You beauty: Seventh heaven awaits Aussie icon

[caption id="attachment_277" align="alignnone" width="650" caption="The Great Barrier Reef is shaping up to be a winner. Picture: supplied"][/caption]

ONE of the nation's most popular landmarks is a hot favourite to be voted among the world's new seven natural wonders.

The Great Barrier Reef has fought off stiff competition from 440 top sites around the world to be named as one of the top 10 finalists of the New7Wonders of Nature campaign.

In pictures: Top 10 new wonders of the world finalists

With only five days to go, the Australian icon still faces a fierce battle from the likes of the Grand Canyon in the US, Vietnam’s Halong Bay and the Dead Sea.

Other destinations that have proved popular include Lebanon’s Jeita Grotto, South Korea’s Jeju Island and Indonesia’s Komodo Island. The Philippines’ Puerto Princesa Underground River, India’s Sundarbans forest and Italy’s Mount Vesuvius are also favourites.

However Uluru didn’t fare as well, with the icon missing out on a top spot despite appearing in the selection of 28 finalists in September. Disappointed by the result, Tourism Australia is calling for help to boost votes.

“Frankly we're a little bit surprised that Uluru hasn't yet made the list, I mean have you seen its beauty? Thinking caps on everyone,” Tourism Australia said on its Facebook page.

Other stunning locations that failed to make the cut include New Zealand's Milford Sound, the Maldives and Brazil's Iguazu Falls.

However Bernard Weber, President and Founder of New7Wonders, said there is no guarantee the finalists will end up winning as there are millions of votes still to come in.

"Clearly Asian Finalists are strong at this stage, reflecting the way the world is evolving east, and at the same time I know the actual top seven will change in the coming days,” Mr Weber said.

[caption id="attachment_276" align="alignnone" width="650" caption="Halong Bay, in the north of Vietnam, is a picturesque bay featuring limestone isles of various shapes and sized. Picture: Bruno/Flickr"][/caption]

Tourism Australia is thrilled that the icons have been acknowledged by consumers around the globe as being among the world’s best and still holds high hopes for Uluru.

“To be one of new wonders is a terrific boost,” Andrew McEvoy, Tourism Australia’s Managing Director, said.

“Both the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru have a fantastic chance to be named one of the world’s next seven great natural wonders.”

Tourism Australia has been pulling out all the stops in a bid to win the competition, even launched a Facebook application to generate support for the landmarks, inviting Aussies to share stories and images as well as vote.

There is already a list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that includes the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

Launched in 2007, the provisional voting results will be announced on Saturday.

The land Down Under is tops with the Brits

[caption id="attachment_272" align="alignnone" width="650" caption="Australia has been voted the best place to visit by the British. Picture: WA Tourism."][/caption]

THE Poms love a sunburnt country - in fact they've voted it the best place on the planet to visit.

This year's British Travel Awards were handed out after compiling nominations from people in the tourism industry and a public vote by more than 700,000 Brits.

They saw Australia finish on top ahead of Spain and Italy.

Tourism Australia (TA) boss Andrew McEvoy says it's more than just another trophy for the mantelpiece.

"The UK is one of Australia's most established and largest markets for international visitors," he said in a statement.

"It's terrific to see that Australia hasn't lost any of its lustre with the Brits."

The TA chief said while there's been a short term downturn in demand for Australia in the UK the long term prospects are good.
"The UK remains an important source of visitors to Australia, delivering 632,400 visitors in 2010/11,'' he said.

"It is the second largest market for visitor spend, worth $3 billion... and has the potential to deliver $6.7 billion in overnight expenditure by 2020."

ICANN accepts applications for .XXX adult entertainment industry domains

[caption id="attachment_269" align="alignnone" width="650" caption="Picketers supporting the adult entertainment industry in San Francisco to oppose a plan to create a separate Internet address for pornographic websites. Picture: Supplied."][/caption]

THE world wide web is about to get a red-light district. After more than a decade of debate, rejections and legal challenges, the internet's governing body today began accepting applications for .xxx websites from the adult entertainment industry.

