Shaq: Heat will be back, LeBron hate was fair

Shaquille O’Neal guarantees that the Miami Heat will return to the NBA Finals and says the harsh treatment of LeBron James was fair.

The last time the Miami Heat won a title, Shaquille O’Neal was playing alongside Dwyane Wade.

The next time the Heat compete for a ring? O’Neal will be weighing in from the studio. And one of O’Neal’s first acts after officially signing up to join the TNT crew, the Sun-Sentinelreports, was to guarantee that the Heat will make a return trip to the NBA Finals after losing the 2011 title to the Dallas Mavericks in six games.

“They just came up against a team and it was their turn,” he said. “Dirk played unbelievable. They played together. I just think it was their turn. “Michael Jordan told me a long time ago that before you succeed you must first learn to fail. This was the Big Three’s first time together and they made it very far and they are going to be together for a long time. “I’m guaranteeing they will get back.”

Lest you think O’Neal is going to be a homer for his old club, BusinessInsider.com points outthat he also came to the defense of those who criticized LeBron James this season, painting all the hatred as a rite of passage for top-level stars and saying the criticism James absorbed was understandable.

“I would not characterize it as unfair because, like I said, it happened to everyone,” he said. “It happened to [Michael] Jordan when he went to Atlantic City to get away from the game. It happened to Barkley. It happened to [Dennis] Rodman. It happened to Magic [Johnson]. It happens to everybody. If it just started this year I would call it unfair, but I’ve been in the game for 20 years and I’ve seen similar stories.”

O’Neal will be teaming with former players Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley in his new role. All three have silly sides to their personalities, which could get overwhelming at times. But “Serious Shaq” is not someone we are exposed to all that often, and his experience as a top-flight player, entertainer and celebrity will be invaluable for the casual fan. While Barkley has always kept it completely real, he never won a title and more time has passed since he left the league. In Shaq, the NBA viewer will have a thoroughly modern mega-star who has lived through everything — the good, bad and ugly — that the 21st century athlete/global icons deal with on a daily basis. His treatment of the Heat’s James and Dwyane Wade will be particularly interesting to follow because he will speak from a position of authority and experience that is totally unique in the basketball world. Part Godfather, part older brother, part clown, part mogul, part movie star. Just as Shaq was born to dominate on the basketball court, he was born to commentate off of it.

Menu descriptions that make me salivate

I study menus every night, so I should be immune to their literary charms. However, a few well chosen words can hook me like a fish going after a brightly colored lure.

Menus that merely list ingredients, and that seems to be a growing trend, are missing out on prime marketing opportunities. The right adjectives can create positive enticements for diners to order a particular dish.

[caption id="attachment_331" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Slow roasted sturgeon at Wexler's Lacy Atkins The San Francisco Chronicle 2009"][/caption]

Here are some of the words that make me salivate. There are many others, so I’d love for everyone to nominate terms that seduce and tease them. Food related, of course.

Slow-roasted: Every time I see this phrase it conjures up images of a warm, caring kitchen where someone is willing to take the time to create something special. In a fast-paced world, “slow-roasted” feels as relaxing as a 20-minute massage. Example: Slow-roasted smoked salmon with black-eye pea cassoulet. Wexler’s, San Francisco

Butter-poached: Poached is something you expect in a nursing home, but place butter in front and it becomes food for the gods. Olive-oil poached has some allure and will appease those who are obsessed with health. Example: Butter-poached Maine lobster with beet puree, Meyer lemon, braised baby savoy cabbage, black caraway, fines herbs. Fifth Floor, San Francisco

Roasted: Baked may have the same meaning, but it sounds like a technique you’d learn in home ec class, while roasted conjures up thoughts of bold, rustic flavors and succulent textures. Add salt in front of the word — as in “salt-roasted” — and it will have a 100 percent return rate in my book. Or try oak-roasted, spit-roasted or pan-roasted, to name a few variations. Gotta order it. Example: Pan-roasted Alaskan halibut, seared baby artichokes, niçoise olives, marjoram, pepperonata and fava beans. Solbar, Calistoga.

What to Eat to Beat Skin Cancer

You got the pale-is-the-new-tan memo years ago and have the sun smarts to prove it. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, and women age 39 and under have a higher probability of developing its most serious form, melanoma, than they do any other invasive cancer except breast cancer. Yep; knew that. Slather on waterproof sunscreen before you exercise, sport floppy broad-brimmed hats at the beach, stay out of midday rays, and steer clear of tanning beds. Check; do all that. Still, despite your savvy and diligence, there’s a new stealth skin saver you may be missing: your diet.

