Month: August 2022

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Entertainment

Olivia Newton-John’s final life lessons to Aussie cancer patient

Mel Dee Dzelde, 52, from Adelaide, (pictured) received a phone call from the late Olivia Newton-John while undergoing cancer treatment after being diagnosed in 2017. said: "Hi Mel, it's Olivia here. I've heard you've been going through a challenging time",' Mel told FEMAIL

Olivia Newton-John’s six life lessons: Cancer patient reveals what she learned from the Grease star who called her out of the blue to offer support

  • Mel Dee Dzelde claims to have had a friendship with the late Olivia Newton-John
  • The cancer patient, 52, received a call from the actress during treatment
  • A mutual friend told Olivia what Mel was going through then offered to call
  • Since 2017 Mel claims to have remained in touch through calls and texts
  • Mel told FEMAIL the important life lessons Olivia taught her over the years

By Carina Stathis For Daily Mail Australia

Published: | Updated:

An Australian woman battling two serious illnesses has shared how Olivia Newton-John called her out of the blue to help her through her lowest times.

Mel Dee Dzelde, 52, from Adelaide, was diagnosed with stage 4 rectal cancer in 2017 then Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in 2021 and claims to have received the call during treatment as she shared a mutual friend with Olivia.

‘She said: “Hi Mel, it’s Olivia here. I’ve heard you’ve been going through a challenging time”,’ Mel told FEMAIL.

‘We spoke for about an hour – she wanted to know what I was going through and shared some of her own struggles with cancer.’

The beloved Grease actress died on Monday aged 73 at her home in southern California after a 30-year fight with cancer.

Mel described Olivia as her ‘earth angel’ who continued to check-up on her from time to time, including on her birthday and at Christmas.

Mel Dee Dzelde, 52, from Adelaide, (pictured) received a phone call from the late Olivia Newton-John while undergoing cancer treatment after being diagnosed in 2017. said: "Hi Mel, it's Olivia here. I've heard you've been going through a challenging time",' Mel told FEMAIL

Mel Dee Dzelde, 52, from Adelaide, (pictured) received a phone call from the late Olivia Newton-John while undergoing cancer treatment after being diagnosed in 2017. said: “Hi Mel, it’s Olivia here. I’ve heard you’ve been going through a challenging time”,’ Mel told FEMAIL

Beloved Aussie actress Olivia Newton-John (pictured) who starred in Grease died on Monday aged 73 at her home in southern California after a 30-year fight with cancer

Beloved Aussie actress Olivia Newton-John (pictured) who starred in Grease died on Monday aged 73 at her home in southern California after a 30-year fight with cancer

The friendship began when Mel’s mutual friend, Megan, told Olivia what she was going through – and without hesitation the actress offered to call.

At the time Mel was undergoing rounds of chemotherapy and was shocked when she heard who was on the other side of the line.

Mel described Olivia as a ‘very loving and kind person’ who treated everyone equally and the pair continued to stay in touch through texting and phone calls.

‘Olivia was so caring, it was like she was holding my hand through it all. She would always check-in on me which was lovely,’ she said.

The two spoke about meeting in person but Covid prevented this from occurring as Mel was in Australia and Olivia was overseas.

Lessons learned from Olivia:

Don’t focus on sickness and to instead focus on wellness

Always be positive

Make use of natural therapies

Embrace life no matter what’s happening to you

Always be kind and show love to others

laugh and enjoy life

During the last few years, Olivia taught Mel a lot of valuable lessons about how to live a happy life despite experiencing cancer treatments.

‘Olivia always said to not focus on the sickness, but on the wellness. She showed me how to embrace life no matter what’s happening to you,’ she said.

Mel last spoke to Olivia indirectly through Megan last month.

‘She hadn’t answered my last couple of messages and I was worried about her, so she felt her love to me and encouragement to stay positive when she was talking to my friend,’ Mel said.

During the last few years, Olivia taught Mel a lot of valuable lessons about how to live a happy life despite experiencing cancer treatments. 'Olivia always said to not focus on the sickness, but on the wellness. She showed me how to embrace life no matter what's happening to you,' she said

During the last few years, Olivia taught Mel a lot of valuable lessons about how to live a happy life despite experiencing cancer treatments. ‘Olivia always said to not focus on the sickness, but on the wellness. She showed me how to embrace life no matter what’s happening to you,’ she said

Mel last spoke to Olivia indirectly through Megan last month. 'She hadn't answered my last couple of messages and I was worried about her, so she felt her love to me and encouragement to stay positive when she was talking to my friend,' Mel said (pictured: Mel and her husband)

Mel last spoke to Olivia indirectly through Megan last month. ‘She hadn’t answered my last couple of messages and I was worried about her, so she felt her love to me and encouragement to stay positive when she was talking to my friend,’ Mel said (pictured: Mel and her husband)

When Olivia passed away on Monday, Mel said she spent the day in tears as she reminisced on the beautiful person Olivia was.

‘She was such a beautiful human and an important person who helped so many people – it doesn’t matter who she spoke to, she acted the same way to everyone,’ she said.

‘I like to think she’s experiencing all the love the world has for her.’

