Mosheeen shows her extraordinary class with a brilliant first-up win in the Shadwell Stud Australasia Stakes at Caulfield. Picture: Wayne Ludbey
Source: Herald Sun

DANNY Nikolic’s ray of hope, and probably the most gifted horse Robert Smerdon has trained.

These were the superlatives after VRC Oaks winner Mosheen resumed with a romp victory at Caulfield yesterday, putting her on target for an Australian Guineas clash with Helmet at Flemington next month.

Mosheen’s hard-held win in the Shadwell Manfred Stakes also proved a tonic for part-owner Phil Sly, a businessman battling cancer who had sold half of Mosheen to Japan’s richest owner, Katsumi Yoshida.

Starting a well-backed favourite at $3.20, Mosheen coasted up to the leaders at the 300m before clearing out to beat fast-closing That’s The One ($6.50) by 1 3/4 lengths. Highly Recommended ($11) battled on into third.

“It’s good to see things pan out as they have – to sell half the horse to the Japanese … the big boss (Yoshida) was on the phone just then and he’s ecstatic,” Sly said.

Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.

End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.

Mosheen will race in Japan, but Smerdon is eyeing two big goals, starting with the March 3 Guineas at Flemington.

“I think at this stage the Vanity and then the Australian Guineas and then Sydney for the Coolmore Classic,” Smerdon said.

Nikolic is so impressed with Mosheen, he vowed to follow her to Japan.

“I’ve been booked for the ride over there,” he said.

“She’s my little ray of hope, the only decent horse I’m really riding.

“Whatever she goes around in, she’s going to be hard to beat because she’s got class all over her and can win from six furlongs (1200m) to a mile and a half (2400m). It’s thumbs up everywhere.”

Smerdon said Mosheen was rated extremely high, but not as high as recuperating Atlantic Jewel, who twice thrashed Mosheen in the spring.

“Mosheen ran second in the Golden Slipper behind a star in Sepoy and then wins an Oaks,” he said.

“She has to be right up there with the best I’ve trained. But how good does it make Atlantic Jewel?”

Article source: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/superracing/mosheen-shows-class-with-first-up-win/story-fn67siys-1226262622219

If the man in your life is suddenly on his best behaviour, have a look around. Men apparently become nicer, kinder and more…

Article source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10782981&ref=rss

Top Seeds Survive Early Scare On Day Two Of The Oakley Pro Junior – North Stradbroke Island

Thursday, 2 February 2012

Current U/18 Boys Australian Champion Eli Steele (Caloundra, Qld) and ASP Australasia Junior Men’s ratings leader Cooper Chapman (Narrabeen, NSW) both survived tough opening heats today, as the action continued on day-two of the 2012 5-Star, AUD$30,000 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Oakley Pro Junior.

Once again, powerful 1.5m beach-break conditions rolled in at Point Lookout’s Main Beach, with Steele advancing into the Round of 64 and Chapman advancing into the Round of 32 respectively.

In shifting conditions, Steele posted a combined two wave heat total of 6.75 (out of a possible 20), finishing in second place behind Jackson Carey (Terrey Hills, NSW – 7.65), only just edging out fellow Sunshine Coast surfer Jake Vincent (6.15) and Hayden Forrest (Mornington Peninsula, Victoria – 4.95) who finished third and fourth respectively.

It was a similar story for ratings leader Chapman, who was seeded into the highest round (64-surfers), with the highly touted North Narrabeen surfer posting a combined two wave heat total of 9.60 (out of a possible 20), finishing in second place behind Portugal’s Vasco Ribeiro (12.50), only just edging out Frenchman William Aliotti (8.35) and Australia’s Tom Hatcher (5.30) who finished third and fourth respectively.

Updated Event Heat Draw – http://www.pro-surfing.com/alhunt/files/2012evt82.pdf

Meanwhile, outside of competition, Oakley in conjunction with North Stradbroke Island Surf School held a learn-to-surf day for a handful of Indigenous children who travelled all the way from Mt Isa in Queensland’s north-west.

Oakley identities including the likes of former ASP World Tour surfers Tom Whitaker and Beau Emerton joined Kai Hing, Keahla Naihe and North Stradbroke’s own top international surfer Lincoln Taylor to share the thrill of surfing with the super-stoked kids, many of whom had never seen the ocean before.

Running from February 1-5 and held in the varying breaks surrounding the island paradise, the Oakley Pro Junior is the third stop on the prestigious ASP Australasia Pro Junior Men’s tour.

