People speak about the Global Village and the World Wide Web and Social Networking, as if humans are connected as one. Here are indicators, showing how the world still suffers from the THEM & US Syndrome — some could argue that US used to mean USA, but with its powers diminishing, things might change soon enough. First, consider film and television, as well as documentaries. All producers know the importance of international distribution, yet their ignorance is revealed when they naively cater to one type of viewer, and speak only in miles and inches, unaware of the many who simply cannot understand such measures. While watching documentaries, I am agitated by narrators who do not even realise that half their audience would have no idea what 95 degrees Fahrenheit really means. They could easily superimpose the conversions on the screen for us to follow, but no… we don’t exist.

For over twenty years I have wondered when the Americans would stop printing brochures and newsletters which are date-stamped as ‘Fall’ or ‘Summer’. I used to work for American companies, and I could not get it through to anyone at our US head-office that a large part of the world is not in step with the American weather system. It’s just plain rudeness.

In December of 2011, I was logging on to my WordPress account and I noticed that the front-page (see below) had white dots falling down the screen, simulating snow. I wondered how a global company like WordPress could be so ignorant about the Earth and its temperatures. Would WordPress consider simulating that snow when it is very hot at its end of town?

So I engaged a researcher to gather all the temperatures around the globe during December; to work out where in the world it snows, and how many countries celebrate Christmas without snow. (If the argument is going to be about Santa’s birth-place, we would have to argue about whether or not Christmas (Christ’s Mass) is all about Santa or all about Jesus, whose local climate at the time of his birth was unlikely to be snowing.)

Of the 370 countries surveyed, we find that only 74 of them experience snow during December. 111 countries register temperatures that can be considered cold. 73 countries are mild to pleasant. 112 countries were experiencing temperatures above 21 degrees Celsius  (69.8 Fahrenheit).

If we consider the world (say 370 countries) at two ends of the scale, we have snow in 74 countries, and a warm to hot climate in 112 countries. I think 112 beats 74. Can anyone tell me why we project/force unrealistic images of Christmas with complete disregard to the rest of the world? Mind you, this merely counts countries as single entities. Try this exercise based on ‘population’ and ask how many people (in terms of quantity) know Christmas to be a hot time, and you will see some amazing numbers. Maybe soon, when the Social Network becomes a United Nations approved cyber-city with its own Mayor and voting system, we might take the whole thing to a vote, and the majority might well vote to obliterate snow from the Christmas image.

Below was the screen-grab that infuriated me, showing snow falling on my screen while I was sweltering in the Merry Sydney Summer.

The Institute of Hair Regrowth & Beauty (IHRB) was Sanctioned a second time by the Complaints Resolution Panel, due to 12 breaches, including misleading advertising.

The Complaints Resolution Panel released a 16-page Determination after finding IHRB in breach of 12 Sections of the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code & Act. This is the second such finding. You can download the Determination here.

The Determination calls on IHRB to: withdraw its advertising; withdraw the representations; publish retractions in all its print vehicles; and display a retraction for 180 days on IHRB’s website.

Earlier this year, after a Police raid that gathered evidence for a six-month investigation by the Health Care Complaints Commission, IHRB was served a Permanent Prohibition Order for endangering the health and safety of its clients. In separate action, NSW Fair Trading successfully prosecuted IHRB’s Managing Director, Mr Sam Cohen, for lying to the Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal (CTTT).

One of the complainants was Mr Jonar Nader who said, ‘IHRB lures customers to pay thousands of dollars for a hair regrowth treatment that I am convinced is nothing more than a scam. I launched a dedicated website (www.IHRB-Story.com) to expose IHRB and to support other victims who are often too embarrassed to admit to being scammed out of $10,000 and $15,000.

‘IHRB makes wild claims that it cannot verify, while using misleading and deceptive advertising that plays on people’s ignorance about hair-loss treatments. Its Managing Director, Mr Sam Cohen, was given every opportunity by the Complaints Resolution Panel to verify his many statements, yet he was unable to prove a single one. The alleged scam revolves around Mr Cohen’s claims that he uses his own secret formula comprising 13 natural extracts that allegedly have never failed to help every client to regrow their hair. Mr Cohen offers a money-back-guaranty that he cunningly voids before his clients leave his office. His contract is so deceptive that clients find it impossible to receive a refund without taking legal action. In my case, while using the IHRB treatment, I lost more hair than ever before, suffered rashes and bruises, and was refused a refund. The matter went to CTTT, where it took 383 days of legal battles that ended unjustly, due to Mr Cohen fabricating evidence and lying to the Tribunal; as I have witnessed him doing to other victims as well.’