Olivia Newton John, 73, passes away after 30-year cancer battle

Olivia’s battle with breast cancer first began in 1992 when she was just 44 years old.

She was very open about her diagnosis and treatment, which famously included the use of medical marijuana.

The actress famously beat breast cancer twice but was diagnosed again in 2017.

Despite the cruel toll the disease was taking her life – including crippling her for a period – Olivia kept performing, including touring the US in 2018.

She spent the last few years at home, campaigning for animals’ rights and raising money for her charity online.

She was also a strong campaigner for the use of medical cannabis for treatment in Australia.

The Grease star died at the age of 73 in Southern California on the morning August 8.

Olivia’s death was announced by her husband John Easterling on Monday on her social media pages.

Easterling said his wife died at her Southern California home surrounded by family and friends.

‘Dame Olivia Newton-John (73) passed away peacefully at her Ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends,’ he wrote.

‘We ask that everyone please respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time.

‘Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer.

‘Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer,’ he added.

The family asked for donations to be made to her cancer organization, the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, instead of flowers.

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Sports

Why Rioli to Richmond “makes a lot of sense” to Hasleby

Why Rioli to Richmond “makes a lot of sense” to Hasleby

Paul Hasleby says a move to Richmond makes sense for West Coast’s Willie Rioli.

The 27-year-old 2018 premiership forward is yet to sign a new contract with the Eagles despite the fact they have reportedly offered him a two-year deal to remain.

There is an obvious link to the Tigers given that Willie’s family members Daniel and Maurice Rioli play for the club.

Hasleby wrote about the Rioli situation in an article for The West Australian and further explained his thoughts on SEN WA Breakfast on Thursday.

“It’s just strange at this time of year, you look at the uncontracted players and Willie Rioli is still there,” said Hasleby.

“The West Coast Eagles need A-grade players, or potential A-grade players, under the age of 30 that are going to take the club forward.

“But still as we sit right now with two weeks to go, he remains unsigned. I think there’s a contract offer in front of him.

“The article is just about that. What are his options from him? Is he looking at his options from him? Are West Coast looking at their options with Willie? Because he has does have some trade currency.”

Rioli has been back playing for the Eagles in 2022 after a two-year doping ban.

While Hasleby would like to see him stay in Perth, he would not begrudge him moving to Melbourne to be closer to family.

All of this, of course, depends on whether Richmond is actually interested.

“I hope he stays and finishes his career here and gets back to what he was. He just hasn’t been at that magnificent level,” Hasleby added.

“For a long time I’ve believed that he was the difference between them not winning more premierships or playing in more Grand Finals after 2018 because of his absence. He’s that important to them.

“It was expected after two years off that he probably wouldn’t get to that level straight away. With another pre-season he could do that here.

“Or you look at other clubs. I look at Richmond and I look at all the players that they’ve targeted in recent times – Marlion Pickett, Matthew Parker as well, and you’ve seen Shai Bolton and what he’s done this year.

“Could they do it again with Willie Rioli?

“With what’s happened with his family circumstances and his old man passing away, being close to family, cousins, nephews, it makes a lot of sense to go there.

“Maybe Damien Hardwick can get the absolute best out of him.

“Clearly he may be thinking like that, maybe I’ve made it up, but I think there’s an avenue there for him to take his time and select what’s best for Willie.”

Hasleby does not believe Rioli owes anything to the Eagles despite them supporting him through his two years out of the game.

“All these people would have their own opinion on Willie and the West Coast Eagles and that he owes them for what they’ve been through,” he said further.

“I don’t think it’s about that. I think he needs to make the right decision for him and his family de el going forward that’s going to give him the best chance of being happy, first and foremost, but then getting back to the level he was at prior to his ban.

Rioli played his 50th game for West Coast in last Sunday’s loss to Adelaide. He has kicked 60 goals for the club.

West Coast Eagles Richmond





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Categories
Australia

Perth woman Moe Moe Myint Kelly jailed over ‘ruthless’ theft of $2 million from employer

Perth woman Moe Moe Myint Kelly jailed over 'ruthless' theft of $2 million from employer

A 65-year-old Perth woman who over seven years “ruthlessly” stole $2 million from trusting family friends she worked for, has been sentenced to more than four-and-a-half years in jail.

Moe Moe Myint Kelly was employed as a bookkeeper and accountant for a Northbridge business, which operated both a pharmacy and a newsagent.

She was a family friend of the owners, and the District Court was told when the business started struggling, Kelly agreed to work for free until things improved.

However, unknown to the owners, she began funneling sums of cash from the daily takings into her own accounts.

The thieving began in 2011 and only stopped when Kelly made what was described as “a minor error” in 2018 which led to an audit that uncovered her crime.

The court heard when the owners confronted her, she claimed she had sent most of the money to charities in Burma.

State Prosecutor Justin Whalley SC said bank statements showed the sums Kelly deposited into her accounts ranged from just under $1,000 to $15,000, with most of them being around the $5,000 mark.

A woman in sunglasses, a black top and apricot pants outside a Perth courthouse.
Moe Moe Myint Kelly’s earliest possible release date is April 2025. (ABC News: Glyn Jones)

In total there were more than four hundred separate instances of stealing, with records showing that between 2011 and 2015 she lost large amounts of money at the casino.