Up for grabs is the JS Tractor Big Boost, which will see 12 hand-picked competitors (four locals, four Australians and four international competitors) compete for three  brand new custom  JS surfboards with the best placed local surfer also winning one brand new JS surfboard.

The Oakley Pro Junior is proudly supported by Oakley, JS Surfboards, ASP Australasia, Surfing Queensland and Redland City Council.  

ASP Australasia Pro Junior Men’s Ratings (after two events)
1.    Cooper Chapman (Narrabeen, NSW) – 2316 points
2.    Haril Anwar (Indonesia) – 1678 points
3.    Wade Carmichael (Avoca, NSW) – 1594

Visit www.oakleyprojunior.com for news, photos and updates relating to the 2012 Oakley Pro Junior.

For regular updates and happenings, become a fan of our Facebook page here.

Follow Surfing Australia on Twitter

Article source: http://www.surfingaustralia.com/news-details.php?id=2385

International Junior Surfers Set For The 2012 Oakley Pro Junior – North Stradbroke Island!

Tuesday, 31 January 2012

North Stradbroke Island, Queensland, Tuesday 31st January, 2012: THE world’s best professional junior surfers are set to invade the high-performance surfing hideaway of North Stradbroke Island (Queensland, Australia) for the 2012 5-Star, AUD$30,000 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Oakley Pro Junior.

Running from February 1-5 and held in the varying breaks surrounding the island paradise, the Oakley Pro Junior is the third stop on the prestigious ASP Australasia Pro Junior Men’s tour.

Oakley South Pacific Sports Marketing’s Beau Emerton said “At this stage, the swell and wind forecast looks like the event will be able to utilise the full array of breaks surrounding the Island,” said Emerton.

“Oakley is stoked to be able to offer a 5-Star Pro Junior event, in a high-performance surfing location and with the calibre of local and international athletes in this year’s competition, it will certainly be great to watch,” he said.

This week’s event will be spearheaded by reigning ASP Australasia Junior Men’s Champion Thomas Woods (Burleigh Heads, Qld), who will be joined by a host of local and international stars including last year’s event runner-up Peterson Crisanto (Brazil), Billabong World Junior Championship finalists Wade Carmichael (Avoca, NSW) and Nathan Carvalho (Hawaii), Conner Coffin (USA) and event wildcard Kai Hing (Wurtulla, Qld) just to name a few.

Top rated Australasia junior Tim MacDonald (North Stradbroke Island/Burleigh Heads, Qld) will carry the hopes of the local crowd and he’ll be joined by five other North Stradbroke Island surfers ready to take on the world’s best in their own backyard.

Also up for grabs is the JS Tractor Big Boost, which will see 12 hand picked competitors (four locals, four Australians and four international competitors) compete for three  brand new custom  JS surfboards with the best placed local surfer also winning one brand new JS surfboard.

Prior to competition on the first morning of the event, competitors will be welcomed to North Stradbroke Island by elders of the local Indigenous community who will perform a traditional “Welcome to Country” ceremony.

The Oakley Pro Junior is proudly supported by Oakley, JS Surfboards, ASP Australasia, Surfing Queensland and Redland City Council.  
 
ASP Australasia Pro Junior Men’s Ratings (after two events)
 
1.    Cooper Chapman (Narrabeen, NSW) – 2316 points
2.    Haril Anwar (Indonesia) – 1678 points
3.    Wade Carmichael (Avoca, NSW) – 1594
 
Visit www.oakleyprojunior.com for news, photos and updates relating to the 2012 Oakley Pro Junior.

For regular updates and happenings, become a fan of our Facebook page here.

Follow Surfing Australia on Twitter

Article source: http://www.surfingaustralia.com/news-details.php?id=2379

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Morningstar Australasia Moves to New
Global Analyst Rating Scale for Australian and New Zealand
Funds

SYDNEY/AUCKLAND, 31 January 2012 – Morningstar
Australasia Pty Limited, a subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc.
(NASDAQ: MORN), a leading provider of independent investment
research, today announced the migration of its existing
Morningstar Recommendation qualitative rating scale for
Australian and New Zealand managed funds to the new global
Morningstar Analyst RatingTM. The new Analyst Ratings are
now available in Morningstar’s Australian and New Zealand
products and services.

The five-tiered Analyst Rating
scale has three positive levels – Gold, Silver, and Bronze
– in addition to Neutral and Negative ratings. Analysts
arrive at a rating through an evaluation of five key pillars
they believe are crucial to predicting the future success of
a fund: People, Process, Parent, Performance, and
Price.

