Year 9 Penrith High School student, Simran Dhaliwal, has been named Research Australia’s 2011 National Youth Ambassador for Health Research. Simran has been chosen to represent Australia’s youth voice for health and medical research, says a Research Australia media release.
Simran’s winning essay in the national schools competition highlighted the growing need for communities to get informed and educated on healthy eating options. “There is a lack of knowledge in the general public (regarding scientific interventions, advancements and innovations) and education is the key to achieving an overall better quality of life,” said Simran.
The Research Australia National Youth Ambassador for Health Research competition challenged year 9 and 10 students from around Australia to submit essays or YouTube videos focusing on scientific interventions in food.
Simran, along with state and territory winners from all over Australia, recently took part in a special teleconference to develop a consensus statement as the voice of Australian youth on nutrition and health research. This communiqué was sent to members of parliament, state health ministers and Research Australia stakeholders.
The Chief Executive Officer of Research Australia, Elizabeth Foley, congratulated Simran for her outstanding contributions.
“The Research Australia Youth Ambassador Program provides an ideal avenue to draw out the observations of some of our finest young students and introduce them to the wide array of career
opportunities in health and medical research – ranging from the traditional lab roles to new areas
such as health economics, science engineering and biomathematics,” Ms Foley said.
Simran will be presented with her award at the 2011 Research Australia Awards, which will be held
at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne on 16 November 2011.
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SBS is launching the SBS Your Language mobile application which enables users to listen to their favourite SBS radio programs anytime or anywhere, on an iPhone®, iPad® or iPod touch®.
The application utilises innovative multilingual technology, says an SBS media release today.
“The Your Language app extends the reach of the more than 60 SBS Radio language programs with listeners now able to access their favourite programs on analogue and digital radio, online and now on their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch at a time that suits the listener,” SBS Managing Director Michael Ebeid said.
“Coupled with our pilot Chinese language Virtual Community Centre and SBS Television’s Mandarin News Australia and the recently launched Pop Asia TV, these services are demonstrating the potential SBS has to revolutionise in-language services for Australia’s culturally and linguistically diverse communities.”
Features of the SBS Your Language app include:
Live program streaming Audio on demand: a mix of podcasts and audio highlights The ability to listen to previous programs The language program of choice will set as your default Schedule information Program reminder notifications One click button to email, text message or call the program! High quality digital audio
“SBS offers so much more than a traditional radio service” said SBS Audio and Language Content Director Dirk Anthony. “We provide high quality content in over 60 languages on multiple platforms – on air, online, on TV with Mandarin News Australia and via digital TV, and now, on mobile.”
The SBS Your Language app is available for free download from the App StoreSM from 9am on Thursday, 3 November.

Edited by Ashok Kumar:

The Back to Back Theatre that staged the infamous play ‘Ganesh versus the Third Reich’ last month and earned the wrath of the Hindus the world over failed to make amends to the play after committing to do so when they re-staged the play on Oct 6 to 9.
The representatives of the Hindu bodies were aghast to find that their objections had been ignored when the play was re-staged last week. They strongly protested this time too at the Malthouse Theatre, Southbank, Melbourne
Many Hindus gathered outside the Malthouse theatre in Melbourne to protest against the play that still trivialises and denigrates Sree Ganesh, a deity who is revered by millions of Hindus and non-Hindus worldwide. Other Hindu deities like Sree Shiva and Sree Vishnu were also incorrectly portrayed in this play.
On Wednesday, 28th of September at 3.00 PM, representatives of the Hindu Community Council of Victoria, Vishwa Hindu Parishad youth leaders, members of the Hindu society of Victoria, on the invitation of the Victorian Multicultural Commission met with the organisers of the play ‘ Ganesh versus the Third Reich’ to express the various objections of the Hindu community. Based on the request of the organisers, representatives of the Hindu community went to watch the play on the 29th of September. The representative made notes throughout the play and watched out for any denigration and trivialisation of Lord Ganesh. We noticed the following denigrations – Lord Ganesh was shown captured by the Nazis, the character in the play asks for opinion of Lord Ganesh’s trunk in a jocular fashion, Lord Ganesh was trivialised by being shown as a mortal and being dressed in a suit, Lord Shiva was portrayed plucking a human being into two, a man with board shorts, no shirt and a garland plays Lord Vishnu, etc. Like these, there were many denigrations in the play.
None of the above aligns with the teachings of Hindu religion, and portraying Hindu Deities like this carries incorrect impressions about Hindu religion. All those who do not know much about Hindu religion could think of this kind of messages as teachings of Hinduism. It can lead to more denigration in future, upsetting the Hindu community in multicultural Australia. Forum for Hindu Awakening strongly believes that the very theme of this play was flawed, as it denigrates Hindu Deities by humanising them. The play uses descriptions of Hindu Deities that are contrary to those in Hindu Scriptures.
Hindus were upset that in spite of conveying their objections about the play to the organisers, the play production company, their requests to stop the play was completely ignored and whatever promises they had given in prior meetings to remove the objectionable marketing hand outs before the play were not adhered to. The organizers removed most of the offensive pictures and content after the play began; but still continued to show the video of the play on YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtwI3il-0UE which contains denigrating picture of Lord Ganesh.
“Representatives were invited to the play to see for themselves whether Back to Back had followed through on what they promised” said Nikhil Rughani, Central Secretary for Youth and Students with the World Hindu Council of Australia. “We were shocked to find that they went back on their commitments, this is not a good day for communities of any religious faith, and it does nothing to show respect or tolerance for multiculturalism in Australia.” said Mr Rughani.
Volunteers of Forum for Hindu Awakening along with volunteers from other organizations like the Brahmakumaris continued to raise awareness amongst the community and staged protests outside the Malthouse theatre on all the days when the play was performed. Many local Australians from varied backgrounds who had come to watch the play were curious to know about the denigration in the play and upon understanding the nature of denigration, they appreciated the cause.
The vice- president of the Hindu Community Council of Victoria Shri Vamsi Gollamudi was interviewed by Savita Soni, reporter of SBS Radio and a freelancing photographer gave coverage to the protests and supported the efforts. The radio interview can be heard on – http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/hindi/highlight/page/id/187947/t/Ganesh-versus-the-Third-Reich/

Two Indian migrants to Perth, married with children and aged in their 30s, drowned last week at Penguin Island while trying to cross the sand bar at a popular island marine park. All efforts by the Rangers to resuscitate them after they were swept into deep water off the Island failed, a SAT correspondent reported.

One of the dead was boilermaker, Pavan Ghanasala, who had recently arrived in Australia with his young family.

 Their wives and two other companions who had attempted the crossing with them were, however, rescued and taken to hospitals in nearby Rockingham and Fremantle.

 They had been picnicking on the island with their children and other family members who had returned to the mainland by ferry.

 Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) rangers were in the process of closing public access to the sandbar when the drowning occurred, DEC

District manager Mike Meinema said. They have since closed the sandbar to the public.

Permanent signs warning people of the danger of making the 750-metre crossing on the sandbar and advising them to take the ferry were in place on both sides, Mr Meinema said.  ”People will often ignore that advice,” he said