The owners provided victim impact statements to the court which detailed the struggles they went through including working around 100 hours a week and using their savings to pay their staff.

Woman was ‘riding a gravy train’

Mr Whalley said Kelly was a trusted family friend of the owners and he described her offenses as “a massive breach of trust”.

“We say she continued to work for nothing because she was riding a gravy train, that was providing her with hundreds of thousands of dollars a year,” he said.

Kelly was initially charged with stealing $3.5 million and had been due to stand trial earlier this year.

However, after negotiations, she pleaded guilty to stealing the lesser sum of $2 million, although Mr Whalley said it was not accepted the figure was that low.

“But it was not in the public interest to litigate the difference,” he told the court.

Kelly’s lawyer said her client, who was born in Burma, had an extremely deprived childhood that effectively included being “abandoned” by her parents when she was seven.

She said Kelly was now married to a man who had been diagnosed with cancer.

Aggravated, ‘ruthless’ offending

Judge David MacLean told Kelly her crimes were aggravated because she was a trusted family friend of the business owners.

“You had a ringside seat to their suffering… you cynically abused that position of trust,” he said.

He also described her actions as “ruthless”.

“You stole directly, repeatedly without guilt, remorse or shame from someone who you appeared to consider as a family,” he said.

Judge MacLean said greed appeared to be the motivation for the offenses.

“It was undertaken by reason for a desire to either enrich yourself or to spend more time at the casino.”

He also described the sum stolen as “enormous”.

“It was an amount of money which was squandered on a parasitic enterprise, something in the order of $1.2 million at the Crown Casino,” he said.

Judge MacLean said Kelly continued to try to justify her actions by claiming she had not been properly paid, and because of that he did not accept she was entirely remorseful.

After taking into account her deprived upbringing and her pleas of guilty, Judge MacLean sentenced Kelly to four years and eight months in jail.

She will have to serve two years and eight months before she is eligible for parole — her earliest possible release date will be in April 2025.

The court heard none of the money had been paid back.

Victim says Kelly ‘cost year years of her life’

Judge MacLean did make a compensation order and the court heard any of Kelly’s assets will be forfeited.

The business owner, Diana Quan, was in court for the sentencing.

She said the jail term was not enough.

“She took 10 years of my life,” she said.

“It’s been an emotional toll. It’s brought up a lot of emotions.

“It was a hard time for us and it continues to be a hard time, we’ll never recover from this, we’re just a small family business and we work really, really hard.”

Ms Quan also said she did not believe the business would get any of the money back but she was grateful the Judge did not accept Kelly was truly remorseful.

“The picture that she presents to the world is very different from who she actually is.”

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Categories
US

87K new agents won’t target middle-income Americans

87K new agents won't target middle-income Americans

The head of the Internal Revenue Service said that the tax collecting agency will “absolutely not” use $80 billion in new funding to step up audits of low- and middle-income Americans.

IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig tried to reassure the US Senate in a recent letter about the 87,000 new agents who will be hired as part of the so-called Inflation Reduction Act.

The legislation includes $45.6 billion for “enforcement-related funds”, which makes up more than half of the appropriations.

Nonpartisan tax observers say that most of the funds that the IRS will collect will come from small and medium-size businesses.
Nonpartisan tax observers say that most of the funds that the IRS will collect will come from small and medium-size businesses.
Newsday via Getty Images

“The resources in the reconciliation package will get us back to historical norms in areas of challenge for the agency — large corporate and global high-net-worth taxpayers — as well as new areas like pass-through entities and multinational taxpayers with international tax issues. , where we need sophisticated, specialized teams in place that are able to unpack complex structures and identify noncompliance,” Rettig wrote in the letter.

The letter was first reported by CNBC.

The IRS will likely receive $80 billion in funding after Senate Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act over the weekend.
The IRS will likely receive $80 billion in funding after Senate Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act over the weekend.
AP

Rettig then added: “These resources are absolutely not about increasing audit scrutiny on small businesses or middle-income Americans.”

He wrote that “our investment of these resources is designed about the Department of the Treasury’s directive that audit rates will not rise relative to recent years for households making under $400,000.”

Last week, the nonpartisan watchdog Joint Committee on Taxation said it anticipates that between 78% and 90% of the estimated $200 billion that the IRS will collect as a result of the bolstered workforce will come from small businesses.

President Biden and the Democratic Party have insisted that Americans earning less than $400,000 annually would not have to pay a cent more in taxes.

But the Joint Committee on Taxation disputes this, saying that between 4% and 9% of the money collected will come from businesses that earn above $500,000 a year.

“The IRS will have to target small and medium businesses because they won’t fight back,” Joe Hinchman, executive vice president at the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, told The Post.

“We’ve seen this play out before … the IRS says ‘We’re going after the rich’ but when you’re trying to raise that much money, the rich can only get you so far.”

Hinchman told The Post that it is easier for the IRS to collect from small- and mid-size businesses since they are less likely to incur legal expenses in order to fight the agency — whereas larger and wealthier companies are much better equipped to do battle.