Morningstar analysts score these five pillars as
Positive, Neutral, or Negative, which are then combined for
the overall rating. Morningstar reserves the top three
tiers, expressed as medals, for funds its analyst team
thinks have sustainable advantages that position them well
relative to peers and/or a relevant benchmark on a
risk-adjusted basis over a full market cycle of at least
five years.

“Morningstar has been providing analyst
research on funds since the late 1980s, but our new rating
system represents the first time that we’ve offered a global
qualitative rating for funds,” said Morningstar Australasia
Chief Executive Officer Anthony Serhan. “Investors and
advisers in Australia and New Zealand will benefit from the
extensive work we’ve undertaken globally to identify and
codify the strengths of our various fund evaluation
methods.

“We now also have three positive designations –
Gold, Silver, and Bronze – rather than two positive
ratings, as well as a Neutral and Negative rating, providing
an additional level of distinction and enabling us to give
more granular insights into our views on funds.”

The new
Morningstar Analyst Rating scale is as follows:

•
Positive Ratings:

Gold: a best-of-breed fund that
distinguishes itself across the five pillars and has
garnered the analysts’ highest level of
conviction;

Silver: a fund with notable advantages across
several, but perhaps not all, of the five pillars –
strengths that give the analysts a high level of
conviction;

Bronze: a fund with advantages that outweigh
any disadvantages across the five pillars, and sufficient
level of analyst conviction to warrant a positive
rating;

• Neutral: a fund that isn’t likely to deliver
standout returns, but also isn’t likely to significantly
underperform; And

• Negative: a fund that has at least
one flaw likely to significantly hamper future performance,
and is considered an inferior offering to its
peers.

Morningstar’s fund research in Australia and New
Zealand is co-led by Chris Douglas and Tim
Murphy.

Morningstar does not charge fund managers for the
production of ratings or research, and the decision to rate
and report on a specific fund is determined by the fund
analyst team on the basis of client demand, asset size, and
assessment of investment merit.

The new Morningstar
Analyst Ratings are available in Australia and New Zealand
in Morningstar® Adviser Research CentreTM, a web-based
solution developed specifically for dealer groups and
financial advisers; Morningstar® Adviser WorkstationTM, a
global practice and portfolio management solution for
advisers; and Morningstar DirectTM, the company’s web-based
global investment analysis platform for institutional
investors. Analyst Ratings are also available to Australian
investors with Premium Membership of the Morningstar.com.au
website.

About Morningstar Australasia and Morningstar,
Inc.

Morningstar Australasia Pty Limited is an Australian
subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc., a leading provider of
independent investment research in North America, Europe,
Australia, and Asia. The company offers an extensive line of
products and services for individuals, financial advisers,
and institutions. Morningstar provides data on approximately
330,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual
funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global
market data on more than five million equities, indexes,
futures, options, commodities, and precious metals, in
addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets.
Morningstar also offers investment management services
through its registered investment adviser subsidiaries and
had more than US$167.0 billion in assets under advisement
and management at 30 September 2011. The company has
operations in 26
countries.

ENDS

Article source: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1201/S00632/new-global-analyst-rating-scale.htm

Ideas that might help you with your taxes … and maybe even save you some money.

Article source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/limited-upside-expected-efa-fund-165000490.html

Brisbane Race Club chairman Kevin Dixon. Photo: Katherine Feeney

A cash and car bonanza designed to lure the best horses in Australasia to Brisbane’s ‘risky’ winter Racing Carnival was announced at Doomben racecourse today.

Brisbane Race Club Chairman Kevin Dixon said the government-backed carrot would help foot the bill incurred by select big names invited to run the carnival’s grade one drawcards, including the $1 million Stradbroke Handicap.

That includes covering the cost of stabling at Eagle Farm, travel expenses for interstate horses, and entry fees to the Oaks and Stradbroke which hit the hip at $3300 and $7920 respectively.

And that’s not all; the keys to a $95,000 BMW series 5 sedan would be up for grabs to any placegetting trainer in the Doomben 10,000 and Stradbroke.

“We’re saying to trainers we’ve taken the risk out of coming to Brisbane,” Mr Dixon said, dismissing suggestions the initiative was a desperate measure.

“And we’re allowing local trainers to take on the best in Australasia.”

Mr Dixon said the Brisbane event often lost out to other more accessible or lucrative carnivals held in Sydney and Melbourne towards the start of the racing season.

But strong crowd growth recorded in last year’s event thanks to the inclusion of high profile horses like sprinter Black Caviar proved there was worth in attracting big names.

Over 20,000 punters turned up to watch the celebrity mare claim her 13th straight victory in the BTC Cup last May, part of a record season that saw excess of 68,000 attend the five week event.