“The research is preliminary but promising,” says Karen Collins, RD, clinical dietitian and nutrition adviser for the American Institute for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C. “In addition to limiting your sun exposure, eating certain foods may help reduce your risk.”

Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi set to resign after losing confidence

[caption id="attachment_318" align="alignnone" width="650" caption="Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will step down this month. Picture: AP"][/caption]

ITALIAN Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will resign after passage of a key budget bill.

The announcement capped a tumultuous day that saw the crucial budget vote pass parliament but fail to win the support of an absolute majority and thus maintain Mr Berlusconi's legitimacy as leader.

It also followed weeks of political and legal tumult for Mr Berlusconi, leader of a center-right coalition and a prominent figure on the world stage.

The Italian President's office said in a statement following a meeting between Mr Berlusconi and President Giorgio Napolitano: "Once this commitment (to economic reforms) has been carried out, the Prime Minister will submit his resignation to the head of state".

President Napolitano will then "proceed with traditional consultations with maximum attention to the positions and proposals of every political force - those of the majority from the 2008 elections as well as the opposition," it added.

President Napolitano's office said Mr Berlusconi had shown "his awareness of the implications of the results of today's vote" as well as "concern for the urgent need to give prompt answers to the expectations of European partners".

Earlier, leaders of both coalition and opposition parties called on 75-year-old Mr Berlusconi, Italy's longest serving post-war prime minister, to step aside.

The leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, Pier Luigi Bersani, said, "The Government no longer has a majority in this chamber".

Directly addressing Mr Berlusconi, he added, "Hand in your resignation."

Mr Berlusconi's main coalition partner - the Northern League party leader Umberto Bossi - also joined the chorus of calls for him to step down.

"We asked him to step aside," Mr Bossi said.

The opposition would like to see an independent figure like former European Commissioner and economist Mario Monti head a national unity government, according to Italy's ANSA News Agency.

In the crucial vote on Italy's 2010 public accounts, Mr Berlusconi secured 308 votes to pass the measure, but that was fewer than the 316 he needed to maintain his legitimacy as leader in parliament. There were 321 abstentions.

Borrowing rates hit new records after the vote on investor fears, with the yield on 10-year bonds reaching 6.76 percent and the spread between Italian and German benchmark bond yields widening to a new high of nearly five percent.

Mr Berlusconi spoke bitterly of betrayal as he stormed out of parliament, according to newspaper reports, AFP said.

Eight deputies who refused to support him were labeled "traitors" in a scribbled note captured on camera.

Unnatural selection: Zoo splits up gay penguins

[caption id="attachment_314" align="alignnone" width="650" caption="Tough love: Toronto Zoo's gay African penguins, Pedro and Buddy, are to be split up because their snuggling and courtship behaviour is distracting them from preserving the species. Picture: YouTube/xcommunicatednewz"][/caption]

A SAME-SEX relationship between two African penguins at a Canadian zoo is to be broken up by keepers who want them to breed.

Pedro, 10, and Buddy, 20, have formed a close bond since their arrival at Toronto Zoo in May as part of a breeding program, the National Post reported.

"The two girls have been following them, we just have to get the boys interested in looking at them," Tom Mason, curator of birds and invertebrates at the zoo, said.

Mason said that if the penguins were not an endangered species the zoo would be happy to "let them do their thing".

Pedro and Buddy's separation will only last as long as they can inseminate their respective female partners -- while incubating eggs, the two may well be back "side by side."

Once breeding season is up, Pedro and Buddy will "probably" ditch their female partners and reunite, according to Bill Rapley, executive director for conservation, education and wildlife at the zoo.

UN atomic agency has 'serious concerns' on Iran's nuclear activities

[caption id="attachment_310" align="alignnone" width="650" caption="The UN says credible information suggests Iran may be developing nuclear weapons. Picture: AFP"][/caption]

THE UN atomic agency has "serious concerns" about Iran's nuclear activities amid "credible" information Tehran may have worked on developing nuclear weapons.

"The agency has serious concerns regarding possible military dimensions to Iran's nuclear program," the keenly awaited International Atomic Energy Agency report said.

"After assessing carefully and critically the extensive information available to it, the agency finds the information to be, overall, credible.

