A $200,000 painting went missing from Australia’s National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne… 12 years ago.

So, uhm… did they only just notice, or what?

Apparently, the gallery wanted to make perfectly sure that it didn’t falsely accuse a museum staff member of theft when they could have simply misplaced it. So it searched for Richard Parkes Bonington’s Low Tide at Boulogne for 12 years before finally reporting it stolen.

The 1824 piece most likely went missing during 1999 renovations, when the gallery’s 65,000 pieces were relocated. Last year, Dr. Gerard Vaughan, the gallery director informed the Victorian government that “a painting in the state collection, previously considered misplaced, is now suspected to have been stolen. [...] In all likelihood, this painting is no longer in our possession.”

Thanks to a freedom of information request, the gallery was finally able to report the painting stolen after some 8 years of searching for it. How big of a blow is this to the artistic community? An Australian art academic noted that the missing piece isn’t exactly iconic, and that it was an easy miss for gallery visitors.

“If you have an absolute passion for romantic French landscapes, you could be quite upset not to see this work,” said Sasha Grishin, a professor of art history at the Australian National University.

So, dear reader – do you have the missing piece?

Museum Reports Painting Stolen… After 12 Years is a post from: The Inquisitr

Words With Friends has recently become known as a great way to kick Alec Baldwin off an American Airlines flight but it turns out the Zynga owned game has an even better use…saving lives.

Georgie Fletcher began playing the popular words game with an international opponent several years ago. The Australian and her Missouri opponent Beth Legler had never met in person but used the games built-in chat program to talk as they played.

As it turns out Fletcher’s husband wasn’t feel well one day and when she told Beth about his symptoms Beth showed her physician husband Larry the chat. Immediately realizing a major problem Larry told Georgie to rush her husband to the hospital.

It turns out that once in the emergency room doctors found that Simon Fletcher’s heart had a 99% blockage that would have killed him if he hadn’t rushed to the hospital immediately.

According to Mrs. Fletcher:

“Had Larry not sent that message, I don’t think Simon would have gone to the doctor that day.”

Mr. Fletcher added:

“I’d really like to put my arms around him and give him a big squeeze.”

While the couple have never met they speak all the time to one another using the Words With Friends platform. I would say that if there was ever a time to take a trip down under or to hop over the pond to the US this would be a great reason.

If you’re not already playing Words With Friends now may be a good time to give it a try, who knows it might save your life one day.

Words With Friends Saves A Man’s Life is a post from: The Inquisitr

A recent study has discovered that it’s not people in North America enjoying the largest amounts of marijuana per capita but rather our friends down under.

According to The Lancet Australians love to light up to the tune of 15% of the population when examining the 15-64 age demographic. That number based on 2009 smoking incidence compared to just 11% in North America and a very low 2.5% in Asia.

The study also found that when it comes to amphetamines Australians and New Zealanders once again lead the pack in consumption based on overall population size.

According to one of the study’s researchers:

“Just look at the way we take alcohol as an integral part of everyday life. I think a lot of young people see cannabis in the same way that we see alcohol: as no big deal, as a drug just to use to have a good time.”

If that isn’t enough to give marijuana supports a push in the right direction the study estimates that 203 million pot smokers live around the world, far exceeding that of amphetamine users (56 million) and cocaine/heroin/opiats users (21 million).

While the study is not a broad sweeping examination of marijuana users it does show that quite a large percentage of several populace areas partake in the drug. More interestingly with nearly 50% of American’s supporting the legalization of medical marijuana the study also shows that even none pot smokers tend to generally believe the substance should be legalized.

Are you in support of legalizing marijuana even if you don’t particularly care to partake in the use of such a drug?

[Image via ShutterStock.com]

Top Marijuana Smoking Country Revealed, It Was Barely A Contest is a post from: The Inquisitr

Commonly referred to as the “Dingo Took My Baby” case an infamous three-decade-old investigation has been reopened in Australia, the fourth such inquest into the death of baby Azaria Chamberlain.