“The approach here is to double the IRS workforce, take the leash off, and see how much they can collect,” Hinchman adds. “I think they’ll collect it but it will be quite painful.”

Additional reporting by Lydia Moynihan

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Categories
Business

5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday 11 August 2022

5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Thursday 11 August 2022

A male investor wearing a white shirt and blue suit jacket sits at his desk looking at his laptop with his hands to his chin.

Image source: Getty Images

On Wednesday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) followed the lead of US markets and tumbled lower. The benchmark index fell 0.5% to 6,992.7 points.

Will the market be able to bounce back from this on Thursday? Here are five things to watch:

ASX 200 expected to return

The Australian share market looks set to rebound strongly on Thursday following a stellar night on Wall Street after better than expected US inflation data. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is expected to open the day 74 points or 1.1% higher this morning. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones was up 1.6%, the S&P 500 rose 2.1%, and the NASDAQ stormed 2.9% higher. The latter bodes well for the tech sector today.

Telstra full year results

the Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS) share price will be one to watch on Thursday. This morning the telco giant is scheduled to release its full year results. According to a note out of Goldman Sachs, it expects Telstra to report a 6% decline in revenue to $21.6 billion but a 7% increase in underlying EBITDA to $7.13 billion. A final dividend of 8 cents per share is expected, bringing its full year dividend to 16 cents per share.

Oil prices rise

Energy shares including Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) could have a good day after oil prices pushed higher on Wednesday night. According to Bloomberg, the WTI crude oil price is up 1.5% to US$91.92 a barrel and the Brent crude oil price is up 1.3% to US$97.38 a barrel. Optimism over gasoline demand boosted prices.

Goodman results

the Goodman Group (ASX: GMG) share price will be in focus today. This morning the integrated industrial property company will release its full year results. Goodman has been having a fantastic year and has upgraded his guidance to a number of times. Its most recent guidance is for earnings per share growth of 23%. The team at Citi suspect that Goodman could even outperform this guidance.

gold price falls

gold miners Evolution Mining Ltd. (ASX: EVN) and Regis Resources Limited (ASX: RRL) could have a subdued day after the gold price dropped overnight. According to CNBC, the spot gold price is down 0.35% to US$1,805.2 an ounce. Improving investor sentiment reduces the appeal of the safe haven asset.

Categories
Technology

Intel Arc A750 Graphics Card Gaming Benchmarks Revealed, Up To 5% Faster Than RTX 3060 Across 48 DX12 & Vulkan Titles

Intel Arc A750 Graphics Card Is Up To 5% Faster Than NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Across 48 DX12 & Vulkan Titles

Intel has posted the latest Arc A750 graphics card gaming benchmarks across a wide selection of titles running DX12 and Vulkan API. The company proceeded to compare their mainstream card against the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 at FHD & QHD and found out that their chip delivers better performance.

Intel Arc A750 Graphics Card Is Up To 5% Faster Than NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Across 48 DX12 & Vulkan Titles

We have seen the Intel Arc A750 Limited Edition graphics card being tested across various titles previously and we also saw a selection of 1st-tier games where the Arc A750 is said to offer up to 17% better performance versus its competitors. Now, we are not just looking at 1st-tier titles but performance through a selection of 48 different DirectX 12 and Vulkan titles and 1080p & 1440p.

Intel Arc A750 Graphics Card Specifications

The Intel Arc A750 Limited Edition graphics card features a cut-down ACM-G10 “Alchemist” GPU with 448 EUs, 3584 ALUs, and 12 GB of GDDR6 memory running across a 192-bit bus at 16 Gbps, and a TGP around 200W.

The graphics card is powered by an 8+6 connector configuration which means a maximum board power of 300W (150W+75W from connectors & 75W power from the PCIe interface). The top Intel Arc A770 and Arc A750 graphics cards will come in Limited Edition flavors alongside custom designs from partners. The card features three DisplayPort 2.0 and a single HDMI 2.1 connector.

Intel Arc A-Series Desktop Graphics Card Lineup ‘Rumored’:

Graphics Card Variant GPU variant GPU die Execution Units Shading Units (Cores) Memory Capacity memory speed memory-bus TGP Price Status
Arc A770 Xe-HPG 512EU (TBD) Arc ACM-G10 512 EUs (TBD) 4096 (TBD) 16GB GDDR6 16Gbps 256-bit 225W $349-$399US Officially Announced
Arc A770 Xe-HPG 512EU (TBD) Arc ACM-G10 512 EUs (TBD) 4096 (TBD) 8GB GDDR6 16Gbps 256-bit 225W $349-$399US Confirmed Through Leak
Arc A750 Xe-HP3G 448EU (TBD) Arc ACM-G10 448 EUs (TBD) 3584 (TBD) 8GB GDDR6 16Gbps 256-bit 225W $299-$349US Officially Announced
Arc A580 Xe-HPG 256EU (TBD) Arc ACM-G10 256 EUs (TBD) 2048 (TBD) 8GB GDDR6 16Gbps 128-bit 175W US$200-$299 Confirmed Through Leak
Arc A380 Xe-HPG 128EU (TBD) Arc ACM-G11 128 EU 1024 6GB GDDR6 15.5Gbps 96-bit 75W $129-$139US Officially Launched
Arc A310 Xe-HPG 64 (TBD) Arc ACM-G11 64 EUs (TBD) 512 (TBD) 4GB GDDR6 16Gbps 64-bit 75W $59-$99US Confirmed Through Leak

Intel Arc A750 Graphics Card Performance

Performance was tested using the same systems running an Intel Core i9-12900K CPU, a high-end Z690 motherboard and 32 GB (16 GB x2) DDR5 memory running at up to 5600 Mbps speeds. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 was running the GeForce 516.59 drivers while the Arc A750 was using an engineering driver.

