UR dumped: Aussie love gets e-motional

Looks like love's on the line. Source: Supplied

ONE in 10 Aussies has been dumped via a text message and the same number have used SMS to tell someone "I love you" for the first time, a survey suggests.

Relationship counsellors are concerned by the trend for Australians to express their "textual feelings", warning that jilted lovers can take longer to bounce back from electronic break-ups.

One in seven people aged 18 to 24 thinks it is acceptable to end a relationship with an SMS or a posting on social media, a survey shows.

And more than half of Australia's under-35s use text messages as the main form of contact after a first date.

Um, speaking of dumped... what to do when your phone's in the loo

Pure Profile's survey of 2000 Australians, commissioned for internet dating site eHarmony, has found that one in five has sent or received a risque photo - including 10 per cent of the over-45s.

One in 20 Australian adults are dating online, the survey found, and a quarter of them are likely to use SMS as the main form of contact after a first date.

Ten per cent of Australians confess to having dumped a lover with an SMS.

E-Harmony's senior research scientist, Californian psychologist Gian Gonzaga, says texts avoid face-to-face confrontation and conflict - at a cost.

"In the past, people might have picked up the phone or sent a handwritten note," he said while enroute to Australia for a promotional visit.

"But breaking up is a very difficult thing to do and sometimes people take the easy way out with a text message.

"You'd hope that people are able to treat others with the respect they deserve.

"The more impersonal the break-up, the harder it is on the individual at the other end."

Dr Gonzaga advised people to only send text messages they would want to receive themselves.

Relationships Australia spokeswoman Mary-Jo Morgan warned that people jilted via text message can take take longer to get over a break-up.

"People are bolder when they use electronic media. They will often say things they may not have the courage to say face-to-face," she said.

"But it doesn't give the recipient the right of rebuttal, so people are really struggling to go through the normal grieving process of a relationship ending."

Ms Morgan said electronic matchmakers such as internet dating sites could help test couple's compatibility during the "honeymoon period" before they marry or move in.

"If you've got to the point where you've had enough duds, you want somebody to care for you the way you are and the internet is enabling people to say, `This is who I am'," she said.

"You may tend to say more real things about yourself than you might in person."

eHarmony is claiming credit for one in 50 Australian marriages.

Dr Gonzaga advised couples to use technologies such as Skype and email to stay in touch - but not at the expense of human touch.

"How often do you see couples sitting at the table, both looking at their smart phones and paying no attention to each other?" he said.

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Hot in the city - here comes summer

The heat can be uncomfortable, but Aussies know how to deal with it. Source: PerthNow

THE average forecast top for Australia's capitals is over 31C. Guess which city is the first to get a 40C baking this summer.

It will not be a pie floater day in Adelaide, where the 40C max will melt frogcakes into green puddles.

Melbourne won't be far behind, and even the Yarra might be good for a swim at 38C.

In Darwin, the crocs won't fancy a heavy lunch at a sizzling 34C.

And in Canberra, the Libs won't need to try baking the PM, who may well sweat more than a disgraced union official at 33C.

Brisbane will be perfect one day, though for the moment it will have to settle for a sticky 31C.

Sydney won't be so bad at 28C, although that's by the harbor. Rough estimate for a Western Sydney roadside... maybe 65C?

And Hobart will be mild, of course, but any hotter than the forecast 27C and Antarctica may melt.

So, what's the coolest place in Australia? Well, Perth should be positively shivering at 20C, and they've also copped a nasty storm.

For a more detailed, and more serious, rundown of weather around the nation, click here.

 And you simply must see the world's Top 10 most amazing meteorological sites. All hot... and all very, very cool.

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Double Bay lender declared bankrupt

Mark McIvor Source: Supplied

THE founder and former boss of collapsed Gold Coast lender Equititrust, Mark McIvor, is bankrupt.

Registrar Heather Baldwin, from the Federal Magistrates Court in Brisbane, today ordered that a sequestration order be made against Mr McIvor's estate.

She ruled Mr McIvor's bankruptcy is effective from October 22.

Mr McIvor, who put his $5 million Double Bay house on the market in July, was bankrupted by his former long-term lawyer and confidante, David Tucker, who once served on the board of Equititrust.

The pair fell out when Mr Tucker was removed from the board of Equititrust which was in the business of lending money to property developers.

About 1400 investors lost all or part of their savings when the $260 million fund went bust last year.

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Big Tobacco accused of new smokescreen

Picture: Kym Smith Source: News Limited

TOBACCO companies have been smacked down for the second time over their lack of compliance with new plain-packaging rules just days before the law takes effect.

Health Minister Tanya Plibersek is demanding two industry giants - Imperial Tobacco and British American Tobacco (BAT) - remove ringed watermarking from their cigarette paper that appear to make them look more sophisticated.

The new rules require plain paper.

And she has also told BAT to stop inserting apparent travel destination references in the batch coding on their cigarettes.

The coding on its cigarettes read LDN, NYC, AUS or OZ in a way the minister says was designed to make smokers think of the "glamour of travel".

