Ladies of the night unite against Missy

The Concert for the Kimberley at Fremantle Esplanade, featuring Missy Higgins and John Butler. The concert is a protest against the James Price Point gas hub. Picture: Jordan Shields. Source: PerthNow

Missy Higgins. Source: Supplied

MISSY Higgins is locked in a bitter Twitter war with sex workers - because she used outdated language to describe a dream.

The popular Australian singer-songwriter (pictured) posted on Twitter: "I dreamt I fell in love with a prostitute. She was young & I wanted to save her. Related to my thoughts about The Voice perhaps?"

But her seemingly innocent comment angered some in the sex industry.

A Twitter user with the handle WhoresEyeView snapped: "We don't need you to save us. Don't be so condescending. We are real people not extensions of ur ideals. Learn." Missy replied: "It was a dream dude, chill out."

That sparked furious feedback.

One tweeted: "Cram the chill pill. If you bothered to learn the issues you'd understand why we can't chill."

Another fired: "If you had any idea how we hookers get treated you'd understand why I'm defensive. Grow some empathy."

After learning the term "prostitute" was offensive, Higgins later said: "I meant absolutely no disrespect by dreaming what I did. For the record, I do not, in reality, want to save any sex workers.

"I had no idea 'prostitute' is an offensive term, 'sex worker' being the preferred term by those in the field.

"Apologies to those I offended."

The sex workers were obviously big fans of The Voice.

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Man 'powerless' against online hate campaign

An image of Lee David Clayworth posted to LiarsCheatersRUs.com. The Canadian teacher says an ex-girlfriend from Malaysia is trying to ruin his reputation though online postings. Picture: LiarsCheatersRUs.com Source: Supplied

A CANADIAN teacher says his ex girlfriend has waged a vicious online hate campaign against him, posting allegations he's a psychopath and child molester.

Lee Ching Yan, 29, cyberstalked Lee David Clayworth, 35, for almost two-and-a-half years after the end of their brief relationship.

Mr Clayworth believes his ex is now living in Australia.

The two met while Mr Clayworth was teaching at an international school in Malaysia in 2010. After dating casually for several months, they broke up in December 2010.

Mr Clayworth told the Today show in the US that after the break-up Yan broke into his home, took his laptop, hard drive and other personal information.

"And then this online onslaught started," Mr Clayworth said.

"My email account was hacked into, my Skype account was hacked into. Emails started coming from my account ... claiming that I'm having sex with underage students."

"I did a Google search of my name and I saw profiles listed saying … I am a psychopath, I am a child molester, a pedophile, I am involved with my students and so on - and then that just steamrolled," he said.

Court documents show Yan retrieved nude photos of Mr Clayworth from his computer and posted them on several sites.

Mr Clayworth said anyone searching for his name online would immediately see the defamatory material.

CBC News reported he sued Yan in Malaysia, where the judge found her guilty of defamation and ordered her pay him the equivalent of $CA66,000 ($64,000) in damages. However, the harassment didn’t stop.

He was eventually granted a court order in Malaysia but Yan disregarded the court order and continued posting material online. She was eventually found in contempt of the court.

"She fled the country," Mr Clayworth said, and "things kept steamrolling on and on." He believes his ex is now in Australia.

Mr Clayworth has returned to Canada and has spent several months unsuccessfully looking for work. He believes potential employers are reading the false online material.

"It will never stop … it will go on and on. It’s been almost two-and-a-half years now," he said.

"This is a dark place. It’s a very, very dark place to be … and I am powerless."

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Pussy Riot will battle on against Kremlin

Members of the Russian punk group Pussy Riot (top) , and  (below) morning inspection at a women's prison in Sarapul, central Russia where members of the band are serving time. Source: AP

THE EMBATTLED members of Russian politico punk band Pussy Riot have vowed to continue their campaign to oust Vladimir Putin.

Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes in America interviewed both the drummer Kot, who is in hiding after band members were arrested for their protest in a Moscow cathedral last year, and Katya Samutsevich who was freed on appeal in October.