"This information indicates that Iran has carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device."

It added, "The information also indicates that prior to the end of 2003, these activities took place under a structured program, and that some activities may still be ongoing.

"Given the concerns identified above, Iran is requested to engage substantively with the agency without delay for the purpose of providing clarifications."

The Vienna-based agency said some of its more than 1,000 pages of information indicated Iran has done work "on the development of an indigenous design of a nuclear weapon including the testing of components."

Previous IAEA assessments have centered on Iran's efforts to produce fissile material -- uranium and plutonium -- which can be put to peaceful uses like power generation, or be used to make a nuclear bomb.

But the new update focuses on Iran's alleged efforts towards putting the radioactive material in a warhead and developing missiles.

It comes amid rising speculation that Israel might launch a pre-emptive military strike in an attempt to knock out its arch foe's nuclear facilities.

Iran, which says its nuclear program is peaceful and has been hit by four rounds of UN Security Council sanctions, dismissed the new IAEA report prior to its publication, saying it was based on falsified information.

Russia and China had meanwhile pressured the IAEA not to even publish the report, diplomats said, and as a result it is unclear what action the agency's board will take when it meets next week.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned Tuesday that Israeli threats to attack Iran over its nuclear program were "extremely dangerous rhetoric" that could result in a "catastrophe".

More Aussie Diggers shot in another rogue attack

[caption id="attachment_301" align="alignnone" width="650" caption="Attacked again: Three more Aussie Diggers have been wounded by a rogue Afghan soldier. Picture: Ramage Gary"][/caption]

ANOTHER Afghan national army soldier has reportedly opened fire on fellow troops, wounding three Australians.

The ABC reports the incident occurred at a base in Oruzgan province.

It says another two Afghan soldiers were wounded, with the three Australians suffering non life-threatening injuries.

The troops were taken to a military hospital at Tarin Kowt.

It comes less than a fortnight since one of Australia's worst losses in Afghanistan.

On October 29, a rogue Afghan army soldier opened fire during a parade in Kandahar province, killing three Australian soldiers.

Fans line up for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

[caption id="attachment_296" align="alignnone" width="650" caption="Enthusiasts waiting to buy the lastest version of Call of Duty at a Melbourne EB Games outlet."][/caption]

THOUSANDS of gamers have declared war and stormed the shops for the latest instalment of computer game Call of Duty.

Sales are tipped to rake in more than $1 billion in just a few weeks.

Gaming stores at shopping centres including Tea Tree Plaza, West Lakes and Munno Para opened their doors at midnight, as part of a co-ordinated global launch for Modern Warfare 3.

The game's "campaign" mode continues the saga of global warfare and intrigue developed in the first two instalments.

Players must stop an invasion of North America and Europe by a Russian enemy force, while the narrative brings to a close the story of "Soap" and "Price", the two Special Forces troopers who've been the heroes of the series.

But the biggest drawcard for most gamers is the multiplayer mode, where teams and individuals playing on Xboxes, PlayStations and PCs across the world battle it out in real-time to earn points and rewards.

Retailer EB Games said the demand had already eclipsed any other title in the company's 14-year history.

The Call Of Duty franchise's past two releases each grossed more than $1 billion worldwide, putting them in the ranks of the top-earning entertainment titles in history, across music, film and gaming. More than 30 million people played Call Of Duty titles online in the past year, with an average 6.5 million people logging in to play on any given day, distributor Activision said.

Ethan Blaine, assistant manager of The Pimp Pad Adelaide, a video games bar on Franklin St, said the game's accessibility and ease of play was a major contributor to its success.

"It's such a popular game because it is so easy and fast to play," Mr Blaine said.

"Because you can go in with all guns blazing and it's not about teamwork, a lot of people really like that aspect of the game."

RMIT University new media expert Dr John Lenarcic said games such as Modern Warfare 3 were popular partly because they made action heroes of everyday gamers.

"We're talking about photo-realism that approaches or surpasses cinematic quality and people can actually be embedded inside that narrative," he said.

A promotional video featuring Australian actor Sam Worthington and an AC/DC soundtrack has had more than two million hits since it was posted on YouTube on Friday.

Game on: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 will fire you up

[caption id="attachment_292" align="alignnone" width="650" caption="Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is one of the most highly anticipated games of 2011."][/caption]

THE blockbuster shooting series returns with a slick campaign and the most accessible multiplayer modes in the business.

