Today’s Good News Story
From The Sunday Mail 5 September 2010
By Lachlan Pryor
Rollin’ on the river for kids
Radio presenters John Riddell and Jason “Snowy” Carter have taken their breakfast radio show on the road many times, and this November they’re taking it to one of their favourite spots, the River Murray.
The MIX102.3 duo are the hosts of the annual West End Mighty River Run, which raises $100,000 each year for Novita Children’s Services.
The river marathon casts off this year from Loxton on Monday, November 22, cruising through Waikerie, Blanchtown, Swan Reach and Mannum, before winding up at Wellington on November 26.
Riddell is hoping that the event, now in it’s fourth year, will have the biggest turnout so far.
”In our first year we had 30 boats and 160 people, and it was the biggest one. This one we really want to make huge,” he said.
”We want to get as many boats as we can to make the 70th year of Novita in SA special. To mark the occasion we want to make this one a belter.”
Riddell said the run was the perfect way for any boat-owner to take in the scenery of the Murray while helping charity at the same time.
”A lot of people have been on the river, but not many people have done 500 kilometres of it – that’s the attraction of this event,” he said.
”People wonder how would they ever do it on their own. But if they get on board with us, they are going to see three quarters of the South Australian section of the Murray, while being fed, accommodated and entertained.” Participants can choose to camp along the way, or stay in cabins at caravan parks.
”We like to rough it in the cabins,” Snowy joked. “We need to look after ourselves because we have to be up at 5am to do the radio show.”
It is a fun-filled event, highlighted by fancy dress on the first day.
”To see Batman skiing past you in the full costume giving you the thumbs up and the Batman theme belting out of their boat speakers is just outstanding,” Snowy said.
As well as helping Novita, the event has also helped the farming region get back on its feet. “The people in the area have been bashed and battered by the drought, and the trip injects money straight into the region,” Riddell said.
Novita marketing manager Penelope Herbert said the event was a great boost for the charity.
”As the major annual fundraiser for Novita, the funds raised through the Run greatly assist us in caring for more than 1300 children with disabilities and special needs in SA, including in the Riverland,” she said.
”There is still a lot of awareness that needs to be raised in the community around disability too, to encourage social inlusion.”
For more details, see www.novita.org.au/riverrun or call Novita Marketing on 8243 8229
Have a fantastic day
Willem Broekers
Today’s Good News Story
From The Advertiser Saturday 4 September 2010
By Clare Peddie
Modern miracle for Father’s Day
First-time father Nathan Raymond credits “the miracle of modern science” for giving him a beautiful baby girl.
He’s looking forward to celebrating Father’s Day tomorrow with extended family including little Blair’s grandfather, Bruce Raymond.
”I really wanted to be a dad and it’s been just the greatest experience,” Mr Raymond, 35, of Kensington Park, said.
”I love every moment that I get home from work, as soon as she smiles and lights up. It’s an amazing thing, watching her go through all her little steps. She’s just started crawling.”
It took a while for Mr Raymond and his wife, Belinda Woite, to consider seeking advice about babymaking. Blair was born on February 20 this year.
”We’d been together for about 12 years,” he said. “Probably about seven or eight years into it we decided we’d be quite happy to have a baby … then we got into our 30s and started looking at options to make the process happen.”
Male infertility accounts for nearly half of the cases presented to reproductive health clinics.
Repromed deputy medical director Dr Kelton Tremellon said it was widely accepted that one-in-20 Australian males has problems with their sperm. But the advances in reproductive technology over the past 15 years could benefit most would-be dads…
”Even if there’s only just a couple of good quality sperm, we can achieve pregnancy by doing IVF,” Dr Tremellon said.
Have a fantastic day
Willem Broekers
Today’s Good News Story
From The Advertiser Friday 3 September 2010
By Cara Jenkin
Postie power delivers cancer funds
Postie bikes were not made for the Outback dust, creeks and dirt tracks on which a group of fundraisers this weekend will ride more than 1000km.
Riders, however, believe the stresses their undercarriages will endure is nothing compared with the suffering of children with cancer, who have inspired this postie bike ride.
Sixty riders set off today on the four-day fundraiser through the Flinders Ranges and Outback.
