18 October 2013

Aussies the world's richest people: report

Australians remain the richest people in the world, by one measure at least.


The median wealth of adult Australians stands at $US219,505 ($A233,504) - the highest level in the world, according to the Credit Suisse 2013 Global Wealth Report, released on Wednesday.

Median wealth is the midpoint between richest and poorest.

By the measure of average wealth, Australians fall back to second with $US402,578 per person, ranking behind the Swiss who were the world's richest on $US513,000.

Credit Suisse chief investment strategist, Australia, David McDonald said the nation's household wealth per adult grew by 2.6 per cent in the past year. That was slower than the global average of 4.9 per cent, but Australia still had the best distribution of wealth among developed nations.

"Although we are up there at a high level of wealth per adult we've also got a better spread than a lot of the other developed countries including, obviously, the Swiss, but also places like the US," Mr McDonald said.

The number of Australian millionaires increased by 38,000 to 1.123 million people.

The millionaire calculation includes the value of real estate and other assets less household debt.

Australians were shown to have a much higher level of wealth held in property and non-financial assets - 58.5 per cent compared to the world average of 45 per cent and just 38 per cent in the US.

The US remains the millionaire capital of the world, with 13.2 million people topping the seven-figure mark and nearly 46,000 people in the ultra-high net worth $US50 million-plus category.

Australia has 2,059 ultra-high net worth individuals, 2.1 per cent of the global total.

While the Land Down Under has maintained its place at the top in median terms for three years running now, Credit Suisse reported that North America has regained its title as the wealthiest region in the world.

Rising house prices and stock markets fuelled a 12 per cent rise in North American wealth to $US78.9 trillion from mid-2012 to mid-2013, putting the region ahead of the Asia Pacific and Europe for the first time since before the global financial crisis.

Credit Suisse global head of research for private banking, Giles Keating, said Japan's economic slump had dragged down the Asia-Pacific region.

"The fourth annual Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report shows an $US11 trillion rise in (global) wealth to $US241 trillion, with the US as the clear winner, overtaking Europe, while Asia Pacific fell back due to sharp depreciation of the yen," Mr Keating said.

theage.com.au 9 Oct 2013

Another corporate lie perpetuated.

Optus caught out in fraud - to refund customers

When corporations commit fraud against the consumer, the heads of the company are NOT charged with fraud or criminal offences, as they are above the law.

Optus has fraudulently charged customers for a service they did not request.

The article is as follows:

Optus to refund 235,00 customers.

Optus will return nearly $9m to hundreds of thousands of mobile phone customers who were billed for a service they didn't request.

Over a period stretching more than two years, the telco charged around 235,000 postpaid mobile and small business customers for SurePage, despite the customers not asking for it.

The service is a voicemail alternative, which diverts unanswered calls to an operator, who relays a message via SMS.

Users are charged $1.20 each time the operator takes a call, according to Optus's website.
The telco blamed the mistake on a software coding error in its billing system, which was fixed in September.

"Optus apologises to all customers who have been affected by this mistake," said Optus CEO, Consumer Australia, Kevin Russell, in a statement on Friday.

The telco said it will provide a full refund to affected customers.

An Optus spokeswoman says about 30,000 customers will receive a refund of more than $100.

A further 30,000 will receive $50-$100, with the remaining 175,000 receiving under $50, she said.
The telco is anticipating an overall cost of $8.8 million.

Affected customers will receive a letter in the coming weeks.

news.com.au 18 Oct 2013

The government / police protect fraud and corruption committed by their crony corporations.
 

16 October 2013

The Legal Oath - Is it really for the benefit to the client?

Many Australians feel hard done by the so called 'justice system', when it comes to anything from a simple parking fine to the judges freeing hardened criminals, rapists and killers.

There is no doubt that the United States of America is the most litigious nation on the planet, and per capita Australia is at a second place.

Australia's legal system is a closed industry where exorbitant sums of money change hands.