Mr Nader was one of the victims who pursued Mr Cohen for medical malpractice and for misleading and deceptive conduct. Mr Nader added, ‘Sam Cohen’s practices are so diabolical, that I felt it my duty to report him. I spent two years trying to unravel his scheme — for which I received death threats.

‘Mr Cohen is quick to point to some of his clients whose hair did grow back. However, those clients were either illegally sold non-approved and dangerous medications, or were lucky that they responded well to readily-available medications such as Minoxidil and Finasteride. If someone is predisposed to a positive response to these medications, then why go to IHRB and pay thousands of dollars, when Minoxidil retails for $20 per bottle that lasts a month.’

Mr Nader said, ‘The problem is that Mr Cohen’s starting price is $4,900, plus on-going product purchases. For example, one topical solution that Sam Cohen sells at $900, retails elsewhere at $70. When asked how he justifies these exorbitant prices, Mr Cohen says that his solution contains his own secret extracts. These secret extracts do not exist. His own pharmacists have confirmed that the extracts were never used. After my two-year investigation, I am convinced that his unlawful ads simply reflect his unlawful business.

‘In 2008, IHRB was Sanctioned for similar breaches, but Mr Cohen ignored those Sanctions for 18 months. I now wonder how long it will be before he pulls his ads and publishes the retractions.’

On the 15th of September 2011, I hosted a special night to launch Ghassan Nakhoul’s book called ‘Overboard’ which asked the question, ‘What have we learned since the Pacific Solution?’ For a topic that, for the past ten years, has dominated the headlines more intensely than any other event in Australia’s political landscape, it seems that we have not learned a single thing. In view of the recent tragic loss of 70 lives off the coast of Java, I wondered if the 353 victims of SIEV-X had died in vain.

Dr Nour Dados. Senior Research Associate, World Market Society Project.

To explore the recent political machinations surrounding the on-going refugee debate, I invited Dr Nour Dados to shed some light on who’s doing what, to whom. Dr Nour Dados is a Senior Research Associate in the Department of Education & Social Work at The University of Sydney. She is currently working with Professor Raewyn Connell on a project about the restructuring of social life under market regimes in the Global South, and pursuing her own research into the social, political, and economic conditions that have shaped Australia’s refugee policy in the last twenty years. Below is her article.

A WORLD WITHOUT REFUGE

The recent loss of a fishing vessel carrying seventy people off the coast of Java is a sombre reminder of the perils that go with seeking refuge in today’s world. The latest tragedy comes less than two weeks after the tenth anniversary of the sinking of SIEV-X in mysterious circumstances in October 2001. The details of that tragic event which claimed the lives of 353 people, almost half of them children, remain covered in whitewash. Among those who have kept-up the search for answers is SBS journalist Ghassan Nakhoul whose radio report ‘The Five Mysteries of SIEV-X’ won him a Walkley Award in 2002. When Nakhoul revisited those mysteries for a new commemorative documentary, the same questions kept coming back. To these he added another: ‘Ten years on, has Australia learnt anything?’

Former Chief of the Australian Defence Force, Admiral Chris Barrie AC, launched Ghassan Nakhoul's book, 'Overboard'.

