Son’s doodle ‘leaves dad stranded’

Dad doodle ... A four-year-old boy's drawing on his dad's passport has left the man stranded in South Korea and unable to get home to China. Source: Supplied

A CHINESE man is reportedly stuck in South Korea after his four-year-old son doodled all over his passport, leaving him unable to fly home with his family. But people have started questioning if the scribbling is a fake.

The budding artist allegedly took to his father's passport with a black felt tip pen, making his dad's eyes and lips bigger and drawing extra facial hair all over his head.

The boy also drew some animals, a few additional people and some flowers.

The man — whose name is only given as Chen — tried to board his flight back to China from South Korea but was stopped by security.

His family is believed to have flown home but Chen is still stranded in South Korea, forcing him to take to Chinese social networking site Weibo to try and find a solution.

This dad "can't return to the country," a May 16 Weibo post reads. "What is [he] to do? Please help."

But the fact that the man's name, signature and passport number have been made unidentifyable by th drawing has raised suspicions that it is a fake.

The pen doesn't look like it has made any indentation on the paper and the felt tip pen hasn't smudged at all.

The drawing also trails off the page to the far right of the passport.

23.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Diplomacy out the window in apartment row

The luxury apartment in New Delhi at the centre of the dispute. Source: Supplied

THE Australian Government is locked in a legal battle with a landlord who has accused High Commission staff of damaging the luxury penthouse he rented to them in the Indian capital of New Delhi.

Sanjai Vohra rented his four-bedroom apartment in the up-market West End embassy district to the High Commission of Australia for $8200 a month to house one of its staff members.

The apartment had good security, a rooftop garden, covered the entire top floor of the building and a private driveway, and the embassy rented it between July 2011 and July 2012.

But Mr Vohra and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have been locked in a legal battle over the maintenance of the home for almost two years.

A DFAT spokeswoman would not answer questions about the dispute and how they planned to settle it, other than to say: "The lease in question was not terminated or broken. It was a one-year lease which the Australian High Commission chose not to renew.''

While Mr Vohra does not claim the staffer deliberately damaged the apartment, he says the High Commission failed to rectify damage including broken cupboards, water damage, unpaid water bills and damaged floors.

He claims the High Commission breached its rental agreement by not repainting the apartment and repolishing the floors.

The Herald Sun has seen letters sent by the High Commission where they admit that an "error'' meant the internal stairwell was not repainted, and the guard box and staff quarters not cleaned. The High Commission also admitted their removalists had damaged a light fitting.

However, the High Commission said that its staffer had experienced numerous maintenance problems, including with separate staff access, air conditioning, hot water, and a major electrical fault which damaged a number of appliances.

As well, the staffer had been unable to move in for a month due to problems with the apartment, and they believed Mr Vohra should reimburse them for his additional accommodation costs.

Mr Vohra said his apartment was now rented by the World Bank, had previously been rented by a CEO of a large US pharmaceutical company, and he had never rented it to a diplomatic mission before.

"My personal view is that the Australian High Commission staff do not want to incur the expenses required to fix the issues — possibly making their performance versus cost budgets look good.,'' he said.

"The High Commission staff believe their diplomatic immunity will save them from any legal action.''

Mr Vohra said he believed the High Commissioner was drawing out the legal dispute between their lawyers and his in order to wear him down.

He denied there were any maintenance issues when the staff moved in, saying the High Commission staff and inspection teams had visited the property several times.

"I have told everyone I know about the Australia High Commissioner's behaviour and I will never rent to any diplomatic entity again unless there is a large security deposit.''

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Boy, 6, stabbed to death in lift

Killed ... Prince Joshua Avitto, 6, was stabbed to death while in a lift on his way to get ice cream. Source: Supplied

A 6-YEAR-OLD boy was stabbed to death and a 7-year-old girl was seriously wounded when they were attacked by a manic with a butcher knife while heading out to get a snack in Brooklyn.

Prince Joshua Avitto, 6, and Mikayla Capers, 7, were in a lift together when they were hacked and stabbed multiple times in the random 6pm (8am AEST) attack, law-enforcement sources said.

"They were just coming outside to get some ice cream and ices," said Inez Rodriguez, the president of the tenant's association. "This is the worst thing that I've ever seen in this neighbourhood."

The young boy was found dead in the elevator of the Boulevard Houses of 845 Schenck Avenue in East New York, sources said.