Eight years ago Call of Duty was a moderately successful first-person shooter set during World War II and only available on PC.

Today, Call of Duty is a phenomenon. It’s a brand name synonymous with video games - up there with Mario, GTA and Warcraft when it comes to mainstream appeal, and thus each annual update brings with it enormous expectation. Happily, Modern Warfare 3 doesn’t disappoint.

Its expertly directed single-player campaign surges from one spectacular set-piece to the next, with a breakneck momentum that never dips over the course of its eight-hour completion time.

Does it live up to the hype? Watch a review of the video below
Commencing with a New York-based assault in which you literally have to occupy Wall Street (by force), Modern Warfare 3’s campaign shunts the player between various conflict hotspots around the globe, turning landmarks into landfill under a relentless cacophony of gunfire and explosions.

Yet long after the dust settles from the last explosive detonated in the story mode, Modern Warfare 3will endure thanks to its exceptional multiplayer component.

The game’s makers have become experts at crafting persistent levelling-up systems that have proven all too addictive for shooter fans, and now those hooks are going to be even harder to evade thanks to the new Call of Duty Elite service.

Essentially a bespoke social network targeted solely at Call of Duty players, Elite is accessible from your console, PC or smartphone, and allows players to track their stats, schedule matches, form clans and more whether they’re on the couch, in the office or on the go. If you’re already a Call of Duty addict, then your favourite drug just became intravenous.

Rounding out the package is the return of the co-operative Spec Ops mode which consists of a series of intense missions designed for two-players, as well as a new Survival mode which, while not entirely original, is nonetheless an entirely welcome and enjoyable addition to the package.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 doesn’t reinvent the military first-person shooter formula; it just executes it better than any other game. Last year’s Black Ops broke more records than a turntable during an earthquake, and Modern Warfare 3 should by rights keep the Call of Duty franchise on top of the heap.

Facebook deletes blogger's account

[caption id="attachment_288" align="alignnone" width="650" caption="Account deleted: Chinese blogger Michael Anti's facebook account was deleted based on the company's strict policy against pseudonyms."][/caption]

CHINESE blogger and activist Michael Anti is fuming after having his Facebook account deleted.

Anti, a popular online commentator whose legal name is Zhao Jing, said in an interview on Tuesday that his Facebook account was suddenly cancelled in January.

Company officials told him by email that Facebook has a strict policy against pseudonyms and that he must use the name issued on his government ID.

Anti argues that his professional identity as Michael Anti has been established for more than a decade, with published articles and essays.

Anti, a former journalist who has won fellowships at both Cambridge University and Harvard University, said he set up his Facebook account in 2007.

By locking him out of his account, Facebook has cut him off from a network of more than 1000 academic and professional contacts who know him as Anti, he said.

"I'm really, really angry. I can't function using my Chinese name. Today, I found out that (Facebook founder Mark) Zuckerberg's dog has a Facebook account. My journalistic work and academic work is more real than a dog," he said.

Facebook officials weren't available to comment on his case.

The company says its policy leads to greater trust and accountability for its users.

"We have tried to keep the rule simple and fair by saying personal profiles must always be set up in the real legal name of the individual concerned," it said by email to Anti.

Dissidents in a variety of countries have argued that Facebook's policy can endanger human rights activists and others if their identities become known.

Anti said there is a long tradition in China for writers and journalists to take pen names, partly as protection from retaliation from authorities.

If Facebook requires the use of real names, that could potentially put Chinese citizens in danger, he said.

"For my fellow Chinese, this policy could easily help Chinese police identify them," he said.

It's not the first time Anti has had problems with an internet site.

In 2005, his blog on a Microsoft site was shut down by the company following pressure from Chinese officials.

Microsoft's action led to a public outcry.

Zuckerberg recently set up a Facebook page for his newly acquired puppy, "Beast," complete with photos and a profile.

Facebook in no rush to IPO

[caption id="attachment_282" align="alignright" width="316" caption="Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg says going into China would raise "hard questions" and "issues" for Facebook. Picture: AAP"][/caption]

FACEBOOK is in no hurry to go public or to get into China, where it is officially blocked, according to Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of the social networking giant.

Mr Zuckerberg, in an interview with Charlie Rose's PBS television program to be aired later on Monday, also said the role of social media in the Arab Spring uprisings may have been "a bit overblown''.