In September 2011, Nakhoul’s book ‘Overboard’ (Dar Meera) was launched by former Defence Force Chief, Admiral Chris Barrie AC. At the launch, Admiral Barrie emphasised the international dimension of war and displacement, and the escalating numbers of refugees fleeing persecution globally. By the time stories about refugees reach our television screens, the larger global context would have been obscured by the rhetoric of border-security. The history of suffering to board a boat bound for safety is reduced to a minor event. ‘Overboard’ is an important work of investigative journalism, not least because it reminds us that these stories are far from marginal, and that they in fact reflect the lives of the majority of the world’s population. In the process of recounting these narratives, Nakhoul delves courageously into Australia’s refugee policies and the politics of asylum; refusing to allocate the questions left unanswered for too long to the ‘too hard basket’. It is these questions that serve as an unsettling reminder that the horrific circumstances surrounding SIEV-X are far from resolved. As one of the first journalists to question the Coalition government’s official story following the sinking on 19 October 2001, Nakhoul returns to the glaring inconsistencies in ‘Overboard’: the unsubstantiated stories of maritime misadventures that preceded that fateful day; the passengers ferried at gunpoint onto the waiting ship; the vessel loaded to bursting, only half a meter above water, described by one of the passengers as a ‘carton’; and the unresponsive boats with their search lights that circled the survivors as they awaited help for hours in the water.

Former Australian Prime Minister, Mr John Howard

The sinking of the SIEV-X took place in the context of the Howard government’s refusal to allow the Norwegian MV Tampa to set down its rescued passengers in Australian territory — a move that led to the birth of the so-called ‘Pacific Solution’. Nakhoul asks whether this hitherto unprecedented response to boat arrivals may have come about as a response to a challenge issued on SBS Arabic Radio on 24 July 2001 by Keis Asfoor, later charged and convicted of people smuggling. During the eleven minute interview with Nakhoul, Asfoor insisted (sixteen times) that if the Australian Government sent back just one boat, then the boats would stop coming. The interview attracted the attention of the authorities, and Nakhoul found himself summoned to appear in court. Two years later Mr Phillip Ruddock was still quoting Asfoor in Parliament (‘Overboard’ p.99). Today, turning back boats remains part of the Liberal Party’s preferred response.

Indeed, the issue of boat arrivals, despite the far smaller number of refugees arriving by boat than by plane, continues to dominate the headlines and the polls. Although the current Labor Government has not led in the two-party preferred vote since October 2010 (Nielsen Poll), it seems convinced, if the last twelve months tells us anything, that the only way to get back on top is to echo the Opposition’s populist tune to ‘Stop the boats’. Worse, those who have led the march have claimed to be able to ‘stop the boats’ more efficiently than Mr John Howard’s imperious Pacific Solution. At the height of the Tampa Crisis, Howard’s approval-rating was at seventy-seven percent (Nielsen Poll, 4 September 2001), a number etched into memory by Australian band ‘The Herd’ in their song ‘77%’ that begins by sampling that announcement that aired on talk-back radio.

Prime Minister of Australia, Ms Julia Gillard MP

Ten years later, and despite Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s efforts to keep the boats at a clear distance from the Australian mainland, Labor’s crisis has no end in sight. Despite Labor’s improvement in the latest Newspoll (November 2011), the Coalition is still well ahead. Forty-four percent of respondents surveyed last month (Newspoll, October 2011) said they supported the Coalition’s stance on boat arrivals compared to seventeen percent for Labor. The common sense narrative that equates Howard’s popularity with his stance on the Tampa (and attributes that position to his rising political fortunes) fails to explain why a tougher-than-Howard Gillard is falling behind. Gillard, and indeed the Labor ministers who were peddling the Malaysia solution, went out of their way to present it as efficient and effective in the hope of winning the voters’ approval. Perhaps though, they forgot, that the voters they were trying to woo may not have cared for the language of efficiency so much as the vibrant language of ‘them and us’, and that without throwing that pot of crackle-and-pop into the mix, no ‘solution’ raises an eyebrow. All this reminds us that Howard didn’t sell the ‘Pacific Solution’ by labeling it as ‘efficient’ but by rendering the unwanted as so thoroughly contaminated that no-one would want them near. Only then did efficiency count in their removal.

The Hon Phillip Ruddock MP

Any ‘solution’ that begins by closing the borders in the face of suffering and misery must first convince those whose approval counts, in this case the voters, that those whom they turn away are less than human. If electoral consent for our current refugee policies begins with the dehumanisation of the victims, and ends in their incarceration in mandatory detention, it is hardly surprising that so many of the protests in detention centres — hunger strikes, lip sewing, and detainees burying themselves — have focused on the body. In characterising lip sewing as ‘a practice unknown in our culture’ and one that offended the ‘sensitivities of Australians’, former Immigration Minister Phillip Ruddock emphasised the extent to which such acts of desperation failed to register as such because those who were participating in them had already been dispossessed of their humanity. Their actions could signify only as an offense to ‘us’. What he, and those he spoke for, failed to see, is that the refugees who protested through their bodies had long ago stopped being human in the eyes of those who demanded and justified their incarceration.