The Joe / Jane Average may believe that the courts are government institutions, and this is where the fundamental misconception lies.

For example:

The Family Law Court or Fedeal Circuit Court is a corporation with an
ABN (Australian Business Number) of: 60 265 617 271

Victorian Magistrates' Court or MAGISTRATES COURT VICTORIA has an ABN of : 32 790 228 959

The SUPREME COURT OF VICTORIA (BUSINESS UNIT 19) has an 
ABN of : 32 790 228 959

The courts (read corporations) engage (trick) their 'customers' in binding contracts.

The people who work for the system, e.g. barristers, Q.C's (Queens Counsels) etc have to swear an oath.

What is this oath and what does it mean?

The oath within the industry is known as the 3 C's.

The oath is to the:

  1.   COURT
  2.   COLLEAGUES
  3.   CLIENT
Anyone working for the 'system' swears their allegiance firstly to (the benefit of) the court, secondly to their colleagues, and then lastly to the client.

Any so called judge or magistrate makes their decision, firstly to the (financial) benefit of the court taking into consideration their colleagues (barristers, lawyers) secondly, and then the client last.

Another unwritten rule is that judgments are made also firstly to the benefit of 'brethren' vs non-brethren, irrespective of any evidence or who is right.


Telstra boss $9m pay deal - Money for mates

TELSTRA chief David Thodey has foreshadowed deeper job cuts from Australian call centres as the value of his pay and perks increased to $8.8 million for the year. The remuneration leap comes less than a month after announcing the telco would slash 1100 technicians and maintenance staff.

heraldsun.com.au 16 Oct 2013

What Telstra does with the positions of the sacked personnel, is it hires or rather outsources the positions at approximately 1/5th to 1/6th of the previous cost.

This cost saving is then passed on to the board members and heads of the company, including the CEO.

This is just another money for mates scam that the consumers (general public) are paying for.

Telstra is also involved in an annual multi million dollar billing fraud that the 'authorities' and law firms refuse to act on.

The law (police) works for and on behalf of the corporations.

Sly Cop Cams

13 October 2013

One asylum seeker boat arrived this week - but details still kept from media

ONE asylum seeker boat arrived in the past week amid an Indonesian police blitz that has arrested eight people smugglers, issued a warrant for a kingpin and stopped 550 would-be asylum seekers since the federal election. 
 
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison yesterday used his latest Operation Sovereign Borders briefing to warn people based in Australia helping people smugglers that they faced jail and cancellation of their own visas if caught.

But the briefing descended into farce as basic details were again kept secret before Australia's second most senior Defence chief, Air Marshal Mark Binskin, declared "if I haven't reported it, it hasn't happened''.

He reported that the latest boat arrived near the Cocos (Keeling) Islands late yesterday.

But he declined to provide details because it had not been processed before 9am yesterday, the cut-off for the weekly briefing.
 
Operation Sovereign Borders Acting Commander Air Marshal Mark Binskin. AFP Photo/William West Source: AFP
 
Air Marshal Binskin said details of the arrival would be provided at next week's briefing but that other secret information such as nationalities or whether boats were being turned back was operational.

"We're transparent, but we do work a timeline, 9 o'clock to 9 o'clock,'' he said.

It was the first boat in the first 10 days of October, which last year recorded 44 boats and 2255 people during the whole month.

It is understood March 2012 was the last time there was at least a 10-day gap between arrivals.

Since Operation Sovereign Borders began three weeks ago, 215 people have arrived and been transferred.
A total of 402 people had been sent to offshore processing centres.

This included a total of 111 people who were transferred to offshore processing centres on Nauru and Papua New Guinea's Manus Island in the past week.

The briefing came after Australian Federal Police chiefs had returned from a trip to Indonesia, where local police have issued a an arrest warrant for a significant people smuggling identity.