Mikayla Capers, 7, survived the attack, but suffered injuries.

Recovering ... Mikayla Capers, 7, is in hospital after being stabbed in a lift. Source: Supplied

"They done killed my baby," Avitto's distraught mother said outside Brookdale Hospital.

"His birthday was in 16 days! Lord, they done killed my baby!"

The little girl, who was chased by the maniac out of the elevator on the first floor, collapsed in front of a nearby building, sources said. Mikayla is in Brookdale Hospital.

"What kind of animal would do a thing like this," said Mikalya's great grandmother, Regenia Trevathan. "I have faith in the NYPD to pound the streets until they catch this bastard."

The attacker fled the scene after the fatal assault. Sources said the attack was random and a butcher knife was recovered at the scene.

Resident Kevin Velez, 41, said it was a peaceful Sunday until all hell broke loose.

"It was just a normal day with kids running around. And then it became chaos," Mr Velez said. "People running around and yelling. It's hard for me to take."

Mr Velez said he witnessed Prince being taken out of the building.

"He was lifeless, just lifeless. I can't get the image out of my head," he said. "There was blood all over the front door. This is horrendous. The police need to catch this animal."

The callous double-stabbing took place two days after an 18-year-old girl was killed after being stabbed 32 times in the chest nearby in East New York, sources said.

Tayana Copeland was butchered just down the block on Stanley Avenue near Linwood Street at about 9:20pm on Friday.

Cops tonight cannot rule out a connection between the attack on the woman and the attack on the kids.

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What’s the reward for returning lost $125,000?

Joe Cornell returned a bag full of about $125,000 that fell out of Brinks truck. Source: AP

A SALVATION Army worker in California is being rewarded for his decision to return a bag containing $125,000 that fell from an armoured truck.

Joe Cornell tells The Fresno Bee that he found the cash on Tuesday after a Brinks truck pulled away from a red light in Fresno and left the sack behind.

"I started crying and shaking," Mr Cornell said. "Everything was going through my mind — the good devil/bad devil thing. What to do?"

Thoughts of the imminent arrival of his fourth grandchild soon helped him decide.

"I thought, 'What would I want her to think of me?' That made up my mind right there," he said. "I got on my radio and called my boss. 'Hey, I found a bag of money'."

Mr Cornell, 52, is in a Salvation Army substance-abuse rehabilitation program. His duties for the organisation include working on donated trailers.

"I went down there carrying the bag like I was Santa Claus," Mr Cornell said.

Brinks spokesman Ed Cunningham said he wasn't sure how the truck lost the money, and he called the incident a security issue.

The company will give Mr Cornell a $5000 reward and make a separate $5000 donation to the Salvation Army.

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Has Game of Thrones finally crossed the line?

Take a look at all the drama set to unfold in Episode 8 of the new season on Game of Thrones. Courtesy HBO.

Varys and Pycelle surreptitiously try to avoid watching the gory bits. Source: Supplied

SPOILER ALERT. This article discusses major plot points from Game of Thrones episode eight. If you haven't caught up yet, stop reading now.

Yikes.

Game of Thrones has always been gory. We've seen beheadings, crucifixion, torture and throat cutting on a semi-regular basis. This season alone, a child spluttered to death with blood running from his eyes, and Jon pushed his sword through the back of a man's head.

But Gregor Clegane with his fingers in Oberyn's eye sockets, crushing the guy's skull like a watermelon ... that might have crossed a line. Maybe. Perhaps. Sort of. Definitely.

Oh, Oberyn, you held such promise. Source: Supplied

It didn't need to happen at all! Oberyn won the duel, even though his fighting style resembled the mating dance of a hyper-aggressive leprechaun. He had the Mountain on his back, impaled at the end of his spear and at his mercy. If he'd just finished the job instead of yelling at Gregor to confess like a psycho, none of us would have witnessed that sickening moment, and Oberyn would still have a freaking FACE. What a stupid way for such a fascinating character to die.

Even worse, Tyrion has been sentenced to death as a result. He pretty much needs one of Daenerys' dragons to swoop in and carry him to safety, because I can't see any other way out of this. Unless Jaime finally grows a pair. A pair of hands, that is.

Let's get to the other stuff. It was much more tolerable.

REMINDER: We're discussing the TV show here. If you've read the books, that's fantastic, but keep any earth-shattering spoilers to yourself or I'll get Gregor to ... well, you know.