Despite the disgrace of the proposed ‘Malaysia Solution’, Gillard’s Labor Government has fallen short on this account and stands to gain little from playing the ‘boat people’ card. Yet in trying to pass bad policy off as a ‘solution’ they only till the soil for more dangerous ‘solutions’ to take hold. Let us not forget that had it not been for the 1992 amendments to the Migration Act that authorised the detention of those seeking asylum on the premise of deterring others, an amendment that came into force under a Labor Government, Howard’s ‘Pacific Solution’ may have been unthinkable. There are clear international obligations, but whether or not these are met today depends almost entirely on the surrounding political climate. In trying to sell bad policies as ‘solutions’, the current Government only undermines the campaign for justice and increases the risk that we will see a future ‘solution’ that is more brutal and more inhumane than the one that set its sights on the Pacific.

On Friday 7 October 2011 I attended the launch of the website that aims to build stronger communities by challenging extremist ideologies in Australia. The Attorney-General, Mr Robert McClelland, launched the site as part of the Government’s $9.7 million Countering Violent Extremism program.

Attorney-General The Hon Robert McClelland MP at the launch of the Resilient Communities website at the Museum of Sydney. Incidentally, the Museum was the site of the first Government House.

During question-time, I suggested to the Attorney that extremists are hard to shift. Once they subscribe to an ideology, it’s almost impossible to change their mind. I said that the people who deserve our attention are those who are impressionable, and therefore, we would do well to consider who in our community are influencing the masses. I pointed out that some radio announcers and journalists need educating. We live in a free society, and by no means was I suggesting that we ever tell journalists what to think or believe. However, it seemed to me, from my experience, that many people in influential positions, simply do not understand the issues. I said, ‘If doctors and similar professionals are required to undergo annual training programs, then why not radio jocks? I do not want to tell radio announcers what to say, but I think that they would not say half the things they do, if they really understood the issues.’

If doctors are found guilty of malpractice, they can be suspended or struck off. Yet, radio personalties are part of a product. Their product is radio. Their station is privileged to be granted a radio licence. Why then, when a court finds that the manufacturer of the product (the station and its staff) had breached the law, can no-one suspend the offenders? At best, they pay a small fine. I do not want to hit them over the head. I just need them to learn more about the issues, because they can easily inflame a situation. Radio is a product, much like shampoo is a product. If a company manufactures a shampoo that causes people to suffer rashes, the product is recalled. Why is it that when a radio station sells a product that is harmful to society, no recourse is available? Once again, I am not so keen on the recourse, but more eager to ensure that it is mandatory that those who hold a licence and their staff who deliver a product that could easily ignite racism and conflict, be expected to stay abreast of the issues; just like doctors, pharmacists, accountants, and lawyers must undergo annual professional development.

OVERBOARD

This matter became clearer to me while I was working with author Ghassan Nakhoul who launched his book ‘Overboard‘ on the tenth anniversary of the sinking of SIEV-X. Ghassan’s book tells the true accounts of boat-people, while pointing out that they are humans who have suffered greatly. Ghassan says that such humans have feelings. They are not statistics.

What struck me was that when I mentioned this book to a broad range of people, they slipped into the discussion about boat-people having no consideration for the due process. Many said that asylum seekers and refugees ought to join the queue, and that Australians do not like queue-jumpers. I was amazed that, even after ten years, the complainants remained naive and unenlightened.

Yet, at the launch of ‘Overboard’, where the keynote speaker was Admiral Chris Barrie AC (the former Chief of the Australian Defence Force who was embroiled in the Children-Overboard Affair) we heard about the real pain and suffering of those who were fleeing war and persecution. At the launch, I told the story relayed to me by a doctor from Iraq who had 12 hours to flee Iraq after Saddam Hussein ordered the doctor to mutilate soldiers who had disappointed the dictator. The doctor arrived in Australia on a boat (as Captain Cook himself did) and was held in detention for five months before any official asked him if he had any papers. Indeed, he had all his papers and all his credentials. If that doctor had not fled, he would have been mutilated and killed. So pray tell, which queue was he expected to join? Now, the doctor works in Sydney and is a world-leading surgeon who is making headlines for his discoveries and innovations. He could not join us at the ‘Overboard’ book launch because he was in the UK, representing Australia while launching the world’s first robotic knee. Yet, while his boat was approaching Australia, the headlines and the radio-jocks would have had us believe that the doctor was a queue-jumper, and possibility a terrorist. Since his release from detention, he has helped countless Australians by giving them knee and hip replacements?

COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM

The Attorney’s initiative dovetails with the Government’s efforts to reduce the risk of home-grown terrorism by, ‘strengthening Australia’s resilience to radicalisation and assisting individuals to disengage from violent extremist influences and beliefs.’

No country is immune form the scourge of docile leaders (religious or otherwise). I have a feeling that a good place to start is at schools, by really helping children to embrace their studies and to engage in their communities. Wayward students who are not given hope and support tend to drift. While wandering aimlessly, they soon hanker after a community to which they could belong. Sadly, shows like ‘Underbelly’ and gangster movies tend to spark a passion for belonging to a gang. Young hopeless youth find strength in a sense of belonging. What they can’t attain through good works, they can achieve via bad deeds. Belonging to a gang, gives them everything they need: a sense of belonging; purpose; mission; excitement; and mate-ship (along with an income through ill-gotten gains). Unfortunately, growing-up on the wrong side of the tracks, propels a slippery ride where a brick wall awaits them at the journey’s end. The other sad thing is that the handiwork of these depleted souls affects everyone. We must catch them young, inspire them, and set them on a path that provides a rewarding journey. To do this, we need role models. While to me ‘education’ means home, school, and street, I dare say that it’s a tough call to attend to all three. Indeed, governments can do something about schools. From what I have seen, schools generally do not cater to those on the fringe.

By the way, if you would like to read a chapter I wrote about terrorism in my book, ‘How to Lose Friends and Infuriate People’ (4th edition), you can click here. The chapter is called, ‘Infuriating Terrorists: Why tolerant people must not tolerate intolerant people.’

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You’ve heard people ask questions like, ‘Where were you when… JFK was assassinated, or when… Princess Diana was killed.’ When I hear such questions, I wonder who really remembers such things. Oddly enough, I vividly remember the very minute (and the location) of the incident that sparked the saga that is now chronicled in a book called, One One Five by Alan Manly, Julian Day, and Graeme Brosnan. Not only do I remember it… I was there, in the eye of the storm, on that cursed day when Julian Day and I were walking into the Hilton Hotel and down came THE man. The man who would put Alan and Julian through hell. I felt bad vibes at the time. I felt it in my waters. I saw the collision that would become a train-wreck (in the slowest of slow motions… taking ten years to come to a screeching halt). Oh, and the path of destruction was horrid. As with horrid things, books are written about them. After such agony, why would anyone want to spend another few years writing a book? Publishing is, in itself, agonising. I think that when an agonising experience cuts through to the nerve, one feels compelled to warn others.

This book is a warning. It tells a story about an invoice for $115. A fake invoice that riled Julian Day so much, that he went to North Sydney Police Station to lodge a formal complaint about the man who later became known as the ‘vexatious litigant’. People say that Americans are litigious. Oh dear, the man who fabricated that invoice (for photocopying) dragged Alan and Julian through over 200 court appearances.

One One Five is more than a book about a fraudster who nearly ruined two men. It is a book about how the Australian system of justice, is one crazy maze. It’s a bit like Hotel California where you can check-out any time you like, but you can never leave. Once you become a client of the court, they don’t want you to go. Fill in another form. Attend another hearing. Lodge another appeal. Sorry, he did not show up, so let’s meet again in two months. For Alan and Julian, the months turned into ten years, sucking every cent they had.

If you are considering suing anyone, buy this book and read it slowly!

If anyone has threatened to sue you, buy a copy and post it to them anonymously. They just might lose their appetite for that kind of justice.

After reading this book, I wished I had become a lawyer. It’s like the time I wished I had become a doctor after seeing so many people in pain, unable to afford medical assistance. And like the time I wanted to become a cop to rid the streets of thugs and idiots.

