Stateside with Gavin Wood in West Hollywood SIR BEN LIVED AT THE RAMADA HOTEL

■ Hi everyone, remotely from my suite at the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Suites in West Hollywood comes this week’s news

‘Gandhi’ stayed at WeHo

■ Sir Ben Kingsley is an English actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning five decades, including an AcademyAward, a British Academy Film Award, a Grammy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards.

Kingsley was appointed Knight Bachelor in 2002 for services to the British film industry.

Sir Ben Kingsley was born Krishna Pandit Bhanji to an Indian father and a British mother on December 31, 1943, in Snainton, England.

He is best known for his roles as the title character in Gandhi, Itzhak Stern in Schindler’s List, and Georges Melies in Martin Scorsese’s Hugo. One of the truly great dramatic actors of cinema, he will also take on more lowbrow roles if he thinks he’ll get to have fun.

Russia needs more kids

■ Russia reinstated its Mother Heroine award, which includes an incentive of one million rubles, to encourage families to have more children.

Women eligible to receive the distinction must have 10 or more children with an “appropriate level of care for health, education, physical, spiritual and moral development,” according to a statement from the Russian Government translated by CNBC

The one-million-ruble incentive, amounting to roughly $16,600, is 150 per centof the nation’s average annual salary.

The Mother Heroine award was initially established in 1944 under Joseph Stalin and discontinued after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The Russian Federation created a similar award, the Order of Parental Glory, in 2008.

Dog music

■ If your dog gets stressed on long car rides, don’t worry, just put on some Bee Gees. Researchers are sharing the 10 most calming songs for dogs, with the 1977 hit ‘How Deep is Your Love’ topping the charts. It turns out two in three dog owners say their furry friends gets stressed out while traveling. That’s bad news for the 75 per cent; planning to take their pet on a staycation this year, with 72 per cent of these dog owners traveling by car.

Inflation in the US

■ Inflation has dominated the news about America’s economy in recent months as prices for food, gas and other goods have increased faster than they have in four decades. But inflation is a global phenomenon right now and the US has actually fared better than other countries in recent months.

In June, consumer prices in the US increased 9.1 per cent over the previous year; they increased 9.6 per cent across the EU in the same time period. Much of the public discussion about inflation in the US has focused on domestic problems, particularly President Biden’s policies.

Critics argue that the American Rescue Plan, the pandemic relief bill that Biden signed into law 16 months ago, has supercharged consumer demand by sending $1.9 trillion to Americans, state governments and other programs. As higher demand has chased limited supplies of goods, prices have soared. The law has certainly played a role in increased inflation, economists say. But the global trends suggest that focusing solely on the US’s role misses a big part of the story how external forces have driven up prices, too.

HIV cure close

■ Treatment outcomes for two patients have offered tantalizing insights into potential cures for the AIDS-causing human immunodeficiency virus, researchers revealed.

The first, a 66-year-old American man, became the fifth person who appeared to have been cured via stem cell transplants from donors who displayed an HIV-blocking genetic mutation.

The second patient, a Spanish woman in her 70s, has displayed long-term remission more than 15 years after receiving immune system-boosting therapy and an antiretroviral drug regimen.

In the former case, the stem cells contained a mutation known as CCR5 delta 32, a variation that effectively disables the receptor used by the virus to enter white blood cells. Scientists say the latter case offers an alternative to risky stem cell transplants that involve numerous side effects.

Gavin Wood

Out and About Drinking problem

■ Many people have a cocktail before dinner or a drink to help them wind down at the end of the day. No big deal, right? According to a new observational study, that alcohol consumption might be changing your brain. Anya Topiwala, PhD, of the University of Oxford in England, and her study coauthors linked moderate drinking about four standard drinks a week in the United States to higher brain iron levels in multiple basal ganglia regions. The researcher analysed 21,000 people in the UK Biobank cohort and found that more brain iron was “associated with poorer scores on tests of executive function, fluid intelligence, and reaction speed,” the researchers reported in PLoS Medicine. The researchers had three main reasons to do this study, they wrote, Growing evidence of moderate alcohol consumption negatively affecting the brain. Possibility that accumulation of iron in the brain could be the reason; higher brain iron has been described in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative condition. The researchers knew of no studies investigating whether brain iron levels differ by level of alcohol consumption.