Key points

•The wildlings attacked Mole's Town, where Sam had left Gilly and her son. Ygritte discovered them after hearing the baby crying, but instead of murdering the pair like any normal wildling would, she stumbled upon something resembling a conscience and left, motioning at Gilly to stay quiet. No wonder Jon fell in love with the woman. Maybe he did know something after all.

Oops. Suuuuure she jumped, Littlefinger. Suuuuuure. Source: Supplied

•Littlefinger tried, rather unsuccessfully, to convince the Lords of the Vale that Lysa had jumped through the moon door on purpose to commit suicide. Sansa came to his rescue by lying through her teeth. "My aunt was a jealous lady. She was terrified that Lord Baelish didn't love her anymore, that he would abandon her for another woman," Sansa said. "She stepped through those doors." So, Littlefinger gets to rule the Vale now. His first act was to send Lysa's nutty sun, Robin, away from the Eyrie.

•Later, Littlefinger asked Sansa why she had lied on his behalf. "They would have thrown you through the Moon Door if they found you guilty. If they'd executed you, what would they have done with me?" she said. "Better to gamble on the man you know than the strangers you don't." he replied. The problem, of course, is that nobody really knows Littlefinger.

Ser Friend Zone has been sent to the loading dock and shipped out. Source: Supplied

•Ser Friend Zone isn't even lucky enough to be in the friend zone anymore. One of Varys's "birds" slipped Barristan the royal pardon Friend Zone was once offered in return for spying on Daenerys. As you may recall, Friend Zone rejected the pardon when he saved Dany from an assassination attempt. Naturally, Barristan delivered the note to his boss, who was understandably displeased.

•"You betrayed me, from the first," Dany said, standing over Friend Zone in her throne room. "You sold my secrets to the man who killed my father and stole my brother's throne ... If you're found in Meereen past break of day, I'll have your head thrown into Slaver's Bay." That sounded pretty emphatic, so Friend Zone left the city, but not before spouting one final piece of wisdom. "This is the work of Tywin Lannister. He wants to divide us. If we're fighting each other, we're not fighting him." Very true.

Ramsay gets a name. Beats being a snow. Source: Supplied

•Ramsay used Theon/Reek to convince the Greyjoy soldiers occupying Moat Cailin to surrender. The successful ploy led to a heart-chilling father-son moment between Roose and Ramsay, in which the latter was officially unbastardised. "From this day until your last day, you are Ramsay Bolton, son of Roose Bolton, Warden of the North," Roose said. "I will be worthy of you father, I promise," Ramsay replied. He has daddy issues. Although to be fair, they are far less concerning than his many other issues. As the scene ended, we saw the Bolton army marching towards Winterfell.

•Sandor and Arya approached the Vale's Bloody Gate, trading their customarily affectionate barbs, only to be told by one of the guards that Lysa had died three days earlier. Arya started laughing uncontrollably at the news, because what's funnier than a gruesome death that robs your "travelling companion" of his ransom and probably forces him to keep hold of you for even longer?

How imp-udent of this author to underestimate Tyrion. Source: Supplied

•"The Red Viper of Dorne. You don't get a name like that unless you're deadly, right?" Tyrion was clutching at straws ahead of his trial by combat, as he shared his cell with Jaime again. For about five minutes, the pair discussed one of their dead cousins, a "moron" who used to amuse himself by crushing beetles for no particular reason. At the time, this conversation seemed pointless and irrelevant. I should have known better than that. I'm sure Oberyn would agree.

•So. Oberyn. As his duel against Gregor began, the Dornish prince was characteristically cocky. "I'm going to hear you confess before you die," he told the Mountain, referring to the brutal murder of his sister and her children decades earlier. "You raped her, you murdered her, you killed her children!"

•After much twirling from Oberyn and just as much frustrated grunting from Gregor, the fight appeared to be over. The Mountain was on his back, mortally wounded. But Oberyn refused to end the life of his opponent until he had extracted a confession. "No, no, you can't die yet, you haven't confessed!" he yelled. Gregor used the reprieve to full effect, knocking Oberyn to the ground, then crushing his skull. Ouch. While everyone else in Westeros remained motionless, Tywin rose to his feet and casually sentenced Tyrion to death, as though he were ordering a ham sandwich for lunch.