One One Five is published by AKA Publishing. It is a funny book (how sad that we can laugh at other people’s misfortunes). I think that it is made more funny by its turn-of-phrase. The book is well written. As a writer myself, I know how hard it is to tell a story, impart the ideas, make a point, while trying to entertain and captivate the reader. Hard work indeed. Yet it seems that Graeme Brosnan is a master at the turn-of-phrase. On many levels, this book is enjoyable, while being an eye-opener, as well as inspiring. Fight the good fight! Press on. Honour before justice. Principle before pain. Scruples before money. Two ordinary men took-on a system, and despite the scars and bruises, they never gave up. Such stamina. Almost every industry has awards. If the courts had awards, the award for valour would go to Alan Manly and Julian Day. I have to wonder how many judges were talking about the case over lunch each day, for a decade.

I attended the book launch which was held inside the very court building where Alan and Julian had frequented so often, that the staff at the cafe presumed them to be legal professionals. Two hundred court appearances, all over one hundred and fifteen dollars. Goodness, what’s the world coming to!

CHAPTER ONE – THE POLICE STATION

To show you how gripping this book is, let me share with you the first fifteen lines of Chapter One.

‘You can leave a hand grenade in a baby’s pram, or rolling about in the bottom of a fishing boat without a worry in the world. Grenades can be perfectly harmless, until you pull the pin. Remove the safety pin and a spring-loaded striker ignites a four-second fuse. Hurl the thing and your enemies will be blown to smithereens. However, timing is everything. Dither and you will be history. Throw it too quickly and your adversary will pick it up and throw it back. That’s the thing with bombs. Although easy to detonate, they’re not precise weapons and they’re unpredictable as well as deadly.

‘Late on Thursday afternoon, 8 March 1994, my colleague and friend, Julian Day, walked into North Sydney Police Station with a piece of paper as lethal as a hand grenade and set in motion a chain of events which changed our lives forever.’

As a book, One One Five is compelling. As a real story about two ordinary blokes who fell into quicksand, it is heartbreaking. As a lesson in life, it will raise your blood pressure.

My guest this week will  be Admiral Chris Barrie AC — the former Chief of the Australian Defence Force who served during the Howard Government amidst the controversial Children Overboard Affair, will speak-up! In this rare public appearance, Admiral Barrie will reveal the amazing truth about what happened, by exposing the other side of a story that few people knew. If you live in Sydney, you are invited to the launch of a book that will make you doubt the headlines that mesmerised a nation. The author, Mr Ghassan Nakhoul, warns, ‘You would not believe what really triggered Australia’s controversial policy on Boat People.’

Each day, journalists dive into the middle of life’s drama. Although they are not supposed to get caught-up in the stories, there comes a time when even the toughest of reporters succumb to an event so powerful, that it changes their life. This is what happened to Walkley-Award winning journalist Ghassan Nakhoul. For the first time in a 30-year career that included front-line war-zone reporting, he was overwhelmed. The incidents were so devastating, he felt compelled to write a book in order to share the plight of anguished souls: the asylum seekers and those who perished at sea. The book uncovers rorts in the refugee system, and it sheds light on government tactics designed to scare away the boat-people. Ultimately, the book reveals that the controversial ‘Pacific Solution’ might have been instigated not by politicians or government strategists, but by the person whom you would least suspect! The 10th anniversary of the Tampa crisis, the Pacific Solution, and the sinking of SIEV-X that killed 353 people, makes this book even more relevant & timely, as we ponder: What have we learned?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ghassan Nakhoul is the first journalist from SBS Radio and the Arabic-speaking community in Australia to receive the prestigious Walkley Award. His career spans three decades. He has been with SBS Radio for twenty years and has contributed to Australian newspapers and magazines. Ghassan is also a lecturer at The University of Sydney.

DATE THURSDAY 15 SEPTEMBER 2011
VENUE HOLROYD CENTRE 17 MILLER STREET MERRYLANDS
TIME 6:00 PM REFRESHMENTS. 6:30 PM PRESENTATIONS
BOOK REVIEWED BY DR AL JABIRI
ENTRY NO CHARGE
PARKING FREE OFF NEWMAN STREET
ENQUIRIES 02 8569 0671 OR MARY at LOSEFRIENDS.COM
SALES THE BOOK WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR CASH PURCHASE ON THE NIGHT
HOSTED BY JONAR NADER, THE AUTHOR OF ‘HOW TO LOSE FRIENDS & INFURIATE PEOPLE’
OTHER GUESTS INCLUDE MR SAM ALMALIKI.