Azaria disappeared in the Australian Outback in 1980 and his mother Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton claimed at the time that a dingo stole the nine-week-old child from their tent.

Found guilty and sentenced to life in prison in 1982 Lindy eventually saw her case over turned after a piece of her clothing was found near a dingo den, however the child’s body was never discovered.

According to the The Australian the case was opened for a fourt time because of new information provided to the Northern Territory coroner by one of Chamberlain’s lawyers. Included in those findings were a 9-year-old boy who was mauled to death in 2001 by two dingoes and a four-year-old girl who was injured in 2007.

The new inquest into the missing child will start on Feb. 24.

Do you believe that Australian investigators will be able to uncover any useful information more than 30 years after little Azaria Chamberlain went missing or is this a case of grasping at air?

Australian Officials Reopen ‘Dingo Took My Baby’ Case is a post from: The Inquisitr

The next time you purchase a bottle of wine from Australia you might want to make sure you have plenty of toilet paper on hand, that’s because many wine makers in the country add sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, a chemical known for it’s laxative qualities.

While small quantities of the chemical can thicken most liquids when used in wine it helps eliminate crystallization and cloudiness from whites.

According to California Watch removing that cloudiness is usually an expensive problem that requires energy-draining methods that include filtration and cooling.

Speaking about the use of the chemical a general counsel member for California’s wine industry says:

“I don’t think the levels that are approved for use in wine … will give that laxative effect.”

The product while not yet approved for use in US wines is allowed to be imported from wines made elsewhere.

The European Union has also approved the additive.

Whether or not the new chemical provides a laxative effect in small doses or not shouldn’t be the issue here, it’s the fact that yet another industry is throwing more chemicals into our beverages in an attempt to serve up a cheaper product.

Are you willing to pay slightly more money for a white wine free of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose or does the extra chemical matter to you?

[Image via ShutterStock.com]

Australian White Winemakers Using Laxative Based Chemical is a post from: The Inquisitr

Billionaire Manhattan socialite Candia Fisher was the financial victim of a hacker this week after her email was hacked and $550,000 was wired from her personal bank accounts to an account in Australia.

According to the New York Post Fisher conducts almost all of her business via email which in turn made it simple to find personal details, including banking passwords, account numbers and other information needed to transfer the funds.

After receiving access to her email account the hacker began the Australian transfer which continued until a banking authority noticed the strange transfers and alerted a clueless Candia Fisher.

At this time it’s not clear if any money can be recovered however the damage could have been far more severe given the billions of dollars that were at stake.

This isn’t the first time a member of the Fisher Brothers real estate clan have been robbed of their wealth, in the 1960s a group of armed men broke into the Manhattan apartment of Candia’s mother and stole millions of dollars in jewels.

Socialite may be just the right word for Candia as she’s obviously not the brains of the family’s operation given her inability to understand that sending personal banking info through email is ridiculous.

[Image via ShutterStock.com]

New York Socialite Has $550,000 Stolen By Email Hacker is a post from: The Inquisitr

Police this weekend discovered marijuana plants growing outside a court in the NSW mid north coast of Australia.

Deemed a “prank” by someone who wanted to poke fun at Australia’s justice system the plants were quickly removed and no harm was done.

The plants were discovered after several witnesses reported the marijuana growing in the front garden of the Bellingen Court House in New South Whales on Wednesday afternoon.

When all was said and done 60 seedlings were removed from the property, all of which were believed to be marijuana producing seeds.

Speaking to the APP a police spokesman said:

“Police believe someone has just dropped the seedlings as a joke.”

No arrests have been made at this time and it would likely be hard to prosecute someone who plants the seeds with no intention of harvesting them.

[Image via ShutterStock.com]

Marijuana Plants Planted Outside Police Station is a post from: The Inquisitr

I wonder if AppleCare covers this.