The so-called "landrush" phase signifies the true launch of .xxx websites, which are designed to provide more transparency around internet pornography.

But while its sponsor describes the new adult addresses as responsible "signposts" for pornographic material that let web surfers make informed decisions, experts have slammed the scheme as a money-grab that has been "grossly oversold" as a way to block porn and protect children.

Company ICM Registry first proposed the .xxx domain in 2000, as well as .kids website addresses, though the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) rejected both ideas.

ICM had its .xxx application reviewed, however, and in 2004 changed the proposal to a sponsored top-level domain overseen by a dedicated organisation. After a string of rejections and unprecedented public comment, the scheme was approved on March 31 this year.

ICM Registry began accepting .xxx applications from trademarked companies - those looking to use a .xxx address and those seeking to prevent their company from appearing on a .xxx website - on September 7.

More than 80,000 applications swamped the company during the 53-day window, a result that chief executive Stuart Lawley says is unprecedented.

"There is always a risk with a new top-level domain that you may build it and nobody will come," he says.

"The .xxx sunrise period results far exceed those of any other new (sponsored top-level) domains, including .mobi, .asia and even that of .co that relaunched last year."

Adult entertainment producers without trademarks can apply for .xxx website names for the next 17 days, with their general availability following on December 6.

But University of Canberra information law lecturer Bruce Arnold says while the idea behind the new domain name has merit, the scheme will not see all adult material moved into a makeshift web ghetto as censorship advocates want.

Moving adult material to a .xxx website is voluntary, he says, and international bodies could never agree on what material should be classified as "adult" or "offensive".

"It's not going to work because we don't all agree on what is porn, and that's a huge issue," Mr Arnold says.

"People disagree passionately about what is sensitive material and what's not.

"In Australia if you watch television at 8pm you'll see people who aren't wearing much clothing or perhaps any clothing.

"Some people in the US would say that any same-sex activity is profoundly obscene. These issues are impossible to resolve."

Arnold says the .xxx scheme will also fail to work as a technical solution to a human behavioural problem. Parents, guardians and search engines will not simply be able to filter out .xxx websites, and some porn producers will continue to host material on .com sites or in other countries.

"The idea that we can come up with a quick fix to this problem is fundamentally flawed," he says. "If we're concerned about protecting children from offensive content online, sometimes it is simply a matter of parking the family PC in the lounge when they're young and teaching them."

But other stakeholders disagree. Spokesman for civil liberties group Electronic Frontiers Australia, Stephen Collins, says the organisation supports the introduction of .xxx websites because "having it available is going to make website content clear".

Family First leader Dennis Hood goes further, proposing that all pornographic material should be moved to a .xxx website.

"Any porn site then operating outside of the .xxx domain would be outside of the law and liable to be dealt with by the government of the day," he says.

Lara: Clarkey still my mate

[caption id="attachment_256" align="alignnone" width="650" caption="A file photo of Lara Bingle and Michael Clarke during their relationship. Picture: Chris Pavlich"][/caption]

IT may have been one of the more headline-grabbing splits but Lara Bingle says she and ex fiance Michael Clarke are still close and now talk regularly.

"We talk a lot ... he was a massive part of my life," Bingle said, adding she was keeping an eye on Clarke's progress in South Africa where Australia begins a Test series today, The Daily Telegraph reported.


"I don't follow cricket all the time but since he has been captain I am his No.1 supporter."

Bingle - who is yet to meet Clarke's new flame Kyly Boldy - is now single after a brief romance with English rugby player Danny Cipriani.

"And I'm not looking. Not at all. I find that when you start looking you never find anyone."

 

Bingle is bound for the US on Saturday in a bid to crack the international modelling scene.

"There's nothing I can really talk about yet but I know I just have to spend more time there."