Teen sues over nude Snapchat

Girl sues over nude Snapchat selfie. Source: Supplied

Snapchat settled with the Federal Trade Commission over allegations it deceived users over the amount of personal data it collected and was responsible for a security breach impacted 4.6 million customers. WSJ's Brent Kendall explains on digits. Photo: Getty Images.

A TEENAGE girl is suing a male classmate after he allegedly spread her nude Snapchat selfie to his pals.

The 14-year-old Brooklyn girl became suicidal after a racy selfie she sent to a 13-year-old male classmate was widely distributed, eventually coming to the attention of her parents.

The classmate convinced her to send him the photo via Snapchat, a service that automatically deletes messages seconds after they're seen.

But the tech-savvy boy grabbed a screenshot of the illicit image, the lawsuit charges.

Snapchat alerted the girl that the boy had kept a copy of her picture. She begged him to delete it. The boy said he had — but he lied, court papers say.

In December, the boy ­allegedly wanted more naked shots of the girl. When she refused, he told her, "I should expose you."

He then "distributed the picture widely," she charges in a Brooklyn Supreme Court lawsuit filed against the boy and his parents.

The girl is identified in the suit only as "Jane Doe."

She "was informed by friends and strangers alike that they had seen the picture posted publicly on Instagram, received it in text messages, and on Facebook chats," the lawsuit says.

She deleted her Facebook and Instagram accounts. But the picture, in which half of her face and "her distinctive hair" are visible, became so widely distributed her parents eventually heard about it from a friend's kid.

Jane Doe became depressed and suicidal and "was constantly distraught by the reality of others having seen her nude body."

Also, she "was worried each school day because she feared other students had negative opinions of her due to the dissemination of the picture," the suit says.

Jane Doe's lawyer declined to comment when asked if she or her family had gone to law enforcement. The Post is withholding the names of the Cobble Hill boy and his family.

The girl accuses him of "extreme and outrageous conduct," and seeks an injunction to have him stop spreading the picture. She also wants the names of those he sent it to, as well as more than $50,000 damages.

The mother of the accused boy said she wasn't aware of the lawsuit.

"As a parent, I deeply understand the sensitive nature of this matter which my family and I are taking great care to address privately," she said in a statement to The Post.

Have you had a bad experience with Snapchat? Email charis.chang@news.com.au

Originally published as Teen sues over nude Snapchat

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Carney breaks silence on photo

Todd Carney sits down for an interview with Danny Weidler from Channel 9. Picture: Adam Taylor Source: News Corp Australia

DISGRACED Cronulla Sharks star Todd Carney has spoken out for the first time after a lewd photo of him in a toilet surfaced over the weekend.

An emotional Carney spoke to Channel Nine's Danny Weidler about the photo which appears to show him drinking his own urine.

Weidler has appeared on 5pm Nine News in a promotional piece for the full story which will air at 6pm in which he says Carney "hopes again to be an NRL player", that he is very "upset" and "remorseful" over the incident and that he is sad to have "let down fans, family and his mum".

Weidler says a teary Carney said it was a "stupid act" and that he was drunk and that "he regrets every bit of it".

Carney himself is quoted as saying it is "disappointing". "It's something I did not know was out there or would ever surface like this. To receive the message on Saturday night was gut-wrenching, it made me feel sick," he said.

He has also reportedly had a crack at the Cronulla club and people who took the photo.

There will be more to come at 6pm AEST.

Todd Carney with Danny Weidler from channel 9. Cronulla Sharks captain Paul Gallen visits Todd Carney at his apartment in Cronulla after Todd was sacked yesterday. Picture: Adam Taylor Source: News Corp Australia

Earlier today his agent claimed the disgraced NRL player did not drink his own urine in a picture that ultimately ended his career.

"It's a setup, like when people stand in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa," Carney's agent David Riolo told 2UE this morning.

"Todd's paid a very, very heavy price for a photo that he didn't want out there or upload himself. It was supposed to be kept between mates.

"The person who took the photo contacted me this morning by text and said, 'My phone got lost' — supposedly — and that's how the photo got out. It was meant to be a joke.

Todd Carney of the Sharks looks on before the round three NRL match between the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and the St George Illawarra Dragons at Remondis Stadium on March 22, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt Blyth/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

"He's now got a photo of himself gone worldwide in not a very pleasant setting that's going to be on the net for his family and everyone to see for future generations. That in itself is a very big price to pay."

The claims come as the Sharks this morning cancelled their planned training session.

Carney had two warnings about poor behaviour this year before the embattled club sacked him over a social media photo scandal.

A vulgar picture of Carney urinating in his own mouth at a Cronulla nightspot went viral over the weekend — forcing Sharks directors to tear up his $3 million contract in a phone hook-up on Sunday.

The photo was taken two Saturdays ago in the men's toilets at Northies after the team's thrashing by Manly. The photo will not be printed because of its lewd nature.

Todd Carney in action during a Cronulla Sharks NRL training session at Remondis Stadium on May 14, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Renee McKay/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

Carney's Sharks teammates, including skipper Paul Gallen, headed to Carney's Cronulla apartment today to offer moral support.

"Yeah I've spoken to him, it's a tough time for everyone," Gallen said.

League Immortal Andrew Johns has been one of only a handful to throw their support behind Carney, whose NRL career now appears to be over.

"He is such a good player he will get another chance for sure," Johns said on Triple M.

Speaking on The Sunday Footy Show, Johns also said the Sharks should not have dumped him over the incident.

"Surely they couldn't sack him for that,'' Johns said. "It's silly ... it's stupid (but) he is only doing it to himself."

Friend and fellow player Eric Growth Jnr leaving Todd Carney's Cronulla appartment block. Cronulla Sharks former player Todd Carney sacked over a vulgar picture of him. Source: News Corp Australia

Cronulla Sharks captain Paul Gallen visits Todd Carney at his apartment in Cronulla after Todd was sacked yesterday. Picture: Adam Taylor Source: News Corp Australia

Originally published as Carney breaks silence on photo

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What on Earth was Todd Carney thinking?

The lewd picture has surfaced just one day after Carney starred in Cronulla's epic comeback against Brisbane on Friday night. Source: News Corp Australia

TODD Carney has been sacked after a shocking lewd picture of the NRL player went viral on social media overnight.

The image allegedly shows Carney in the toilets of Sutherland Shire nightclub Northies urinating into his own mouth, an act also known as 'bubbling'.

Cronulla Board members decided this afternoon to terminate his $650,000-a-year contract effective immediately, despite having three years remaining, according to the Daily Telegraph.

While Todd Carney is yet to officially comment on the photo, the subject got a fiery response on Sunday Triple M, with co-host and News Corp journalist Paul Kent blasting Carney as "a p***ed idiot at the trough acting like a goose."

When asked about the pictures, the NRL's Head of Football Todd Greenberg told Triple M:

"We're clearly not in the business to talk about negativity for rugby league, we want to talk about the positive things," he said.

"These things derail the conversation and that doesn't please us.

"Where we have to make tough decisions, we'll make them," he said.

Rugby league immortal Andrew Johns told Channel Nine's Sunday Footy Show this morning that Carney should not be sacked over the latest incident.

"Surely they couldn't sack him for that," Johns said. "It's silly ... it's stupid (but) he is only doing it to himself."

Todd Carney's teammates congratulating his try on Friday night. Source: News Corp Australia

Also known as 'gargoyling', bubbling is an internet craze that is particularly prevalent within the skating community.

One skater, Troy West, told Vice that it's part of an Aussie skater's everyday life, and was something that was even passed down to him from his father.

The craze is apparently starting to pick up in Europe too, with West claiming he was 'bubbling' in both Austria and Italy with other skaters while touring.

"Why?" you might ask.

"To provoke reactions from laymen," of course.

It wouldn't be the first time Todd Carney has landed in hot water for his off-field indiscretions.

In 2009 he was banned from playing in the NRL after repeated alcohol-related incidents while playing for Canberra.

He spent the season playing with the Atherton Roosters in the Cairns competition before joining the Roosters the following year.

After two seasons with the Tricolours, Carney was released from the final year of his contract after he broke a team-imposed alcohol ban.

That same year, Carney was caught up in another scandal after nude pictures of him were found of a second-hand phone in Canberra.

Louise Hallam was shocked after finding the pictures of the footballer stored on the phone.

Carney admitted he had used a device to take explicit pictures of himself in front of the bathroom mirror and had forwarded the photos to a girl he met on Facebook months after she exchanged a lewd photograph of herself.

Originally published as What on Earth was Todd Carney thinking?

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UFC commentator’s massive fail

All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu is introduced to a global UFC audience as 'one of the greatest Australian Rules football players of all time'. Courtesy Youtube/Jamie Wall

WELL, this is one massive fail.

During last night's UFC Fight Night in Auckland, an American commentator made an embarrassing error when introducing one of New Zealand's greatest sporting heroes.