As for performance, the card trades blows with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 in various titles. At 1080p, the Intel Arc A750 graphics card is an average of 4% faster in DX12 and 3% faster in Vulkan versus the competition. At 1440p, the difference widens by a bit with the Arc A750 delivering up to 5% better performance in both Vulkan and DX12 titles. This means that at higher resolutions, the Intel Arc graphics card will have a slight advantage over the competition despite both cards having the same 12 GB memory buffer.

Following is the full performance breakdown:

Products mentioned in this post

Categories
Entertainment

Armie Hammer documentary to explore his scandal-plagued sex life and cannibal claims

Armie Hammer documentary to explore his scandal-plagued sex life and cannibal claims

Armie Hammer and his scandal-plagued sex life is set to be the subject of a new three-part documentary series.

House of Hammer, which will air on Discovery Plus next month, includes testimony from two alleged victims of his extreme sexual fetishes.

The actor checked into rehab in May 2021 for substance and sex issues after he was accused of rape and battery by a 24-year-old woman, allegations he strongly denies.

A text — apparently from Hammer to one of his alleged victims — read: “I am 100 per cent a cannibal. I want to eat you.”

Armie Hammer attends the premiere of "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." at the Ziegfeld Theater on Monday, Aug. 10, 2015, in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)
Camera IconArmie Hammer was fired from many projects in Hollywood after he was accused of rape and battery by a 24-year-old woman. Credit: Andy Cropa/Andy Kropa/Invision/AP

Courtney Vucekovich, one of a pair of women who claim the 35-year-old actor assaulted her, detailed the abuse she allegedly endured at his hands, saying that things started fantastically “but then things change” as he “pushes your boundaries a little bit at a time”.

She detailed how the mention of cannibalism meant she spent ages “freaking out” and it was the only thing Hammer “wanted to ever talk about”.

Vucekovich also claims she got a message from him that said: “I’m going to bite the f*** out of you” and that he texted photos of rope to her.

Of the rope, she said: “The ropes were around your neck, your wrist, your ankles, and you’re completely immobilized. I was closing my eyes until it ended.”

Julia Morrison, the second accuser featured in the documentary, claims she received a text from Hammer that read: “I have a fantasy about having someone prove their love and devotion and tying them up in a public place at night and making their body free use and seeing if they will f*** strangers for me”.

Morrison says that she also got a voice note from the Rebecca star, saying: “My bet was going to involve showing into her place and completely tying you up and incapacitating you and then being able to do whatever I wanted to every single hole in your body until I was done with you”.

Elizabeth Chambers posts on Instagram, featuring Armie Hammer her (then) husband
Camera IconElizabeth Chambers posts on Instagram, featuring Armie Hammer her (then) husband. Credit: Elizabeth Chambers/Instagram/Elizabeth Chambers/Instagram

In the three-part series, the women share a string of texts — which they assert came from Hammer, who according to reports works as a timeshare dealer in the Cayman Islands — detailing his apparent intentions.

One reads: “You are mine! Do you hear me? I own you now. I’ll own you forever”.

And, in another: “I decide when you eat, when you sleep. When you f***.”

The scandal, which was prompted by texts leaked in January 2021, has been labeled “bulls***” by the act, who has daughter Harper, seven, and son Ford, five, with his ex Elizabeth Chambers. He has since been fired from many projects in Hollywood.

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Categories
Sports

Stadium stoush continues as Souths slam stalling government

Stadium stoush continues as Souths slam stalling government

South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou has implored the NSW government to allow the Rabbitohs to move to the new Sydney Football Stadium next season as the club waits in limbo without a home ground locked in for 2023.

As revealed in The Daily Telegraph, Souths chief executive Blake Solly said the club had “bucket loads of uncertainty” because a potential move to Moore Park hasn’t been approved by the state government.

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Blake Solly is unimpressed with the stadium standoff. Picture: Lyndon MechielsenSource: News Corp Australia

The Rabbitohs have called the Olympic precinct home since 2006 but are keen to return to Allianz Stadium, which is on the same light rail line as their juniors club in Kingsford.

But the government has yet to approve the move, which means the Rabbitohs can’t sell memberships or corporate packages for 2023 because their fans don’t know which ground they’d be committing to.

“We’re a big club that deserves to be playing in big stadiums,” Demetriou said, joking that they’d gladly play at Redfern Oval if they had to.

“They’ve just built an $800m stadium in our backyard, so I think it makes common sense to me that we’re playing there.