In the interview conducted last week at Fachebook's headquarters in Palo Alto, California, Mr Zuckerberg said that going into China would raise "hard questions'' and "issues'' for Facebook, which has more than 800 million members.

"But since, for right now, we're not available, and we don't have an immediate path to become available, these are not policy decisions we have to make,'' he said.

"At some point I think there would be some discussion around what it would take to go there, and then we'd at that point have to figure out whether we were willing to do that,'' Mr Zuckerberg said.

Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, who was interviewed along with Mr Zuckerberg, said entering China, which has more than 500 million internet users, is "not really our choice''.

"It's the government's choice,'' she said.

"We're not available because they've chosen to make us not available.''

Beijing has set up a vast online censorship system sometimes dubbed the "Great Firewall of China'' that aggressively blocks sites and snuffs out Internet content on topics considered sensitive.

The system currently prevents most of the nation's web users from accessing Facebook.

As for going public, Mr Zuckerberg repeated earlier statements that Facebook would conduct an initial public offering at some point but was in no hurry to do so.

"Honestly, it's not something I spend a lot of time on a day-to-day basis thinking about now,'' he said.

"A big part of being a technology company is getting the best engineers and designers and talented people around the world,'' he said. ``And one of the ways that you can do that is you compensate people with equity or options.

"At some point we're going to make that equity worth something publicly and liquidly, in a liquid way,'' he said.

"ow, the promise isn't that we're going to do it on any kind of short-term time horizon.

"The promise is that we're going to build this company so that it's great over the long term,'' he said.

"And that we're always making these decisions for the long term, but at some point we'll do that (go public).''

You beauty: Seventh heaven awaits Aussie icon

[caption id="attachment_277" align="alignnone" width="650" caption="The Great Barrier Reef is shaping up to be a winner. Picture: supplied"][/caption]

ONE of the nation's most popular landmarks is a hot favourite to be voted among the world's new seven natural wonders.

The Great Barrier Reef has fought off stiff competition from 440 top sites around the world to be named as one of the top 10 finalists of the New7Wonders of Nature campaign.

In pictures: Top 10 new wonders of the world finalists

With only five days to go, the Australian icon still faces a fierce battle from the likes of the Grand Canyon in the US, Vietnam’s Halong Bay and the Dead Sea.

Other destinations that have proved popular include Lebanon’s Jeita Grotto, South Korea’s Jeju Island and Indonesia’s Komodo Island. The Philippines’ Puerto Princesa Underground River, India’s Sundarbans forest and Italy’s Mount Vesuvius are also favourites.

However Uluru didn’t fare as well, with the icon missing out on a top spot despite appearing in the selection of 28 finalists in September. Disappointed by the result, Tourism Australia is calling for help to boost votes.

“Frankly we're a little bit surprised that Uluru hasn't yet made the list, I mean have you seen its beauty? Thinking caps on everyone,” Tourism Australia said on its Facebook page.

Other stunning locations that failed to make the cut include New Zealand's Milford Sound, the Maldives and Brazil's Iguazu Falls.

However Bernard Weber, President and Founder of New7Wonders, said there is no guarantee the finalists will end up winning as there are millions of votes still to come in.

"Clearly Asian Finalists are strong at this stage, reflecting the way the world is evolving east, and at the same time I know the actual top seven will change in the coming days,” Mr Weber said.

[caption id="attachment_276" align="alignnone" width="650" caption="Halong Bay, in the north of Vietnam, is a picturesque bay featuring limestone isles of various shapes and sized. Picture: Bruno/Flickr"][/caption]

Tourism Australia is thrilled that the icons have been acknowledged by consumers around the globe as being among the world’s best and still holds high hopes for Uluru.

“To be one of new wonders is a terrific boost,” Andrew McEvoy, Tourism Australia’s Managing Director, said.

“Both the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru have a fantastic chance to be named one of the world’s next seven great natural wonders.”

Tourism Australia has been pulling out all the stops in a bid to win the competition, even launched a Facebook application to generate support for the landmarks, inviting Aussies to share stories and images as well as vote.

There is already a list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that includes the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

Launched in 2007, the provisional voting results will be announced on Saturday.

The land Down Under is tops with the Brits

[caption id="attachment_272" align="alignnone" width="650" caption="Australia has been voted the best place to visit by the British. Picture: WA Tourism."][/caption]

THE Poms love a sunburnt country - in fact they've voted it the best place on the planet to visit.

This year's British Travel Awards were handed out after compiling nominations from people in the tourism industry and a public vote by more than 700,000 Brits.