Organiser Greg Kipling said the idea was to run an event similar to the Variety Club Bash, with riders raising money for charity. Instead of a classic car, riders need to complete the 1100km course astride an ex-Australia Post scooter.
”They are the same ones that deliver the mail,” Mr Kipling said. “A postie bike is not exactly designed to ride through some of the toughest terrain South Australia has to offer. It’s low on power, has skinny little wheels and not much suspension, which all makes for an interesting few days.”
This is the fourth year riders have set off from Port Augusta to raise funds in memory of Bradley Walker, who died in 1991 from cancer at the age of four.
More than $70,000 has been raised for Bradley’s Place, a holiday home in Victor Harbor for families affected by childhood cancer. Mr Kipling hopes to raise $30,000 on this ride.
Funds this year will go to the Childhood Cancer Association’s Michael Rice units, which house rural families whose children are being treated in Adelaide.
Donations can be made through www.apexpostiebikeride.com.au
Have a fantastic day
Willem Broekers
Today’s Good News Story
From The Advertiser Thursday 2 September 2010
Go full of beans into old age with daily coffee break
Drinking a cup of coffee a day could be the secret to long life, researchers claim.
A unique investigation into what helps people live to be 100 shows even those with high blood pressure are healthier for a daily cup of coffee.
According to a study released yesterday, it helps improve elasticity of the arteries, which can ward off heart disease. The research subjects were aged between 65 and 100 and long-term inhabitants of the Greek island of Ikaria, known as the “land of longevity” as a third of residents reach the age of 90.
The population suffers 20 per cent less cancer and half the rate of heart disease of the Western average.
Have a fantastic day
Willem Broekers
Joke about the stuttering cat
A teacher is explaining biology to her 4th grade students. “Human beings are the only animals that stutter,” she says.
A little girl raises her hand. “I had a kitty-cat who stuttered.”
The teacher, knowing how precious some of these stories could become, asked the girl to describe the incident.
’Well’, she began, ‘I was in the back yard with my kitty and the Rottweiler that lives next door got a running start and before we knew it, he jumped over the fence into our yard!’
‘That must have been scary,’ said the teacher.
‘It sure was,’ said the little girl.
‘My kitty raised her back, went “Ffffff!, Ffffff!, FfffffF,” but before she could say ‘Fuck!’, the Rottweiler ate her!
The teacher had to leave the room.
Wednesday Good News Story
From The Advertiser 1 September 2010
By Deborah Bogle
A writer’s tale
Imagine a world without reading. That was the idea behind an event that in 2004 sent books to three remote Aboriginal communities and has since grown into the nationwide Indigenous Literacy Project.
Last year, more than 15,000 books were sent to 160 remote communities and $377,000 was raised from publishers, booksellers and community events.
It was also the inspiration for Torrensville schoolgirl Helen Maysey’s picture book Too Blue.
”Because I really love reading I wanted to share that with everyone, and I figured I could do that by writing a good book,” Helen, 12, said.
To mark Indigenous Literacy Day today, Helen’s classmates at Torrensville Primary School will perform a play based on Too Blue against a backdrop of her illustrations on audio visual screens.
Today’s event rounds off the school’s Book Week celebrations. Students and teachers will dress as characters from their favourite book and take part in the Great Book Swap to raise funds for ILP.
Have a fantastic day
Willem Broekers
Tuesday’s Good News Story
From The Advertiser 31 August 2010
By Candice Keller
Students give key lessons on life
Bringing East Timor mothers the gift of life was an enriching experience for Flinders University midwifery students.
Third-year students Laura Grigg and Amy Buckerfield have returned from a clinical placement in East Timor where they provided support and education to women through community-based health services.
Their primary goal was to help reduce the number of women and babies dying in childbirth in a country renowned for high rates of maternal and child mortality.
Laura, 29, said it was an amazing experience. “It definitely gave me a greater understanding of midwifery as a whole, women and healthcare services,” she said. “When I signed up to study in midwifery, I wanted to work with babies, but now I love working with women. Helping them through childbirth is just amazing.”
Laura and Amy worked with Family Planning adviser Kristen Graham in the delivery of basic pregnancy healthcare, including birthing, postnatal and newborn care, family planning and immunisation services.
”Teaching them about the danger signs and what to do or who to call when something goes wrong was really important,” Laura said.
