People from Asia Pacific Region wanted for new TV Series in Australia

MY AUSTRALIA looks at Australia through the eyes of people from the Asia‐Pacific region who are studying or living here. Each week they will undertake a new activity to find out more about Australia and come away with a greater understanding of how Australians live, work and play. The series is being produced by the ABC and will be broadcast by Australia Network to 44 countries in the Asia Pacific region.

Who they are looking for?

• People from the Asia Pacific who have lived in Australia for less than 5 years
• Age 18 ‐ 40
• Good English speakers
• Extrovert personalities, outgoing, curious, adventurous
• Desire to learn and experience more about Australia
• Able to travel and work in Australia

Expressions of Interest
For application details, please visit the website: http://australianetwork.com/myaustralia/ Read more

Australian of the Year Awards Nominations Open

Nominations for the Australian of the Year Awards 2010 will be officially opened on Wednesday 1 July 2009 at a launch in Darwin.

National Australia Day Council Chairman Adam Gilchrist, Judith Durham OAM (Australian of the Year – The Seekers 1967) and Catherine Freeman OAM, who is the only person to be named both Young Australian of the Year (1990) and Australian of the Year (1998) will be present at the launch to call on nominations from the public.

At the official launch, Cathy Freeman will take part in a tandem skydive with a giant Australian flag to land on the beach outside the Darwin Trailer Boat Club and deliver the first nomination for this year’s awards to Gilchrist. Read more

Eat Right Stay Bright this Winter

According to the Dietitians Association of Australia, more Australians turn to comfort foods at this time of
year, eating pastries, cakes and chocolates, and less eat fruit, during the colder months¹.

Australia’s last national nutrition survey found more than 70 per cent of Australian adults indulge in less
nutritious ‘cereal-based’ foods during the winter months¹. Such foods included pizza, cakes, pastries,
battered food, commercial hamburgers and biscuits.

But dietitians say choosing the right ‘comfort’ foods during winter can help you stay healthy and happy all
year round.

DAA Spokesperson Lisa Renn said: “On short, cool days, it’s tempting to reach for fatty and sugary
comfort foods. But any boost from these foods is usually short lived, so you end up with less energy – and
more weight in the long term”.

Ms Renn, an Accredited Practising Dietitian, said the right comfort foods are lower in sugar, fat and
kilojoules (energy).

Try these tips from the DAA to stay energised this winter:

• Cook healthy soups and casseroles in bulk and freeze in meal-sized containers for a quick meal.

• Piping hot drinks can be a great way to stay warm. Use reduced-fat milk and limit added sugar.

• Keep up a regular exercise routine over winter. Rug up when heading outdoors and have bad weather options to fall back on, such as an exercise DVD.

• Warm up with a chunky vegetable soup and crusty wholegrain bread roll.

• Try a baked apple with reduced-fat custard for a healthy dessert.

• Curries or hearty casseroles make a tasty meal on cold winter nights. Choose lean cuts of meat and experiment with different vegetables.

• Baked potatoes are a great winter idea. Try topping potatoes with sliced mushrooms, reduced-fat cheese and chives.

“Try nourishing foods like porridge with reduced-fat milk and fruit, chunky vegetable and lentil soups, and
slow-cooked casseroles made with lean meat and vegetables like potato and carrot,” said Ms Renn.

She also recommends eating healthy, low glycaemic index (GI) foods for sustained energy, and maintaining
regular physical activity to boost energy levels.

For more information visit www.daa.asn.au

References:
1. National Nutrition Survey, 1995 ABS catalogue number 4805.0. (Based on the period March to August, compared with other times throughout the year).

Source: Dietitians Association of Australia

Citibank Wins Credit Card Issuer of the Year

Citibank was crowned Credit Card Issuer of the Year by Money Magazine for two MasterCards it created for CUSCAL, a distributor of financial services to credit unions.

The Low RateMasterCard and the Rewards MasterCard were singled out for offering customers the lowest rates, competitive annual fees and standout features.

In addition to this, Citibank has beaten every other bank in Australia to win the title of best credit cards website in the country in the Global Reviews half yearly benchmark survey. The survey assesses applications, product information, internet banking, customer support and rewards programs on lenders’ websites. Read more

Childrens Book Review: Angel Cake by Cathy Cassidy

It’s been a very long time since I’ve read a young fiction novel. So long, in fact, that when I finished reading Angel Cake by British author Cathy Cassidy, I felt thirteen again. Really. It was like stepping back in time, feeling all those adolescent emotions once more. It also felt wonderful to be reminded of the raw power of friendship in the teen years – a commodity that can become so complicated and delicate as we age.