AFP Commissioner Tony Negus said there had been 17 disruptions of people smuggling since the federal election, stopping 550 people from getting on boats.

This had produced eight arrests - including five crew members and three "high value'' targets who had organised and facilitated journeys - with all hit with multiple charges.

Mr Morrison also said the government had commenced negotiations for a five-year deal with Nauru after the previous government had only funded facilities to January 1.

He said the AFP would also get extra funding but details would come in the budget.

news.com.au  11 Oct 2013

More lies from the fæces spilling mouths of the government lap dogs.

A source within the industry quoted that the real figure of 'boat arrivals' is one a day, but this information cannot be divulged to the general population.

The quote "if I haven't reported it, it hasn't happened'' signifies 'absolute' authority (and corruption?).

Retiring Australian Crime Commission chief executive John Lawler says proposed data retention law key to fight organised crime

Controversial new laws that will compel internet and telecommunications providers to retain the records of all subscribers must be introduced, according to the nation's peak crime fighting body. 

Australian Crime Commission chief executive John Lawler said the proposed federal data retention legislation is crucial in the ongoing fight against organised crime as syndicates devised new methods of communication to facilitate their illegal activities

Mr Lawler, who retires next week, said organised criminals were "putting themselves in an environment where their communications can't be intercepted'' which prevented both detection and investigation by police.

His call echoes that of Australia's domestic spy agency ASIO which believes access to "metadata'' - comprehensive records of when calls were made, who called who and from what location - is jeopardised the by trend of telcos towards bundling and bulk billing, along with internet phone calls.

Such data, which is now not being retained by some companies because of the cost, is vital for investigations into both terrorism and organised crime. While police need a warrant to intercept phone calls and listen to them, they do not need a warrant to examine such metadata.

A Federal Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security has examined the proposed data retention legislation, which has attracted criticism from privacy advocates, but failed to reach a definitive recommendation on the measure.

Mr Lawler said organised criminals needed to communicate to conduct their business and "that is their vulnerability.''

"What we need to do is have the community support, the government support in making sure that if we can't detect their communication because of encryption and the like because of technology, how can we enable our national security investigations or our organised crime investigations,'' he said.

"Part of that puzzle is that we will need to retain and have the telecommunications providers retain data. Data will be the new currency of law enforcement response.

"My view is it needs to be in a framework of absolute accountability and oversight, but it does need to be available and the private sector and communications providers must provide it.''

Mr Lawler, who is retiring after a 34-year career in law enforcement, assumed the role of chief executive in 2008 after rising to the rank of deputy commissioner with the Federal Police. He was intimately involved in high-profile investigations ranging from the murder of assistant commissioner Colin Winchester through to the Operation Pendennis terrorism operation.

His leadership of the ACC has seen its operations consolidate to become the key criminal intelligence gathering body for Australia's police forces, with whom it closely collaborates to combat organised crime ranging from bikie gangs, drug importation and money laundering to tax evasion.

A landmark development he has overseen is the introduction of several key intelligence reports that essentially form the blueprint for the investigation of organised criminal activity in Australia. New intelligence products - compiled using detailed and complex metadata from many sources - are also under development.

The highly classified National Criminal Target Report identifies the "who's who'' of organised crime and is underpinned by another classified report, the National Criminal Target List.

The report provides police with a concise picture of the risk posed by crime groups operating in Australia, including those based overseas. At present 67 per cent of the targets are based offshore, most focused in South-East Asia.

While Mr Lawler would not divulge further detail of either product, he said defining the biggest criminal threat facing Australia at present was "difficult.''

He said while bikie violence was an ongoing threat that "is of prime concern around the country'' there were other equally sinister and damaging threats that were not as overt.

"We are under threat from organised crime groups that will often not come to this country, create extreme damage within our country, but never come here,'' he said.

"Some are enabled through the cyber vector, some can defraud Australians of their life savings without ever having stepped foot in Australia or be exposed to Australian judicial processes.