The project is the brainchild of Flinders University Associate Professor Dr Pauline Glover who has been working for 18 months to establish clinical placements in East Timor for her students.
She said of every 100,000 pregnancies, 380 pregnant women die. The newborn infant death rate also is significant, with 65 children out of every 1000 dying.
”These figures are horrifying and I believe that by sharing our knowledge with developing countries like East Timor, we can reduce these figures and genuinely help the community,” she said. Next month, Dr Glover will travel to Cambodia for three weeks to teach women about childbirth.
Have a fantastic day
Willem Broekers
Monday’s Good News Story
From The Advertiser 30 August 2010
Link found in cure for asthma
A molecular key to severe asthma has been discovered that may lead to new diagnostic tests and treatments.
Scientists identified a protein that pushes the desease over a “tipping point”, turning a mild underlying condition into one that can potentially kill. The culprit, found in research on mice with asthma-like symptoms, is an immune system signalling molecule called interleukin 17A (IL-17A).
”This study suggests that at some point it may be possible to treat or prevent severe forms of asthma, by inhibiting pathways that drive the production of IL-17A,” said lead researcher Dr Marsha Wills-Karp, from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
Researchers found they could reduce the hyper-responsiveness of mice by blocking the interleukin molecule. It was reported in the journal Nature Immunology.
Have a fantastic day
Willem Broekers
Love will keep us together
That is the saying all over the world, and I think the Beatles said so, I believe that love will keep us together because when you read about the hatred, it divides us!
Think about the love you have in your heart and you will want to join with whoever shares your love!
And I am not thinking about the creepy ones, I am thinking about the serious ones, the people who really believe that love will keep us together!
The Daily Good News for Today
From The Advertiser Saturday 28 August 2010
By Samela Harris
Art of online etiquette
Arts organisations were on the cutting edge of using social media to promote their activities – but they still have much to learn about online etiquette.
International social marketing guru Rebecca Coleman has arrived in Australia rather like an Emily Post of the internet – ready to steer arts people towards correct social media manners.
Coleman is a Canadian actor, writer, producer and theatre publicist who has made social media her business. As well as running a website devoted to the subject, she has written an e-book on it: Guide to Getting Started With Social Media for Artists and Arts Organisations.
”I am not the only one now but I was the first to start writing about social marketing for artists,” she says.
Australia, she says, is leading the way. She is impressed that the country’s arts aficionados have even pioneered tweeting live during theatre performances – which, with special permission and backrow seating, had its precedent set in Sydney this year with Bell Shakespeare.
In Adelaide, Coleman is giving a booked-out workshop at Nexus on Tuesday, hosted by Arts SA and the Auspicious Arts Incubator, which brought her to Australia. Coleman is encouraging arts organisations to be multi-platform in their approach to spreading the word.
”A lot of people don’t count email but companies should use email for their list of patrons as well as using blogs, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and even image platforms such as Flickr,” she says.
Coleman teaches the techniques of using online platforms and also to-dos and don’ts of using them – Netiquette.
”They have to be aware that once you build it, you have to maintain it, if you don’t keep your sites updated, they become useless,” she says.
For details, visit rebeccacoleman.ca and artofthebiz.wordpress.com.
Have a fantastic day
Willem Broekers
Today’s Good News Story
From The Advertiser Thursday 26 August 2010
By Sally Bennett
Cirque’s big show goes the full circle
The show that captivated audiences worldwide and put Cirque du Soleil on the map is returning to Australia next year.
One Australian will be in the cast of Saltimbanco, a circus extravaganza seen by more than 10 million people and last here 11 years ago. Queensland trampolinist Nathan Dennis joins the 55-member cast on a four-month national tour kicking off in Perth on April 21.
Tour spokesman Findlay Taylor, a former Melbourne newsagent now living in Canada, said he was thrilled to be returning home with Cirque du Soleil’s most loved show.
”Saltimbanco is the all-time classic Cirque du Soleil show,” Mr Taylor said from Montreal. “It’s certainly the show that put Cirque du Soleil into the hearts of Australians. It really affects people.”
This time around, the big top will be left behind and Saltimbanco will be performed around the country, including the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, from May 12.
Other cities in the tour are Perth, Melbourne, Hobart, Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong.
Mr Taylor said audiences could expect to see few changes from the original production, except for a new, young cast that includes only two members from the 1999 tour.
