The News Review:
- Tassie Devil Vaccine Hope
- Daily Times – Leading News Resource of Pakistan
- Tassie logging protesters arrested
- African refugees establish lobby group
- Global warming slows weed invasion
- Geelong’s Wooden Boat Festival a great success!
Tassie Devil Vaccine Hope
abc.net.au – Apr 28, 2008
The discovery of the male which appears to have antibodies to protect it against the disease gives scientists hope they can develop a vaccine. Felicity gilvie reports they are now injecting the animal with live tumour cells to test their theory. FELICITY GILVIE : This is the reaction the scientists got from Cedric the Tasmanian Devil when they injected him with dead facial tumour cells last year. He’s brother Clinky was also injected with the dead tumour cells… The deadly contagious facial tumour has spread across most of Tasmania’s east coast where the devils are genetically very similar. n the east coast the devils have no resistance to the disease because when they are exposed to the cancer they think it’s just another part of their body. But University of Tasmania Immunology Professor Greg Woods says Cedric had an immune response to the tumour because he’s from the island’s west coast and has different genes to the eastern devils. PRFESSR GREG WDS : We have a group of genes everyone does called MHC and they are genes involved in recognition of anything that’s foreign. If their genic diversity’s low the MHC is low and what we’ve found Is that Cedric’s MHC is sufficiently different to a tumour to allow it to be recognised as being some sort of foreign cell. FELICITY GILVIE : Professor Woods says it’s likely there’s three genetic groups of devils in Tasmania. PRFESSR GREG WDS : What I’m suspecting is we’ve got with regards to the MHC gene we’ve got some devils who’s going to be very similar to the tumour and no matter what we do we won’t be able to help them respond to the tumour.
Daily Times – Leading News Resource of Pakistan
Daily Times – Apr 28, 2008
Now 32 years later Mary Donaldson’s make-believe is about to become reality with the glamorous marketing executive set to marry Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik on May 14 – the first Australian to marry into a European royal house that still has its throne. The fairytale story has entranced Australia a former British colony that has never had its own royalty with the wedding to be broadcast live nationally and a select list of Australians involved to give the wedding an antipodean flavour. “This is the equivalent of our very own Lady Di and she is obviously very special” Matt Campbell programmer at SBS (Special Broadcasting Service) television which is airing the wedding told Reuters. “The whole of Australia is fascinated by this story because how often do you get an Australian girl marrying a real prince? It may never happen again.
Tassie logging protesters arrested
NEWS.com.au – Apr 28, 2008
ne activist sat in a tree 30 metres above the ground while another was chained to logging machinery at the forest. The forest is valued by the protesters for its giant eucalyptus regnans trees while wedge-tailed eagle nests are also found in the forest Mr Jordan said. Earlier today a spokeswoman for Forestry Tasmania defended the logging in a statement. "Seventy-nine per cent of Tasmania’s old-growth forests are in reserves including 10 million old-growth trees permanently protected. ” Share this article.
African refugees establish lobby group
abc.net.au – Apr 28, 2008
Initial support for refugees is strong but many find it difficult to secure accommodation and employment later. The Liberian and Sierra Leone communities have formed a union to provide one voice and it is hoped other African groups will do the same. Sierra Leone community leader John Nyagua says African communities need to make sure they are heard by governments. “I know the authorities are doing a lot for us and they have actually provided a lot but people are still frustrated because they think most of these issues have not been addressed” he said… Sierra Leone community leader John Nyagua says African communities need to make sure they are heard by governments. “I know the authorities are doing a lot for us and they have actually provided a lot but people are still frustrated because they think most of these issues have not been addressed” he said. The Federal Government has awarded the University of Tasmania $125000 to run a program to build closer connections between refugees and the broader Tasmanian community. The Tasmanians Talking project is a joint initiative between the University local government and community groups. The Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs Laurie Ferguson says it will give people the chance to talk about their culture and experiences and to learn about life in Tasmania. “People are scared of the unknown they are fearful of people different to them its to get across the realities of these communities what they’ve been through some of the issues that motivate them some of their background and basically interact people together” he said. Tags: federal-government refugees activism-and-lobbying programs-and-initiatives tas hobart-7000.
Global warming slows weed invasion
abc.net.au – Apr 28, 2008
In 50 years it is expected our climate will be two degrees warmer with elevated levels of carbon dioxide. The School of Plant Science at the University of Tasmania has simulated those conditions so they can see how global warming will affect important biosystems. The seven-year study by the University of Tasmania has found climate change can slow the invasion of some types of weeds threatening native grasslands. Dr Mark Hovenden from the School of Plant Science says it has been predicted that increasing levels of carbon dioxide will promote the growth of weeds. But he says higher temperatures could change that. “When you add warming to an experiment as well the warming actually knocks the weeds out very strongly” he said.
Geelong’s Wooden Boat Festival a great success!
Sail World – Apr 28, 2008
Attracting the first interstate entries to the festival boats were sailed and trailed from Tasmania and South Australia proving the popularity of the event. Weather conditions were ideal flat waters light breezes and bright sunshine complimenting the crowd pleasing Grand Parade of boats races on Corio Bay and general displays on and off the water. n shore there were demonstrations of rope making displays of boat building featuring many of Australia’s most prominent shipwrights and many other static displays. Perhaps the most graceful craft on show was the fully restored former Tasmanian barracouta and cray fishing boat ‘Storm Bay’. wned by Tim Phillips of The Wooden Boatshop.