"They are able to do that by attacking people in their own living rooms''.

While there will always be a place for traditional policing methods "there will also be occasions where there need to be different treatments'' that will be both disruptive and preventive.

"As we move forward in law enforcement we will be forced by the fiscal environment, by the sheer volume of the crime to look for efficient ways of preventing the damage occurring,'' he said.

He believed there was a need for law enforcement to constantly innovate and use new tactics and legislation was one of the "key methods'' of tackling organised crime gangs. Well aware of the damage the legal processes can cause them, the gangs and individual criminals "sought to neutralise that threat with legal challenges.''

This tactic has been no more evident than the repeated challenges to legislation to combat bikie gangs that has been taken all the way to the High Court by gangs in SA and Queensland. Individual criminals also fight high-end tactics - such as the use of the ACC's coercive hearings - in order to thwart their use.

"If they are caught they then employ often in a coordinated way around the country specific legal counsel, high end legal counsel, very expensive legal counsel to defend them and to attack the legislation and often the technical nature of what law enforcement does,'' Mr Lawler said.

"The commission has been subjected to that in a prolonged and a sustained way. We have a very large legal capacity and a lot of our resources go to defending and fighting legal challenges.''

Mr Lawler firmly believes one of the legislative mechanisms to combat organised crime is a set of uniform unexplained wealth laws to target the assets of criminals, thereby removing their motivation. The measure is currently being negotiated by the Federal and State Governments.

He says it clear at a commonwealth level the unexplained wealth laws have not been effective and he felt a national system was warranted.

"The simple fact is we have had very few, if any, unexplained wealth actions because the levels and standards and requirements make it very difficult to do so,'' he said.

"We are not dealing with a state problem, this is a national problem. The bikies, the Finks don't stay just in SA, they don't just stay in Australia. That tells you need a national response.

"The aim has to be to remove that assets from the organised criminals, to take their money away and that way you will disrupt them and put them out of business.

"I hope the ministers can settle that, it will be good for Australia.''

news.com.au  11 Oct 2013

Another corporate lap dog, suggesting that passing of a law that is against one's human rights.

In order to enslave the masses, a scenario or atmosphere has to be created, and a solution has already been thought of beforehand.

One undeniable fact is that Australia's legal system was set up by the Anglo-Masonic elite purely for the benefit of the 'brethren'.

A meeting behind closed doors in the 1980's told the masonic brotherhood members that 'organised crime' in Australia is beyond the control of the police.

The so called data retention or surveillance will NOT curb organised crime or money laundering in off shore tax havens, as this policy is supported by the government for their elite members.

This policy is ONLY to enslave the masses.

The Australian police 'force' is a corporate entity, designed to collect revenue for the government, i.e DEBT COLLECTORS and anyone opposing this is on the system as a 'criminal'.

This is a well known fact in the political legal industry, which is kept away from the general populous.

Policies worse than that of German concentration camp enslavement.


Here are some details of the businesses known as the Australia's police force taken from abr.business.gov.au :

Entity Name: AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE
ABN: 17 864 931 143
Main Business Location: ACT 2600
Trading Name: AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, ASIA PACIFIC GROUP, Australian Protective Service, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF POLICE MANAGEMENT


Entity Name: DEPT OF POLICE & EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT (TAS)
ABN: 19 173 586 474
Main Business Location: TAS 7000
Trading Name: TASMANIA POLICE


Entity Name: NSW POLICE FORCE
ABN: 43 408 613 180
Main Business Location: NSW 2150
Trading Name: NSW POLICE FORCE, NSW POLICE, NSW POLICE DEPARTMENT, NSW POLICE SERVICE  

Entity Name: POLICE DEPARTMENT (VIC)
ABN: 63 446 481 493
Main Business Location: VIC 3008
Trading Name: VICTORIA POLICE