They saw Australia finish on top ahead of Spain and Italy.

Tourism Australia (TA) boss Andrew McEvoy says it's more than just another trophy for the mantelpiece.

"The UK is one of Australia's most established and largest markets for international visitors," he said in a statement.

"It's terrific to see that Australia hasn't lost any of its lustre with the Brits."

The TA chief said while there's been a short term downturn in demand for Australia in the UK the long term prospects are good.
"The UK remains an important source of visitors to Australia, delivering 632,400 visitors in 2010/11,'' he said.

"It is the second largest market for visitor spend, worth $3 billion... and has the potential to deliver $6.7 billion in overnight expenditure by 2020."

ICANN accepts applications for .XXX adult entertainment industry domains

[caption id="attachment_269" align="alignnone" width="650" caption="Picketers supporting the adult entertainment industry in San Francisco to oppose a plan to create a separate Internet address for pornographic websites. Picture: Supplied."][/caption]

THE world wide web is about to get a red-light district. After more than a decade of debate, rejections and legal challenges, the internet's governing body today began accepting applications for .xxx websites from the adult entertainment industry.

The so-called "landrush" phase signifies the true launch of .xxx websites, which are designed to provide more transparency around internet pornography.

But while its sponsor describes the new adult addresses as responsible "signposts" for pornographic material that let web surfers make informed decisions, experts have slammed the scheme as a money-grab that has been "grossly oversold" as a way to block porn and protect children.

Company ICM Registry first proposed the .xxx domain in 2000, as well as .kids website addresses, though the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) rejected both ideas.

ICM had its .xxx application reviewed, however, and in 2004 changed the proposal to a sponsored top-level domain overseen by a dedicated organisation. After a string of rejections and unprecedented public comment, the scheme was approved on March 31 this year.

ICM Registry began accepting .xxx applications from trademarked companies - those looking to use a .xxx address and those seeking to prevent their company from appearing on a .xxx website - on September 7.

More than 80,000 applications swamped the company during the 53-day window, a result that chief executive Stuart Lawley says is unprecedented.

"There is always a risk with a new top-level domain that you may build it and nobody will come," he says.

"The .xxx sunrise period results far exceed those of any other new (sponsored top-level) domains, including .mobi, .asia and even that of .co that relaunched last year."

Adult entertainment producers without trademarks can apply for .xxx website names for the next 17 days, with their general availability following on December 6.

But University of Canberra information law lecturer Bruce Arnold says while the idea behind the new domain name has merit, the scheme will not see all adult material moved into a makeshift web ghetto as censorship advocates want.

Moving adult material to a .xxx website is voluntary, he says, and international bodies could never agree on what material should be classified as "adult" or "offensive".

"It's not going to work because we don't all agree on what is porn, and that's a huge issue," Mr Arnold says.

"People disagree passionately about what is sensitive material and what's not.

"In Australia if you watch television at 8pm you'll see people who aren't wearing much clothing or perhaps any clothing.

"Some people in the US would say that any same-sex activity is profoundly obscene. These issues are impossible to resolve."

Arnold says the .xxx scheme will also fail to work as a technical solution to a human behavioural problem. Parents, guardians and search engines will not simply be able to filter out .xxx websites, and some porn producers will continue to host material on .com sites or in other countries.

"The idea that we can come up with a quick fix to this problem is fundamentally flawed," he says. "If we're concerned about protecting children from offensive content online, sometimes it is simply a matter of parking the family PC in the lounge when they're young and teaching them."

But other stakeholders disagree. Spokesman for civil liberties group Electronic Frontiers Australia, Stephen Collins, says the organisation supports the introduction of .xxx websites because "having it available is going to make website content clear".

Family First leader Dennis Hood goes further, proposing that all pornographic material should be moved to a .xxx website.

"Any porn site then operating outside of the .xxx domain would be outside of the law and liable to be dealt with by the government of the day," he says.

Asteroid 2005 YU55 closes in on Earth fly-by

[caption id="attachment_265" align="alignnone" width="650" caption="Despite coming closer than the moon, the asteroid poses no threat to the Earth. Picture: Courtesy of NASA"][/caption]

A BIG asteroid is set to make its closest flyby of Earth in 200 years, but there is no chance of a crash landing when it zips by our planet, NASA says.