Fuelling the American stereotype of being completely ignorant about other countries, the US commentator announced, "Here tonight in attendance, Jonah Lomu of the All Blacks, one of the greatest Australian Rules Football players of all time."

Jonah Lomu is, of course, not one of our greatest AFL players, but rather one of the world's greatest Rugby union players. You know, the sport that the All Blacks compete in.

Not only did the commentator get that wrong, but he also pronounced Lomu's last name wrong as well, calling him," Jonah La-boo."

Epic fail.

Ahhh ... Australian Rules? Source: Supplied

Originally published as UFC commentator's massive fail

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What’s holding women back?

Michelle Bridges has launched her very own range of dietary supplements with Blackmores. Source: Supplied

IT'S no secret that she has a terrific figure, but these latest videos of Michelle Bridges are ab-solutely rig-diculous.

The Biggest Loser star has been flaunting her incredible set of biceps and abs on social media over the past week and she's even treated fans to a couple of short workout clips.

In the most recent video shared by the 43-year-old personal trainer, a straight-faced Bridges can be seen in the gym squatting a seriously impressive amount of weights.

The caption reads: "Thanks max and the team at @inov8_australia for my awesome weightlifting shoes! Happy with 75kgs! @commandosteve."

We couldn't help but notice that Bridges has been attributing her Biggest Loser beau Steve 'The Commando' Willis in her workouts more frequently of late and raised the point with her. Alas, ever the professional, she expertly deflected any discussion of her personal life.

This is surprising, given the celebrity couple — who have been dating on and off for a year — have been constantly in the spotlight since it was revealed they were an item back in May, 2013, despite both being in other relationships at the time.

The couple has recently enjoyed a romantic holiday in Hawaii, posting plenty of intimate photos on social media and are often seen working out together in public.

Meeting the successful businesswoman for the first time, I envisioned a jogger-clad Bridges who might start barking "drop and give me 20" orders at any moment. But the brunette beauty I came face-to-face with was wearing sky high heels, a stylish skirt and top combo and wore her long locks down past her shoulders. No doubt she had already completed her training for the morning because, as we know the health and fitness guru is no stranger to a gruelling workout and admits she's "been in the game a long time".

Unstoppable: Michelle Bridges. Source: Supplied

Bridges with her Blackmores range. Source: News Corp Australia

"When it comes to training it's all about pulling your hair back into a ponytail and getting stuck in. There's no mucking around," she told news.com.au of her own exercise regime.

But when it comes to training and motivating other women, Bridges says she's heard every excuse under the sun.

"Women tend to self sabotage, they're prone to the victim mentality or the blame game."

The biggest excuse is, unsurprisingly, time. "I'm too busy".

Unacceptable, says Bridges, who is currently balancing several new ventures at once and still finds the time to keep her body in peak condition.

"Take a look at Obama, he trains everyday. Call me old-fashioned but I'm guessing the President of the United States is a pretty busy man. So if he can find the time then no one has an excuse."

But despite her hard-line approach to fitness, Bridges is incredibly true-to-life and pragmatic in person. She admits that even SHE gets bored when exercising and finding time is a constant battle. Bridges posted on her official Facebook page to her 792,000 followers this week: "Life happens — I KNOW! But when you're really busy, you CAN stay on track."

She is also a passionate advocate for weight loss and identifies that, as a nation we are facing an obesity epidemic, which was the stimulus behind her 12 Week Body Transformation (12WBT).

Bridges started up her online 12WBT back in 2010 and is still using the effective formula today, which has so far helped Aussies drop over one million kilos collectively.

She explains the exercise, nutrition and mindset program is all about changing your way of thinking, as well as your body.

"Accountability plays a massive role in the 12-week body challenge, Bridges said. "When they start to get past their road blocks or their fairytales they start to empower themselves."

Bridges acknowledged a large part of her role is simply helping people regain their confidence to become "the healthiest version of themselves", which is her long-held philosophy.

"I often find that when I'm training women in particular there is a real sense of confidence and their inner mojo shines through.

"It's all about prioritising, just how badly to you want it to happen?"

The fitness fanatic revealed she's been mixing up her own workout of late, concentrating on crossfit and weights and even had her own personal trainer there for a while and attempted trapeze classes.

"My training is broad and varied, from running to boxing to crossfit ... it's about mixing it up and keeping it interesting. Just like anyone else, it's easy to get bored."

Adding yet another string to her bow, Bridges is expanding her fitness empire and has partnered up with Aussie health brand Blackmores to launch her first ever range of dietary supplements and protein products, which hits shelves this month.

Cashing in on the lucrative health and well-being sector, The Michelle Bridges range features vitamin, mineral and nutritional supplements, as well as protein products. Bridges was personally involved in the whole process, from the ingredients to the packaging.

Michelle Bridges at the launch of her Blackmores range in Sydney's Rose Bay. Source: Supplied

"It's something I've wanted to do for a very long period of time to be inextricably linked to an amazing brand such as Blackmores, I'm thrilled," she said.

If these guns are anything to go by, we'll take 10 of everything.

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The bizarre case of Charlie Bothuell V

An 11-day search for a missing Michigan boy came to a bizarre conclusion Wednesday when he was discovered alive and well, hidden in the basement of his fathers home in Detroit.

Charles Bothuell IV shocked by his son's reappearance. AP Photo/Detroit Free Press, Eric Lawrence Source: AP

THE bizarre case of Charlie Bothuell V, found hiding in his parent's basement this week, has become even stranger as disturbing details of his home life are revealed.

The world was mesmerised this week by the reaction of Charlie's father when he was told on live television that his son had been found alive — hiding in the basement after being missing for almost two weeks.

Since then mystery has deepened over why Charlie went missing and whether someone had been helping him to hide.

Why did he hide? Charlie Bothuell V, 12, of Detroit, was missing for almost two weeks. AP Photo/Courtesy Detroit Police Department Source: AP

When Detroit police found the boy in the basement of his family's multiple-unit condo building, he was surrounded by chicken, softdrinks, cereal and gatorade. He was also barricaded behind a dresser and a 55-gallon drum.

"There's no way he could have erected this makeshift area of concealment, I'll call it. He certainly was excited to see us," Detroit Police Chief James Craig said.

Officers had searched the home at least three times before they found him on Wednesday afternoon. They do not believe he was there the whole time.

The basement was connected to other apartments via a tunnel that also provided access to the outside world.

In a petition filed by Child Protective Services for the removal of Charlie's half-siblings, the boy told investigators that his stepmother Monique Dillard-Bothuell put him in the basement and told him not to come out.

When the boy got hungry he would sneak upstairs to get food when no one was home.

Accusations of abuse have also emerged.

"He was very skinny, and almost looked like a cancer patient. He had marks all over his arms and chest," one of Charlie Bothuell's grandmothers told investigators.

A half circular scar was discovered on his chest, and the boy told investigators his dad drove a PVC pipe into his chest, according to the court records.

Old scars were reportedly found on Charlie's buttocks and were also believed to be caused by the pipe.

Other documents provided at a Friday afternoon custody hearing over Charlie, contained accusations that Charlie had bruises and marks after allegedly being abused by his father and stepmother Monique Dillard-Bothuell.

Denies abusing his son: Charlie Bothuell IV. AP Photo/Detroit News, Clarence Tabb Jr. Source: AP

"I read this petition. It says that Monique took (Charlie) into the basement and hid him and told him not to come out," Mark Magidson, the attorney for Charlie Bothuell's father and stepmother said. "Why would she do that? I don't understand that. It makes no sense. This is the same woman who then got the police involved and brought all of this on. None of this make sense."

There were reports that Charlie was often beaten with a PVC pipe that was reportedly found covered in blood at the home.

He was also home schooled and his father Charles Bothuell IV was strict about his workouts, forcing him to walk 4,000 steps daily on an elliptical machine. The average person does about 3,500 to 5,000 steps a day.

His stepmother told police the boy didn't complete his daily exercise routine and she had reported this to his father. Worried about his reaction, Charlie took off.

Monique Dillard-Bothuell was charged for a parole violation. AP Photo/Michigan State Police Source: AP

The boy's father, who made tearful television pleas for help while his son was missing, has said he had no idea the boy was in the basement. Charles Bothuell IV reported his son missing on June 14. The boy had been working out at home about 9pm, went to use the rest room and never returned, Bothuell told police.

There were also reports that Charlie may have been worried about being sent to military school later this year.

He has not been released into his father's care, instead he is staying with his mother and police have barred Bothuell from having any contact with his son.

Meanwhile Charlie's stepmother has since been arrested on a parole violation unrelated to the boy's disappearance. She was previously convicted of buying a gun without a permit.

Dillard-Bothuell has been ordered to wear a tether and a judge set personal bond at $5,000. She's due back in court July 11.

Her four-year-old son and 10-month old daughter have been placed in the custody of Child Protective Services.

Despite accusations that she had instructed the boy to go to the basement, both parents deny they had anything to do with Charlie's disappearance.

"My client, Mr Bothuell and his wife, had no participation in this. They would have not brought this entire media circus, ... FBI, all of this — for what purpose? For what gain?" Mr Magidson said.