“It’s a stadium that’s built in the heartland of South Sydney.

“It’s down the road from our junior leagues club, so there’s a real opportunity for us to spend some time there and venture into the ground from there and for our members to meet the players post-game.

“All that sort of stuff makes everything easier and that’s why we’re really excited and hopeful of getting in there.

“It’s in our area, so it’d be great to have us playing there and I’m sure our fans and our members and our supporters would love to have a venue closer to home. I know the players would be excited as well.”

The Rabbitohs will officially open the stadium in round 25 when they take on the Roosters in a game that could decide eighth spot on the ladder.

The lack of certainty around their future has had no impact on the playing group yet, but Demetriou says it could if things are left to fester.

The new stadium would be much more convenient for Rabbitohs fans. Picture: Sam RuttynSource: News Corp Australia

“We’ve got that much going on in terms of playing footy,” he said.

“It’s a distraction if we’re getting too caught up in it, but we have no control over it. I don’t as a coach, and I know the players don’t as players.

“But they’re excited about playing there in round 25 and there’s a genuine excitement to play there. I think sharing it with the Roosters and having 20 games a year would be outstanding, not just for clubs, but for the NRL as well.”

It’s a distraction the Bunnies could do without as they prepare for a brutal four-week stretch leading into the finals.

The Rabbitohs play western Sydney heavyweights Parramatta and Penrith and then finish the regular season with games against the second-placed Cowboys and the Roosters in a grudge game to open Allianz Stadium.

It’s a tough stretch but at least they go into Friday’s game at CommBank Stadium knowing they have the wood on Parramatta after five-straight wins over the Eels.

“The last time we played them we were coming off an ordinary performance so we were pretty motivated for that game,” the coach said.

“That’s our challenge tomorrow night – to bring that same motivation off the back of some good performances.

“We’re going in the right direction but we’re playing some bigger teams now that can score points. Parramatta is as good as anyone at scoring points and they are dangerous right across the park, so it’ll be a good test for our defence.”

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Categories
US

Deposition video shows former St. Vincent’s surgeon accused of botching procedures slurring speech, having outbursts

Deposition video shows former St. Vincent's surgeon accused of botching procedures slurring speech, having outbursts

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The News4JAX I-TEAM has obtained an audio recording cited by plaintiffs in recently filed court documents where a former Ascension St. Vincent’s orthopedic surgeon can be heard slurring his speech during an office visit.

A deposition video also obtained by News4JAX shows Dr. David Heekin appearing disoriented, slurring his words and having outbursts just months after his last surgeries.

Heekin is accused of botching hundreds of surgeries and faces 350 lawsuits alleging he operated on patients while he had a progressive neurological condition. The plaintiffs say numerous healthcare employees and noticed patients he had slurred speech and loss of balance and that he showed poor judgment and mood disturbances in his final years as a surgeon.

In hundreds of pages of documents, plaintiffs say hospital leadership was aware of the issues with Dr. Heekin for years but continued to allow him to operate.

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PREVIOUS I-TEAM STORIES: Lawsuits allege Ascension St. Vincent’s knew doctor wasn’t fit to operate but allowed him to perform surgeries | Could former Jacksonville surgeon or hospital accused in malpractice lawsuits face charges?

Plaintiff’s attorneys are asking for permission to seek punitive damages against St. Vincent’s Medical Center laying out their evidence in nearly 500 pages that detail botched surgeries, erratic behavior from the doctor, and documents suggesting that leadership at the hospital were alerted about his unfitness to operate .

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The plaintiffs say Dr. Heekin became the founder and director of St. Vincent’s Orthopedic Center of Excellence around 2012 and a promotional video was cited in their request to the court seeking permission to pursue punitive damages.

The plaintiffs allege the doctor changed when he got sick with a progressive neurological condition but continued to operate for years, causing hundreds of devastating injuries to patients from 2016 to 2020.

Plaintiffs allege Dr. Heekin can be heard on an audio recording slurring his speech during an office visit in February 2019.

The News4JAX I-TEAM has obtained an audio recording cited by plaintiffs in recently filed court documents where a former Ascension St. Vincent’s orthopedic surgeon can be heard slurring his speech during an office visit. A deposition video also obtained by News4JAX shows Dr. David Heekin appearing disoriented, slurring his words from him and having outbursts just months after his last surgeries.

Court records show a deposition of Dr. Heekin that was taken for a medical malpractice lawsuit in August of 2020, months after he retired.

“Towards the beginning of your deposition, you were asked about your retirement in July of this year. Do you recall that?” a lawyer asks.

“Yes,” Heekin replies.

“Doctor, I apologize for asking, but have you been diagnosed with a medical condition that makes it difficult for you to express your testimony today?” the lawyer asks.

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“Yes,” Heekin says.

“Does your medical condition, does it play some role in your decision to retire?” they ask.

“Yes,” he says again.

Hundreds of lawsuits allege Dr. Heekin would lose his temper and intimidate other healthcare providers at St. Vincent’s, often using inappropriate language that was consistent with a lack of impulse control.