Not averse to a ham sandwich or two is Tywin, we hazard to guess. Source: Supplied

Best one-liner

Appropriately, Oberyn went out with a bang, although not the kind he would have preferred. At least he managed to slip some sexual innuendo into his final scene. When Ellaria pointed out the sheer enormity of her lover's opponent, his response was silky smooth.

"Size does not matter when you're flat on your back," Oberyn said. Of course, Tyrion's reaction was even better.

"Thank God for that."

Best Tywannical glare

I glared at the television non-stop for about two minutes after the credits rolled. That counts, right?

Nipple count

There were quite a few, but only two mattered. Just ask Grey Worm. He spent more than enough time staring at Missandei's breasts.

"Hodor" count

Zero. Another overgrown man starred in this episode, and he seemed to lack Hodor's sweet disposition.

Least appropriate sexual tension

I already mentioned Grey Worm's epic perv. Dude, whether you're Unsullied or sullied like the rest of us, it is not OK to stare at your naked English teacher while she washes herself in a river. Every school kid knows that.

A brief, dishonourable mention must go to Sansa and Littlefinger, whose eyes met while they exchanged some creepy dialogue.

"I know what you want," Sansa said. "Doooo you?" Littlefinger replied, as though he were acting in a bad porn movie. Urgh.

Most disgusting moment

Duh. Oberyn. Although it must be said, the poor Greyjoy soldier who got skinned was a distant second.

Most Sansastically irritating character

I hate to keep picking on the same guy, particularly when he's having such a bad day. But Oberyn must bear sole responsibility for robbing us all of our second favourite character ... Oberyn. Why did he have to be so stupid?

Burning questions

•WHAT THE HELL, Oberyn?

•Is there any hope for Tyrion now? Surely George R.R. Martin wouldn't kill him off. Surely.

What's the plan, Roose Bolton? Source: Supplied

•Will Roose Bolton redecorate Winterfell? Some new drapes, perhaps, or a fresh paint job?

- Where will Ser Friend Zone go, and will he ever be able to creep on Daenerys again?

What did you think of episode eight? Comment below (no book spoilers please), or talk to us on Twitter: @SamClench | @newscomauHQ

23.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Train wreck. Bride’s dress causes stir

Baby train... Aubrey following in her mum's footsteps. Picture: Facebook Source: Supplied

A NEW mum has defended her decision to strap her month-old baby on to her wedding train, saying Jesus backed the move.

The bride's trip down the aisle created buzz online. And while reactions have ranged from stunned to appalled, the bizarre stunt has left most with just one word on their lips — why?

Shona Carter-Brooks, from near Nashville, Tennessee, was accused by some social commentators of endangering the welfare of baby girl, Aubrey, after pictures showed the little one being dragged along the floor of the Elam Baptist Church in Ripley for the May 12 nuptials.

Mail Online reported critics calling the act "classless" and "incredibly dangerous".

"That is truly dumb," added someone on the website Clutch.

Mrs Carter-Brooks, who was wed to Johnathan Brooks, defended her actions in a couple of curious Facebook posts.

Wedding trip... Baby girl Aubrey was tied onto her mum's train. Picture: Facebook Source: Supplied

"People questioning what we do, commenting all negative, and just doing the most," she wrote.

"We good though we covered by the Blood which never loose (sic) its power.

"So to the media, radio, news, and whomever else wanting to talk about what WE do here you go:

"Media Media I see how it works regardless the situation or purpose people gone (sic) have something negative to say!

"The answer is we do what we want, when we want, as long as Jesus on our side everything worked out fine and gona (sic) continue to be fine."

Love fools... Shona and Johnathan have no regrets over the bizarre stunt. Picture: Facebook Source: Supplied

In the second post Mrs Carter-Brooks went on the attack against the haters again, this time insisting the baby was safe throughout her trip down the aisle.

"Our 1 month old was awake and well secured on my train," Mrs Carter-Brooks wrote.

"Most important while yall got ya feelings in us we had our hearts in Christ which covers all!!

"So keep ya mouths running for it was just that Exclusive and Epic enough we made top blog (sic) way from small town Ripley, TN and the social media doing what they do, TALK!!!!

"Who paid yall for yall comments, none so watch us as we do us!

"Too bless for mess!! Thank God we aint no celebrities oops got fans, guess we is!

"Sign off Mr & Mrs Brooks!!"

So there you go.