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Comedian: ‘F--- you Dame Edna’

The man behind Dame Edna Everage, Barry Humphries, has banned the use of the F-word at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Source: Supplied

ADELAIDE comedians have given Barry Humphries' idea to ban the F-word the middle finger.

The Australian comic, known worldwide for his character Dame Edna Everage, has banned performers from dropping the F-bomb at the next Adelaide Cabaret Festival.

"I have found, without wanting to sound prudish, that too many young comedians — many of great brilliance — still resort to the F-word to get a laugh," Humphries, who is the incoming director of the event, told the Adelaide Advertiser .

"So there's only one rule: I'm banning it. It will be a good discipline for them — and it might be a relief to members of the public. Festival is the only F-word we're using next year.''

Comedy legend Barry Humphries is the director of next year's Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Picture: Mike Burton Source: News Corp Australia

But Adelaide stand-up John Brooks has slammed the idea.

"I think it's a bit rich because (Humphries) is the master of some of the filthiest innuendos ever to pass the lips of someone on the stage or screen," he said.

Brooks said he respected Humphries' comedy but found it hard to take him seriously as a bastion of morality, all of a sudden.

"I love him, and can see that he's put a cat among the pigeons, but he can f--- off," he said.

John Brooks shows fellow comic Jason Chong who's boss. Source: News Limited

Brooks believes that swearing is no longer a taboo.

"I don't think swearing has the import that it used to. Australia isn't what it used to be — swearing is now just punctuation in a sentence," he said.

He admits to swearing a lot in his "R-rated" show, but said his audience is more likely to be offended by the provocative ideas he shares than the language.

Brooks said Humphries' comments missed the point with what was really wrong with Aussie comedy.

"We should be more worried about the fact that comedy in Australia is either utterly banal or, on the other hand, like Chris Lilley, which is borderline horribly racist," Brooks said in reference to the comedian who created the controversial characters of Jonah and Ja'mie.

Craig Egan is the promoter Adelaide Comedy. Source: News Limited

Adelaide Comedy promoter Craig Egan was also unimpressed with Humphries' idea.

"My thought is the moment you try to put a restriction on an artist, you are kind of limiting them," he said.

He said sometimes inexperienced and nervous comedians could use swearing as a crutch, but that was no reason to stamp out swearing altogether.

"I think for stand-up comedy, you have to speak in the people's language and people swear," said Egan, who is a former stand-up.

"I've seen great artists use swearing to brilliant effect. I've seen poetry with swear words. Why take away one of their greatest weapons?

"It comes down to what's funny."

Keeping it clean … Comedy icon Jerry Seinfeld. Picture: AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast Source: AP

While local comics have dismissed Humphries' comments, it appears that stand-up legend Jerry Seinfeld sides with Humphries on this point.

He told The Guardian in January that keeping his act cuss-free was part of the athletic challenge of comedy, in that it denied him easy laughs.

"A person who can defend themselves with a gun is just not very interesting. But a person who defends themselves through aikido or tai chi? Very interesting," the famously squeaky-clean comedian said.

Seinfeld also dismissed lesser talents who relied on swearing in Shortlist magazine .

"Most of the time, when you hear the dirty words sprinkled in, it's someone who's lost and scared and uses swearing to save their tail. It's a style thing for me. It's not a question of not wanting to be offensive. I don't find swearing offensive — it's just my approach," he said.

So what would Egan's roster of comedians say if he were to suddenly impose a swearing ban?

"They'd say, 'F--- you'," he laughed.

Humphries' Adelaide Cabaret Festival program will be presented from June 5 to 20, next year.

Do you think the F-word should be banned? Comment below or join the conversation on Twitter @newscomauHQ

Another of Barry Humphries' characters, Sir Les Patterson. Source: Supplied

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Where to get the best EOFY tech deals

JB Hi-Fi will be packed this weekend with gadget bargain hunters. Source: News Limited

WITH only a few days left of this financial year, retail stores are going crazy trying to move as much product as possible. This means one thing for the consumer: sales.

Here are some of the best tech deals to splash out on this weekend.

Dick Smith

Dick Smith currently has a huge sale on, with discounts on everything from sound systems to computers. There's 10% off Kindle's, 20% of soundbars and 20% off Nikon cameras, but these are some other great deals you can grab:

ASUS 10.1 Touch Transformer Book — $529

For the power user, this will be an underwhelming brick that can't do much. But for the casual user who wants a proper keyboard, that just browses the internet and maybe works on the odd word document, this is perfect. Especially great for school kids

HTC One (M7) - $498

It may be a year old, but 2013's HTC One was, and still is, a stellar device. For $498, you get yourself a gorgeous, still highish-end phone that does most things as well as the current batch of flagship devices.

JB Hi-Fi

JB has lots of sales across its range, including 11% off Apple computers and 20% off a whole range of digital goods like headphones, blu-rays and set top boxes. But their best deals? That'll be these guys:

16GB Apple iPad with Retina display — $392

Apple products rarely receive much of a discount, so if you are in the market for an iPad, this deal is about the best you will get, with $55 off Apple's normal price.

Sony high-res headphones — $103.96

They look good, are easy to store and most importantly, they sound great. If you're looking for some mid-range headphones, this Sony set is a solid choice that you won't regret for the price.

Kogan's TVs are often great value for the money. Source: Supplied

Kogan

Kogan has some pretty crazy deals on right now, like $1 for your first $30 Uber ride with deals ranging from TVs to tablet cases, if there's a gadget or gadget accessory you want right now, odds are Kogan has some variant of it for a great price. Here's our pick of the best deals:

Kogan 40-inch Full-HD TV — $279

Yep, $279! You won't find a full-HD TV this big anywhere else for this price. You might doubt the quality, and while it won't be as good as a $2000 TV, it should be able to take it to anything in the sub-$1000 mark.

Ultra Slim 4000mAh Power Bank — $25

Extra battery power for your mobile is something you can never seem to get enough of. Kogan's $25 battery pack will recharge your iPhone three times so you never have to worry about not having a fully charged phone.

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Baden-Clay says he did not kill

The prosecution case against Gerard Baden-Clay has finished, on the tenth day of his trial in Brisbane.

'DID you kill Allison?' 'No I did not'. Gerard Baden-Clay is in the witness box giving evidence about his marriage, business and illicit affairs in his defence at his trial in which he is accused of killing his wife Allison.

Baden-Clay says he did not dispose of her body or clean up afterwards. He said in his mind he did not have a relationship with his mistress Toni McHugh and that he was planning to spend the rest of his life with Allison. He did however get the number of years they were married wrong. 

He also said he had "never" been scratched by his wife and said the marks on his cheek on April 20, 2012 were from shaving.

When asked whether he killed his wife, Baden-Clay said: No I did not".

The 43-year-old told the jury about meeting his wife when they worked together at Flight Centre. They became friendly after he helped her with computer problems.

Gerard Baden-Clay and Allison (inset).

"I fell in love with her," he said of his wife and began to cry in the witness box, dabbing his face with a hankerchief.

"I fell in love with her pretty well straight away and I had had a couple of girlfriends previously but I felt a level of emotional attachment to Allison that was far deeper than ever before and because of that I knew she was the one," he said.

"I actually proposed to her underneath the Eiffel tower of Park Road. She was quite taken aback because I think she had been engaged before and probably psychologically she was preparing herself for some months hence.

"(She) was completely taken by surprise so she actually asked for a week to think about it."

Baden-Clay has told the court that he first noticed signs of Allison's anxiety on a trip to South America.

He said drugs they took to stop them getting malaria had a dramatic effect on his wife and she became quite withdrawn.

Toni McHugh, Gerard Baden-Clay's mistress.

"Allison could not get out of bed… and she was just couldn't get out of bed, just completely, not unresponsive, it wasn't as though she was comatose, but she was curled up in bed and didn't want to go anywhere," he said.

"I said we should call the doctor and she said `no, she didn't feel sick… I just don't want to go out today'."

Baden-Clay said he'd never seen his wife like that before.

"The next day she woke up normal more or less, as though nothing happened and I was delighted but also confused as to why that was," he said.

"That sort of mood fluctuation continued throughout the trip."

They eventually returned to a Scout camp in Switzerland where they worked in voluntary roles as part of a nine-month contract.

Baden-Clay said his wife appeared to get better but there was unprecedented snow fall in the Alps and the slopes in the valley where they lived was prone to avalanches, resulting in evacuations throughout their village.

"Allison did not respond well to that whole situation at all," he said.

"There were times when she thought in her paranoia that the sky was falling in, so when it became a physical possibility that would happen… she was very, very, anxious.

"I covered her by saying she was not well, had a cold or a headache or that sort of thing but it was because of that."

As Allison's mood swings got progresively worse she also started having blackouts.

Baden-Clay told the jury they returned to Brisbane at the end of 1999.

"It was thought we might like to have a family and we should probably settle down at some stage," he said.