Black Caviar’s trainer Peter Moody said the imitative would help owners and trainers come to regard the winter carnival as a great way to end the racing year.

“It goes a long way to forming part of a championship racing her in Austria where we can have fun in the sun in the middle of winter in Queensland.”

The Brisbane Racing Carnival takes place at Doomben and Eagle Farm Racecourse between May 12 and June 9.

Article source: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/horseracing/cars-and-cash-racings-new-drawcards-20120118-1q680.html

• 15 January 2012

Product name

Disposable Urinal Covers

Market availability

Purchase direct from DUC TM or one of our approved

Disposable urinal covers are now available in the UK Ireland, Europe Australasia from DUC TM LTD as the only Authorised distribution partner for the US patent holding company. Potential distribution partners Re-sellers in the UK, Ireland, Europe Australasia should contact ourselves for pricing information.

Technical Information

DUC TM are made from quality 3 mil low-density polyethylene and are designed to fit all sizes of wall-mounted urinals. An elastic strip holds the cover to the urinal, and a plastic clip is located at the top of the
urinal cover to secure it to a water supply line if present.

Pack: 3 covers
Size: H 1067mm x W 813mm per cover
Patent # 6880184

Contact Details

Email:

ductm@live.co.uk

Web Contact form:

http://www.ductm.co.uk/contact-us.php

Mobile: 07917 467788 Scott McCrickard Founder Owner
Mobile: 07879 993817 Chris Goodwin Founder Owner

Find us on Facebook LinkedIn

Company Website

www.ductm.co.uk

Product Website

www.ductm.co.uk/duc

Company Information

Who We Are:

The only authorised distributor of Disposable Urinal Covers. DUC TM have secured Exclusive Distribution Rights to supply into the UK Europe Australasia.

DUC is a brand new innovative product that conforms to HSE regulations for commercial public washroom, sanitation devices.

Introduction:

Our product is fully Recyclable, disposable, light weight, easy to store.

DUC TM offer a brand new solution to an age old problem. For a more professional washroom appearance . . .

Our covers offer a temporary solution to your current problem until you urinal or w/c can be repaired or replaced.

Don’t Just Leave It . . . . DUC It

Company Number. 7868256

Article source: http://www.opi.net/file/114447/disposable-urinal-covers.html

The FDA announced its intentions in a letter to the Juice Products Association after being alerted to levels of the fungicide in orange juice by Minute Maid manufacturer, Coca-Cola.

Authorities in Malaysia have also indicated their intention to strictly monitor all orange juice product imports.

Monitoring program

“FSANZ is liaising with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to ensure imported products comply with the new requirements. FSANZ has been advised that a monitoring program is being established to test for carbendazim,” a FSANZ statement said.

“The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has been reviewing permissions for Carbendazim. As a result of this review oranges and orange juice sold in Australia will not be permitted to contain any carbendazim after the existing permissions are revoked in the first quarter of 2012.”

The FSANZ added that consumers should not be concerned about drinking orange juice as exposure to carbendazim through orange and citrus juices is extremely low.

An average 60kg adult would have to drink more than 145 litres of orange juice in a day before surpassing the safe level, the authority statement added.

“Cause of concern”

FoodQualityNews.com’s sister site FoodNavigator-Asia.com reported earlier this week on Malaysian plans to strictly enforce carbendazim regulations in the country – where the presence of the fungicide in orange juice is banned.

“According to data from the Food Safety Information System of Malaysia, about 2,800mt of orange juice concentrate has been imported from Brazil in 2011. This is a cause of concern and we would thus need to monitor future exports,” a Malaysian health ministry spokesperson said.

“But as per our food regulations, carbendazim is not allowed in orange juice at all in Malaysia. We would make sure that these regulations were adhered to and importers are alerted to the stricter monitoring.”

Deny entry

On 28 December 2011, the FDA was informed by Minute Maid manufacturer, Coca-Cola, that it had detected low levels of carbendazim in some of its marketed orange juice products, its competitors’, and some samples not yet on the market.

As a result, the FDA stated in a letter, to the Juice Products Association, that it would not allow orange juice products containing carbendazim to enter the country.

Brazil, which Brazil provides around 11% of US orange juice, and Mexico are the top two importers of orange juice concentrate into the US – both allow the use of carbendazim in orange production.

“FDA is collecting and analysing samples of orange juice products that arrive at US borders from all countries and will not allow any that contain measurable levels of carbendazim to enter the United States,” an FDA update said.

Article source: http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/On-your-radar/Contamination/Australasia-follows-US-lead-on-carbendazim-in-orange-juice