Firepower, seemed to have found the answer to the global energy crisis. It claimed that their “magic” pill would slash fuel costs by nearly 42 per cent, thus providing a saving of up to (Australian) $20 a tank and cut harmful emissions. The company now seems to be in big trouble with Johnston reportedly on the run.
Investors bought more than Australian $80m worth of shares in Johnston’s company. The Australian businessman enjoyed an opulent lifestyle, and bought himself expensive toys, including the country’s leading basketball team, the Sydney Kings, reports The Independent. “The Australian media, meanwhile, have uncovered documents revealing that the fuel-saving properties of Firepower’s little pill are – perhaps not surprisingly – unproven.
“Yet the company engaged the interest of the likes of John Howard, the former Australian prime minister. Mr Howard witnessed the signing of a deal in Pakistan, where Australia’s High Commissioner, Zorica McCarthy, later bought 200,000 Firepower shares.
“So is Mr Johnston in London, Bali, Singapore or the British Virgin Islands, where various reports have placed him? Among those wanting to know are the Australian Tax Office and the Australian Securities and Investment Commission, which are investigating his affairs. The (Sydney) Kings’ liquidator is seeking a warrant for his arrest.”
More here…
Johnston tried to sell his “magic pills” in New Zealand 16 years ago. More here…
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.