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The immigration department says rapper Snoop Dogg has been granted a visa to enter Australia for a concert tour after concluding a full character assessment of the entertainer.

The department had earlier expressed concern about Snoop Dogg's criminal record but took into account the fact that he had traveled to Australia three times without incident.

It said the rapper, whose birth name is Cordozar Calvin Broadus Jr, has committed to doing charity work with at-risk youth during his visit to Australia.

Snoop Dogg was refused permission to even apply for a visa to enter Australia in 2007 because of his criminal record, sinking plans for him to co-host the MTV Australia Video Music Awards.

Oscar-winning Australian actor Russell Crowe this week wrote a letter to immigration officials to support Snoop Dogg's visa application and 17-day "Smoked Out" tour.
"I submit to you that Snoop Dogg poses no threat to Australia or to any individual in this country," Crowe wrote.

The spokesman said the visa will be canceled if Snoop failed to abide by the law during his visit to Australia and strict behaviour rules to abide by while in the country.

He has also been denied entry to Britain.

Source: Rob Taylor, Bill Tarrant & The Press Association

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Australia Says NO to Snoop Dogg

September 9th 2008 00:12

For yet another time, rapper Snoop Dogg may possibly be denied entry into another country, this time the Long Beach native has the Immigration Department in Australia a little skeptical.

After initially giving Snoop Dogg's provisional approval on his visa, the Immigration Department in Australia decided that they would instead conduct a full character assessment to see if Snoop would be allowed entry into the country.
According to a spokesperson for the Immigration Department, the full character assessment was a result of public concern.

"Mr. Broadus has not been granted a visa, there are further steps required beyond character assessment before a visa is granted. The department has now decided to do a full assessment of the character of Mr. Broadus," a department spokesperson said. "Community complaints have no effect on the grant or otherwise of a visa. Each application is assessed individually on its merits."

Snoop Dogg is awaiting approval from the Australian Immigration Department in order to tour with Ice Cube in October.

In 2007, Snoop Dogg's visa request to enter the United Kingdom was denied by officials because of an incident with Snoop and his entourage that happened the previous year at Heathrow Airport in London.

Source: hiphopdx.com – 28/08/2008, Danielle Harling

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Being Homosexual in Australia (LINK)

September 4th 2008 03:13

Gay men and lesbians in Victoria are denied reproductive rights currently enjoyed by heterosexual couples, including access to:

• Adoption
• Artificial insemination
• Other in vitro fertilization techniques.

While many things have improved for gay and lesbian people over the past 50 years in Australia, there is still constant uncertainty about whether they will receive acceptance from families, friends, colleagues and service providers. The constant pressure of dealing with this uncertainty has an impact on health.

According to the Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby, 84 per cent of gay men, lesbians and bisexual Victorians have been discriminated against because of their sexuality. A 2006 study of 5,500 gay men, lesbians, bisexual, transgender and intersex (GLBTI) people in Australia found that nearly 70 per cent of GLBTI people modify their daily activities because of fear of prejudice and discrimination. It is no wonder that this has an impact on the health and wellbeing of gay and lesbian people.

While gay and lesbian people are as diverse as the rest of the population, their shared experience of discrimination creates common health issues. Australian society generally regards heterosexuality as the most acceptable sexual orientation, which means that gay men, lesbians and bisexual people may be marginalized and discriminated against.

Gay men and lesbians have higher rates of mental health disorders than the rest of the population. They also have higher rates of obesity, smoking and unsafe alcohol and drug use, and are more likely to self-harm. These conditions develop in response to the kind of scenarios listed below:

• ‘Coming out’, only to be rejected by family members and friends
• Being bullied or taunted by schoolmates on a daily basis
• Homophobic jokes or harassment in the workplace
• Being threatened or bashed when out on the street
• Hiding part of yourself in social situations for fear of being rejected or marginalized
• Feeling guilt and shame about one’s own sexuality in the face of negative messages being delivered by the society around you.

Source: Really Long Link

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An Inconvenient Truth for Skippy the Kangaroo (LINK)

September 2nd 2008 02:27

An Aussie scientist claims that eating kangaroos could massively reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Dr George Wilson, of the Australian Wildlife Services, has recently urged Australians to arm the country’s most iconic marsupials, roo roast could soon become a menu staple, and why not? Australia already makes, sells and eats kangaroo sausages, steaks and rissoles. If fact Australia is the only country to eat the animal that is part of the country’s Coat of Arms.

Wilson and Greenpeace claim that Aussies could dramatically reduce their carbon footprint by eating less beef and more of the local wildlife. Removing seven million cattle and 36 million sheep by 2020 and replacing them with 175 million kangaroos could lower national greenhouse gases by three per cent a year, says Dr George Wilson from the University of New South Wales.

