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Won't it be cool if passengers can invoice the airlines for being late? Well it may become a reality for Australians under new laws proposed by the Government. Foreign airlines will have to pay up to $8000 a person for delayed flights, $1800 for lost luggage and $180,000 compensation for injury or death in a plane crash.

The changes, introduced to Parliament by the Transport Minister, Anthony Albanese, yesterday, would bring Australia into line with signatories to the Montreal Convention, an agreement between 86 countries.

"The new scheme makes it easier for Australians to seek fair and timely protection," Mr Albanese said.

Under the old system, a passenger who lost their luggage would have to prove the carrier was at fault. If Australia ratifies the convention, the same passenger would receive up to $1800, no questions asked.

"So for your thousand-dollar bag you'd get your money back straightaway, no ifs or buts from the airline," a spokesman for the minister said. "It reverses the onus. If the bag is worth more than the threshold, it would be the airline that would have to prove it was not at fault."

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Submitted by Marco on Fri, 21/03/2008 - 2:38pm.

Sweet and stunning Mandy Moore. For three years, her image resided on the top right of the image banner of Blog Marco - she was blonde back then (one of the female celebrities I adore), but I've never done a post of her. So I should do a post about her right? And here it is. Enjoy the paparazzi photos of Many Moore below - they're from the Herve Leger Autumn '08 fashion show.

Amanda Leigh "Mandy" Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American pop singer, songwriter and actress. Moore was born in Nashua, New Hampshire, the daughter of Stacy, a former news reporter who once worked for the Orlando Sentinel, and Don Moore, a pilot for American Airlines. She grew up in Florida and came to fame as a teenager in the early 2000s, after the release of her teen-oriented pop albums So Real, I Wanna Be with You, and Mandy Moore. She mainly does: Folk, dance-pop, pop rock, bubblegum pop type music. But as time changed her style changed also.

Mandy Moore has branched out into a film career, starring in 2002's A Walk to Remember and later appearing in the lead roles of other movies also aimed at teenage audiences. Two of her later films, American Dreamz and Saved!, were satires in which Moore portrayed darker characters than in her previous roles. Moore's private life, including her relationships with tennis player Andy Roddick and actors Wilmer Valderrama and Zach Braff, has been much discussed in the media. Moore's fifth album, Wild Hope, was released in 2007.

I was watching MAD TV on channel 9 last weekend (they air the episodes at 2am on Sunday or Monday night) and I realised that Australia is some 2 or 3 seasons behind in Mad TV. Stupid Channel 9. Thanks to the producers of Mad TV for allowing people to post Mad TV on YouTube. You've got to watch this random bit that MADTV made: Mad TV 13th Season Premiere: 24 with Bobby Lee, a Gay Arab and a Terrorist.

Destiny Hope Cyrus (born November 23, 1992) is better known by her stage name Miley Cyrus, is an American actress, singer and songwriter. She is perhaps best known for starring as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel Original Series, Hannah Montana. As of March 2008, she is in the legal process of changing her given name to "Miley Ray Cyrus". Cyrus became an overnight sensation after she was cast in Hannah Montana. Following the success of the show, in October 2006, a soundtrack CD was released in which she sang eight songs from the show. In December 2007, she was ranked #17 in the list of Forbes Top twenty earners under 25 with an annual earning of US$3.5 million. Miley Cyrus became interested in acting at age nine when the family briefly lived in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her first acting role was as a guest star on her father's television series Doc, in which she played a girl named Kylie. According to Disney Channel Executive Vice President Gary Marsh, Cyrus was chosen for Hannah Montana because of her energetic and lively performance and was seen as a person who "loves every minute of life", with the "everyday reliability of Hilary Duff and the stage presence of Shania Twain".

Facebook privacy has been a major talking point at the water cooler. Everyone - including me - are pissed at how Facebook handles our privacy. But now, things are changing. They're giving us the power to change our privacy levels! I'm not giving any more information away to my applications (besides the info that I type into their app)

It's bloody amazing at how much stuff Facebook knows about us: They have a picture, they know our birthday sex, hometown, political views, and when you last updated your profile, Personal info (activities, interests, etc.), Current location (what city you're in), Education history, Work history, Profile status, Groups you belong to, Events you're invited to, Photos taken by you, Photos taken of you, Relationship status, What type of relationship you're looking for, What sex you're interested in, Who you're in a relationship with and Religious views. That's a tremendous amount of power.