$1 billion in revenue

■ The leading manufacturers of assault rifles used to perpetrate the deadliest mass shootings in the United States have collected more than $1 billion in revenue over the past decade as gun violence across the country has surged, according to a House investigation set to be presented on Capitol Hill. The findings, released before a congressional hearing on the marketing of assault rifles, indicate that the gun industry has thrived by selling and marketing military-grade weapons to civilians, specifically targeting and playing to the insecurities of young men, while some have made thinly veiled references to white supremacist groups. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform opened an investigation into the gun manufacturing industry in May after the gun massacre in Uvalde, Texas, that killed 19 elementary school students and two teachers and a racially motivated mass shooting in a Buffalo supermarket that killed 10 people.

7% Americans are healthy

■ More than nine in 10 American adults may want to think about skipping the summertime barbecues and go on a diet instead. A new study has found that less than 7 per cent of the nation’s adult population have what health experts consider good cardiometabolic health. Researchers from Tufts University say this measure includes five key components of health: blood pressure, blood sugar, blood cholesterol, adiposity (being either overweight or obese), and the presence or absence of cardiovascular disease.

Book stores are back

■ More than 300 independent bookstores opened in the US over the past couple of years, a “welcome revival after an early pandemic slump,” Alexandra Alter and Elizabeth Harris write. And people of colour started many of them, diversifying the book business. “People are really looking for a community where they get real recommendations from real people,” said Nyshell Lawrence, a bookseller in Lansing, Michigan, who decided to open a bookshop after she visited a local store and found few titles by Black women. “We’re not just basing things off of algorithms.”

8 Billion Countdown

■ If you are considering coming over for a holiday, then I have got a special deal for you.

We would love to see you at the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Suites, 8585 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood.

I have secured a terrific holiday deal for readers of the Melbourne Observer and The Local Paper. Please mention ‘Melbourne Observer’ when you book to receive the ‘Special Rate of the Day’ for your advance bookings.

Please contact: Jennifer at info@ramadaweho.com

Happy Holidays, Gavin Wood

■ The world’s population is expected to reach eight billion on November 15, the UN forecast in a report that said India will surpass China as the most populous country on earth in 2023.

That overall population milestone “is a reminder of our shared responsibility to care for our planet and a moment to reflect on where we still fall short of our commitments to one another,” Secretary General Antonio Guterres said, without citing specifics. “This is an occasion to celebrate our diversity, recognize our common humanity, and marvel at advancements in health that have extended lifespans and dramatically reduced maternal and child mortality rates,” he added.

Lovatts Crossword No 37

Across Across Down Down

1. Most private (thoughts)

6. Eyeball membrane 11. Pond plants 15. Made anew (2-7) 20. Impact sound 21. Genuine thing, the real ... 22. Hawaiian island