Australian Regional airline Regional Express (Rex) has confirmed an incident that occurred on a Lismore to Sydney flight Friday, during which an iPhone became unstable and- for lack of a better catchall term- apparently exploded during the journey. While that description may call up images of a blast and subsequent fire explosion, reports indicate the iPhone began to “emit a glow” and started smoking before it shattered. Rex explained the incident in a statement about the iPhone explosion:

“In accordance with company standard safety procedures, the flight attendant carried out recovery actions immediately and the red glow was extinguished successfully. All passengers and crew on board were unharmed.”

The incident, though somewhat amusing and scary in equal measures, is a rare but not entirely uncommon phenomenon in which lithium batteries overheat and create the risk of fire. It’s happened before with Apple products, and there was an iPod Nano recall a few years back for similar overheating-related issues- and back in 2009, a French teen claimed an iPhone exploded while he was speaking on it, sending shards of glass from the display flying everywhere. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) as well as the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) are investigating this latest incident, and it has not been confirmed which model of the iPhone was involved.

As for the iPhone exploding on the flight, Apple has not commented directly on the situation thusfar. Apple is not the only company to be subject to such claims- Dell and Hewlett-Packard products have come in for similar complaints in the past surrounding overheating devices.

iPhone Explodes in Midair on Aussie Flight is a post from: The Inquisitr

Archeologists working in an Eat Timor cave near Australia have discovered the remained of a tuna feast that occurred 42,000 years ago. The tuna meal and shark bones are an important find since it shows that early humans may have been capable of deep sea fishing long before first suspected.

If deep sea fishing was accomplished so long ago researchers say it would help explain how humans were able to travel across vast areas of water.

According to one scientist:

“What the site in East Timor has shown us is that early modern humans in Island Southeast Asia had amazingly advanced maritime skills.”

Even today Tuna proves to be a difficult fish to catch which would make the fishing skills of early humans all that more impressive. According to researchers while there are many ways to catch tuna ancient humans were likely using “sophisticated technology and watercraft to fish offshore.”

While the idea of advanced fishing techniques is being explored another expert tells the Register that the fish may have been closer to shore at that time, perhaps they even washed up onto the shoreline during a weather based event.

How do you think early humans would have went about deep sea fishing without today’s technologies?

[Image via ShutterStock.com]

42,000 Year-Old Tuna Meal Discovered By Archeologists is a post from: The Inquisitr

In a strange sequence of events a man from Hong Kong left a briefcase stuffed with $1 million inside a cafe in Sydney, Australia.

According to a Caffe Marco employee the man left the briefcase behind after ordering a coffee and then leaving the briefcase behind after less than five minutes inside the restaurant.

Fearing that the briefcase may have contained a bomb workers called police who discovered that the case held $1 million in cash.

According to Sydney police the 49-year-old owner of the briefcase has not yet been questioned about the cash because he became ill and was hospitalized before an interview could be conducted. According to a police spokesman:

“Our friend has some questions to answer once he is released.”

Police say they will hand the $1 million over to the man if he can prove that it actually belongs to him, however if the money is believed to be from a crime it will remain in the custody of Sydney officials until such a time that it can be forfeited over to Australian governmental officials.

If the real owner of the money can not be found within three months it could mean a huge payday for several cafe workers.

Could you ever accidentally leave $1 million in a public place?

[Image via ShutterStock.com]

Sydney Police Discover $1 Million Stuffed Inside Briefcase is a post from: The Inquisitr

With the United States recently singing a new security agreement with Australia President Obama announced on Wednesday that the United States does not fear china.

News of the Australian security agreement comes at a time when many politicians have grown weary of Beijing’s growing aggressiveness.

Announced during a joint news conference between President Obama and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard the deal will position more U.S. personnel and equipment in the country while increasing American access to bases.

Under the plan 250 U.S. Marines will begin a new rotation in 2012 in the Northern Territory with an increase of 2,500 military personnel entering the region by 2016-2017.