Facebook is tweaking the privacy settings on its popular online hangout to let users exert greater control over which of their friends are allowed to see personal details they post.

The Internet | Marco's blog | add new comment | read more»

Submitted by Marco on Thu, 20/03/2008 - 3:24pm.

I don't know what to make of this story... Should I empathise with the trader? Or should I just laugh at him for being there in the first place? (remember that he is MARRIED and he went there ON HIS OWN)

A Wall Street trader is seeking damages after allegedly being hit in the face by a stripper's high heel as she performed a lap dance for him.

Stephen Chang, a securities trader, claims in court papers filed at the Manhattan Supreme Court that he "sustained serious personal injuries" on his visit to the Hot Lap Dance Club near Madison Square Garden in November last year.

His lawsuit against the club states: "During the course of said lap dance, the employee suddenly swung around, striking [Mr Chang] in the eye with the heel of her shoe." Mr Chang, who is married and in his early 30s, had visited the club on his own. The establishment, which describes itself as the "Playboy Mansion of Manhattan party lofts" charges a $50 cover charge and a $10 one-time joining fee. A lap dance typically costs around $40.

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Submitted by Marco on Wed, 19/03/2008 - 8:05pm.

For you guys looking for Free Wifi in Sydney, hopefully this page will be of use to you. Sydney City Council had a trial of free internet hotspots earlier 2008, and plans are that they will have a permanent network by the end of the year. I haven't personally checked or tried all of these but please... if you find a free WiFi hotspot in Sydney or would like to give a review, drop a comment below. Or if you are a Cafe, restaurant or hotel and want to publicize your Free WiFi hotspot feel free to comment below.

Let's start off with central Sydney, a hot tourist place - The Rocks. Here's how you get connected for free:

The service allows anyone located indoors or outdoors within The Rocks’ Wi-Fi hotspot – between Sydney Harbour Bridge and Circular Quay – to access the high speed wireless connection for 30 minute blocks.

It’s a perfect way to check up on local dining, entertainment and accommodation options as well as arts and cultural events and local tours in the precinct at The Rocks’ new-look website.

Sydney | Marco's blog | 2 comments | read more»

Submitted by Marco on Mon, 17/03/2008 - 12:31pm.

Isn't PayPal smart with Credit Cards? When you go shopping around on the internet, find something to buy and purchase it through the PayPal payment system you are often served a page which lists how much the transaction will withdraw from your account. But which account? This is the page which you must read carefully.

First time I came across this page, I didn't read it properly and I just clicked to proceed with the transaction assuming my Credit card will automatically be charged by PayPal. But that wasn't the case. I instead got a statement from my bank a month later saying that the transaction actually went through my standard banking account and not through the credit card. I shrugged it off at that time, thinking it was a glitch and relieved I wasn't double charged for my purchase.

Second time around, I read the PayPal payment page carefully. Then I realised. You have to manually select the credit card option by clicking another link on that page to change your payment type: whether it be from your Paypal funds, your bank account (which you have on file with Paypal because you would withdraw your funds from Paypal to that account), and your credit card account. So I chose the credit card option. It doesn't cost any extra for you the user of Paypal to use the credit card option over the bank option. But for Paypal it costs them money. That's why they prefer you to use the bank option. Paypal has credit card fees to pay which they pay to the credit card companies for the privilege of using their payment system (i.e. Merchant fees). Something the end user doesn't see.

Disappointing. To see an institution linked with the Christian community to be smeared in the public media - yet again (again? Hillsong already has a controversial regard following mainstream publicity in Current Affairs TV programs). This time its a scandal involving Mercy Ministries:

A SECRETIVE ministry with direct links to Gloria Jean's Coffees and the Hillsong Church has been deceiving troubled young women into signing over months of their lives to a program that offers scant medical or psychiatric care, instead using Bible studies and exorcisms to treat mental illness.

Government agencies such as Centrelink have also been drawn into the controversy, as residents are required to transfer their benefits to Mercy Ministries. There are also allegations that the group receives a carers payment to look after the young women.