Monthly Archives: August 2015

Theo Skalkos after appearing in court in February.

Sydney man Theo Skalkos accused of committing an act of indecency with a teenager

Colourful Sydney publisher Theo Skalkos is in legal hot water again, but those familiar with his insatiable appetite for courtroom stoushes will be expecting him to once again channel his inner-Houdini.

Fairfax Media reported this week that Skalkos, 83, had been charged with committing an act of indecency with a teenager of unspecified sex. A former bankrupt, Skalkos is alleged to have engaged in the act with a 19-year-old at Mascot on February 4.

Dubbed ‘Earthquake’ due to his thunderous presence in his company’s office, Skalkos has an uncanny knack of finding his way out of the gravest of legal difficulties.

In another sex-related court matter dating back to 2003, Skalkos was accused of indecent assault in relation to a former employee. Skalkos ultimately made his getaway, unscathed – thanks to the talents of legendary barrister Jim Conomos, who convinced the magistrate the 35-year-old alleged victim had been motivated by greed.

One of his most famous court losses dates back to the 1980s, when celebrated Australian Cypriot television producer and football entrepreneur Harry Michaels sued The Greek Herald for defamation and managed to extract $150k in damages from Skalkos after launching legal proceedings in NSW.

To avoid similar payouts in other states, Skalkos changed the name of the paper to the Hellenic Herald. In 2012, Skalkos yet again faced court on firearm charges after allegedly levelling a double-barrelled shotgun at a tradesman chasing him for almost $25, 000 in unpaid work performed on his Mascot office.
Skalkos allegedly ripped up an invoice presented to him by plumber James Hasapis, telling him, “if you come back I will cut off your legs”.

In Waverley Local Court, Magistrate Jacqueline Milledge found Skalkos “probably” did assault Hasapis, but it had not been established, beyond reasonable doubt, and because the accused was “a person of otherwise excellent good character”, she wasn’t satisfied he committed the offence. In separate charges Skalkos was convicted and fined $1,200 with $81 court costs on the firearms charge of failing to keep the shotgun and ammunition secure after pleading guilty.

Skalkos pleaded not guilty to the latest charge laid against him in a Sydney court on Monday and will reappear on September 14.

source: Neos Kosmos

Seven decades after the U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, a 99-year-old veteran refuses to give up his life’s mission — to ensure nuclear warfare never happens again.

The city of Hiroshima will early Thursday (7 p.m. ET Wednesday) commemorate the 1945 moment “Little Boy” instantly killed at least 60,000 people. Three days later, “Fat Man” killed around 40,000 others in Nagasaki.

The bombings are credited with ending World War II but they left two cities in ruins and generations suffering the effects of radiation poisoning. Tens of thousands more later died from cancer and other illnesses.

source:nbcnews.com

A German neo-Nazi politician is accepted to the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee.

German anti-Semitism is far from dead, although government officials are doing what they can to snuff it out. A German neo-Nazi politician has even managed to get himself placed on the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee.

A cordial invitation to Jewish athletes to hold the Maccabi Games in Berlin brought the eyes of the world to Germany as Hitler’s stadium filled with cheering. But vicious anti-Semites still managed to seek out Jewish athletes at their hotel, over the Internet and on the street.

Safety was still an issue: athletes were bluntly warned not to wear anything that would openly identify them as Jews – this, 70 years after Hitler’s defeat.

Last month, vandals still managed to paint swastikas on tombstones at a Jewish cemetery in Gleideingen. Police launched an investigation and questioned witnesses, according to the Coordination Forum for Countering Anti-Semitism (CFCA). Cemetery visitors immediately called police upon discovering the vandalism July 16.

Even worse, at the beginning of July, German neo-Nazi politician Udo Voigt, 55, joined the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee.

The move drew an outraged reaction from European Jewry and a pledge from the parliament’s president to oppose him, EurActiv.com reported. But he is still there.

The Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee is responsible for the protection of citizens’ rights, human rights and measures to combat discrimination.

Udo Voigt, 55, is the former leader of the National Democratic Party of Germany, classified by German intelligence as a far-right extremist party.

Lawmakers are currently engaged in a legal battle before the German courts in an attempt to have the party banned on the grounds that its ideology is identical to that of Adolf Hitler.

Voigt has openly stated his praise for Hitler on the record; he even was convicted in 2009 for glorifying the Waffen SS. He is the son of a former Wehrmacht officer who tried to nominate Hitler’s deputy, Rudolf Hess, as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize. Voigt himself once claimed “no more than 340,000 Jews” died in the Holocaust.

A set number of committee seats are allocated to unaffiliated European Parliament members, to be divided among all independent politicians such as Voigt.

With a lawmaker like Voigt accepted for membership to the European Union’s parliament, one does not need to wonder why there is so much anti-Israel sentiment on that body.

source:jewishpress.com

A Derby skipper has recounted the terrifying moment her boat crashed into a whale during a Broome fishing tournament, injuring her and catapulting two people overboard.

Sara Hennessy had just competed in the Broome Billfish Classic on Sunday, July 26 with three of her friends and was returning to shore when the “freak accident” occurred.

Ms Hennessy said she suddenly heard a “horrendous” bang, was flipped over and thrust to the side of the boat like a “rag doll”.