The big day... The Brooks' decision drew criticism online. Picture: Facebook Source: Supplied

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Rolf Harris ‘told deliberate lies’

Footage ... a member of the public contacted police to say they recalled a celebrity TV sports games in Cambridge starring Rolf Harris. Source: AP

ROLF Harris has been accused of telling "deliberate lies" after old film footage was found that placed him in the area where he said he had never been nor sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl.

The 84-year-old entertainer had told Southwark Crown Court last week that he had never been to Cambridge before four years ago and had never taken part in a celebrity sport game show in the UK now or in the 1970s.

But after he made that statement last week a member of the public contacted police to say they recalled a celebrity TV sports games in that city in 1978 that starred Harris.

Prosecutors then found the Thames Television network footage of the show.

A woman had alleged she was a 13 or 14-year-old waitress at a celebrity sports event in Cambridge when she saw Harris on all fours playing with a small dog but when he saw her he jumped up and allegedly groped her, rubbing his hands over her bottom several times.

Harris said he couldn't have assaulted anyone since he had never been to the city nor starred in such a show.

Denial ... Rolf Harris arrives at Southwark Crown Court with his daughter Bindi Harris and wife Alwen Hughes. Source: Getty Images

But he had apparently been in the city in a show which starred numerous British celebrities including Davy Jones from the Monkees and actor Rula Lenska, as well as other stars of cabaret, sport, film and music.

Prosecutor Sasha Wass QC, questioning Harris on his fourth day in the witness box, told the court Harris was categoric in his memory last week because he had been "tailoring" his answers to match evidence that was at hand but hadn't counted on the discovery of the film footage.

Harris agreed that on the show he was not only a participant but a team captain but he told the court no-one knew where they were.

"I was in Cambridge but I didn't know it was Cambridge," he now told the court.

He added: "I don't think any of us knew, none of the performers stars, knew … we didn't know we were in Cambridge.

"I think we all went on a bus, were deposited in this green with changing rooms."

Accusations ... prosecutor Sasha Wass QC, questioning Harris on his fourth day in the witness box, told the court Harris had been "tailoring" his answers. Source: Getty Images

He added: "I don't think you know the showbiz scene at all" before going into a long answer about how as a star he would just sign on a dotted line and his agent would take care of where and when he would have to appear publicly.

He admitted he had a very good memory "for certain things" but not for others.

"I'm going to suggest to you that you are lying," Ms Wass said.

"Is that a question?" Harris responded before denying he had been deliberately trying to mislead the jury.

Mr Harris also said he had "no recollection of the man" Tony Porter who starred alongside him in an ABC show called "Rolf". The Australian actor Porter earlier alleged in court he saw Harris grab the breasts of a makeup artist in the 1980s that was "excessive even by the standards of the era".

Harris maintained he had never heard of Porter but then Ms Wass showed the jury footage of the pair sharing the screen in one of many comedy sketches from the program.

Harris agreed he was there with Porter but said he had no idea why the man would lie about the make up artist.

He said he didn't know why any of the women who are alleging sexual assault by him would lie.

Harris' daughter Bindi Nicholls also took the stand for the first time. She spoke about her early life including growing up with a girl who would later alleged Harris abused her for 10 years from the age of 13.

When asked if her father had ever held out a towel for her friend during a 1978 beach holiday in Hawaii - a moment which the victim described as when she was allegedly indecently assaulted by Harris as a 13 year old - Ms Nicholls said she doubted it since her father hated beaches and her then teenager friend was a typical teenager who would wouldn't allow anyone to hold a towel like that for her.

"That would be weird ... strange, really odd, no I can't see that happening at all," she said.

He has pleaded not guilty to 12 charges of indecent assault.

The case continues.

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THIS is why NSW has lost 8 series

NSW forward Tony Williams believes the Blues' thorough preparation has them well positioned to claim victory in the opening game of the State of Origin series.

Robbie Farah does his impression of a NSW Blues selector. Source: News Limited

AVERT your eyes if you live south of the Tweed and have a weak disposition. This is the unpleasant yet definitive proof of where it has all gone wrong for the Blues.

This is not complicated. It's like one of those crossword clues you look up the next day and go "d'oh! Why didn't I think of that?"

Here goes, then. In a macadamia nutshell, Queensland's eight-year Origin streak is based around picking players from in-form teams. And NSW's incompetence is because they have failed to do that.