In covering the deal U.S. officials were careful to point out that they were not attempting to create a permanent American military presence throughout Australia.

“It also allows us to meet the demands of a lot of partners in the region that want to feel that they’re getting the training, they’re getting the exercises, and that we have the presence that’s necessary to maintain the security architecture in the region,” Obama said.

On Thursday President Obama will speak to the Australian Parliament before flying to Darwin, a city where some of the Marines will be stationed in 2012.

When asked if the new agreement was meant to “contain China” President Obama said that the U.S. was attempting to send a clear message that China needs to accept the responsibility of being a world power. In his speech Obama revealed of China:

“It’s important for them to play by the rules of the road and in fact help underwrite the rules that have allowed so much remarkable economic progress to be made over the last several decades,” and “When China is playing by those rules, recognizing its new role, I think this is a win-win situation.”

Speaking directly about the “fear” of China the President said:

“I think the notion that we fear China is mistaken. The notion that we’re looking to exclude China is mistaken.”

Directly following Obama’s announcement China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said his people were discussing whether or not the increased military presence was in line with common interests that serve the international community.

In responding to Liu’s comments Obama national security aide Ben Rhodes said the increased U.S. presence was requested by various members of the international community who say the increased presence is a necessity as China continues to claim dominion over large swaths of the Pacific, areas the U.S. and other countries consider international waters.

Further concerns over China’s increase in military spending up to $160 billion last year along with the testing of new stealth jet fighters and the launch of the countries first aircraft carrier which launched this year helped lead to the increased military presence.

In speaking to Australian official President Obama said:

“Our alliance is going to be indispensable to our shared future, the security we need, and the prosperity that we seek, not only in this region but around the world,” while adding, “This is a region of huge importance to us. This is right up there at the top of my priority list. We are going to make sure that we are able to fulfil out leadership role in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Also included in their strengthened agreement will be increased space for U.S. aircraft including B52 bombers and jet fighters. Australian officials will also work to boost use of the Western Australia’s Stirling naval base for US vessels.

While President Obama says the United States does not fear China a special commission has asked that the Government Accountability Office evaluate the ability of the Pentagon’s early warning system. The argument is that the People’s Liberation Army (China’s military wing) is attempting to exploit weaknesses in a vast military network.

“The PLA’s military strategy is designed to provide the army with the means to defeat a technologically superior opponent, such as the U.S. military … degrading an opponent’s technological advantages and striking first in order to gain surprise.”

While U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has pushed for stronger diplomatic talks with China in recent years the U.S. recently backed a Philippines protest after China attempted to claim an island chain that has long been tied to the Philippines.

Do you believe that the United States military needs to expand into new territories to help slow the expansion of China’s territorial claims?

[Image via Walter G Arce / Shutterstock.com]

President Obama: United States Does Not Fear China is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Melbourne Cup is often referred to as “The Race That Stops a Nation” because people all over Australia pause to watch 24 thoroughbreds race 3200 meters (1.99 miles) around the Fleimington racetrack. Whether watching the 2011 Melbourne Cup live online (see the link below), at the track (where more than 100,000 people attend) or on television it’s undeniable that the cup is the world’s most popular 2 mile race.

This year hype surrounding the race is even greater as 2010 Melbourne Cup winner Americain is a favorite to carry the race for a second consecutive year despite carrying a 58kg handicap, up 3 kilos from last year. Americain is coming off an impressive Moonee Valley Cup on October 22, a key form guide ahead of the Melbourne Cup.  If Americain wins it will be only the fifth time a horse has won the cup in consecutive years.

Speaking to AFP about his own horses chance of winning legendary Australian trainer Bart Cummings said his own thoroughbreds Precedence and Illo will be chasing Americain:

“He’s (Americain) well weighted and he’s a big strong thing, 16 hands,” Cummings said. ”The weight won’t stop him, so he’s the one to beat, I’d say.”