Entity Name: QUEENSLAND POLICE SERVICE
ABN: 29 409 225 509
Main Business Location: QLD 4000
Trading Name: QUEENSLAND POLICE SERVICE


Entity Name: SOUTH AUSTRALIA POLICE
ABN: 93 799 021 552
Main Business Location: SA 5000
Trading Name: SOUTH AUSTRALIAN POLICE, Commissioner of Police, SAPES Games, SOUTH AUSTRALIA POLICE, South Australia Police & Emergency Services Games, SA Police, SAPOL


Entity Name: WESTERN AUSTRALIA POLICE
ABN: 91 724 684 688
Main Business Location: WA 6004
Trading Name: Western Australian Police 

US adults are dumber than the average human

Content 1 here.

  • American adults score below international average on global test
  • Australians smarter than Americans in math, reading  
  • Italy and Spain equally grim in Europe  


The Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies has found Americans are dumber than the average. Source: Supplied

 
IT'S LONG been known that America's school kids haven't measured well compared with international peers. Now, there's a new twist: Adults don't either. 

In math, reading and problem-solving using technology – all skills considered critical for global competitiveness and economic strength – American adults scored below the international average on a global test, according to results released Tuesday.

Adults in Japan, Canada, Australia, Finland and multiple other countries scored significantly higher than the United States in all three areas on the test. Beyond basic reading and math, respondents were tested on activities such as calculating mileage reimbursement due to a salesman, sorting email and comparing food expiration dates on grocery store tags.

Not only did Americans score poorly compared to many international competitors, the findings reinforced just how large the gap is between the nation’s high- and low-skilled workers and how hard it is to move ahead when your parents haven’t.
 
In both reading and math, for example, those with college-educated parents did better than those whose parents did not complete high school.
 
The study, called the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, found that it was easier on average to overcome this and other barriers to literacy overseas than in the United States.
 
Researchers tested about 166,000 people ages 16 to 65 in more than 20 countries and subnational regions. The test was developed and released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which is made up of mostly industrialized member countries. The Education Department’s Center for Education Statistics participated.
 
The findings were equally grim for many European countries – Italy and Spain, among the hardest hit by the recession and debt crisis, ranked at the bottom across generations. Unemployment is well over 25 percent in Spain and over 12 percent in Italy. Spain has drastically cut education spending, drawing student street protests.
But in the northern European countries that have fared better, the picture was brighter – and the study credits continuing education. In Finland, Denmark, and the Netherlands, more than 60 percent of adults took part in either job training or continuing education. In Italy, by contrast, the rate was half that.
 
As the American economy sputters along and many people live paycheck-to-paycheck, economists say a highly-skilled workforce is key to economic recovery. The median hourly wage of workers scoring on the highest level in literacy on the test is more than 60 percent higher than for workers scoring at the lowest level, and those with low literacy skills were more than twice as likely to be unemployed.
 
“It’s not just the kids who require more and more preparation to get access to the economy, it’s more and more the adults don’t have the skills to stay in it,” said Anthony Carnevale, director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.
 
Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a statement the nation needs to find ways to reach more adults to upgrade their skills. Otherwise, he said, “no matter how hard they work, these adults will be stuck, unable to support their families and contribute fully to our country.”
 
Among the other findings:
 
  • Americans scored toward the bottom in the category of problem solving in a technology rich environment. The top five scores in the areas were from Japan, Finland, Australia, Sweden and Norway, while the US score was on par with England, Estonia, Ireland and Poland. In nearly all countries, at least 10 percent of adults lacked the most basic of computer skills such as using a mouse.
  • Japanese and Dutch adults who were ages 25 to 34 and only completed high school easily outperformed Italian or Spanish university graduates of the same age.
  • In England, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the United States, social background has a big impact on literacy skills, meaning the children of parents with low levels of education have lower reading skills.
 