”When we remounted the show in the arena format, we were conscious of maintaining the Saltimbanco that everyone knew and loved and wanted to see again,” he said. “The show is effectively the same. We’ve updated elements, but the music is the same and the acts are the same. It’s quintessential Cirque du Soleil. It’s bright, it’s got a rocking soundtrack, we have a five-piece band on stage and it’s a highly acrobatic show.”
Since forming in 1994, Cirque du Soleil has become the world’s biggest circus act with ticket sales topping 100 million.
The company has 21 shows in performance around the world, employing about 1100 artists.
Tickets go on sale nationally on October 18.
Have a fantastic day
Willem Broekers
And for you people in the USA click below to check out some delicious meals!
Today’s Good News Story
From The Advertiser Wednesday 25 August 2010
For Adelaideans and all visitors to our fair city!
Here’s a tasty idea
Put away the pots and pans and forget about doing the dishes – your main meal is about to become half-price.
The taste.com.au Split the Bill promotion, starting today, makes eating out more affordable than ever.
With more than 50 restaurants involved, Split the Bill has something for all tastes and budgets.
At Osteria de Mesa, the lively combination of Italian trattoria and Spanish tapas bar on Glen Osmond Rd, the choices include spaghetti al cartoccio (pasta cooked with crab in a paper parcel) or duck with quince jus and polenta.
Already judged the people’s choice winner at the recent SA Restaurant and Catering Awards for Excellence, Osteria de Mesa is set to be more popular with Split the Bill. “We’ve made a good start, but there are a lot more people out there who haven’t come and tried our food,” head chef and co-owner Adam Zollo said.
Other options include award-winning Indian at Dhaba at the Spice Kitchen, McLaren Vale favourite Penny’s Hill and new city restaurant Celsius, headed by former Adelaide Food Awards chef of the year Ayhan Erkoc.
Cut out one of the coupons appearing daily in The Advertiser and present it at a participating restaurant for a half-price main course. The promotion runs for eight weeks and mostly is available Sunday to Thursday only.
Have a fantastic day
Willem Broekers
Today’s Good News Story
Monday 23 August 2010
Calcium: a key to long life?
Who would have thought that the fountain of youth spouts …..milk?
But that’s the striking suggestion from a recent study at the Karolinksa Institute in Stockholm. Researchers followed more than 23,000 middle-aged and older men for a decade and found that those who reported getting plenty of calcium in their diet – about 2000mg per day – were 25% less likely to die in that time than men who consumed little of the mineral.
It’s possible that the high-calcium diners had other healthy habits, the researchers say. But a diet containing lots of calcium is known to lower blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
The Swedish study was all-male, but calcium expert Robert Heaney, of Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, thinks the results are likely to apply to women, too. He suggests all adults aim for 2000mg of calcium daily – from food, if possible, because other nutrients amplify it’s effect.
Less than half of all Australian adults have adequate calcium in their diets. But it’s easy to sneak more into your menu. Drinking milk with meals gets you about 300mg of calcium per 240ml glass; if you’re lactose-intolerant, yoghurt (up to 450mg per cup of low-fat) and cheese (410mg per half-cup of grated cheddar) are easier to digest.
You can also try these less obvious sources:
- Cooked spinach – 245mg per cup
- Baby soybeans – 98mg per cup
- Cooked broccoli – 62mg per cup
- Fortified soymilk – 300mg per 240ml
- Almonds – 190mg per half cup
Have a fantastic day
Willem Broekers
Today’s Good News Story
Friday 20 August 2010
Double Your Weight Loss with Green Tea
FOCUS ON YOUR BELLY FAT!
Sip at least 3 cups of green tea every day. The antioxidants, called catechins, found in high amounts in green tea, have been shown to be helpful in promoting weight-loss as well as loss of belly fat.
Study participants at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston who drank the equivalent of 3 cups of green tea a day had twice the weight-loss of those not drinking the tea.
In addition, the tea-drinking group had a significantly greater loss of belly fat than did the other group.
Have a fantastic day
Willem Broekers
The Good News Story for Today
From The Advertiser Thursday 19 August 2010
By David Jean
Seniors showing the way
Information technology-savvy seniors in Salisbury are teaching their peers how to surf the web.