Two members remain in Russian labour camps for the protest during which the band played an anti-Putin song to bring attention to the Russian Orthodox Church's support of the leader in the lead-up to elections.

They have since claimed the elections were rigged to return Putin to power.

The drummer was disguised by a mask and said what had happened to the band after their "unsanctioned protest prayer" was unacceptable.

Feminist punk group Pussy Riot members, from left, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alekhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich sit in a glass cage during their trial in Moscow.

"I'm here to say you shouldn't give up," the woman identified as Kot said.

The freed Samutsevich said she had no regrets about the actions of the group in March last year which resulted in two-year sentences in harsh conditions for bandmates Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova.

"No, of course not. Look what's happened. Since the election, Putin has brought in a new level of repressive government measures in Russia," she said.

Madonna and South Park are among the cultural icons who have publicly called for the release of the jailed musicians.
 

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Pussy Riot will battle on against Kremlin

Members of the Russian punk group Pussy Riot (top) , and  (below) morning inspection at a women's prison in Sarapul, central Russia where members of the band are serving time. Source: AP

THE EMBATTLED members of Russian politico punk band Pussy Riot have vowed to continue their campaign to oust Vladimir Putin.

Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes in America interviewed both the drummer Kot, who is in hiding after band members were arrested for their protest in a Moscow cathedral last year, and Katya Samutsevich who was freed on appeal in October.

Two members remain in Russian labour camps for the protest during which the band played an anti-Putin song to bring attention to the Russian Orthodox Church's support of the leader in the lead-up to elections.

They have since claimed the elections were rigged to return Putin to power.

The drummer was disguised by a mask and said what had happened to the band after their "unsanctioned protest prayer" was unacceptable.

Feminist punk group Pussy Riot members, from left, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alekhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich sit in a glass cage during their trial in Moscow.

"I'm here to say you shouldn't give up," the woman identified as Kot said.

The freed Samutsevich said she had no regrets about the actions of the group in March last year which resulted in two-year sentences in harsh conditions for bandmates Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova.

"No, of course not. Look what's happened. Since the election, Putin has brought in a new level of repressive government measures in Russia," she said.

Madonna and South Park are among the cultural icons who have publicly called for the release of the jailed musicians.
 

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Aussie contenders up against it

Our pick of showstopping moments from outrageous hosts and dazzling opening numbers as Oscar time draws near.

Best actor nominee Hugh Jackman attends rehearsals for the 85th Academy Awards in Los Angeles. Source: AP

Jacki Weaver, nominated for best supporting actress Oscar, attends the Women In Film Pre-Oscar Party in West Hollywood, California. Source: Getty Images

THEY are three of our finest actors, loved by audiences and lauded by critics.

According to the bookies, however, Aussie A-list trio Hugh Jackman, Naomi Watts and Jacki Weaver shouldn't be in any rush to get an Oscar acceptance speech prepared for today's big ceremony.

The stars - nominated for best actor, best actress and best supporting actress - have next to no chance of winning the film industry's coveted gold statuettes at today's 85th Academy Awards ceremony.

If Jackman does beat predicted best actor winner Daniel Day-Lewis, nominated for his staggering performance as Abraham Lincoln, it could well be the biggest shock win in Oscars history.

It's a tough contest for our Hugh - if Day-Lewis wins, the master of his craft will make history by becoming the first actor to win a third best actor Oscar.

TAB Sportsbet is offering odds of $8 for Jackman, who scored his first Oscar nomination for his role in Les Miserables.

The Aussie superstar, who kept a low profile on the weekend after being spotted at rehearsals for the ceremony, has been hailed for his performance as Jean Valjean, but will find it hard to surpass the formidable Day-Lewis, who at $1.04 is line to win his third best actor Oscar.

Weaver looked radiant on the weekend as she attended the annual Women in Film pre-Oscars party in West Hollywood.

The best supporting actress nominee is one of Hollywood's hottest properties after her career-changing role in Animal Kingdom, for which she was nominated in 2011.