“At that stage I didn’t even know I’d hit a whale but all I remember is getting up and Sandra being quite concerned because I had a large head gash and there was obviously a lot of blood going everywhere.”

Two of her companions, who had been sitting on the roof of the boat at the time, were thrown overboard.

Despite suffering a nasty head wound, Ms Hennessy said she was more worried about her friends.

“I was more concerned and quite hysterical about the fact that I knew the girls would have been thrown off the boat and I could hear the motor still running and I thought I might have run them over…I was really worried about them.”

Ms Hennessy radioed for help and alerted nearby tournament vessels who came to the party’s rescue.

Fortunately, Ms Hennessy’s friends escaped serious injury.

“I’m thankful that nobody was hurt,” she said.

“I don’t believe the whale was hurt. It was only confirmed once we got the girls back on board the boat and because of their higher position on the boat, they actually saw the whale but pretty much went ‘oh look a whale’ and were catapulted off the boat.

“It was scary, it was confusing…it happened all so quickly. The fact that I didn’t know what was going on because I didn’t see the whale, I was concentrating, I was the skipper of the vessel at the time. I take that very importantly. When you’re in charge of a vessel, I don’t take that light-heartedly.

Ms Hennessy was taken to hospital and received nine stitches to her head.

Looking back on the accident, Ms Hennessy said she could not have avoided the collision.

“There was no way I could have prepared for it and that was the unfortunate thing,” she said.

“I’ve been fishing in Broome for 15-16 years; I’m well aware of the waters. I’ve had lots of close whale interactions …it was a freak accident.

“I’m thankful everybody has come out ok.”

Ms Hennessy said the incident served as a reminder for other fishers and boaties to be vigilant when on the waters.

“There’s a lot more whales than ever before out there,” she said.

“That’s what we’ve got to remember these days. They’re everywhere now.”

“Maybe we just need to keep it in our minds that because there are so many more.”

source:au.news.yahoo.com

Don’t miss the hilarious comedy brought to you by Abstract Entertainment and ArenaEnt.

Comedians Basile, Mike Marino and Tahir join forces for a side-splitting performance.

Basile (the Greek god), Mike Marino (the Italian American bad boy of comedy) and Tahir ‘Oh my God’ Bilgic are the undisputed kings of ethnic comedy and they’re coming for Australian audiences this September!

Basile is no stranger to Australian shores, having toured Australia to sell-out crowds in 2012 and 2014, and described by the Cleveland Post as “a lovable nut, not nasty!”. He has a special comic presence and a real talent for creating a character. His DVD, Growing up Greek in America, has sold in excess of a million copies and continues to amuse and entertain new audiences around the globe.

Mike Marino (the bad boy of Italian American comedy) is a native of New Jersey and has performed in all major clubs on the Las Vegas strip, and in 2008 was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. If you like The Sopranos you’ll love the charm and razor sharp wit of Mike Marino.

Tahir ‘Oh my God’ Bilgic, a.k.a. Habib from Fat Pizza, has carved a career to make himself one of the busiest comedians on the Australian circuit. Known for his starring roles in Fat Pizza, Housos vs. Authority and Fat Pizza vs. Housos, Tahir is the MC comedian and the glue that binds this hilarious international line up together, in a show that will have your sides splitting with laughter.

The Kings of Ethnic Comedy opens on Thursday 10 September at the Vikings Club in Canberra, before moving around Australia, where the trio will be performing until 27 September 2015.

For ticket information head to http://www.abstractentertainment.net/www.arenaent.com.au or phone Niki White at Nikstar Publicity and Events on 0403 176988.

source:Neos Kosmos

Pirates of the Aegean: overseas investors follow in Johnny Depp’s footsteps.

The Greek government is selling off some of its 6,000 islands to foreign buyers in an effort to pay off the country’s staggering debt.

Earlier this month, Hollywood star Johnny Depp reportedly bought the isle of Stroggyli, near Kastellorizo, for an estimated €4.2m.

The deal was mediated by the UK property agency that supposedly handled Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s purchase of the island Gaia in the Ionian.

Greek newspaper Proto Thema recently revealed that American tycoon Warren Buffett had bought the 300 acre island of Agios Thomas for €15m in partnership with Italian real estate magnate Alessandro Proto.

The two released a statement denying the acquisition, but expressed their intention to invest in the wider region.

With only 227 of Greece’s islands inhabited. Makis Perdikaris, director of Greek Island Properties, told reporters he was unhappy at the prospect of the outright sale of state land.

“I am sad. Selling off your islands or areas that belong to the people of Greece should be used as the last resort,” he said.

But Mr Perdikaris said he was not necessarily against long-term leases.

“The first thing is to develop the economy and attract foreign domestic investment to create the necessary infrastructure. The point is to get money.”

Aside from Stroggyli, Agios Thomas and Gaia, another 16 islands were officially listed for sale this month. Also available are Tragonisi and St John’s in the Gulf of Saronikos, Kythnos Island Parcel in the Cyclades, Omfori, Nissos Sofia and Nissos Makri in the Ionian Sea, Patroklos in Lavreotiki, Vouvalos in Amvrakikos Gulf and Kardiotissa.

Sources: privateislandsonline.com/vladi-private-islands.de