Showing posts with label international. Show all posts
Showing posts with label international. Show all posts

Australia's Blueberry Industry Increasing Output

Blueberries aren't that popular in Australia. They are certainly not loved, as in the USA. However, Australian farmers are growing more of them as Australians look for something different. There is also a thriving international market.
Blueberries
The Clarence Valley in Grafton, NSW is the main growing region for the product. At present Australian growers supply only a tiny amount of berries to the world. Yet, Australia uses the latest genetic technology to grow good blueberries.

Hard quarantine laws stop Australia getting into the China market.  Maybe this is quid pro quo for Australia's brick wall against New Zealand growers of fruit and vegetables in general. Four years ago Japan blocked imports into that country. It was only an increase in local demand that saved the industry.

Australian blueberry farmers are raising output despite there being no real overseas target market in sight. The recent summit at Coffs harbour did not change the existing state of affairs. Delegates from 25 countries attended. This was not a good investment for the Australian blueberry industry nor government.
◆ Agriculture by Ty Buchanan ◆
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Australian blueberry industry market demand domestic local international crop fruit world
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Replace the International Whaling Commission

The problem with the International Whaling Commission (IWC) is that it is too bureaucratic and pussy foots around still toying with the concept of "scientific" whaling. All research on whales should be banned and have done with it. Leave the mammals alone and they will look after themselves. They do not need human intervention.

Of course, finding that Japan was not practicing scientific whaling left the door open for them to change their methods and continue slaughtering the defenseless creatures. Unfortunately, the IWC was never set up to stop the killing. It was meant to manage the widespread industry in the 1940s.

The moratorium and having whale sanctuaries in the Antarctic have failed, as Japan keeps bending the rules. Japan continues to rave and jump up and down about their culture. Since when has culture been part of lawmaking - it never has been.

The IWC is far too soft and it exists because the industry still exists. Set up a completely new body with tough laws that completely bans interference in the life of whales. Even whale watching should be banned. People do not have the right to such a "freedom". Do they have the freedom to shoot elephants? No they don't!
 Environment by Ty Buchanan 
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Astonuats Take Cover from Solar Storms - Better Predictions

The state of the weather is a problem on Earth with predictions not always being correct. In space, however, there is a more serious weather problem. Solar storms can kill. Detectors at the South Pole measure neutrons. When the level reaches a certain point astronauts on the International Space Station shelter in a shielded capsule.

Advances have been made in predicting solar storms which can destroy satellites. Unfortunately, little can be done to protect them, but the safety of astronauts is paramount.

Storms move at different speeds. The faster the speed the more energy in particles, which makes them more intense and dangerous. Ironically, because there are more low-energy particles in a solar storm they do most overall damage. The early arrival of these low-energy particles does forewarn the onslaught of the high-energy neutrons.

The number of solar flares gives an indication of future activity, though this is only a possibility at best. Neutron sensors at the South Pole measure neutrons emitted when particles slam into atomic nuclei of gases in the Earth"s upper atmosphere.
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Science
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New Cancer Drug Announced in Melbourne

A new cancer drug has been announced by Cancer Therapeutics CRC in Melbourne. CTx-294886 is to be used in conjunction with another medication, Avastin. Furthermore, a new type of scanning has been developed by the same company. It will identify protein homeostasis, a new pathway in cancer treatment.

CTx-0294886 stops tumour growth by inhibiting Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 3 (VEGFR3). This with Avastin reduces angiogenesis, slowing tumor growth in breast cancer. Examination of effects in head, neck and cervical cancers is ongoing.

The company has already developed a primary anti-cancer medication, CTx-294945). Both drugs can now be used to prolong life when dancer is detected. Research was done with the assistance of Australian and international institutions.
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Health
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Blaming Australian Business for Inaction is Futile

It is claimed by "specialists" that Australian business failed to plan for the high dollar. They carried on without cutting basic running costs. With over 60 per cent of businesses being involved in international trade this is deemed to be a "sin". The American Express FX International found less than 40 per cent did nothing.

The research body said it was surprised at this. It is hardly surprising in the real world where costs are kept as low as possible on a constant basis. How can a business have a program to tackle this problem when it is a daily matter of trading? Common sense would inform you that not much can be done. The market sets the price. The high dollar means firms get less profit when they receive payment in foreign currency. Running costs inside the international barrier in Australia continue to rise. Most international trade is done in US dollars and this has become very weak.

It isn't much good longing for days passed when the exchange rate was less than 50 US cent to the Aussie dollar. It is quite astonishing that the employment rate is so high when times are really tough for manufacturing and retail. Prices are being cut to the bone, apart from food which people must have. Saying firms should have locked themselves in with future exchange contracts is dwelling on something that is impossible to change. The dollar is high and it is too late. Not much can be done now. Australian industry will shake itself out with bankruptcies until survivors can benefit from a weaker dollar which appears to be a long way off.
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Business
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Internet Companies Are Not Complying With Police

Despite calls by some countries for Internet companies to had over information on citizens' searches and email, the knowledge superhighway is moving in the other direction. Information stored in the cloud are out of reach of national police forces. Gone are the days when just about everything that a suspect has done is available recorded somewhere at sometime. Data is there but it cannot be accessed.

The ordinary person will not have much sympathy for police trying to "background" a suspect. They see authorities as being too intrusive anyway. For years Australian social security sent out "demand" forms for aged pensioners to provide up-to-date information about what they had in the bank. A court found that social security did not have the legal right to demand honest answers. The forms are still being sent out. Legally they are still suspect. Such is the quagmire authorities are in.

Anyway, back to the case in hand. Police are saying even getting data from Google is a problem. Even obtaining information Between Australians in Australia has barriers. In some cases it takes five year to get information via court processes. In that time period technology has moved on and not everything is stored for posterity.

The National police forces' desire for greater access is like smoke over a factory chimney. It will blow away with the breeze. Companies operating across national borders will never comply because their customers don't want them to play the game. The European Cybercrime Convention treaty is a furphy. Internet companies are watching with no intention of complying.
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Internet
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The Internet Is Not Yet the Great Leveller

Access to the Internet prevents it from being a world levelling device. In Australia people will have to wait up to eight years to get broadband. South Africans living in "dangerous" areas will never get an Internet connection because telco companies fear theft of copper wire. India is too poor, so many regions will have to remain on dial up Internet. Those in remote places in Britain are still waiting for a method to be chosen for broadband distribution.

Leading Western countries are the main source of software for all Internet users. Even Twitter and Facebook are based in the US. People also use these sites to interact with those of similar ilk. The world is segmenting into cliques and a broad world view is not materializing. This is despite more information being available for the average person than at any other time in human history.

People are essentially parochial. They identify with the region and country they are in. Though international news is easily accessed, many choose not not to log on. They still get news from local television and radio. Such news sources now have less than 15 per cent of non-local news, particularly in the US. Ninety five per cent of Internet users in the UK go to domestic news sites. Afghanistan is the topic of most international news stories while clashes in Africa are given just cursory comment.

No doubt in time a common world view will develop. This is because urbanization is happening everywhere, so there will eventually be a common background for most people irrespective of place of origin. The readership of blogs is increasing, with most commenting on local and international issues. There is a need for barriers from language barriers to be broken down. News will travel faster when breaking stories are translated on the spot.
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