America’s school kids have historically scored low on international assessment tests compared to other countries, which is often blamed on the diversity of the population and the high number of immigrants. Also, achievement tests have long shown that a large chunk of the US student population lacks basic reading and math skills – most pronounced among low-income and minority students.
 
This test could suggest students leaving high school without certain basic skills aren’t obtaining them later on the job or in an education program.
 
The United States will have a tough time catching up because money at the state and local level, a major source of education funding, has been slashed in recent years, said Jacob Kirkegaard, an economist with the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
 
“There is a race between man and machine here. The question here is always: Are you a worker for whom technology makes it possible to do a better job or are you a worker that the technology can replace?” he said. For those without the most basic skills, he said, the answer will be merciless and has the potential to extend into future generations. Learning is highly correlated with parents’ education level.
 
“If you want to avoid having an underclass – a large group of people who are basically unemployable – this educational system is absolutely key,” Kirkegaard said.
 
Dolores Perin, professor of psychology and education at Teachers College, Columbia University, said the report provides a “good basis for an argument there should be more resources to support adults with low literacy.”
 
Adults can learn new skills at any age and there are adult-geared programs around the country, Perin said. But, she said, the challenge is ensuring the programs have quality teaching and that adults regularly attend classes.
 
“If you find reading and writing hard, you’ve been working hard all day at two jobs, you’ve got a young child, are you actually going to go to class? It’s challenging,” Perin said.
 
Some economists say that large skills gap in the United States could matter even more in the future. America’s economic competitors like China and India are simply larger than competitors of the past like Japan, Carnevale said. Even while America’s top 10 percent of students can compete globally, Carnevale said, that doesn’t cut it. China and India did not participate in this assessment.
 
“The skills in the middle are required and we’re not producing them,” Carnevale said. Respondents were selected as part of a nationally represented sample. The test was primarily taken at home using a computer, but some respondents used a printed test booklet.
 
Among the other findings:
 
  • Japan, Finland, Canada, Netherlands, Australia, Sweden, Norway, Flanders-Belgium, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, and Korea all scored significantly higher than the United States in all three areas on the test.
  • The average scores in literacy range from 250 in Italy to 296 in Japan. The US average score was 270. (500 was the highest score in all three areas.) Average scores in 12 countries were higher than the average US score.
  • The average scores in math range from 246 in Spain to 288 in Japan. The US average score was 253, below 18 other countries.
  • The average scores on problem solving in technology-rich environments ranged from 275 in Poland to 294 in Japan. The US average score was 277, below 14 other countries.
 
This article originally appeared on the New York Post.
 
 
news.com.au 9 Oct 2013

Could this be really true, or could this article follow a 'Conspiracy Theory'?

Could the Rockefeller education system, be deliberately dumbing down the herd population, so they are subserviently paying taxes to fund the largest warring nation on the planet?

Australia's obsession with smartphones and tablets could be killing us


WHAT is the world coming to? Why are mobile phones and tablets taking over our lives? And what on earth can we do about it? 
 
There are five billion mobile phone users in the world - 1.5 billion of those are smartphone users. Recent studies have shown that people check their phones up to 150 times a day.

But while mobile technology definitely has its benefits, the pitfalls are proving potentially fatal. Smartphones and tablets are increasingly discovered as being the cause of many pedestrian injuries and deaths in Australia and the rest of the world.

Using your phone while driving is illegal, so what should be done about distracted pedestrians who put their own lives and the lives of others at risk when they cross the road? Should this be illegal too?

Unfortunately, it's hard to gather statistics on mobile-related accidents because there are no official figures. According to Police Superintendent John Hartley, people who survive are unlikely to admit they were using a phone at the time they were hit.

Chairman of the Pedestrian Council of Australia Harold Scruby said he had conducted spot tests in various places in Sydney and found one in 10 pedestrians were using a mobile device while crossing the road. Mr Scruby said that distracted mobile users are "like sheep", who follow others across the road without looking.