He said his wife had "pretty much" recovered from her episodes while on the Lariam but still seemed more fragile.

"When we got married she was just a world-beater. You know? She could do anything," he said.

The accused said they fell pregnant at the Olympics: "She was an Olympic baby".

He went on to detail the panic attacks his wife suffered once their first child was born.

For more of Gerard Baden-Clay's testimony about the couple's marriage, visit The Courier Mail.

Follow the trial of the year day-by-day here:

DAY 10: How it unfolded as the Crown rests

DAY 9: Plants on Allison found at her home

DAY 8: Jurors inspect site where body found

DAY 7: Neighbour's explanation for scream

DAY 6: Scratches not typical of razor

DAY 5: Listen to triple-0 call to police

DAY 4: Accused told lover to lie low

DAY 3: Neighbours heard screams

DAY 2: Daughter's tape brings tears

DAY 1: Photo shock in murder trial

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‘My gap year changed my life’

A gap year can change your life. Picture: Phoebe Lee Source: Supplied

PHOEBE Lee was about to buy a pricey apartment in Brisbane that would have meant waving goodbye to her travel plans.

But the universe had other plans for her. The deal fell through and she ended up embarking on an incredible gap year with her husband Matt.

Here Phoebe, 26, shares her "scary" life-changing journey.

I relate to Beyoncé on many levels, but perhaps one of the best ways I relate to her is through her hit song Best Thing I Never Had. The whole song is about dodging a bullet, which in Bey's case was a man, but in my case it was a completely different life, one we thought we wanted but really didn't.

Three years ago Matt and I were different people, we were madly in love and thought the next steps for us were getting married and buying a house. So we set about trying to find ourselves a fancy little love-nest.

It took a while, but we found one and quite happily signed a contract, determined to buy a stunning inner-city apartment, one which was at the very, very top of our price range.

The universe had other plans for Phoebe and Matt. Picture: Phoebe Lee Source: Supplied

After we signed the contract we spoke about how it would be a stretch financially, but we would make it work.

Sure, we'd have to sacrifice our love of travel and put it on hold for a year, or maybe five or 10 years, but it would all be worth it. Then a funny thing happened, our contract fell through and we both woke up to ourselves.

What were we doing? We wanted to travel and see the world, not be tied down in one place. That sense of adventure was what drew us to each other in the first place. Buying a very expensive, but beautiful, apartment would have meant the end of our travel dreams for a very long time.

They had a great adventure. Picture: Phoebe Lee Source: Supplied

This wake-up call came at a very good time for us and we did a complete U-turn.

Overnight we went from planning to settle down and buy a house, to organising to jet off and live in London for a year or two.

This kind of indecisiveness is exactly the reason we should not be making a very expensive and quite permanent commitment to any kind of property.

Happy about where they ended up. Picture: Phoebe Lee Source: Supplied

We had our UK visas approved and moved to London toward the end of 2011. The move was rough on us because we both love the beach and being out in the sunshine, we'd gone from an Australian winter straight into a UK winter, freezing our backsides off and dossing on a good friend's couch.

Within a few months of being there though, we had already visited Hungary, Morocco and Germany and were really enjoying the adventure and the freedom.

They had to adjust to the cold! Picture: Phoebe Lee Source: Supplied

Before we'd left Brisbane we'd often spoken about starting a family and settling down, but something changed in London. The year we spent there opened up a world of opportunities for us and showed us something we didn't know we could have.

It was a life path we didn't know existed and an option we didn't know we could choose; one of freedom.

We ended up travelling around the world. Picture: Phoebe Lee Source: Supplied

Ultimately, we realised neither of us actually wanted kids at all. We wanted to get married, yes, but we wanted to travel as much as possible for as long as possible and didn't want to be held down in one place by big financial or family commitments.

It was a little bit scary making a decision to go against "the norm", but it felt so good and so right.

Up and away! Picture: Phoebe Lee Source: Supplied

The rest of our gap year was incredible, we drank sangria in Spain and buzzed around Greek islands on four-wheelers, we road-tripped through California and contemplated getting married in a Vegas chapel.

Getting involved. Picture: Phoebe Lee Source: Supplied

We stood on the Top of the Roc and marvelled at New York City, snorkelled through an earthquake in Indonesia and spent a very cold night camping in the middle of the Sahara desert.

We drank German beer at Hoffbrauhaus, ate eggs tarts in Portugal, chocolate in Belgium and perfect pasta in Rome.

They saw some magical places. Picture: Phoebe Lee Source: Supplied

We saw Gotye perform live in Eindhoven, Netherlands, caught a train to Amsterdam and paid respect to the Anzacs in Turkey. We saw breathtaking scenery in Iceland and Canada, watched the sun rise over the Grand Canyon and rolled down lush, green hills in Switzerland.

It was only a year, but it was a year that changed the course of our lives. It's also how I became a travel blogger.

If the contract on that heavenly apartment had settled as it was supposed to, Matt and I would have woken up one day and realised we hadn't done what we were supposed to do with our lives, that would have been a really tough realisation for us. Thankfully though, it did, and that apartment turned out to be the best thing we never had.

Read more from Phoebe at Littlegreybox.net. Follow her adventures on Instagram and Facebook.

Have you got an amazing travel story to tell? Email us at news@news.com.au.

It was the best move. Picture: Phoebe Lee Source: Supplied

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New Facebook app is Snapchat with a catch

Facebook's new photo-sharing app Slingshot launches in Australia today. Source: Supplied

FACEBOOK launches its new photo and video sharing app in Australia today, with the social media giant muscling in on the territory of Snapchat.

The social media giant calls its disappearing photo and video messaging product exciting and unique, but others have dismissed it as "a gimmick designed to force user engagement".

Speaking exclusively to news.com.au from the US ahead of today's 3pm launch in Australia, product designer Joey Flynn and engineering lead Rocky Smith gave us the rundown on the new product, which exists completely separate from Facebook and can't be shared on other social media.

Slingshot is designed to be a place where everybody is a creator and nobody is a spectator.

Mr Flynn said the app was about sharing "inspiring, little, cool moments … the funny, fun, meaningful, heartfelt".

Slingshot notifies you when new shots appear. Source: Facebook

Swipe away shots when you're done with them. Source: Facebook

But there's a catch that sets Slingshot apart from the other popular ephemeral image-sharing app, Snapchat.

"The key piece of the app is the shot-for-shot mechanism," Mr Flynn said.

Slingshot is more designed for content creation and sharing moments, as opposed to a two-way conversation. What this means is that friends on Slingshot aren't able to see your picture or video until they send something back to you.

Users can send, or "sling", a shot to individuals or their whole friend group and it pops up on their feed pixelated. To see picture, the friends have to sling something back. Once they've viewed the unlocked image, friends can then respond with a new picture, video or text.

It moves the experience from one on one to a place where users are sharing and reacting to each others posts in the moment. It's like a visual status update.

RELATED: The shocking revelations to be found on newly launched app Secret

RELATED: Australia-first study reveals our changing social media habits, as users shift towards Snapchat, Instagram and Vine

Mr Flynn said the shot-for-shot mechanism "dramatically changes the behaviour" of users.

"It's creative and inspiring … and it's meant for everyday moments," Mr Flynn said.

"In the video reactions, you can take one of those moments and add to it in an awesome, collaborative feel.

"People can respond to shots, and add their own flair to them. That's one of the defining features that makes it unique."

But some early adopters of the app in the US, where it has been live for a week, have criticised the shot-for-shot feature, saying it forces users to engage with the app.

Smartphone reviewer Brighthand said teasing the users with the pixelated messages was frustrating.

"The result is you and your friends constantly sharing uninteresting images purely to open each other's initial pictures. In just a weekend of using Slingshot, I received far more images of blank walls and ceilings than duck faces and lunches," it wrote on its website.

"Slingshot works as advertised, and it's certainly differentiated itself from Snapchat, but its forced-reply method of getting friends sharing frustrates when put into practice."

Mashable gave a mixed review. It wrote that the app was "fast and responsive" but ultimately concluded that it "feels like a gimmick designed to force user engagement".

"Facebook is essentially holding your messages hostage in the hopes of increasing engagement," it wrote.

You can react to what friends send in real time. Source: Facebook

You can draw on your photos to add flair. Source: Facebook

The Slingshot designers however said the opposite was true. Mr Flynn said because the design was for a large audience "the pressure to create is really low".

"When everyone participates, there's less pressure, more creativity and even the little things in life can turn into awesome shared experiences," the Slingshot blog says.

While Snapchat is synonymous with people send naughty photographs to each other, Mr Flynn said Slingshot was less likely to be a forum for sexually explicit material because posts go out to such a large audience. It is also easy to block users or report anything inappropriate.

"You have control over your audience," Mr Flynn said.

The designers said they had received positive feedback from users in the US already and were excited to see it rolled out in Australia.

"(Slingshot) is a place where everyone has the ability to be expressive and creative. We're excited to get this into people's hands," Mr Flynn said.