The numbers don't lie. In the eight years of the Queensland State of Origin streak, NSW selectors have consistently picked players from the bottom half of the NRL ladder. Queensland selectors, by contrast, have wisely preferred players from the top half.

Well might Paul Gallen joke about Queenslanders having two heads, but it seems two heads are better than one when it comes to selection meetings.

Who cares how many heads you have when you've bagged eight Origin series in a row? Source: News Limited

Here are the numbers that matter*. These stats relate to the teams picked for Game One each year. The ladder positions of NRL teams were current as at the last completed round before that game.

— Of 136 Game One selections (8 years x 17 players), NSW selectors picked just 83 players from top 8 teams. That's a ratio of just 61 per cent.

— Queensland selectors picked 96 players from top 8 teams, a much healthier ratio of 71 per cent.

— While NSW selectors have a blind spot towards the majority of top eight teams, they do tend to respect the team leading the NRL. NSW has picked 16 players from the NRL leaders, compared to Queensland's 11.

— But NSW selectors have undone all that good work by picking six players from the club at the very bottom of the ladder over the last eight dismal Origin seasons.

— Queensland, by contrast, has selected just one (that was Nate Myles in 2007, whose Roosters sat last. But most people have Myles in their all-time Qld team, so you can probably excuse that one).

So basically, NSW selectors couldn't pick Pinocchio's nose. Source: NewsComAu

Now obviously, you can look well beyond these or any other numbers in seeking the reasons for Queensland's dominance.

There are the dud halves NSW repeatedly selected (think Braith Anasta and Mitchell Pearce). Or the ones with talent like Jarrod Mullen, who selectors inexplicably kicked away like an empty can after one match.

A dejected Blues Robbie Farah after NSW loss during Origin Game 3 NSW Blues vs QLD Maroons at ANZ Stadium, Homebush. Source: News Limited

Alternatively, you could focus on unquantifiables like passion, or team culture, or the fact that Queensland just happened to unearth seven or eight all-time greats in the same era.

You could also argue that Queensland players tend to be concentrated in three teams — the Storm, Cowboys and Broncos — so they naturally gel well in Origin. Those teams also tend to be entrenched at the pointy end of the ladder, which explains why QLD selectors perhaps aren't forced to choose as many players from outside the top eight.

But the bottom line is this. NSW selectors have been too cute, almost too creative in their search for a winning team. They grab players from here and from there, regardless of how those players' teams are performing.

Anyone who's ever played any sport at almost any level will tell you that people with a winning mentality help create a winning team. This is Queensland's secret. Pick guys from winning teams. Win Origin series, one after another. It's a secret which NSW has ignored for eight years.

Blokes like Billy Slater know a thing or two about winning. Pic: Adam Head Source: News Limited

This year, the signs are better for Blues fans. Selectors have picked four players from the high-flying Bulldogs. Quite coincidentally, the Bulldogs also led the NRL ladder before Origin in 2010, and NSW also picked four Dogs that year. They lost Origin 3-0.

The Blues will want to hope that was a statistical blip. They'll also do well to forget that their skipper Paul Gallen plays for the Sharks, who are currently running last.

*Regarding 2010 when the Melbourne Storm was stripped of all premierships points for Salary Cap breaches, we have treated their ladder position as third, not last, to reflect their 7-3 win loss ratio at Origin time.

23.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Kogan wants to give you a million dollars

Ruslan Kogan founded Kogan Technologies when he was 23 years old. He is now worth $315 million. Source: News Limited

ECOMMERCE entrepreneur Ruslan Kogan wants to give you a million dollars. That's right, a million dollars in cold, hard cash.

All you have to do is display some pretty nifty football aptitude and correctly guess every winner of the group stages of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. That's 48 games for the uninitiated.

If no one guesses every winner correctly, then no one gets the million bucks. But the top five ranked people in the tipping competition, called Brazilian Million, will get a $500 Kogan voucher each while the next 50 will bank a $50 voucher.

Mr Kogan, the spirited founder of electronics ecommerce retailer Kogan, is leveraging the popularity of the forthcoming FIFA World Cup to mint a new Australian millionaire. And, presumably, to sell some TVs.

Of course, it's a big win for Kogan with everyone entering the competition giving the company their names and email addresses, which goes into Kogan's database to be used for marketing at a later time.