Astronomers have aimed their telescopes to catch a glimpse of the 2005 YU55 asteroid, which will not be visible to the naked eye, when it makes its closest approach to Earth at 10.28am (AEDT) today.

The 400-metre-wide asteroid often travels in the vicinity of the Earth, Mars and Venus, but "the 2011 encounter with Earth is the closest it has come for at least the last 200 years", the US space agency said.

Other asteroids of this size pass by Earth more frequently, though the last such event happened in 1976 and the next will not happen again until 2028 when as asteroid called 2001 WN5 will skim about halfway between the Moon and Earth.

This asteroid is expected to pass a bit further away; about 0.85 times the distance of the Moon to the Earth, or a distance of 325,000 kilometres.

"2005 YU55 is one of the potentially hazardous asteroids that make close approaches from time to time because their orbits either approach or intersect the orbit of the Earth," said Robert McMillan, an associate research scientist at the University of Arizona.

McMillan discovered the asteroid in 2005 as part of the university's Spacewatch Project, a solar-system-scanning group of scientists near Tucson, Arizona.

However, astronomers know from analysing the trajectory of the asteroid that it will not hit Earth this time.

The asteroid's next closest pass is set to take place in 2094, at a distance of 269,000 kilometres, according to forecasts.

"The observations will give us a piece of the puzzle, one we don't get many chances to see," said Don Yeomans of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

"At one time, we thought these were the asteroids that delivered carbon and other elements to the early Earth, so they are pretty important."

NASA said radar observations from the Arecibo Planetary Radar Facility in Puerto Rico have already begun as the asteroid closes in on its approach.

While the charcoal-coloured, circular asteroid's visit has scientists excited for the chance to get a closer look, most Earthlings probably will not notice a thing.

"The gravitational influence of the asteroid will have no detectable effect on Earth, including tides and tectonic plates," NASA said.

Lara Bingle still has an eye on Michael

[caption id="attachment_260" align="alignright" width="316" caption="Still single ... Lara Bingle at Bondi Icebergs / Pic: Stephen Cooper"][/caption]

THEIRS may have been one of the more headline-grabbing splits in celebdom but Lara Bingle says she and ex-fiance Michael Clarke are still close and are now talking regularly as they stitch up their friendship.

"We talk a lot ... he was a massive part of my life," Bingle told Confidential.

She said she is keeping an eye on Clarke's progress in South Africa where Australia are set to begin their Test today.

"I don't follow cricket all the time but since he has been captain I am his No. 1 supporter.

"And I hear that they are doing really well."

Lara slammed for fur faux pas

Friendly exes they may be but Bingle, who appeared yesterday as an ambassador for detox food suppliers eatfitfood.com.au, admits she hasn't reached the stage that proves you really are over someone - meeting her former lover's the new girlfriend.

"No, I have never met her," Bingle said when asked had she crossed paths with Clarke's new model flame Kyly Boldy.

Baby steps Lara.

Meanwhile, the 24-year-old says that, after a brief romance with English rugby player Danny Cipriani - which she says was definitely not a stunt designed to make money out of a picture deal with a magazine - she is now totally single.

Gallery - Michael and Lara

"And I'm not looking. Not at all. I find that when you start looking you never find anyone," she said.

As for her career, the one-time face (and body) of Australian tourism says she is bound for the US this Saturday in a bid to crack the international modelling scene.

"There's nothing that I can really talk about yet but I know I just have to spend more time there," Bingle said.

"I have management there so I'm hoping to get it all sorted."

Lara: Clarkey still my mate

[caption id="attachment_256" align="alignnone" width="650" caption="A file photo of Lara Bingle and Michael Clarke during their relationship. Picture: Chris Pavlich"][/caption]

IT may have been one of the more headline-grabbing splits but Lara Bingle says she and ex fiance Michael Clarke are still close and now talk regularly.

"We talk a lot ... he was a massive part of my life," Bingle said, adding she was keeping an eye on Clarke's progress in South Africa where Australia begins a Test series today, The Daily Telegraph reported.


"I don't follow cricket all the time but since he has been captain I am his No.1 supporter."

Bingle - who is yet to meet Clarke's new flame Kyly Boldy - is now single after a brief romance with English rugby player Danny Cipriani.

"And I'm not looking. Not at all. I find that when you start looking you never find anyone."

 

Bingle is bound for the US on Saturday in a bid to crack the international modelling scene.

"There's nothing I can really talk about yet but I know I just have to spend more time there."