172. Heavy horned animal

175. Jogs 176. Boys

179. X, Y or Z

180. Be defeated

182. Upon 184. Abrupt

185. Destitute

186. In the manner of (1,2) 188. Jazz legend, ... Fitzgerald 189. Rabble 190. Sacred

The self 193. Olden days, days of ... 194. Narrow roads

Type of lily

Defendant's bond money

Collier

Hawkers

Moneylenders

Machinery serviceman

Captivated

Arabian sultanate

... & papa

Vapour

Irish sweater style

Lots of

Imminent

Drawing up roughly

Comfortable chair

Honourable

Amateur radio enthusiasts

Church celebration

... Russo

South American dance

Outshine 273. Irish lass 274. Undisguised

277. Rotated

279. Heroic tale

281. House lizard

284. Just OK (2-2)

286. Spiders' traps

288. Was expert (in) 292. Deck over water 294. Arranges, ... up

295. Grieve 298. Sticker 300. Sultan's wives

301. Colorado ski resort

303. Volley of bullets

306. Exhale & inhale

308. Scarce as ... teeth (3'1)

309. Successor 311. Stingiest 314. Chilly 315. Clash 316. Flamenco instrument 317.

1. Terrible tsar

2. Hitler follower

3. More mature

4. Stares lasciviously at 5. Pairs 6. Weaving fibre

7. Gives off 8. Lit

9. Alters

10. Undeniable (facts)

11. Bobcats

12. Comedian, ... Ball

13. Nailfile (board) 14. Bar

145. Squander, ... away

151. FA Cup stadium

154. Wooden beams

156. Eye-watering vegetable

159. Fuss, ... & cry

164. Bushranger, ... Kelly

169. Complete task (3,2)

170. Architect, Frank ... Wright

173. Turning up (skirt)

174. Incapacitates (racehorse)

177. Positive electrode

178. Casseroles

181. Male rowers

183. Scottish emblem

187. Retriever dogs

192. French policemen

195. Atone for

199. Infuriate

201. TV award

202. Actress, ... Redgrave

203. Frighten

204. Ski-track

206. Singer, ... Abdul

207. Russian mountains

208. Sloped walkway

209. Risqué

213. Numerous

215. Pink-eyed rabbits

217. Loch ... Monster

221. Chops down

222. Bury

223. Biting fly

224. Authentic

225. Pursue

226. Pakistan's ... Khan

228. Legal trade bans

234. Compliance

236. Most avid

238. Conger

240. Convent sister

242. Diminishing

243. Early foetuses

245. Disillusions (4,4)

247. Uranus & Pluto's neighbour

248. Paris boulevard, Champs ...

250. Students

251. Wild ponies

253. Sunset

255. Utilised

257. Oil cartel

258. Moon about

261. Kremlin country

262. Responsible

265. Rounded stone

266. Drift (into coma)

268. Corrosive fluids

269. The D of AD

275. Take part in ballot

276. Frolic

278. Boosts morale

280. Ringing (of bell)

282. Famous English college

283. 21st birthday symbols

285. Cosmonaut, ... Gagarin

287. Summer shoe

289. Lucky amulets

290. Covered shopway

291. Mental pictures

292. Looked intently

293. Delight

296. Pig's grunts

297. Reimburse

299. Record's secondary track (1-4)

302. Introduce gradually, ... in

304. Abundant

305. Indistinct

306. Skin eruption

307. Hindu garment

308. London's ... Park

310. Polishes

312. Repeat

313. Soft knocks

Crossroads

By Rob Foenander info@countrycrossroads com.au

Eleventh Hours

■ The Eleventh Hour is the debut studio album from Melbourne singer-songwriter Madeleine Clare. Made for late night, whiskey-soaked introspection, the recording draws from a wide range of influences and is an album which really benefits from listening to late at night, as it has a melancholy and reflective quality suited to that time of the day, says the media release. Madeleine says: “I wrote down a few years ago that I wanted to prove to myself, after a decade away from music, that I had a record in me – one that I could take charge of creatively rather than piggy back off others like I had in my early career,” More info at madeleineclaremusic.com

Out into the blue

■ Independent singer-songwriters Mark Tempany and Alison Hams are back with a fabulous 13-song original CD album titled Out Into The Blue. After 15 years committed to mentoring and providing resources to young musicians in relatively remote areas of Australia, the award winning duo have relaunched with their lead single Lullaby this month. The album and more info is available at www.alisonhams.com

Elvis lives

■ The ultimate tribute to the King featuring Bill Cherry as Elvis direct from the USA will hit the stage at The Grand on Princes Receptions, Mulgrave, on September 29. Backed by Melbourne band Replay 6, the show includes a three-course dinner and drinks for $140 per person. Rob Foenander will co-compere and sing on the night also.

From Earlier Page to a world where the conscripts occasionally used English between the variations of the word “fuck.”

I think the first public meeting of the Pauline Hanson party was held in Hervey Bay at the local RSL Hall.

Hervey Bay was also the location for the launch of Joh For PM campaign. That was one of the joys living in Hervey Bay. You learned that nothing could surprise you.