Why? It's all because kangaroos don't ‘break wind’. Or, to put it rather more scientifically, whereas cows and sheep release vast quantities of methane through belching and flatulence, kangaroos release virtually none.

The report says cutting beef consumption by 20 per cent (and thus the amount of cattle reared) and substituting it with kangaroo steaks, mince, burgers, ribs and so on would reduce Australia's greenhouse gas emissions by a staggering 15 megatons by 2020.

It's not as mad as it sounds. On top of their impressive personal hygiene, kangaroos make model livestock. They need less food than sheep or cattle, are better adapted to drought and are far less damaging to the fragile topsoil than their sharply-hooved bovine counterparts.

And they don't taste bad either... With a distinctive gamey flavour, very tender, best brushed with oil and cooked rare to medium rare (to stop it becoming dry and chewy), it looks just like prime roast beef.

Modern Australians are uncharacteristically sentimental about an animal that has become a national icon and which pops up on the country's coat of arms (opposite an emu) and on the country’s coins. They claim it just feels wrong - disrespectful, almost - to be tucking into their national emblem.

The kangaroo industry, meanwhile, is doing its best to toughen them up and overcome their squeamishness and two years ago, amid much fanfare, it launched a five-year "eat roo" campaign. There were specialist recipe books (invaluable if you fancied a seared kangaroo salad, smoked fillet of kangaroo with brioche and pear chutney, or maybe a nice bowl of kangaroo tail soup). There were also new products (kangaroo microwave meals, kangaroo kebabs, kangaroo burgers) and a huge drive in supermarkets. Many now have whole sections dedicated to kangaroo meat - steaks, mince, readymade microwave meals, barbecue packs, kanga-bangers, you name it - nestled between the beef and chicken.

There was even a competition to come up with a new name that wouldn't put diners off their dinner - a sort of equivalent to pork for pig and venison for new deer. Sadly, this not a great success - after 2,700 entries from 41 countries, "australus" was chosen, but was dismissed by restaurateurs as "silly" and "pathetic" and was too similar to a brand of cosmetics (called Australis) to catch on.

It's enough to put a spring in your step - if you can just forget for a moment that you're eating poor Skippy.

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

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Australia Wants YOU America (LINK)

September 1st 2008 04:12

Australia is actively marketing the region as a desirable immigration destination for skilled workers from the United States.

There is record unemployment in America's industrial states due to manufacturing plants shutting down or laying off workers. In response, Peter Beattie, former Queensland premier and now Queensland's trade commissioner who is who based in Los Angelas, issued press releases stating that "Queensland wants you!" to various media outlets in the affected states.

Queensland and the rest of Australia has a particular need for skilled workers especially in the manufacturing, mining, and engineering sectors. Labor shortages are an acute problem in Australia, prompting immigration authorities to increase its skilled immigration quotas for the current financial year.

Australia's lack of a language barrier and Queensland's focus on family, education, and work rights and the sunny climate makesfor an attractive destination for US workers from the northwest US states.

However, Australia is not only looking to America to fill its skills shortages. The country has a highly successful skilled immigration program that brings skilled workers to Australia from all over the world.

Source: Workpermit.com

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Australia is in a Man Drought! (LINK)

September 1st 2008 03:45

An analysis of new census figures has shown that Australia is suffering from an unprecedented "man drought".

The statistics have revealed that there are almost 100,000 more females than males in Australia. The problem is worse in the coastal cities, where women have moved seeking better jobs and lifestyles, while many men have gone overseas

[ Click here to read more ]

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Migrant's thoughts about the migration process to Australia (video) (LINK)

August 22nd 2008 06:53

To view an interview with Jorge, a spanish migrant, please follow the link below...

Really Long Link
[ Click here to read more ]

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International Students getting the Best deal in Australia (LINK)

August 20th 2008 23:50

Recent government amendments to Australian immigration programs have resulted in more foreign students being able to join the Australian educational system than ever before. Creating some of the best opportunities in the world for international students.

2007 saw around 455,000 international student enroll into Australian Universities. To put this into perspective that is a 30% increase over the previous five years

[ Click here to read more ]

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Full Speed for Australian 457 Visas (LINK)

August 20th 2008 23:29

More and more people are applying to work Down Under via the 457 Visa. This has however resulted in the need for a more efficient and quicker visa processing service.

The Australian government has shifted their immigration focus away from the need for permanent immigration to favouring the temporary worker instead. This is in order not to hinder the job opportunities of locals

[ Click here to read more ]

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Seminario sobre Migracion a Australia -Bogota, Colombia (LINK)

August 12th 2008 05:51

Informacion sobre nuestro primer seminario imigratorio en Bogota, Colombia.

El siguiente enlace es un video que explica la migración procedente de seminario que se celebra en Colombia

[ Click here to read more ]

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September 2008

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