Welcome to the start of the week. In case you haven’t had the chance to catch the news, Mamamia is here to get you up to speed. Today’s bites are brought to you by Nat.
According to Customs figures, the amount of steroids being smuggled into the country at airports and through the postal system has more than doubled in the past five years. An explosion of websites selling the drugs with claims of “discrete (sic) shipping” and “no customs” is behind the rise as amateur body builders seek to exploit countries with lax drug regulations.
The release of the figures comes after the death of 22-year-old Australian bodybuilder and online celebrity Aziz “Zyzz” Sergeyevich Shavershian, who died of an undiagnosed heart defect in a Thai sauna last week.
2. The search for Daniel Morcombe’s body continues after a man was charged with his murder.
Police are ramping up their search of bushland in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast hinterland, after charging a 41-year-old former truck driver on Saturday. Daniel went missing as a 13-year-old in December 2003.
The accused man will face Brisbane Magistrates Court today charged with murder, deprivation of liberty, child stealing, indecent treatment of a child and interfering with a corpse. He is expected to plead not guilty to the charges, setting up a long court battle.
Daniel’s parents asked people to wear red today in memory of their boy.
The computer is said to be connected to the long, typed note which listed instructions for the 18-year-old who was confined to her home for 10 hours as part of an alleged extortion attempt. It made reference to the James Clavell novel Tai-Pan, and contained a threat to detonate a bomb, now known to be fake, if Maddie contacted police or tried to disarm it. It included no demands for money.
A study has revealed that many asylum seekers who are waiting on the government to decide whether they can remain in Australia struggle to access health care services because they are not eligible for subsidised treatment under Medicare.
The researchers said while state government policies on providing hospital care to community-based asylum seekers had improved, the federal government should extend Medicare eligibility to widen the availability of health services.
The cost of raising a child to the age of 24 has jumped to almost $600,000, or about $25,000 a year, says McCrindle Research – and that doesn’t include full-time daycare, preschool or private schooling. Social demographer Mark McCrindle said families with two children will hold off having a third and those with three who were considering a fourth will think twice, impacting on the nation’s birth rate.
The Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS) is reviewing its sexual health framework and sexting is top of the list. Schoolchildren will now be warned to “think before you send” saucy snaps and raunchy texts.
7. Celebrity chef Julie Goodwin has turned down a Jenny Craig deal worth up to $250,000 a year.
When approached by the weight loss company to replace current ambassador Magda Szubanski, the TV cook declined, saying that she was proud of her curves and didn’t need the weight-loss pressure.
Asked why she turned down the deal, Goodwin said she was more intent on fighting poverty than losing weight, and that she had signed on with Third World charity Oxfam to help those who were not getting enough to eat.
The chef took to her own blog over the weekend to explain she had nothing against those who wanted to lose weight for themselves but that it was just not for her.
Update: Julie has since said that the deal did not reach negotiation stage and that she does not know where the figure was taken from.
Top Comments
Thanks for including the unfortunate story about bodybuilder ‘Zyzz’ in Thailand. Many people aren’t aware of the life-threatening effects of steroids. Because steroids are addictive and potentially lethal, Thailand customs may want to pay as much attention to them as they do to amphetamines and methamphetamines. Any Thailand lawyer can tell you that Thailand takes drug law violations very seriously and that drug trafficking can be punished with heavy penalties and the death penalty in some cases. Steroids are smuggled in and out of Thailand because they are not included in the legal medications permitted. Certain medicines are allowed if they are in the original bottle, include the original prescription, and are only in the quantity necessary for the duration of the visit to Thailand. Steroids, however, are never allowed. Now that someone has died in Thailand from steroids, I hope more attention will be focused on this drug.
I don't think Julie Goodwin should do Jenny Craig but she should do something about her weight. She said she is happy with her curves but she isn't curvy, she is obese. She is at risk of Heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and High blood pressure. IMO she is a negative role model. Why is it when people are under weight they are told to get help but when you are big and "curvy" you are celebrated? It doesn't make sense to me.