"I'm really down. My batteries are flat!"Funny Animal Photos
-------Australian Blog-------
Society Ignores the Disabled
With workplace participation by those with disabilities being a prime goal touted by government there is no solid progress. Words are cheap and politicians know it. Funding is just not there. Businesses must make a profit to survive in a competitive world and they will not take the disabled on without subsidies. This is a fact.
Those with disabilities are even shunned by the public at large. They face discrimination every day. They feel that government ignores them as must as businesses. Ninety four per cent of disabled people said this in a recent survey.
Besides having a job, they want support in basic social contact. Many do not have a circle of friends. When they are with a carer, bank staff, for example, talk to the carer without speaking to the person cared for. The disabled are ignored as being "non-people".
Wheelchair access has not been improved for years. Public transport is out of the question for many. Parts of the city are never visited by the disabled. Such areas are impossible for wheelchairs.
Society
Australian Blog★
Reptiles Are at Greater Risk of Extinction
Though there are worries over extinction of all animals, it is reptiles who are in most danger. Some reptiles are pretty, but for the most part they are seen as ugly. Because of this they lose out on conservation funding. This is serious with one in five reptile species predicted to die out.
People are moving into previously pristine regions of the tropics to log valuable trees and to practice logging. The conclusion about endangered reptiles has been reached by 200 of the world's scientific experts. Funding is not enough. We need to change human behavior. This of course means changing human needs, which is more challenging.
Concentrating on saving turtles is good for them. Other reptiles, however, remain at risk. The living and reproductive systems of many reptiles is still unknown. Out of sight, out of mind leads to extinction. Reptiles tend to live in the toughest of environments. Such specialization does result in their demise when humans change the habitat.
Those who should know better have forgotten about reptile extinction. Threatened species are logged in the IUCN Red List. Only a third of endangered reptiles are on the list. In depth recording of reptiles tends to be regional and is not collated worldwide.
Conservation
Australian Blog★
Your Body Runs Without You
The human body runs on its own. Think of the times your mind is working on a problem and during the evaluation process your body is continuing with daily routine tasks. It happens every day. You reach a conscious conclusion on a problem and then wonder have I had a cup of coffee? Oh yes, you have - you can still taste it.
The body can you give you unwanted pain as well. Your body can do things totally out of your control that really "bug" you, like teeth that hurt, hiccups, stitch, pins and needles or cramp.
Some get a headache or painful teeth when they eat or drink something cold. This is due to sensitive nerve endings in teeth. You can use special toothpaste that takes months before it becomes effective. In the mean time stay away from cold things.
Hiccups is caused by eating and drinking too fast, or taking in air. It can also be caused by becoming suddenly nervous. The only real known cure it to take beta blockers. Though you have to wait until the medication takes effect.
A stitch occurs during exercise when your body tries to tell you that is enough. Stopping the strenuous activity will "cure" the malady.
Pins and needles happens when the blood supply to nerve endings in the limbs is constricted. Get up and move around then normal feeling will return to the "dead" limb.
The cause of cramp is unknown. Dehydration and being unfit are not factors - well hydrated supremely fit sports people get afflicted with it. Spasmodic constricting muscles hurt. The only thing you can do is wait for them to settle down - perhaps more beta blockers.
Your body is a complex machine. Look after it. Service it well. The model you have has its own quirks. Just learn to live with them.
The body can you give you unwanted pain as well. Your body can do things totally out of your control that really "bug" you, like teeth that hurt, hiccups, stitch, pins and needles or cramp.
Some get a headache or painful teeth when they eat or drink something cold. This is due to sensitive nerve endings in teeth. You can use special toothpaste that takes months before it becomes effective. In the mean time stay away from cold things.
Hiccups is caused by eating and drinking too fast, or taking in air. It can also be caused by becoming suddenly nervous. The only real known cure it to take beta blockers. Though you have to wait until the medication takes effect.
A stitch occurs during exercise when your body tries to tell you that is enough. Stopping the strenuous activity will "cure" the malady.
Pins and needles happens when the blood supply to nerve endings in the limbs is constricted. Get up and move around then normal feeling will return to the "dead" limb.
The cause of cramp is unknown. Dehydration and being unfit are not factors - well hydrated supremely fit sports people get afflicted with it. Spasmodic constricting muscles hurt. The only thing you can do is wait for them to settle down - perhaps more beta blockers.
Your body is a complex machine. Look after it. Service it well. The model you have has its own quirks. Just learn to live with them.
Health
Australian Blog★
Agriculture Disrupts the Ecosystem
Human impact on native flora and fauna is real. There seems to be no way the detrimental affects can be ameliorated. Aboriginals have been in Australia for 40,000 years. apart from the unanswered question about extinction of mega fauna Aboriginals did not alter the external environment at all.
Sedentary agriculture is the major contributing factor to habitat damage. Planting mono-crops seriously changes land features. In Western Australia, for example, water points are located at 50 sq km on average. In its pre-European natural state water holes could be found 2.5 sq km apart. This is serious change with species of native birds declining.
Unless we set areas aside as pristine, protected sectors only introduced pest species will remain. Even without the pest birds, the proportion of native birds is altered. Some die out while others increase in number. The ecosystem is no longer in balance.
Conservation
Australian Blog★
Donkeys and Mules Are Celebrated
Donkeys and mules are not forgotten. There are people out there who care a lot for these animals. They have established the Donkey All Breeds Society of Australia National Donkey and Mule Show. They deserve a medal for creating such a long title for the celebratory weekend.
Entrants were brought in from all over Australia. The tiny Mediterean Miniature donkey was the cutest in the show. Very large animals were represented like the 16 hands high American Mammoth donkey.
Many animals performed for the spectators. It is a myth about the independent, angry mule. Indeed, they like to be trained. Donkeys really put on show in the trail, driven, sulky, halter and snigging classes. Trainers were as young as five years old. Some donkey entrants were elderly, in their mid-twenties. The show was such a success that it will continue. It is affectionately called the long ears show.
Society
Australian Blog★
Imaging More Advanced Than MRI
The MRI was the most advanced way of diagnosing what patients were suffering from. It was cutting edge technology that gave very detailed images of the human body. Technology moves forward and advances are made.
Macquarie University with CSIC and the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) have found a way of producing images even clearer than MRI. It is done by using artificial atoms and nitrogen doped diamond nanoparticles. Extremely weak magnetic fields in the human body can now be detected. MRI resolution is millimetric. The new system "sees" down to a millionth of a millimeter.
This technique is not invasive. It will provide an understanding of intracellular processes. The problem with the new diagnostic system is that very temperatures are required to make it work. Artificial atoms are encapsulated in a diamond crystal. They can be manipulated by lasers, dragging atoms above the surface for medical diagnosis.
Health
Australian Blog★
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