Like Snapchat users can write and draw on their pictures but, unlike Snapchat, pictures do not self destruct after a set time limit, but you can swipe them away once your done looking at them.

Slingshot in available in English on iPhone (iOS7) and Android (Jelly Bean and KitKat). You can create a profile with your phone number and can find friends through your phone contacts or Facebook. Read more about Slingshot here.

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Oh dear god. Is naked dating a thing now?

VH1's new reality dating show features naked contestants trying to win the heart of potential mates - and they do it completely naked.

Thought process: "Blind dates are excruciating. Hey, let's make them even worse!" Source: YouTube

FIRST dates are horrible, right?

We'd all rather be at home eating snacks in a pillow-fort while binge-watching the new series of Orange Is The New Black than making small talk over dinner with a stupid sexy stranger, yes?

US cable network VH1 has figured out a way to make first dates even worse: DO 'EM NAKED.

Premiering in the US next month, Naked Dating does exactly what it says on the tin: couples are paired up, meeting each other for the very first time, then forced to disrobe in front of each other. It's like Perfect Match, were it filmed in Guantánamo Bay.

Perves amongst you will be disappointed to learn that each couple's wobbliest bits are blurred out during the episodes. And boy, do they wobble, because these are no ordinary first dates. During the 30-second promo for the series, the poor, desperate couples (seriously, who would sign up for this?) are shown ziplining ...

I'm sorry, but that's just asking for a chafing. Source: YouTube

zorbing ...

'Oh babe I feel like a sexy hamster! Also I can't breathe and everything's going dark!' Source: YouTube

practicising yoga ...

'Want to try the downward dog next?' 'Don't push your luck, mate.' Source: YouTube

and body painting.

You know what's really romantic? Smothering your pores in lead-based paint. Source: YouTube

For many of us, there can be only one reaction to all this:

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‘No one has ever survived this’

Rob Hewitt talks about the realisation he would spend the night alone, adrift in the ocean. Catch the full episode on Tuesday, June 24 at 8:30pm on SBS ONE.

Rob Hewitt survived four days at sea by treading water. Source: SBS

WHEN Rob Hewitt's dive boat left without him, he figured it wouldn't be long before help arrived.

Stuck miles off the coast of Wellington, the experienced New Zealand navy diver was forced to tread water as he waited and waited.

But it wasn't until the sun set on the horizon hours later that he knew he was really in trouble and facing the biggest fight for his life.

The then 38-year-old had been diving with a team of others when he became stuck in a rip and was carried away from the boat in February 2006.

When he emerged he could see the boat in the distance and assumed it would come back.

But it never found him.

He spent the next four days at sea treading water and staring death in the face.

"I realised people who scaled Mt Everest knew Sir Edmund Hillary had survived before them, but no-one had survived this," he said of his experience of being stuck at sea.

The father-of-four reveals what went through his mind during that time and how he battled against all the elements to live.

Mr Hewitt said at first he almost refused to believe he'd be left for too long but as the hours turned into days, his survival instinct kicked in.

The diver made his peace with the sea months later. Source: Supplied

"A spirituality came over me," he told news.com.au from his home in Palmerston North on the North Island of New Zealand.

"I realised I was in massive trouble and began praying.

"Once that sun went down I had the mindset of just surviving."

As the hours passed and he became more tired he developed a routine for getting rest with the aid of his flotation device and oxygen tank and cried out his wife and children's names every hour.

He imagined the worst pain he had been through and compared it to the pain he felt at the time, thinking it couldn't get worse.

The now weakened diver even contemplated dumping his equipment but feared he wouldn't make the swim back to shore against a strong current.

Mr Hewitt pictured during his rescue. Source: Supplied

He said dying from loneliness scared him more than anything else, and he wanted his family to know that he loved them.

"I knew I was staring death in the face so wanted to stay as alert as possible so when the time came I could say I wasn't ready yet," he said.

When he was finally found four days later, he had drifted 36 nautical miles, but the current had swept him 35 miles back near the spot where he vanished.

He was suffering hallucinations and severe hypothermia but was miraculously alive.

He said he thought he was "bigger than Ben Hur" until that fateful day. It took him 12 months, but he has made friends again with the sea by diving back in.

Prof Richard Bryant on how the body responds in a crisis. Catch the full episode on Tuesday, June 24 at 8:30pm on SBS ONE.

His incredible story features on SBS Insight tonight which asks what it takes to survive.

The show also hears from world expert in the psychological response to trauma, Prof Richard Bryant who said the human body was designed to fight for survival.

Prof Bryant said Mr Hewitt's case was an exceptional one and his survival chances were increased by his years of navy training.

But he told news.com.au that humans were a species that have worked out ways to survive and that evolution had provided us with an in-built fight or flight response.

He said people under severe stress released adrenalin which created all the body's reactions that were needed to deal with the threat.

Prof Bryant said while fast-acting defences such as increased heart rate and sweating helped our body fight, survivors also developed slow acting techniques.

These helped calm the body down, allowing us to think more clearly and make better decisions.

Fiona Wilde speaks about the moment she realised she was being kidnapped. Catch the full episode on Tuesday, June 24 at 8:30pm on SBS ONE.

The show also features northern NSW woman Fiona Wilde who was held hostage for 30 hours after being taken hostage in the Amazon.

Ms Wilde was on a tour boat which was stopped in the middle of the Amazon River in 2012.

At first she thought it was a robbery, but "once they got us off that boat and got us to run at gun point, that was when I figured this might be real."

She said she knew she had to stay valuable to the bandits because the "only way out is relying on these three people that have just kidnapped me and are threatening my life."

Sydney man David Jacobs also appears on the show revealing how he survived the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Insight guest David Jacobs rang his wife to say goodbye as he took refuge in his hotel room during a terrorist attack. Catch the full episode on Tuesday, June 24 at 8:30pm on SBS ONE.

Mr Jacobs said he took refuge in a cupboard in his room in the Oberoi Hotel.

While terrorists took over the hotel for three days, his only lifeline was his mobile phone, which he used to stay in touch with friends, family and security analysts who talked him through the siege.

Fellow Sydney man James Dorney also knows what it's like to live through a terror attack.

He was sitting at his desk on the 92nd floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, when he saw a massive explosion in the building opposite.

He ignored announcements that his Tower was secure, and started to evacuate.

"It's impossible to describe a Boeing 767 slamming into the side of the building you're standing in'. Hundreds of people flooded the stairwells, which he tells the show is "extremely challenging, the feeling of helplessness … Not being able to move".

James Dorney was on the 92nd floor of the World Trade Centers South Tower on September 11. Catch the full episode on Tuesday, June 24 at 8:30pm on SBS ONE.

What does it take to survive airs on Insight tonight at 8.30pm on SBS ONE .

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Mystery buried treasure has US obsessed

Catch the SBS report on modern-day treasure hunters on Dateline tonight (Tuesday 24 June) at 9.30pm on SBS ONE.

IT SOUNDS like the plot of an Indiana Jones tale.

A dying man with a passion for archeology and adventure hides an Aztec treasure chest filled with gold nuggets as big as chicken eggs in America's Rocky mountains.

The only clue to its whereabouts is a cryptic poem which has driven treasure hunters to the brink of obsession, with thousands who will stop at nothing to find it.

Only it's not a fairytale, but the true story behind 83-year-old art dealer and archaeologist Forrest Fenn, who has captured the global imagination with an old fashioned treasure hunt.

This photo provided by Forrest Fenn contains the chest that is purported to hold hundreds of rare gold coins and other artefacts hidden in the Rocky mountains. Pic: AP, Addison Doty Source: AP

SBS Dateline reporter Nick Lazaredes was drawn to the story about a year ago while travelling in the US as a change of pace from the "usually miserable" stories journalists normally report.

"It's in a part of America I was fascinated with and the more we looked the more layers there were. It was causing troubles, attracting a fringe of lunatics, all sorts which made it look quite interesting," he said.

The man behind the mystery is Forrest Fenn, an octogenarian Mr Lazaredes describes as "about as close to Indiana Jones as you can get". The former Vietnam fighter pilot returned to America and started working as an art dealer and archaeologist, finding ancient relics across America's south west. In the late 1980s a brush with cancer meant he hatched a plot to give something back to society.

Forrest Fenn drinking a Dr Pepper at his San Lozaro Pueblo in New Mexico. Credit: Forrest Fenn Source: Supplied

Forrest Fenn pictured in his twenties. Credit: Forrest Fenn Source: Supplied

"He was always thinking of ways to give back. He's done very well and enjoyed going out and looking for objects. As a kid he would explore, it was something he wanted to encourage... The treasure hunt was a way of getting families out engaged in a hobby," Mr Lazaredes said.

Mr Fenn spent 15 years planning the hunt and the chest is rumoured to contain hundreds of gold nuggets, some as large as chicken eggs. The only clue to its whereabouts is a poem published in a book by Mr Fenn called the The Thrill of the Chase .

Not surprisingly, the hunt has sparked an avalanche of interest and it's estimated about 6000 people are looking for the treasure full time, with websites dedicated to finding it.