The daughter of a patient provided a statement cited by the plaintiffs in a recent filing, saying Dr. Heekin did a knee replacement on her mom in 2018 and she was brought back to the emergency room a month later when her wound opened up.

The statement claims that when Dr. Heekin arrived that day, he was belligerent, slurring his speech, shaking, sweating and screaming at staff and her mother, telling her she “was toast.”

The statement also claims that Dr. Heekin was stumbling and mumbling. The Chief Medical Officer was called to diffuse the situation, and the woman and her family de ella told him about Dr. Heekin’s demeanor and behavior, saying they thought he had been strung out on drugs or had Parkinson’s.

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His reply? Dr. Heekin was just “passionate” about his patients and he was comfortable with him performing surgery, according to the statement, saying Dr. Heekin was born with a speech impediment. The plaintiffs allege that’s a lie.

The plaintiffs allege independent orthopedic doctors in the area saw so many inexplicably devastated patients of Dr. Heekin’s that one of them texted St. Vincent’s CEO Tom VanOsdol in January of 2020.

“We’re seeing a large uptake of SEVERE complication from Dr. Heekin. These patients will end up with above knee amputations and girdlestones,” the text read, referring to a salvage procedure that essentially permanently confines patients to wheelchairs. “I’m going to stop seeing his patients because I can’t take care of them all.”

The CEO responded it’s “very important for us to understand and investigate” and said he’d put the doctor in touch with St. Vincent’s Chief Medical Officer. However, Dr. Heekin continued performing surgeries that harmed patients at the hospital for months, lawsuits allege.

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Four days later, plaintiffs say employees texted each other: “No one is doing anything about it. He is out of his mind today. He’s so confused.” The texts continue to read, “he can’t form a full sentence.”

But even before then, the plaintiffs say leadership knew of possible issues with the Chief Nursing Officer saying in a deposition that the Chief Medical Officer was alerted about the doctor soiling himself in an airport in 2018, but she’s not aware of any call to action.

It’s also alleged that in September of 2019, Dr. Heekin crashed into a parked car “in broad daylight on a clear day” in the parking lot at St. Vincent’s and performed surgeries the same day, including on Jacqueline Rivera, who previously told the I-TEAM, the knee replacement left her legs different lengths.

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MORE | I-TEAM: Woman suing after she alleges knee replacement surgery left legs different lengths

“It’s just heartbreaking, you know, that we trust these hospitals. We trust our doctors,” Rivera said. “But you’re going to take advantage of your patients in that way?”

A St. Vincent’s employee testified that she brought concerns about Dr. Heekin to the clinical coordinator 10 to 15 times and in a meeting with the clinical coordinator and The Director of Surgical Services in 2019, she reported the director said essentially the same thing as the clinical coordinator: ”Patients are willingly going to him. They see how I talked before. It’s their choice.”

The plaintiffs say the evidence is clear: the hospital knew Dr. Heekin wasn’t fit to perform surgeries in his final years there, but they let him continue to operate anyway.

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The plaintiffs also allege the hospital disregarded patients’ complaints, saying the doctor was an independent contractor.

The hospital will have a chance to respond to the plaintiffs’ request to seek punitive damages, but court records show nothing has been filed yet.

In other court records, the hospital has denied allegations of wrongdoing and filed its own cross-claim against Dr. Heekin and the Heekin Clinic, alleging the doctor — not the hospital — should be liable to the plaintiffs for damages.

An attorney representing St. Vincent’s declined to comment to News4JAX about this story and we have not yet heard back as of Wednesday from attorneys for Dr. Heekin and the Heekin Clinic.

Copyright 2022 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.

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Business

Telstra profit falls but dividend rises, ASX surges after US inflation cools

A man walks past a Telstra shop in Darwin, he looks down at his phone.

Telstra has seen a fall in profits for the year, but it has raised dividends for investors, and the ASX has soared on the back of cooling US consumer inflation.

The telecommunications giant said annual profit slipped for 2022 because of lower revenue and total income.

Net profit after tax fell 4.6 per cent to $1.8 billion, with total income falling by nearly 5 per cent to $22 billion.

Before-tax earnings dropped 5 per cent to $7.3 billion.

Telstra sold more mobile services but saw less demand from retail customers for fixed bundle and data services.

Despite the fall in profit, Telstra announced an increase in its dividend for the first time in seven years, following the completion of its four-year transformation plan, T22.

Telstra paid a final fully franked dividend of 8.5 cents a share, bringing the total dividend for the year to 16.5 cents a share.

That is up to 3.1 per cent and includes a special dividend of 3 cents a share for the year.

Outgoing Telstra chief executive Andy Penn said the company’s core business performed strongly despite the challenges.

“What we could not have foreseen was COVID and the other seismic economic, political and social changes that have unfolded,” Mr Penn said.

“Our mobiles result was outstanding, consumer and small business fixed grew sequentially in the second quarter, enterprise returned to growth, and we started to realize the benefits of setting up our infrastructure assets as a standalone InfraCo business.”

Telstra shares lost their gains, and were down 1 per cent to $3.97 at 3:20pm AEST.