POST EVENT

The book launch was a huge success. Approximately 200 people attended this event to hear the keynote speech by Admiral Chris Barrie AC who was later interviewed by SBS Radio. The interview can be heard at this link for Ghassan Nakhoul’s website, where copies of the book ‘Overboard’ can also be purchased.

If there is one thing at which I can claim to be an expert, it is Lebanese Cuisine. I can taste every dish and tell you precisely what is in it, how old each of the ingredients were when they were cut, and exactly how long ago they were prepared. As a non-drinker and non-smoker, my sense of smell, coupled with my hyperactive taste-buds, never miss a beat, considering that I grew-up on Lebanese food, delighting in the devine dishes served from loving aunts and cousins, and of course, my Mum who is the master-chef hands down.

When it comes to restaurant dining, Lebanese cuisine was never part of my routine because no-one can cook like Mum cooks. Why would I go to any restaurant that cannot live-up to my expectations. Hence, Lebanese restaurants were off limits for me. I have tried them all, and never set foot in them a second time… until Kadmus came along.

The chefs are the owners. Ossama and his wife Hanadi welcome their guests personally. They are perfect examples of what a restaurant ought to be: a home away from home, with meals that do not compromise in any shape or form. And to them, no meal is a product. It is a work of art. They blend the finest of ingredients with the same exacting delicacy as a chemist. Everything is precise, because every meal has to be perfect. 100% or nothing at all.

Now I take all my friends to Kadmus. It is in Drummoyne, just a few minutes from the city of Sydney. The consistency of the quality gives me the confidence to take my dear friends — as well as dignitaries who would no doubt have dined at the finest of establishments. Each time, it’s a hit!

I am a difficult customer when it comes to food. Of the hundreds of restaurants/venues in which I dine each year, only a handful can ever be considered worthy of my repeat business. Kadmus scores top marks. Indeed, the food is fresh, it is healthy, it is tasty, it is tangy, and the service is excellent. If I were made Mayor of Sydney, I would ban any outlet that dares to say that it is selling Tabouleh or Hommus that falls short of the real thing. It is a disgrace to witness the rubbish that is being dished-out under the guise of Lebanese food. If ever you have tasted Lebanese food and disliked it, I do not blame you. Most places cannot get it right because it is one of the most difficult foods to get right, partly because the preparation-time is exhausting. It takes ages to prepare. Also, there can be no short cuts, neither in the ingredients nor in the ways in which they must be mixed — it really is a science in this respect. A minute either way, and you’re out. Place the lemon before the salt, and you lose the magic. Timing and sequence are part of the 4000-year-old tradition. If you would like to finally experience what genuine/traditional Lebanese cuisine tastes like, dine at Kadmus. They are at 105 Thompson Street in Drummoyne. Their website is at www.Kadmus.com.au.

If Thai food is your preference, here is the best place I can recommend called Home Thai at www.HomeThai.com.au. You can close your eyes and point at anything on the menu, and it will be delicious. If you do not like chilli, you had better tell them because their food can be quite hot, but easily fixed if you ask them to hold the chilli. Mind you, expect to wait 25 minutes for a table on any night. Being located in the heart of the city, where hundreds of people have made Home Thai their nightly dining spot; and being the best restaurant on Sussex Street, they can’t cope with the demand. However, it’s worth the wait.

Kadmus Lebanese Restaurant and Home Thai are a joy to experience because, apart from the great food, we get to witness passion in action. People who love food, preparing outstanding meals lovingly. They are the elite force in food. Each meal is a carnival for the mouth. They stretch themselves each night, and the energy never drops. It’s full speed each and every time. That level of performance is uplifting. I admire people who do their job to the best of their ability. What heights our country would reach if politicians, executives, public servants, and employees could study the professionalism and drive of Ossama and Hanadi, and the creativity and genius behind the young founder of HomeThai! Imagine that.