Plus, the odds of someone actually correctly tipping every winner are astronomical. So in all likelihood, Mr Kogan will only be out $3000 in vouchers. Very clever.

But then again, Mr Kogan didn't make $315 million by being dumb.

Socceroos warm up for a training session. Source: AP

Mr Kogan said: "The Socceroos making it into the World Cup is an amazing feat in and of itself. We're a great sporting nation that loves a bit of healthy competition.

"My mum was pretty shocked about me putting up such a huge prize for this. There's no doubt that it's going to be pretty hard to pick all of the results correctly. That's why there's such a massive prize of $1 million to anyone who can pull it off.

"Of course, we also stand to benefit from the competition. Massive sporting events are a huge driver of TV sales — if we can build Aussie engagement around the World Cup and get more of Australia behind the Socceroos, then it's a win-win for everyone."

The competition opens today and closes at 11:59 on June 11. It's open to the first million entrants from Australia, New Zealand and England.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 12 on SBS.

23.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

MasterChef ‘foodmare’ comes true

See who cracks under pressure in this elimination of MasterChef Australia.

The former carpenter feels out of his depth reconstructing Christy Tania's mango dessert. Courtesy of Channel 10

Poor serve ... MasterChef Australia's Scott stresses out on camera. Source: Channel 10

MasterChef might be famous for making food dreams come true, but Monday's elimination saw Adelaide carpenter Scott Yeoman's nightmare become real.

Tasked with replicating Christy Tania's Mango Alfonso, from Melbourne restaurant Om Nom, Yeoman made mistake after mistake as he attempted to put together the 'female Zumbo's' complicated 10-element recipe.

RELATED: Emily Loo eliminated after slipping on banana dish.

"I had a dream the night before (the elimination) about a 25 page recipe with all these different elements and I couldn't believe it when I rocked up. This is coming true? What the hell?" he says adding he still has "foodmares" about the elimination, months after filming.

Tough pastry: The Mango Alfonso dessert. Source: Channel 10

Yeoman says he felt completely out of his depth as he reading through the seven page recipe for the "hardest pastry challenge ever" with its ten different cooking techniques and equipment and terms he'd never encountered before.

"It drove me insane, I was so thrown by the recipe and the fact I'd dreamt it the night before it just threw me and when you're in that deep it's really hard to get out," he says.

MORE: MasterChef confirmed to be coming back next year.

Yeoman struggled from the beginning, forgetting the lemongrass in his coconut and lemongrass foam, straining gelatine out of the mix before it had a chance to set and leaving the stabiliser out of his sorbet.

Smiling assassin: Christy Tania at least seemed to be having a good day. Source: Channel 10

Even the choux pastry disasters of his competitors, NSW bartender Jamie Fleming and WA commerce student Steven Peh, who both had to remake their dough twice, couldn't save him.

Yeoman was so far behind he was unable to remake his own choux pastry dough for a second time and he missed out on other crucial elements including the tempered chocolate. The judges called his pastry "awful" during the tasting

"I never want to look at another profiterole in my life," he says with a laugh.

Despite a glimmer of hope when Jamie's dessert collapsed off the plate, Yeoman says he knew his time was up.

"He was like 'I'm going home' and I was like "that was three hours of pain for me, and I have a gut feeling it's going to be me."

Judgement Day: The three contestants up for elimination. Source: Channel 10

The judges decided to taste all of Jamie's dish as it had all been on the plate when time was called. That meant Scott's dish was so obviously the worst of the three tasted that they didn't even bother dragging out the announcement in the usual fashion.

Since filming concluded the 32 year old carpenter from West Lakes Shore has been helping build a new restaurant and bar in Waymouth Street, Adelaide called Bread and Bone (the upstairs restaurant) and Maybe May (the downstairs bar). Expected to open in early June, Yeoman will work part time as a sons chef in the kitchen.

Building a business: Scott Yeoman working on the new Bread and Bone restaurant in Adelaide. Source: News Corp Australia

He also intends to fit out a food truck called Food Truck Fantasies which he'll tour around Australia with a little help from various mates he met on MasterChef, incorporating local ingredients into the menu.

Yeoman can't speak highly enough about his MasterChef experience and says he's excited about his career change.

"If you're passionate about something in life follow your dreams," he says. "You've got to take a risk and MasterChef opened so many doors for me. My life is changing dramatically."

Starting again had both Jamie and Steven in a panic. Courtesy of Channel 10

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