ACCIDENTS IN AUSTRALIA LAST YEAR

In the last two years in Australia there have been multiple accidents related to mobile phones.

In July 2012 a distracted teenager was hit by a Melbourne tram while talking on her phone. She was trapped under the tram for half an hour before being hospitalised with a broken rib.

That same month a man fell onto the train tracks while speaking on his mobile phone. He was rescued without harm, but it could have been a very different story if the train was approaching the platform.

CCTV footage of a man falling onto the rail lines while using his phone. Source: Supplied
 
And soon it may not just be cars, trains and trams that are killing and injuring distracted pedestrians. In an extreme case this week, CCTV footage was released showing a man pulling out a gun on a San Francisco train.

But when the man waved around his .45 pistol and pointed it at passengers near him, the commuters didn't even notice. Why? Because they were too engrossed with their mobile phones and tablets.

WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS

Research is calling this phenomenon 'inattentional blindness'. In a 2010 study by researchers at the Western Washington University, students walking across a large crowded courtyard were observed. A clown on a unicycle was moving about the courtyard as a test stimulus.

Students who passed through the courtyard were asked if they had seen anything unusual. The study found that mobile phone users were the least likely to admit they'd seen the clown. Mobile users were also found to walk more slowly, weave around people and make sudden direction changes. These actions are a dangerous combination when combined with crossing busy city streets.

Woman distracted by her phone wanders onto the road and has a near miss with a cyclist in Sydney. Source: Supplied

The evidence is clear. Like it or not, extreme phone distraction and 'inattentional blindness' is becoming a huge road safety issue. How important is your mobile or tablet screen really, in comparison to the importance of saving your own life or the lives of others?

 news.com.au 12 Oct 2013

Victoria, is arguably one of the most policed states in Australia.

Should there be another law protecting people from their stupidity?

Nature's law of survival of the fittest should prevail.

Michael Douglas admits he lied about type of cancer to protect his career

MICHAEL Douglas is changing his cancer story yet again. 
 
First he had throat cancer - which he said was a result of his performing oral sex on women. Then he thought better of admitting that.

Now he says it was really tongue cancer.

"This was right before I had to go on a big tour for Wall Street," the actor said in a British TV interview that aired on Friday, referring to his promotion of 2010s Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

"The surgeon said, 'Let's just say it's throat cancer,'" Douglas, 69, recalled. "I said, 'OK, you don't want to say it's tongue cancer?' I said, ‘Why's that?'

"And he said, 'Well, if you really want to know why, if we do have to have surgery, it's not going to be pretty. You'll lose part of your jaw and your tongue and all of that stuff.' So I said, 'OK, sure.'"

So to avoid discussing the possibility of losing part of his face with reporters while promoting his movie, Douglas came forward in August 2010 and said he had throat cancer.

The survival rate for throat cancer is slightly higher than it is for tongue cancer - 90 per cent compared with 85 per cent - and there is less chance of it spreading malignantly.

Douglas' story took a turn last May when he said his cancer - which he still claimed was throat cancer - was caused by the HPV virus, which can be contracted through oral sex.

Roughly 14,000 throat-cancer cases are diagnosed every year in the United States, about 70 per cent of which are related to HPV.

But a spokesman for Douglas - now separated from Catherine Zeta-Jones - denied any definite link to oral sex.

"It was discussed that oral sex is a suspected cause of certain oral cancers as doctors in the article point out ... but he did not say it was the specific cause of his personal cancer," the rep said the next month.

In his latest account, Douglas said it was really Stage 4 cancer that a Montreal specialist found after examining his mouth.

"I will always remember the look on his face," he recounted previously. "He said, 'We need a biopsy.' There was a walnut-sized tumor at the base of my tongue that no other doctor had seen."

news.com.au  12 Oct 2013

WHAT AN ABSOLUTE PIG OF A MAN.

There is NO such thing as bad publicity, especially coming from the cesspool known as Hollywood.