Mr Lazaredes said hunters range from simply "obsessed" to outright "mad". For some, the clues relate to an ancient Aztec tribe that lived in the area. Others think it's located in Yellowstone National Park near where Mr Fenn spent his childhood, while others reason he was a sick old man so it must be in New Mexico close to where he lives.

Marty Kreis and her sisters looking for treasure in Yellowstone National Park. Credit: Charissa Kreis Source: Supplied

Indian petroglyphs seen while treasure hunting at the Legend Rock Petroglyff site in Wyoming. Credit: Charissa Kreis Source: Supplied

Mr Fenn refuses to say whether it's on sacred native Indian land, in a National Park, or somewhere in between. His silence has exasperated authorities as the hunt has led people to go missing, or have to be rescued from rivers.

"This year it's started to have a few issues. People have been caught with metal detectors, other people have been arrested or caught digging up ancient graves ... When we were there, there was a guy missing," Mr Lazaredes said.

"The authorities aren't really happy with him. Yellowstone [rangers] would like him to come out and say but without that there's not much they can do. If people are caught traipsing there they get the book thrown at them," Mr Lazaredes said.

SBS Dateline correspondent Nick Lazaredes interviews Forrest Fenn at his Santa Fe mansion. Credit: Dal Neitzel Source: Supplied

He's also faced criticism for plundering Native American treasures and has received death threats from desperate hunters.

There's even speculation there is no treasure at all — a notion Mr Fenn dismisses out of hand, telling Dateline the only way to prove it is to show you and "then I'd have to kill you".

But whether it's real or not, the treasure has certainly captured the global imagination.

"I'd been [to the US] 20 odd times and some of the countryside I saw was among the most amazing sites in the world. There's people checking every rock and every cave. It can be pretty fascinating," Mr Lazaredes said.

For Mr Fenn, the important thing is that people are off the couch searching.

"If nobody finds the treasure, I promise you in 1000 years from now — people will still be looking," Mr Lazaredes said.

Catch Treasure Hunters on tonight Dateline at 9:30 on SBS ONE.

Bison in snow on the treasure hunt in Yellowstone National Park Montana. Credit: Charissa Kreis Source: Supplied

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Megablizzard slams Aussie ski areas

Snow has started to fall in the alpine areas ahead of what is tipped to be the start of a huge snow dump

This scene from Falls Creek in Victoria is what everyone hopes they see tomorrow. Except, of course, for those motorists who forgot to bring a snow shovel. Source: News Limited

IT'S here. The megablizzard. Snowpocalypse now. This baby has been on the weather charts all week and it's howling its way through the Australian Alps as you read this.

Experienced weather watchers are calling it the storm of the century. They're saying it could snow on and off, but mostly on, for the next 10 days. The first flakes are already falling as you read this. The megablizzard has arrived.

The official Australian ski season started two weeks ago but since then, there's been a desperately thin snow base with only a lift or two turning at the NSW resorts of Perisher and Thredbo. Victorian resorts, which are a little lower than their NSW counterparts, have had nothing but grass.

A very foggy Falls Creek in Victoria this morning just as the megablizzard is about to strike. Pic: ski.com.au. Source: NewsComAu

The same spot as the above pic an hour or so later, as the megablizard descends. Pic: ski.com.au. Source: NewsComAu

It's still coming down. Wait till tomorrow. Pic: ski.com.au Source: NewsComAu

But all that's changing today. By this time next week, we could be looking at virtually all lifts spinning at resorts on both sides of the Murray, with a metre or more of cover. Just in time for the school holidays too, the two week window which is vital for our ski industry bottom line.

Here's the Excelerator run at Perisher this morning, pre megablizzard. Pic: ski.com.au. Source: NewsComAu

And the lunchtime image. Pic: ski.com.au. Source: NewsComAu

And the late Monday afternoon image. Can't wait for tomorrow's pic! Pic: ski.com.au. Source: NewsComAu

Snow in Australia has been generally declining in recent years. Here's a graph that proves it.

Obviously the projection into the future cannot be relied upon. But the line of decline from the 1950s to the present day is very accurate. The blue bars represent the peak depth at Spencer's Creek. And for those asking why the measurements don't start before the 1950s, it's because there was no Snowy Hydro scheme then, so nobody bothered. Source: NewsComAu

The graph shows measurements from Spencer's Creek, halfway between Perisher and Thredbo. The readings are taken weekly by electricity generation company Snowy Hydro to predict water inflows to dams, and are therefore unaffected by resort spin doctors.

Snowfall decline is not just a result of warmer temperatures. Climatologists say that one of the clear effects of climate change is fewer snow-bearing systems making their way from the Southern Ocean to the Australian Alps.

The official Bureau of Meteorology charts for today and tomorrow. if you can't read a weather map, the black lines with 'shark fins' bring cold weather from the Southern Ocean. This means snow. Hooray. Source: NewsComAu

Ever heard of the roaring forties? It's an old maritime term which refers to the band of low pressure systems in the 40s latitudes. During winter, these systems can push northwards and bring their cold, moist sub-polar air to southern Australia. In a good snow year, plenty of these systems push north. In a poor year, like the worst ever season of 2006, hardly any break through.

That's why the current weather charts have snow watchers in such a lather. It's not just the current cold front, marked by a line with what you might call black "shark fins" on the weather map. It's the fact that there's another front, and another due after that. The one next Saturday in particular looks like a doozy. And there's a chance of more snowy action well into next week on the long range charts.

It's going to get better than this. We promise. Source: NewsComAu

Here's what a user called "Snowblowa" said on the forums on leading snow industry website ski.com.au:

"Seriously when was the last time we were looking at a potential 100cm event to kick off the season properly with potential mega follow up?!!!!!!! We gotta savour this, it's gunna be awesome, we might be saying in five years "remember late June in 2014". Besides, we are so over due, last few years in General have been pretty average."

Others on the site have dug through the archives to compare the current weather charts to famous megablizzards of the past.

"Reminds me of a system we had in early August 2004. It didn't stop snowing for 10 days or something like that. Still has to happen, of course."

Compare this 2004 weather chart from today's charts pictured higher up. As you can see, they are nearly identical. This 2004 storm brought a metre or so of snow, hence the optimism for today's event. Woohoo. Source: NewsComAu

Indeed it does. But as mentioned, the megablizzard has already started, in a welcome throwback to the days when heavy snowfalls were more regular in Australia. We'll keep updating our images as the storm continues. Hopefully by tomorrow morning, we'll have some pics of what snow industry people like to call "snow porn". Ugly phrase, beautiful thing.

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Former Neighbours star slams Bindi Irwin

Aussie star Caitlin Stasey shocks with bizarre and sexually explicit Twitter rants. Source: Instagram

AN Aussie actress has lashed out at Bindi Irwin after the 15-year-old wildlife warrior suggested teenage girls should dress less provocatively.

Caitlin Stasey launched a Twitter tirade after Bindi told News Corp Australia girls her age should dress 'classier'.

"I'm a big advocate for young girls dressing their age," Bindi said.

"I mean, for me, I look around at a lot of young girls that are my age and they're always trying to dress older. Whether it's wearing revealing clothes or hardly wearing any clothes at all, I feel really bad for them.

Keep it classy ... Bindi Irwin says she feels bad for young girls who feel that they have to wear revealing clothes. Source: Instagram

"It kind of has the opposite effect in some ways ... it kind of does the opposite where it makes you look younger and like you're trying too hard."

Bindi's comments upset the former Neighbours star so much that she took to Twitter to share 'an open letter to Bindi'.

"In ten years you'll wish you stood beside your shared sex rather than be proud you belittled their choices & agency," Stasey tweeted.

The 24-year-old actress also attacked Bindi over her association with SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida.

"Also, in ten years you'll deeply regret your affiliation and support of Sea World ... To hazard a guess," she wrote.

Bindi faced a backlash in the US after entering one of America's most heated public relations battles when she, alongside mother Terri and brother Robert, announced during an appearance on the top-rating US morning TV program Good Morning America that she was teaming up with SeaWorld theme parks in March.

Australian actress Caitlin Stasey took offence at Bindi's comments. Source: Supplied

Orlando-based SeaWorld Entertainment Inc has been dogged by bad press, protests and boycotts by performers including Willie Nelson and The Beach Boys the past year after the release of the award-winning film documentary Blackfish, which probes the treatment of killer whales at the company's theme parks.

But Stasey has recently courted controversy of her own, after the former soap star shocked social media users after posting topless images and sexually explicit expletive-ridden Twitter rants.

The Hollywood-based actress last week used Twitter to take a swipe at everything from Hollywood and its sexualisation of women, to controversial photographer Terry Richardson.

"This industry protects, forgives & celebrates sex offenders in whatever form they come, welcome to the Catholic Church that is Hollywood," she wrote to her 30,000 plus followers.

She also shared her views and experiences on oral sex.

The daughter of late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin has always tackled the big issues — from animal protection to human overpopulation — but now she's set her sights on a more conservative cause.