A new high-speed internet cafe – set up as part of the national Broadband for Seniors program – is giving an average of eight people a day access to two computers at the Jack Young community centre.
Those who need help with the computers or the internet can enroll in one-on-one training with fellow seniors.
Judi Shore, 67, is one of the tutors and she has 14 regular students.
Ms Shore did not learn how to use a computer untill her early 50s, and said younger people were often too impatient when teaching seniors. She said seniors instructing others was much more successful.
”When I asked anyone younger they sort of treat you a little bit condescending, because you have to keep asking questions all the time,” Ms Shore said. “I’ve got all the patience in the world for these people because I know how I felt when I was learning.”
Seniors at the cafe use the internet to find information on products and services, book tickets, re-charge mobiles and communicate with family and friends.
Have a fantastic day
Willem Broekers
The Good News Story for Today.
From The Advertiser Friday 13 August 2010
By Jill Pengelley
More surviving cancer
Breast cancer survival rates are continuing to improve among Australian women despite low participation in free routine screening.
Just over one in two women aged 50 to 69 are having regular mammograms with BreastScreen Australia, which is the national screening program.
In SA, the rate is slightly higher, with 57.4 per cent participation, compared with the average across all states of 55 per cent. This is well short of the national target of 70 per cent but still has contributed to some unexpected gains in survival, a new report shows.
Excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in Australian women.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s BreastScreen Australia Monitoring Report says there were 112 new cases per 100,000 women in 2006 and 22 deaths per 100,000 women in 2007.
BreastScreen’s performance objective of 70 per cent participation in routine mammograms had been expected to result in a 16 per cent reduction in breast cancer mortality but since national screening began in 1991, the death rate has dropped by between 21 and 28 per cent, despite the participation target never being met.
The screening detects invasive breast cancer and ductal carcinoma in situ, which is cancer confined to the milk ducts and which has not spread.
Dr Alison Budd, from the institute’s Cancer and Screening Unit, said a mammogram every two years could be life saving.
”Nearly two thirds of all invasive breast cancers detected by BreastScreen Australia are small,” she said yesterday. “This is an important result, since detection of breast cancers when they are small, leads to more options for treatment and improved survival.”
Mortality from invasive breast cancer, after remaining stable between 1982 and 1994 at between 66 and 69 deaths per 100,000 women, decreased from 66.4 deaths per 100,000 women in 1995 to 47 in 2007.
The decrease in mortality in women aged 50 to 69 has been attributed, in part, to early detection of invasive breast cancer through BreastScreen Australia, along with advances in management and treatment.
Have a fantastic day
Willem Broekers
Today’s Good News Story.
From The Advertiser Thursday 12 August 2010
Tee off with Boof & Co
No matter your handicap, everyone’s a winner when golfing with these sporting greats.
The Women’s and Children’s Hospital Foundation’s Father’s Day Golf Challenge is bringing them together on September 3.
However, host, Aussie Test cricket great and one of the WCH Foundation board directors Darren “Boof” Lehmann, along with guest speaker and former Adelaide Oval curator Les Burdett, aren’t too hot across the course.
”I’m looking forward to him speaking, not playing golf,” Boof says of Les.
Luckily, former Test cricketer and weekend golfer Greg Blewett is the total opposite. Boof confirms Greg is a “superstar” when it comes to golf.
Last time Confidential spoke to Les it was before his evening farewell “roast” and he said he was planning to catch up on fishing during his retirement.
However, he tells us that he hasn’t got around to it yet, five weeks into his new life of leisure. Les reckons it’s a matter of not having planned his retirement that has led him astray. “All the things I promised to do, I haven’t done,” he says.
We think it could be that the man who has looked after the Adelaide Oval since 1978 is still in hot demand as guest speaker and is busy with a few charities.
Les told us he will be recounting cracking yarns about West Indies fast bowler Joel Garner at the WCH Foundation Father’s Day Golf Challenge at Grange Golf Club.
As for what the boys will be doing on Father’s Day, Boof hasn’t any plans yet. “I don’t know, maybe it’s a surprise,” he says.
Les will be taking his wife and daughters to Sydney to catch up with family.
Book your team by emailing caroline.loades@wchfoundation.org.au or phoning 8464 7900
Have a fantastic day
Willem Broekers