"There is a clear set of rules about what is allowed and if we start allowing variations then the tobacco companies will push the boundaries," she told News Limited.

Its just one of a series of methods tobacco companies have been using to subvert the new rules that from Saturday require all cigarettes be sold in drab packaging with health warnings covering 75 per cent of the front of the pack.

Ms Plibersek attacked tobacco companies in September for perpetrating a "sick Joke" when they began issuing new plain packs that claimed "It's what's on the inside that counts."

Meanwhile, anti-tobacco lobby group Action on Smoking and Health says Imperial Tobacco has this month been issuing roll-your-own smokers with free tins stamped with the old branded packaging name "Champion".

And two weeks before plain packaging started, a new brand of cigarette has been launched called "Ice" - the name of an illicit drug, according to ASH chief executive Anne Jones.

Imperial Tobacco denied JPS Ice was a drug reference, with a spokesman saying it "is a mint flavoured cigarette and the term `Ice' is a common descriptor used by the industry to distinguish similarly flavoured cigarettes."

The minister has also accused Philip Morris of "deliberately trying to create chaos" around the introduction of plain packaging by refusing to swap branded packs held by small businesses for plain packaged packs.

Domenico Greco from the Combined and Mixed Business Association said the company was not swapping packs if small businesses purchased fewer than 4000 cigarettes a week.

This would leave many businesses with $2000-$20,000 worth of dead stock "at the busiest time of the year" and he is calling on the government to allow businesses another eight weeks to sell old branded packs.

The company did not address the association's accusation head-on, but spokeman Chris Argent said: "Philip Morris has been working with the federal government and retailers to ensure a smooth transition to plain packaging."

The minster said her main target is the tobacco companies and that small-business shopkeepers who breach the new cigarette plain packaging laws that take effect from Saturday are more likely to be "educated" than fined up to $1 million for selling branded tobacco.

"If we had a large chain deliberately flouting the rules selling tobacco imported from overseas with all the wrong markings, then we would go for a maximum penalty," she said.

"If we've got a small mum-and-dad shopkeeper who have got a little bit of old stock they've sold two days after the deadline, we'd take education as the first step," she said.

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Boy, you have to watch them

Dylan Fragiacoma was accidentally run over in his driveway. Picture: Alex Coppel Source: Herald Sun

TWICE as many boys are admitted to hospital from playtime injuries as girls, and children supervised by their fathers are at higher risk of getting injured.

Falls caused the most injuries for children of all ages up to 14 years, mostly falling from play equipment or tripping on the ground, followed by accidents on bikes.

New statistics from the Australian Bureau of Health and Welfare show that of the 60,000 children admitted to hospital each year, toddlers were most likely to be poisoned by medication, while playground falls were most likely to send children aged 5-9 to the emergency department.

Older children were most commonly injured by rollerskating and skateboarding.

US researchers have found that playtime under a father's supervision leaves children more likely to end up in hospital, most likely because they engaged in higher-risk rough-and-tumble activities with their dads.

And Royal Children's Hospital trauma surgeons have issued a warning about boys riding motorbikes after treating eight boys in one week in August - three on one day - with life-threatening injuries.

The hospital has also seen a rise in boys aged 9-12 being seriously injured after being run over by four-wheel-drive vehicles while riding skateboards or scooters in driveways in the past two months.

"Studies show that 85 per cent of the time parents of children who have been injured or killed thought they knew where the child was," RCH trauma services manager Helen Jowett said.

Dylan Fragiacoma, 11, was lucky to survive after he was run over by his dad's 4WD in their driveway on Monday while lying on his skateboard.

He suffered three broken ribs and a collapsed lung, almost severed his fingers and may need skin grafts on his knees.

"I heard the skateboard crack but it wasn't until I got out that I knew I'd run him over," said his father, Chris White.

"It surprised me how quickly and easily it can happen."

Gavriel Mastromihalis has fun with son Cruz in Adelaide, but keeps a watchful eye over him, too. Picture: Tricia Watkinson. Source: News Limited

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Call the cops? They're already listening

POLICE are increasingly bugging telephones to make arrests, according to new figures to be released by the Government today.

Attorney-General Nicola Roxon will table statistics which show evidence used in court from phone intercepts and surveillance has almost doubled in the past year.

Surveillance evidence used in murder cases almost doubled from 53 to 106 incidents, while surveillance evidence for kidnapping (15 to 72) and serious drug offences (1531 to 2765) also soared.

Ms Roxon is hoping to push through new proposals which would allow the bugging of many more Australians by lowering the threshold from suspected crimes that carry a seven-year sentence to those with a three-year jail term.

The proposed new measures have been criticised by civil liberties campaigners but welcomed by ASIO, police and other law enforcement agencies as essential additions to their arsenal to tackle crime in the 21st century.

The proposals would also force telcos, internet service providers, social networks and others to retain data for two years - an issue that has raised questions about privacy rights.

"We need to make sure police have the tools they need to catch criminals," Ms Roxon said.