Bindi, who turns 16 next month, is increasingly ditching the khaki for the fresh styles she shares with her almost 100,000 Instagram followers.

"I guess for me, because I wear khaki so much — waking up every day at the zoo, you just kind of grab your khaki uniform and you're pretty much good to go — that when I get out of khaki I like to experiment and see how things go," she said.

"I suppose the last year or so really I've been starting to have some fun and see what I can do with makeup and wardrobe and be a little bit of a girlie girl.

"Finding that great line between comfort and looking semi-good is fantastic."

Twitter users have defended the young conservationist, telling Stacey to leave Bindi alone.

But The Tomorrow When the World Began actor bit back.

"Hey, to all coming to her defence by claiming she's 'only' a child. Quit being so goddamn patronizing," she tweeted.

"I'm a sex crazed vulgar lunatic, she a respectable and undeniable Bastion of modesty," she added.

Bindi, who is currently in the US with her mother Terri and brother Robert, is yet to respond.

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Kids ‘taped to beds at daycare’

A photograph allegedly showing a child taped to a bed. Picture: ABC News Source: ABC

A DAYCARE centre in Texas is being investigated after a mother claimed her child was duct taped to a bed.

An investigation has been launched after an employee at Heart2Heart Montessori Academy took a photo of a boy in a blanket strapped around his legs and chest to a sleeping mat. The employee circulated the photograph to parents and then resigned.

Lorrie Almquist, a mother of a three-year-old boy who was also restrained at the centre, said she was contacted by the co-owner Pam Decker to explain the situation.

"[The owner] proceeded to tell me that my son had not been napping and another little boy had not been napping and so she decided to duct tape them to his nap mat."

She then saw the devastating photographs and went straight to police.

The daycare centre where the incident allegedly occurred. Picture: ABC News Source: ABC

Ms Almquist told ABC News: "I felt violated and I was irate. I couldn't find any words to say to her. I was so hurt and saddened to think that my child had to go through that."

Ms Almquist immediately withdrew her son.

"I just don't want this to ever happen again," Almquist said. "I don't think children should be treated this way."

An email from the owner of the centre, Ashlea Pena, to the parents said Pam Decker was devastated by "a very foolish decision she made" but that the child pictured was not "harmed or caused any distress".

A statement released publicly claimed the staff have "the best interest of the children and parents as our highest priority".

"The school has an exemplary performance history, and will work with childcare licensing authorities and cooperate fully with any investigation."

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services' Child Licensing Division have launched an investigation which could take a month to complete.

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The jealous feud: Clintons v Obamas

Edward Klein looks at the volatile relationship between the Obamas and Clintons. Source: News Limited

IN HIS new book, "Blood Feud," journalist Edward Klein gets inside the dysfunctional, jealous relationship between Bill and Hillary Clinton and Barack and Michelle Obama — and how it could explode in 2016.

Outwardly, they put on a show of unity — but privately, the Obamas and Clintons, the two power couples of the Democrat Party, loathe each other.

"I hate that man Obama more than any man I've ever met, more than any man who ever lived," Bill Clinton said to friends on one occasion, adding he would never forgive Obama for suggesting he was a racist during the 2008 campaign.

Klein claims Obama and Clinton loathe each other. Source: AP

The feeling is mutual. Obama made ­excuses not to talk to Bill, while the first lady privately sniped about Hillary.

On most evenings, Michelle Obama and her trusted adviser, Valerie Jarrett, met in a quiet corner of the White House residence. They'd usually open a bottle of Chardonnay, catch up on news about Sasha and Malia, and gossip about people who gave them heartburn.

Their favourite bête noire was Hillary Clinton, whom they nicknamed "Hildebeest," after the menacing and shaggy-maned gnu that roams the Serengeti.

The families just put on a show for the public, the explosive book claims. Source: AP

'Michelle could be president'

The animosity came to a head in the run-up to the 2012 election, when Obama's inner circle insisted he needed the former president's support to win. Obama finally telephoned Bill Clinton in September 2011 and invited him out for a round of golf.

"I'm not going to enjoy this," Bill told Hillary when they gathered with a group of friends and political associates at Whitehaven, their neo-Georgian home on Embassy Row in Washington, DC.

"I've had two successors since I left the White House — Bush and Obama — and I've heard more from Bush, asking for my advice, than I've heard from Obama. I have no relationship with the president — none whatsoever," Clinton said.

"I really can't stand the way Obama ­always seems to be hectoring when he talks to me," Clinton added, according to someone who was present at the gathering and spoke on the condition of anonymity. "Sometimes we just stare at each other. It's pretty damn awkward. Now we both have favours to ask each other, and it's going to be very unpleasant. But I've got to get this guy to owe me and to be on our side."

"Blood Feud" by Edward Klein. Source: Supplied

Bill Clinton likes to put Obama in his place, the book claims. Source: Supplied

During the golf game, Clinton didn't waste any time reminding Obama that as president he had presided over eight years of prosperity, while Obama had been unable to dig the country out of the longest financial ­doldrums since the Great Depression.

"Bill got into it right away," said a Clinton family friend. "He told Obama, 'Hillary and I are gearing up for a run in 2016.' He said Hillary would be 'the most qualified, most experienced candidate, perhaps in history.' His reference to Hillary's experience made Obama wince, since it was clearly a shot at his lack of experience when he ran for president.

"And so Bill continued to talk about Hillary's qualifications ... and the coming campaign in 2016. But Barack didn't bite. He changed the subject several times. Then suddenly, Barack said something that took Bill by complete surprise. He said, 'You know, Michelle would make a great presidential candidate, too.'

"Bill was speechless. Was Barack comparing Michelle's qualifications to Hillary's? Bill said that if he hadn't been on a mission to strike a deal with Barack, he might have stormed off the golf course then and there."

The book suggests Clinton thinks his wife is on a different level to Michelle Obama. Source: AP

BlackBerry snub

Bill Clinton would go on to campaign for Obama in 2012, but he felt betrayed when the president seemed to waver when it came to a 2016 endorsement of Hillary. Obama attempted to smooth things over with a joint "60 Minutes" interview with Hillary, and later a private dinner for the two couples at the White House.

And so, on March 1, 2013 — the very day that the $85 billion in budget cuts known as the "sequester" went into effect — the Clintons slipped unnoticed into the White House and sat down for dinner with the Obamas in the Residence.

Typically, once Obama decided to do something (for example, the surge in Afghanistan), he immediately had second thoughts, and his behaviour during dinner degenerated from moody to grumpy to bad-tempered.

After the obligatory greetings and small talk about family, Obama asked Bill what he thought about the sequester: Would it turn out to be a political plus for him? Bill went into a long — and boring — lecture about the issue.

To change the subject, Hillary asked Michelle if it was true, as she had heard, that the first lady was thinking about running for the Senate from Illinois.

Michelle said that she was warming to the idea, though she had yet to make up her mind.

Bill shot Hillary a look of incredulity.

The new power couple apparently don't see eye-to-eye with the old power couple. Source: AFP

Bill then moved the conversation to Obama's vaunted 2012 campaign ­organisation. He told Obama that it would be a good idea to fold the organisation, along with all its digital and social-media bells and whistles, into the Democratic National Committee.

Obama's only response was a disparaging smile.

"You have to use your organisation to aid the candidate in 2016," Bill pressed Obama.

"Really?" Obama replied in a tone of undisguised sarcasm.

The two men went back and forth over the subject of where the money for Obama's campaign organisation had come from and how to allocate funds for the 2016 presidential election. Bill raised his voice. So did Obama.

Bill Clinton advises Obama with little success. Source: AP

As Bill Clinton went on about his managerial experience, Obama began playing with his BlackBerry under the table, making it plain that he wasn't paying attention to anything Clinton had to say. He was intentionally snubbing Clinton. Others around the table noticed Obama thumbing his BlackBerry, and the atmosphere turned even colder than before.

Hillary changed the subject again.

"Are you glad you won't have to campaign again?" she asked Obama. "You don't seem to ­enjoy it."

"For a guy who doesn't like it," Obama replied tartly, "I've done pretty well."

"Well," Bill said, adding his two cents, "I was glad to pitch in and help get you re-elected."

There was another long pause. Finally, Obama turned to Bill and said, sotto voce, "Thanks."

After the dinner, and once the Clintons had been ushered out of the family quarters, Obama shook his head and said, "That's why I never invite that guy over."

The book says Obama is looking for another version of himself to run in 2016. Source: AP

Obama's mini-me

Lately, Bill Clinton has become convinced that Obama won't endorse Hillary in 2016. During a gathering at Whitehaven, guests overheard Bill talking to his daughter Chelsea about whether the president would back Joe Biden.

"Recently, I've been hearing a different scenario from state committeemen," Clinton said. "They say he's looking for a candidate who's just like him. Someone relatively unknown. Someone with a fresh face.

"He's convinced himself he's been a brilliant president, and wants to clone himself — to find his Mini-Me.