In the meantime some Australians have been complaining that their national race is dominated by non-regional thoroughbreds while their own field of regional horses is lacking in quality. Australia’s biggest hope is Brisbane Cup winner Tullamore who has been in good form of late. Tullamore finished second to Americain during the Moonee Valley Cup and will carry just 52kg during the Melbourne cup?

You can catch the 2011 Melbourne Cup Live online below (regional restrictions apply to the live feed):

Watch The 2011 Melbourne Cup Live Online is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Perth Mint of Australia has created the world’s heaviest and most valuable gold coin. The new coin weighs in at 1012 kilograms and is 99.99 percent pure gold.

The denomination is worth $1 million AUS dollars, just over $1 million USD although the coins actual value is estimated to be worth a gold value of $53.5 million.

The coin is 80 centimeters wide and 12 centimeters deep and took 18 months to create. On one side of the massive coin is a red kangaroo while the other side features a picture of the Queen.

Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald Perth Mint chief executive Ed Harbuz said the coin is the “pinnacle of ingenuity and innovation” while he added:

“To cast and handcraft a coin of this size and weight was an incredible challenge — one which few other mints would even consider.”

The mint created the coin as a showpiece for the Australian kangaroo gold bullion coin program while several smaller versions of the coin will debut next week.

Weight and purity of the massive gold is guaranteed by the West Australian government.

Australian Mint Creates One-Ton Coin is a post from: The Inquisitr

Oscar-nominated Australian actress Diane Cilento, actor Sean Connery’s former wife, passed away in Northern Australia on Thursday, one day after her 78th birthday, officials said Friday.

Cilento, who starred in dozens of films, stage productions and television shows, reportedly died due to complications resulting from a long-lasting illness, said Queensland state Premier Anna Bligh. Cilento was being treated at Cairns Base Hospital in Queensland, Australia before her passing.

Cilento rose to fame in the 50s and 60s starring alongside such industry greats as Paul Newman and Charlton Heston. In 1963, she received an Academy Award nomination for her role as Molly Seagrim in the 1963 film Tom Jones.

Her status as a celebrity rose further upon marrying Connery, her second husband after Andrea Volpe, in 1962. Nearly a decade after their divorce in 1973, Cilento went on to marry playwright Anthony Shaffer in 1985.

“While she was originally known as a glamorous international film star, her work in later years in the far north showed her commitment to the arts,” Bligh said in a statement. “I know that Ms. Cilento will be sorely missed by many in the industry.”

Source: Associated Press

Diane Cilento, 78, dies in Australia is a post from: The Inquisitr

Brits, Aussies, Canadians: prepare to gorge on cheap (or even free) e-books. Though it’s taken a while, Google’s E-book Store has finally made it to the UK, Australia, and Canada, after a period of US exclusivity.

That means those with a Kindle or an Android handset (an Android app is already available, though version 2.1 or later is required) can choose from millions of e-books, plenty of which are free public domain classics.

Here’s Google blowing its own trumpet:

“Readers in the UK now have access to the world’s largest e-books collection, with hundreds of thousands of e-books for sale – from major UK publishers like Hachette, Random House and Penguin – as well as more than two million public domain e-books for free.”

So there you go, yet another way to read books. If you head to the Android Marketplace now, you’ll see a ‘Books’ section has been added, alongside the usual ‘Apps’ and ‘Games’ icons.

The books should work on phones, tablets, laptops, and e-readers. I severely questions the point of reading a book on a tiny smartphone screen, but then I’m clinging on to paperbacks for as long as I can manage.

So, who in the UK, Oz, and Canada is spending the day downloading the whole of Shakespeare’s back catalog later today then never read it? Let us know in the comments!

Google’s E-Books Store Finally Launches in UK, Australia and Canada is a post from: The Inquisitr

Want to get a close-up view of the Burning Man festival? Well, here’s a picture taken from a few hundred miles away. The European Space Agency’s Proba-1 microsatellite was cruising at an altitude of about 370 miles over the Nevada desert when it snapped this picture of Burning Man.