"Now more than ever, criminals are using technology to commit crimes and evade the law.

"These new statistics show telephone interception and surveillance powers are playing an even greater role for police so they can successfully pursue kidnappers, murderers and organised criminals."

But Civil Liberties Australia director Tim Vines said all the statistics proved was that more people were being spied on.

"The prosecution has a legal responsibility to release all evidence collected, the results do not indicate a result, rather they just show police are increasingly using the surveillance," he said.

"The other concern is the information collected by the surveillance is now being used by third parties."

He said information can be passed on to third parties, such as the RSPCA and Councils without a person's permission.

He said the figures also indicate an increase in the surveillance of people not suspected of being involved in any crime but unknowingly having links to someone being targeted by authorities.

A Parliamentary Joint Committee is currently investigating possible national security reforms, including police powers to intercept and use such surveillance methods.

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Daniel's bones 'laid on table'

The committal hearing into Daniel Morcombe's murder continues on Thursday.
Source: The Courier-Mail

WHEN search crews uncovered bones from the dirt of a Glass House Mountains crime scene, they drove them to the house of a senior pathologist and laid them on the table under his veranda.

The initial examination of a left humerus, left tibia and left fibula thought to be Daniel Morcombe's was in stark contrast to later examinations of bones carried out in sterile laboratories behind screens preventing scientists from so much as breathing on them.

The unusual revelation was made on day three of the committal hearing into Daniel Morcombe's murder during the cross-examination of Professor Peter Ellis, a pathologist of more than 30 years experience.

Brett Peter Cowan, 43, has been charged with five offences, including murder, over the teenager's death.

DAY 1: COVERAGE OF COURT PROCEEDINGS, MONDAY, NOV 26

DAY 2: COVERAGE OF COURT PROCEEDINGS, TUESDAY, NOV 27

DAY 3: COVERAGE OF COURT PROCEEDINGS, WEDNESDAY, NOV 28

The Brisbane Magistrates Court heard the bones were driven to the professor's house by Detective Sergeant Graeme Farlow and forensic biologist Kirsty Wright on August 21, 2011.

Police at the time had been seeking advice to ensure the bones were human.

Prof Ellis later conducted an autopsy, but was unable to determine a cause of death from the remains recovered.

Follow rolling coverage here when Day Four of the Daniel Morcombe committal hearing begins.

Defence lawyer Michael Bosscher said that while steps were taken to prevent contamination, it had "clearly" not been a controlled environment.

"You indicate in your statutory declaration that that was done using careful isolation protocols to maintain DNA integrity," he said.

Prof Ellis agreed, saying he changed gloves between the handling of each bone and placed a sterile sheet over the table.

"Kirsty Wright is actually a forensic biologist so she made sure that we were suitably protected, if that's the right word, or the bones were suitably protected from me by having the mask and the sterile unused gloves," he said.

"It was actually done on the table under the veranda, quite literally, and that was covered by a sheet.

"Not one of our sheets, but a disposable paper sheet to protect it from anything on the table."

On Tuesday, the court heard some of the bones later underwent DNA testing in a New Zealand laboratory where scientists worked behind screens and wore hats, face masks, glasses, lab coats, booties and two pairs of gloves.

"I have an image in my mind of a James Bond movie where you are all in semi-space suits," Mr Bosscher told NZ-based forensic scientist Catherine McGovern.

Ms McGovern said there was no indication the samples had been contaminated.

It is believed Cowan will contest the charges.

Follow rolling coverage here when Day Four of the Daniel Morcombe committal hearing begins.

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Coffee beats tea for top Aussie drop

The number of cups of coffee purchased has increased from 1.8 billion in 2010 to 2.1 billion in 2012.
Source: The Courier-Mail

COFFEE has overtaken the humble cuppa as Australia's hot beverage of choice, with a new report finding the nation's palate is diversifying.

The BIS Foodservices Coffee and Beverages 2012 report found Aussies have purchased more units of coffee despite price rises over the past two years.

Tap water has also seen a resurgence in popularity, with people forgoing bottled water for the budget-friendly tap.

The number of cups of coffee purchased has increased from 1.8 billion in 2010 to 2.1 billion in 2012, a jump of 19.5 per cent.

The rise has occurred despite the average price for a take-away coffee rising seven per cent from an average of $3.62 per cup to $3.86.

The average number of units of tea consumed per person per week at home has reflected this changing taste, falling from 8.6 to 7.9.

"The demise of tea can largely be attributed to the demise in popularity of black tea," said Sissel Rosengren, head of BIS Foodservices.

"Green tea and other types of tea have tracked reasonably well over the same period, but black tea with milk in particular has seen a sharp decline in popularity."

Overall, the consumption of black tea with milk at home has dropped 11 per cent since 2010.

And the picture for tea both away from home and at work is just as bleak.

Mr Rosengren said tea was no longer trendy and consumers felt "short-changed when they spend $3 on hot water and a teabag".

He said companies need to push the health benefits of tea to stem the flow of people deserting the drink and find a way to market the beverage to a younger demographic.

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