
If only Israel would..."Finding a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict is not the problem. The parameters have been clear for decades: Israel's withdrawal from the 1967-occupied territories, the creation of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and the right of return of refugees. These are also the components of the 2002 Saudi plan and offer Israel full normalisation of relations with the Arab states in exchange"
Israel must concede on everypoint..."The plan is in line with international law and has the support of the Western powers. Yet it has no chance of succeeding, nor has any other peace proposal not to Israel's liking."
A little historical revisionism even if you're supposed to be an Academic..."And that is the nub of the problem. Israel, which ceaselessly professes its desire for peace, has never initiated a peace proposal of its own and has prevaricated when offered one."
Human Rights abuses?...The dire effects of this regime have all been documented by the World Bank and various aid organisations. Yet this abuse of human rights, condemned by every international agency and legal body, even by some Israelis, continues unchecked.
Those greedy Jews..."By forcing Israel to accept that peace involves giving, not just taking, a proper settlement could begin to emerge."
America is in control of the Jewish lobby...America, which could have made a difference, is hamstrung by its domestic subservience to the Israel lobby
Terrorism is the fault of Israel and will continue because of Israel...Leaving the status quo to fester will lead to more desperate acts of violence and more dangerous instability.
I recommend you read this opinion piece its quite revealing of the strategies the Palestinian and Arab lobby are trying to put forward. Now excuse me while I go and vomit...
A Not so Peaceful Proponent of Peace...If you like to see just how peaceful this Palestinian Academic really is then you will not mind reading this rather revealing excerpt of a debate about whether Arabs have been at fault in not helping the Palestinians...
GHADA KARMI
Thank you. I speak with a heavy heart because as an Arab, I should not attack fellow Arabs, but it is not the Arab people, who have always supported the Palestinians, that I mean. It is their governments who so often do not represent them.
What I say will earn me no favours with Arab governments, but I believe that if we are to progress, we Arabs must not be afraid to be self-critical and to face our faults honesty. Yes, the Arab governments have failed the Palestinians. Now the other side argues, and I knew it would, that they'd helped them a lot. We don't deny that, they did help. They have given them funding, they have given them help, the sort of thing you've heard about, Jordan gave them citizenship and so on, but look closer.
The Arab states never succeeded in defeating Israel. In 1978, which His Excellency has referred to, Egypt, the only state which could have, left the battle front with the Camp David Treaty.
Since then, the rest have been trying to make peace with Israel, a state that occupies Arab land and kills Arabs. Today, they are falling over themselves to recognise Israel. Why? Because Israel vacated a few settlements which were illegal anyway, and look what we're reduced to. Egypt, that great power, is now Israel's policeman on Gaza's border, and the rest watch helplessly while Israel kills and bombs the Palestinians, and steals their land, and Israel's best friend, America, lays waste to that great country, Iraq.
I am not unsympathetic to the Arab governments' dilemma. They owe their support, and in many cases their very existence, to American favour. America is Israel's greatest ally, so if they fight Israel, they risk losing American support and threaten their own survival. It is an unenviable position, but no matter what the cause, for the Palestinians it comes down to the same thing: the Arab governments have failed them. So I urge you tonight to vote with your consciences. You know that I'm saying what most of you think but do not say. I urge you, vote on the side of truth and honesty, vote to support our motion.
an extract from
The Doha debates: 'This House believes that the Arab governments have failed the Palestinians'
References:
The Age: Israel the roadblock to peace in Middle East
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Australian philanthropist admits price fixing
One of Australian Jewry’s major philanthropists has admitted his involvement in a price-fixing scandal.
Richard Pratt’s recycling company, Visy Industries, is expected to be fined a record $26.8 million to $35.8 million for price fixing with his firm’s chief competitor, Amcor, between 2000 and 2004.
The admission of guilt by Australia’s third-richest man was revealed Saturday in an Australian newspaper.
“I’ve had to wrestle with the choice of going to court to explain myself and try to clear my name or seeking a negotiated settlement which will necessarily involve admissions of breaking the law,” Pratt was quoted as saying. “On balance, the appropriate and pragmatic thing to do is settle. ”
Pratt said although he was not personally involved in authorizing the cartel, he would publicly apologize for breaching the Trade Practices Act.
Pratt, of Melbourne, donates $10.7 million each year through The Pratt Foundation that he and his wife, Jeanne, established more than 25 years ago. Many of the funds go to Australian Jewish causes and charities in Israel.
Pratt’s company is one of the world’s largest privately owned paper recycling companies, with more than 8,000 employees in Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
The case, which was due to go to court Oct. 16, is likely to be settled in the next few days.
Bagelblogger: Price fixing? You're kidding. Next we'll find out that the petrol increases aren't just because of market forces.
References:
JTA: News article
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Seems there's a lot of changes happening at Kew Hebrew Congregation (KHC)
In the last few weeks there has been the announcement of a new female president,Dr Deborah Golvan, and shortly following this the announcement of the current Rabbi's plans to resign. It seems that Rabbi Steven Link will only be staying on until the remainder of his contract ends in June next year.
It is known that advise was sought by some from the Rabbi with regards the halacha of appointing a female president at the Orthodox shul. Although he recommended against it, his advice went unheeded.
Paradoxically the AJN pointed out that:
Dr Raymond Apple, emeritus rabbi of the Great Synagogue, which has a female president, wrote in the AJN on August 24 that the “Sydney Beth Din permitted a woman president, on condition that she played no official role in synagogue services”.
What is quite apparent is that Rabbi Link's announcement of his resignation at the Kol Nidrei sermon certainly has sent shock waves through the community.
It would seem theres a division within the shul that may be related to motions of relocating the shul.
From comments gleaned of the AJN website it does appear not every one is happy with the current status quo nor with the politicking that seems to be dividing the shule.
It seems that some want to remain at the present location and others are adamant the shul needs to follow its changing demographic.
In a recent vote on Aug 12 at a special general meeting in the shul's Norman Smorgon Hall,
152 financial members voted against a motion which asked whether the congregation should leave its current location, while
112 were in favour.
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From the Age comes this report
Paprika sparks traffic chaos in BrisbaneA mystery orange substance that sparked traffic chaos in Brisbane has been identified as paprika, firefighters say.
Part of the Inner City Bypass and the Musgrave Road on-ramp in inner-city Kelvin Grove was closed about 2pm (AEST) Tuesday when a motorist reported the substance on the road, forcing traffic to a standstill.
Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (QFRS) officers were called to clean up the spill and tests in the afternoon identified the substance as a naturally occurring substance, most likely paprika.
The Inner City Bypass was reopened about 4pm
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