The picture shows cars, tents, campers, and RVs (and probably a whole bunch of drug use) at the annual Burning Man festival in the Black Rock Desert, which is about 120 miles north of Reno.

An official with the European Space Agency (ESA) said that the above image was created by stitching together four black-and-white photos. ESA’s Proba-1 has two autonomous cameras. The microsatellite, which was launched in 2001, is only 3.3 feet long.

According to the Christian Science Monitor, the first Burning Man was held in 1986 when a group of kids in San Francisco burned an 8-foot wooden man on a beach. The festival grew and in 1990 it moved to the Black Rock Desert. This is the 25th year of Burning Man, which has seen its annual attendance grow from a few hundred people to the 50,000 crowd that ventured into the desert this year. The wooden sculpture has also grown. In 2009, the burning man was more than 50 feet tall.

The Burning Man website reads:

“Once a year, tens of thousands of participants gather in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert to create Black Rock City, dedicated to community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance. They depart one week later, having left no trace whatsoever.”

For a festival based on self expression, the tent formation looks rather organized, doesn’t it?

Satellite Captures Burning Man Photo From Space is a post from: The Inquisitr

Cadel Evans captured the top prize at this years Tour de France, making the 34-year-old cyclist the first Australian to capture the events first place trophy after crossing the line at the Champs-Elysee during the ceremonial final stage, ceremonial largely because he had all but secured his win during the Grenoble time trials the day prior.

The final stage, number 21 in the event was captured by Britain’s Mark Cavendish, the third year in a row he has taken the top sprinter prize, even after having to change his bike on the Champs-Elysees.

The race was a close one this year with at least seven riders still in competition for the top prize while entering the final week of riding.

Evans nearly lost the race’s overall top rider prize when Andy Schleck took a large lead at Galibier pass, managing to rebound with a much stronger time-trial than Schleck during yesterdays leg of the race.

Andy Schleck of Luxembourg finished second overall, his third straight year in the second spot, while his bother Frank Schleck finished in third.

At 32-years-old Evans becomes the oldest winner at the Tour de France since 1922.

Cadel Evans Becomes First Australian To Win Tour de France is a post from: The Inquisitr

Justin Bieber is currently touring around Australia and his buddy Chris Brown is also touring the country, leading to speculation that the pair will team up at some point to perform their song Next 2 You live on stage.

Adding to that speculation was a Tweet from Bieber today that reads (shown above):

AUSTRALIA…we are coming…and there might be some surprises. LEGGO!! #myworldtour – .

The Youtube URL at the end of his tweet leads fans to the singers duet.

If you happen to be attending any Bieber shows in Australia and Chris Brown shows up, be sure to leave us a comment with your experience.

Justin Bieber May Be Teaming Up With Chris Brown In Australia is a post from: The Inquisitr

Miley Cyrus took some time out of her busy schedule to show off her new dream catcher tattoo and pigtail look to her fans.

Miley also talked about her upcoming Australian tour, her first set of concerts in the country down under since she launched her Disney career more than half a century ago.

Apparently Cyrus has decided that people give her too hard of a time in America so she’s not throwing any concerts in the country….translation, her fan base in shrinking. Miley last week told the AP:

“I just think right now America has gotten to a place where I don’t know if they want me to tour or not,” while adding,  “Right now I just want to go to the places where I am getting the most love and Australia and South America have done that for me. Kind of going to the places where I get the most love. (I) don’t want to go anywhere where I don’t feel completely comfortable with it.”

There you have it folks, Miley Cyrus doesn’t feel comfortable in the U.S., in which case Australia or South America are free to keep her, I just feel sorry for whichever country that ends up being.

Miley Cyrus Shows Off Tattoo, Refuses To Throw Concerts For Americans is a post from: The Inquisitr

Because they subsist largely on Bloomin’ Onions.

[graphjam]

[Graph] Lethal animals by location is a post from: The Inquisitr