Admittedly, Angel Cake isn’t aimed at 40-something women. It’s aimed at 9 to 14 year old girls, yet the book was oddly compelling to this over-the-hill reader. Indeed, Cassidy recently told Australian Women Online that she frequently receives emails from older teens and even parents, complimenting her books – something the author says is a bit of a buzz.

“It’s a real privilege to get such direct feedback from my readers,” said Cassidy, who says her website – www.cathycassidy.com – has become a real vehicle to connect with her readers. “It’s very interactive. [Readers] can post reviews, ask questions, send in artwork of a fave character, post a poem or enter the writing comp and check out my tips for young writers.” Read more

Rediscover the Joys of Reading at the Online Book Club for Women

Now women in Australia and New Zealand can access a book club anytime from the comfort of their own home or office. The new look AWO (Australian Women Online) Book Club was launched on 23 June 2009 and is now actively seeking new members to join us as we rediscover the joys of reading, and discuss some of the most important books of our time.

If you’re anything like us gals here at Australian Women Online, you’re way too busy with paid work, family commitments, friends and housework, to attend regularly scheduled book club meetings – or perhaps you live in a rural area where there are no book clubs within driving distance of your home. Whatever your circumstances may be, they needn’t prevent you from experiencing the benefits of participating in a lively Book Club any longer.

The AWO Book Club is free to join and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! To register visit the website at http://www.australianwomenonline.com/awobookclub/index.php Read more

Car Advice for Women: Be a Label Lover

We all love our labels. Some labels carry brand names that make us feel cool, while other labels provide us with valuable information, such as how many grams of fat are in each biscuit. When it comes to cars, labels can be just as important. I’m not talking about the one that sits in the middle of the bonnet, but the one that sits on the windscreen of a new car; the Fuel Consumption Label. Yeh, I know, there are no celebs or models pushing this label so you won’t read about it in the gossip mags, but the label can help you to save money and care for the environment.

How?
The Fuel Consumption Label shows how many litres of fuel a vehicle uses to travel 100 kilometres and how many grams of carbon dioxide- CO2 the vehicle emits each kilometre travelled. Carbon dioxide is the gas that is the largest contributor to the greenhouse effect. The ratings are based on a standard test procedure so you can reliably compare the performance of different models under identical conditions.

The lower the numbers, the better it is for your wallet and our environment. Read more

Top 10 Fuel Efficient Cars in Australia

The high cost of petrol is getting a lot of people thinking about their current car. If you have made the decision to purchase a new car and fuel efficiency is key, use the following list to facilitate the process. Note that the figure shown is based on a “combined cycle” which is based on both city and highway driving. If you use your car more in the city – often stopping, starting and accelerating, you will use more fuel.

According to the GreenVehicleGuide, the top 10 most fuel efficient cars in Australia are: Read more

Advertisements found guilty of discrimination

SANE Australia tells us that the Advertising Standards Board (ASB) has uphelding complaints about portrayals of mental illness in advertising as discriminatory and stigmatising.

Two advertisers made light of mental illness to promote their products and both have been found in breach of section 2.1 of the AANA Code of Ethics for discriminating on the basis of disability.

The Board found that a Rivers clothing catalogue featuring bipolar disorder, made fun of the ‘mood changes’ associated with this illness and that two youi Insurance television commercials depicting ‘compulsive behaviour’ were disrespectful to people with obsessive compulsive disorder. Read more

Oscar-nominated Mum Boards Greenpeace Ship

Oscar-nominated actress and Greenpeace Ambassador, Keisha Castle-Hughes (pictured), has boarded the Greenpeace ship Esperanza to speak up for a strong global climate treaty. The New Zealand based star of the film ‘Whale Rider’ and mother of 2 year old Felicity-Amore, joined the MV Esperanza in the Cook Island’s capital, Rarotonga, and spent two days in port with the Greenpeace crew, talking to locals affected by climate change and meeting with local environmental activists and the Cook Islands Prime Minister.

The Australian-born Keisha Castle-Hughes, rose to prominence in 2004 when at just 13 years of age, she became the youngest ever nominee for an Oscar in the Best Leading Actress category, for her role as Paikea in the film ‘Whale Rider’. 19 year old Keisha is keeping in touch with her fans while on board the Greenpeace ship through hourly tweets, and daily Facebook and blog updates, where she tells of her desire to make sure her daughter and future generations are left with a healthy planet. Read more

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