We formed a cricket competition and the first match we were to play only one member of the other team, the local Rugby League team, appeared telling us that it was such a nice day that the rest of the team decided to go over to Fraser Island and fish.

But I was surprised when Graham sent me [a letter asking me to buy him a book].

I “borrowed” the book from the Hervey Bay Library.

The only controversial parts of Graham’s letters, as you will notice, will be the use of the AngloSaxon words that was normally part of his conversation among friends.

When F’s and C’s are used it can be very difficult and embarrassing for someone not used to it. I suppose it stems from one’s upbringing, too.

Having a Sergeant, who came from the north of England, saying the word didn’t sound so bad. In fact it sounded very oriental as he pronounced it as “fook”.

In fact, in another play I wrote about National Service the word became the basis of a running gag.

I merely wrote plays as a mental exercise as I am mental,

Nowadays course language is part of the language and in the early 1970’s I learned a lesson which took me into the 20th Century when Harry M Miller brought the Rolling Stones and Roy Orbison on their first tour of Australia.

The radio station for which I worked , 3AK, decided to take the Stones on a boat trip out to Port Phillip Bay.

Accompanying the Stones was one of the rudest men I have ever met, Andrew Loog Oldham if they heard the language, would suffer from diarrhea for at least a fortnight. who looked as if he didn’t have long to live, walked like a pregnant penguin and knew more than me.

He was the Manager of the Rolling Stones, obviously responsible for their successful image.

Even I spent an hour with Mick Jagger talking religion, politics and cricket, shuddering each time he said a word I wasn’t used to or had forgotten since my National Service days.

Poor Peter Smith, known for his many voice-overs on Channel 9, had a memory lapse, asking Charlie Blott who he was and what he did.

Mr Blott felt offended, told Peter what to do with his microphone and then climbed on to a shelf where the life jackets were kept, staying there for several hours.

Mr Oldham called out to one of the girls, “Hey, bitch, get me another drink.

I’ve just realised penguins don’t get pregnant, they lay eggs. Still, Graham walked like one.

At the time we had a female boss in the library who was very theatrical and she, along with Graham sprouted Noel Coward’s dialogue every day.

At that time I didn’t even know who Noel Coward was but after three months I knew the dialogue from the recordings of ‘Red Peppers’ and the famous balcony scene from ‘Private Lives’.

Years later, I became a fan of Coward’s writing and his songs and even meeting him, so whenever I discovered something new about the playwright I would let Graham know. It would infuriate him.

Graham was asked to write his autobiography. [He declined.]

Bookings and enquiries Phone 0409 411 359 - Rob

I came a from a strict Methodist family, attending Church twice on Sundays as well as Christian Endeavour and Sunday School and, even today, I feel guilty when I buy a raffle ticket.

Foenander

National Service introduced me

The radio station ran a competition for three kids to be guests aboard the boat. The three winners, aged 21, 17 and 16, had the time of their lives talking with the various members of the Stones

I had never heard such language and thought the school kids would report us. Mick Jagger was very good with the kids except their English and Sunday School teachers,

At the end of the trip the three young winners came up thanking me for the trip and I apologised for the language but, to my surprise, the kids replied, “What language?” It was a lesson I learned. And I hope the language may not offend you but no matter how you were brought up, I know it may take a while for you to get used to it but remember, they are only words.

★

When Graham Kennedy and I first met in the 3UZ Record Library in 1950, I took an instant dislike to him.

If the truth be known it was more of a case of jealousy on my part.

Here was this pale skinny bloke,

So the Publishers asked actor/ writer Graeme Blundell to write the book. When it became known that Graeme Blundell was to write the biography many of Graham’s friends, aware of the hatchet job Blundell did on the artist Brett Whiteley, word went round not to co-operate. I wasn’t chosen nor called. Whew!

It was a pity this attitude prevailed for it turned out Blundell was not only a fan but the book was a paean to The King of television, in which Blundell spent many years researching Graham Kennedy’s career. He had also acted with him in the film