ASX jumps

The Australian share market surged more than 1 per cent in early trade on hopes that the US Federal Reserve would not make another super-sized interest rate hike next month because of a pullback in prices in July in the US.

At 3:15pm, the All Ordinaries index was up 1 per cent to 7,311, while the ASX 200 index rose 9 per cent to 7,057.

Most sectors increased on the ASX 200, with industrials, technology and consumer stocks leading the gains.

National Australia Bank, ANZ, Westpac gained ground, but the Commonwealth Bank was lower.

Just education stocks and utilities were weaker.

Lithium firm Lake Resources (+15.5 per cent) and fashion retailer City Chic Collective (+11.5 per cent) did the best, with share registry Computershare (-4.3 per cent) doing the worst.

The Australian dollar jumped around 1.5 US cents overnight from yesterday’s close as the greenback fell.

It reached an overnight high of 71.09 US cents.

At 3:20pm AEST, the local currency was down 0.1 per cent to 70.68 US cents.

The AMP logo on a building in Sydney
AMP is returning $1.1 billion to investors after it sold its infrastructure debt business.(ABCNews)

AMP returns $1.1 billion to investors

Financial house AMP saw a fall in underlying half year profit because of lower profit margins at its banking division and share market volatility.

Underlying net profit fell by one quarter to $117 million for the first half of the financial year.

That is as net interest margin, the difference between what the bank pays for finance compared to what it charges customers, slipped.

AMP said NIM fell to 1.32 per cent from 1.62 a year earlier because of competition in the home loan market and a preference towards lower margin fixed rate loans, which has since subsided.

The company said higher interest rates will help its profit margins over the second half of the year.

Investments under management also took a hit because of falling share market returns over the first half of the year with funds under management falling from $142.3 billion a year ago to $126.3 billion.

Net profit for the first half of the year increased to $481 million after it sold its infrastructure debt business, up more than threefold.

But in good news for investors, the company is returning $1.1 billion in capital to shareholders, although it did not pay an interim dividend.

AMP shares were down 1.5 per cent to $1.15 in late trade.

Meanwhile, insurer QBE said net profit after tax for the half year slumped from $441 million a year ago to $151 million for the six months to the end of June, down by two-thirds.

That is because of share market volatility and record storms and floods in Australia.

Investors get an interim dividend payout of 9 cents a share.

QBE shares rose 3.4 per cent to $12.56 in the last hour of trade.

US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell walks with a clipboard in behind an American flag.
US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell is set to raise US official interest rates again next month. (AP: Susan Walsh)

US inflation slows

The US Consumer Price Index was flat in July after rising by 1.3 per cent in June, when prices reached an annual rate of 9.1 per cent — the highest in 41 years.

The US Labor Department said over the year to July, prices rose at the slower pace of 8.5 per cent, better than expected by economists.

The data is the first notable sign of relief for Americans who have watched inflation steadily climb over the past two years.

The US central bank, the Federal Reserve, is considering whether to make another large interest rate increase of 0.75 per cent in September, after a string of rate rises this year.

July’s slowdown in monthly inflation was the largest since 1973 and followed on the heels of petroleum prices falling by around one-fifth since mid-June.

Prices at the pump spiked in the first half of the year because of the war in Ukraine and reached a record high of more than $US5 a gallon in mid-June.

Gasoline prices fell 7.7 per cent in July, but food prices remained elevated, climbing by 1.1 per cent.

However, prices are still rising at levels not seen since the high-inflation era of the 1970s and early 1980s.

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The core consumer price index, which strips out volatile energy and food prices, rose 0.3 per cent in July from June, and 5.9 per cent from a year earlier.

US consumer prices have surged for a variety of reasons including the global supply-chain squeeze, massive government stimulus from the COVID-19 pandemic, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Chicago Federal Reserve president Charles Evans said the inflation reading was the first “positive” one since the central bank began raising interest rates earlier this year.

But he said inflation was still “unacceptably” high and the Fed would continue to need to raise rates likely to between 3.25 per cent and 3.5 per cent this year, and to between 3.75 per cent and 4 per cent by the end of next year.

“This is not yet the meaningful decline in inflation the Fed is looking for,” Paul Ashworth of Capital Economics said.

“But it’s a start and we expect to see broader signs of easing price pressures over the next few months.”

US stocks surge

Wall Street rallied after the US inflation report came out, with investors betting the Federal Reserve might raise official interest rates by 0.5 percentage points instead of 0.75 percentage points next month.

The Nasdaq and S&P 500 surged more than 2 per cent.

By the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.6 per cent to 33,310, the S&P 500 rose 2.1 per cent to 4,210, and the Nasdaq Composite rose 2.9 per cent to 12,855.

All 11 sectors on the S&P 500 gained, led by miners, consumer staples and technology stocks.

The US inflation data calmed nerves in Europe.

The FTSE 100 index in London rose 0.25 per cent to 7,507, the DAX in Germany rose 1.2 per cent to 13,701, and the CAC 40 in France rose 0.6 per cent to 4,954.

Brent crude oil rose 0.8 per cent to $US97.11 a barrel, while spot gold fell 0.1 per cent to $US1791.39 an ounce.

ABC/Reuters

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