The bubbly star has won praise for her sensitive portrayal of a mother whose son is diagnosed bipolar in Silver Linings Playbook.

But at $61, compared with best supporting actress favourite Anne Hathaway's odds of $1.01, she is the least likely winner of the nominees.

Likewise, second-time best actress nominee Watts is unlikely to be carrying home her own gold statuette. Watts is a rank outsider for her role in tsunami film The Impossible, offering odds of $26 while Jennifer Lawrence, at $1.62, is the dead-set favourite for her role in Silver Linings Playbook.

It's not all doom and gloom though. Two lesser-known Australian nominees could end up on the winner's podium. Rick Findlater is the favourite to win in the make-up and hairstyling category for his work on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Findlater and his Hobbit colleagues, America's Tami Lane and Brit Peter King, are offering odds of $1.40 to win the Oscar, with the Les Miserables make-up and hairstyling team second favourites.

Australian animation supervisor Dave Clayton has also been nominated for his work on The Hobbit in the visual effects category.

THE LOWDOWN

BEST ACTOR

• Daniel Day Lewis (Lincoln) $1.04
• Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables) $8
• Joaquin Phoenix (The Master) $51
• Denzel Washington (Flight) $61
• Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook) $81

BEST ACTRESS

• Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook) $1.57
• Emmanuelle Riva (Amour) $3
• Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) $7.50
• Naomi Watts (The Impossible) $41
• Quvenzhane Wallis (Beast Of The Southern Wild) $51

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables) $1.01
• Sally Field (Lincoln) $26
• Helen Hunt (The Sessions) $41
• Amy Adams (The Master) $41
• Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook) $61

(TAB SPORTSBET)

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DE-STAR defends against rogue asteroids

The DE-STAR proposal as envisaged by the University of California. Source: Supplied

• Read the full University of California report here
• "Duck and cover is not an option", researchers say
• Satellite defence system will redirect Sun's energy

BARELY a month after the White House rejected a petition to build a Death Star, a group of Californian scientists have pushed the idea forward again.

Instead of blasting rebellious planets, their proposed DE-STAR project is intended to be a "realistic" project to vaporise asteroids that pose a threat to Earth.

They've chosen the timing of their pitch well after last week's meteor explosion over Russia and a close shave with a potential killer asteroid.

University of California physicist Philip M. Lubin and California Polytechnic State University researcher Gary B. Hughes unveiled a series of proposals for their Directed Energy Solar Targeting of Asteroids and exploRation (DE-STAR for short).

While not quite at the scale or strength of its Star Wars namesake, some of the proposals get close. And they're designed to be more realistic than the Kickstarter campaign to build a Death Star replica.

All versions of the DE-STAR satellites would gather energy from the Sun and direct an array of lasers at approaching objects.

"We have to come to grips with discussing these issues in a logical and rational way," said Professor Lubin. "We need to be proactive rather than reactive in dealing with threats. Duck and cover is not an option."

The cheapest option incorporates a series of desktop-computer satellites. At the other end of the scale is a massive orbital city capable of propelling spacecraft over interstellar distances.

Original idea: The plans for the Imperial Death Star that featured in Star Wars.

"This system is not some far-out idea from Star Trek," Hughes said. "All the components of this system pretty much exist today. Maybe not quite at the scale that we'd need scaling up would be the challenge but the basic elements are all there and ready to go."

One of the proposals is an International Space Station sized satellite named DE-STAR 2. This would be capable of nudging large asteroids into safe orbits.

DE-STAR 4 weighs in at 100 times the size of the existing space station, this system could vaporise a rock within a year.

DE-STAR 6 is the most ambitious: "DE-STAR 6 could enable interstellar travel by functioning as a massive, orbiting power source and propulsion system for spacecraft. It could propel a 10-ton spacecraft at near the speed of light, allowing interstellar exploration to become a reality without waiting for science fiction technology such as "warp drive" to come along," Professor Lubin said.

Our cruiser's cannot repel firepower of that magnitude! Admiral Akbar dare not consider attacking planet Earth if we're defended by the DE-STAR.

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