While staying at the plush Langham Place Hotel in Hong Kong, I kept hearing fabulous music while walking through the foyer. At first, I thought that the hotel had invested in some new space-age audio-system that delivered crystal-clear sound to cocoon the guests from the frantic city outside. Everything about the hotel was impressive; down to the note paper. Langham Place took attention-to-detail to a whole new level. Therefore, hearing that melting music seemed to be part of the Langham touch, and I just presumed that it was a cool CD that a connoisseur had selected.

Hour by hour, I was agitating myself because I became too curious for comfort. I wanted to know who was singing, and the name of the CD, and the technology behind the audio system that could deliver pristine music that managed to convert a marble foyer into a velvet room. And then I heard an announcement which made me think, ‘Hang on, this can’t be a CD. Someone is singing, live.’ To my delight, I discovered that the soothing music was coming from upstairs. Wow, the singer was Aja Wilson, the Volcalist-in-Residence who was enthralling guests with her amazing elixirs. I was way too busy to hang around, but I had no choice. I was hypnotised. So I sat, ordered a meal, a bottle of mineral water, and soon became transfixed by the quality of Aja’s voice, her timing, her clarity, and the depth-of-feeling that Aja injected into each song.

I was basking in the moment, proud of Aja’s talent, while thinking that I shall one day delve into my memories and smile at this special encounter while a guest at a splendid hotel whose definition of quality extended to delivering superb entertainment. Mind you, I think that ‘entertainment’ is the wrong word. Aja is more than entertaining. I think she is captivating, soothing, and uplifting. I knew how busy I was going to be the next day. I knew how chaotic Hong Kong was outside the four walls, but I was at peace as I swam in Aja’s music bowl.

Some people enjoy meeting celebrities, whereas I prefer to meet geniuses. My spirit is elevated in the presence of pure talent. Their gold is my honey. Aja is a rare individual who is more than a celebrity. Aja is a star. The managers at Langham thought so; the hotel guests said so; and I felt it too.

Click this link to learn more about Aja Wilson at her Official Website.

Here are two tracks to tantalise you. The first is called ‘What’s up?’

Below is a song called ‘Sorry’.

I saw an ad on line that said, ‘Congratulations, you are the millionths person, click here to claim your prize’. So I complained to the supposedly reputable website. The stupid response cam back, ‘Sorry, we have no say in what ads appear on our site.’ Indeed that is true. These stupid company directors and brainless managers just surrender their website space to Google or some other major ad company to just place anything they like. So we end up with inappropriate ads in the wrong place.

The internet was all about customisation. I am giving radio interviews, saying that one day, using your IP address and your preferences, you will receive a unique ad tailored to exactly who you are, what you earn, what you like, and what you need. You would be the only person in the world to see that ad, tailored just for you. At the 2000 Company Directors conference, I presented the idea to the delegates that one day customisation will be the order of the day. And here we are, eleven years later, and the richest of corporations, including Google, still have not a shred of a clue about how the interest is supposed to work. And the blind are leading the blind. Blind stupidity!

Here is an example. This is a screen shot of an Australian Chinese newspaper. The site is a .com.au site. And what do we see at the top? A surrendered ad space, where an inappropriate ad is featured. A most important ad about heart stroke. When someone you know suffers a stroke, you have seconds, just a few seconds, to get the right treatment at a hospital. And what does the Sing Tao Newspaper company flash at us on its Australian site? An ad that says, ‘Dial 911 at the first sign of a stroke’. Underneath the ad, the site’s banner says, ‘Australia’. Is that misleading or what? For a newspaper that prides itself on the delivery of accurate information, this message is grossly irresponsible. Teaching Australian readers to dial 911 is completely wrong and could cost a life, because in Australia, 911 does not work. The Australian emergency number is 000. So who cares, I wonder. Never mind customisations. What about simple IP address controls. It is one of the easiest things to do, to program the website to place ads relevant to the IP address that is viewing it.



Here is another example of an inappropriate ad. On You Tube, if you watch Britain’s Got Talent, which is a family show, you will see lusty ads that are adult based. Here is an example below. The square ad at the right flashes with saucy suggestions, and it encourages the viewer to engage in an adult fantasy. One click on, and you end up at Flirt.com.