"He's hunting for someone to succeed him, and he believes the American people don't want to vote for someone who's been around for a long time. He thinks that your mother and I are what he calls 'so 20th century.' He's looking for ­another Barack Obama."

It is looking unlikely Obama will endorse Hillary in 2016, sources tell Klein. Source: AP

Excerpted from "Blood Feud: The Clintons vs. the Obamas" by Edward Klein. Out this week from Regnery Publishing.

This article was originally posted on the New York Post.

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Busted: What’s wrong with this picture?

The opening match between Brazil and Croatia. Source: AP

BRAZILIAN fans at the World Cup who were supposedly wheelchair bound have been caught jumping out of their seats prompting an investigation by police into possible ticket fraud.

The soccer fans were caught on CCTV and social media standing up out of their wheelchairs and cheering at the opening match in Sao Paulo between Brazil and Croatia, a sight that confused many onlookers.

Reported in The Telegraph , officials are now concerned that concession tickets designed for disabled fans are being sold on the black market and that buyers of these tickets are using wheelchairs to pass through check points without suspicion.

Scalpers have been selling the highly sought after tickets outside of stadiums and on Facebook with concession passes especially popular as each wheelchair ticket comes with a free companion pass.

Fans cheer before the opening match between Brazil and Croatia. Source: AP

But selling tickets for more than face value is a crime in Brazil with a maximum sentence of four years in prison.

That hasn't stopped a flourishing black market with fans eager to get their hands on limited tickets with reports Brazil matches are fetching around $1800, up to ten times the face value.

There are allegedly 22 pictures on CCTV showing wheelchair bound fans standing up at the stadium and around 30 photos from members of the public.

However proving the alleged fraud will be difficult as being wheelchair bound doesn't necessarily mean you can't stand up and the accusations have outraged some who have taken to Twitter to vent their anger.

More than 20,000 special-needs tickets have been set aside by FIFA for the duration of the month-long tournament with organisers saying that checks are in place to ensure they go to those who need them.

These tickets include access to the double-wide seats that Brazilian law guarantees for obese World Cup fans. The stadium in Rio de Janeiro has been fitted with wide-bodied seats to comply with the country's law that requires half-price, special-needs tickets for fans with a body mass index of 30 or higher.

Seating has become a huge headache for World Cup organisers. Source: AFP

However just like the alleged wheelchair fraud, these seats are being occupied by people who don't need that much extra space and FIFA says they can't do anything about it.

According to the World Health Organisation and Brazil Ministry of Health guidelines, those with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher can purchase one of the tickets. But this means that tall and skinny people, for example someone who is 1.8 metres tall and weighs around 100 kilograms, are eligible much to the frustration of authorities.

Reported in Bloomberg , World Cup's head of hospitality, Federico Addiechi, explained the situation.

"There are cases where a person doesn't look obese but meets the guidelines," he said after a briefing yesterday at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium, where the World Cup's July 13 final will be held. "We cannot decide you are not obese if the law says you are obese."

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The other Cannes festival

This year, Jared Leto talked to adoring fans in the advertising world. Source: AP

WHEN you think of Cannes, you think of film stars walking down red carpets next to the French Riviera.

So you would be forgiven for being confused about why #canneslions keeps popping up in your social media feed. Isn't it over? Wasn't the Cannes Film Festival in May?

There's actually a whole other festival in Cannes every year. No, not THAT festival (more on that later). It's the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Every year in June, the advertising world descends on Cannes for a week with copious amounts of backslapping about all the 'innovative' work they've produced in the previous 12 months, before all getting roundly smashed at the Gutter Bar before sunrise.

Patrick Stewart with his enormous social media appeal taught adlanders how to get it right. Source: Twitter

Between all the worshipping of chief creative officers, chief marketing officers and a bunch of people who are only really famous in adland is an increasingly impressive list of celebrities dragooned to talk about how their experiences relates to the world of advertising, branding and media.

This year, the creators of Game of Thrones, DB Weiss and David Benioff, was on hand to expound on the "power of story" while Rob Lowe gave his thoughts on authenticity. David Hasselhoff, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jared Leto, Armando Iannucci (Veep and The Thick of It), Ne-Yo, Kanye West, Bono, Patrick Stewart, Ralph Fiennes and Gisele Bündchen all made appearances on stage for the many seminars crammed into the week.

In the past few years, the likes of Bill Clinton, the late Lou Reed, Conan O'Brien, Anderson Cooper and P Diddy have graced the festival.

Bill Clinton was a speaker at Cannes in 2012. Source: AP

Adland gathers to debate ideas about how to make their work more effective, more attractive and more profitable. Namely, how to get you to watch/listen to/engage with the ads that sometimes don't even look like ads anymore.

A huge part of the Cannes Lions is the awards. To nab a coveted Lion confers the recipient all attendant bragging rights for the year (and, for some, the decade) to come. If an agency picks up a Lion, it'll will be on everyone's email signatures the next day. The awards are hugely expensive to enter, with each entry costing up to $2000 just to be in contention. There were rumours a certain Brazilian ad agency spent $7 million on entries in 2013.

Kanye West talked about, well, Kanye West at Cannes. Source: AP

The 2013 Cannes is where Australian agency McCann Melbourne came home with 28 Lions, including five Grands Prix for what is now the most awarded ad campaign in history — 'Dumb Ways to Die'.

Sorry if we just got the 'Dumb Ways to Die' ditty in your head. Source: Supplied

But more than the awards, the famous faces and the drinking is the networking. When you've got the most important brand marketers from all over the world in one little town, who between them controls billions of dollars, you can be sure that there's a lot of jostling, card-swapping and promises of "you know we can do that launch campaign better for you, let's do lunch when we get home". So there are a lot of parties. On expensive yachts. With overflowing alcohol.

Which brings this around to that other, other Cannes festival, the Hot d'Or, otherwise known as the Cannes Porn Festival, complete with its own set of prestigious awards. Sadly, the Hot d'Or shut up shop in 2001, with an one-off resurgence in 2009.

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The one letter that could hurt us all

The Opposition has criticised the Abbott government for confusion over its policy on East Jerusalem.

Cattle are loaded onto a ship for export at Darwin's East Arm Wharf. Source: News Limited

WORDS are the weapons of diplomacy, and even the tiniest change in language can be seen as a hostile barrage, as the Australian Government is discovering.

And the controversy is starting to look like a shambles. That's with both a capital S and a lower case S.

Two weeks ago the Government said it would no longer refer to East Jerusalem, captured by Israel in the Six-Day War of June, 1967 as "Occupied East Jerusalem".

In November, 1967 the UN Security Council used the term "occupied" and it has been the accepted description of the territory ever since, although there has been use of the word "disputed" as well.

A bitter reaction to its decision has forced the Government to downplay its importance to the extent that there now is a dizzying debate over whether "small o" occupied is just the same as "capital O" Occupied.

There have been attempts to placate angry members of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation — some of them our best Middle East trading partners — who are threatening to stop buying our farm products.

This is a timetable of the issue.

• June 5 Attorney General George Brandis to Senate committee: "The description of East Jerusalem as 'Occupied East Jerusalem' is a term freighted with pejorative implications, which is neither appropriate nor useful."

• June 6 Attorney General George Brandis in written statement: "The description of East Jerusalem as 'Occupied Jerusalem' is pejorative and it will not be the practice of the Australian Government to describe areas of negotiation in such judgmental language."

• June 13 Amid threats of trade retaliation by Arab nations, National Farmers Federation president Brent Finlay said "We are very concerned about it and we are working closely with Agriculture Minister (Barnaby Joyce). It is an unfortunate hiccup."

• June 13 Agricultures Minister Barnaby Joyce: "I acknowledge that this is a contentious discussion in the Middle East, and I just want to make sure that on our behalf that we continue to do what is I believe a noble pursuit, the provision of food, the provision of protein for the sustenance of people, and in the same breath making sure we get a better return back through the farm gate for Australian farming families."

• June 14 Prime Minister Tony Abbott in Houston, Texas: "There has been no change in policy. There's been a terminological clarification."

Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop are having to chose language carefully after the Government said it would no longer refer to "Occupied East Jerusalem". Source: News Corp Australia

• June 16 Letter from Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to ambassadors from Islamic nations: "I emphasise there has been no change in the Australian government's position on the legal status of the Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem. Our position is consistent with relevant UN resolutions on the issue starting with UN security council resolution 242 and 338. Senator Brandis's statement was about nomenclature, and was not a comment on the legal status of the Palestinian Territories."

• June 19 Spokesman for Opposition Leader Bill Shorten: "The territory is occupied, and that's why Labor describes it like that."

• June 19 Head of the Palestinian delegation to Australia, Izzat Abdulhadi, one of 18 ambassadors who met Foreign Minister Julie Bishop: "[Ms Bishop] said that Senator Brandis ... said Australian Government will not use the language of occupied with a capital 'O', as if it's a part of the name, but the Government will continue to use occupied East Jerusalem with a small 'o'."

Well I guess that settles it then.

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