"Why cant I do yoga?"
Funny Animal Photos by Ty Buchanan
Pensioners Will Be Denied Income
Pensioners have gray hair. They are also entering a gray area, politically, socially and economically. Most people reaching pension age have never paid superannuation and others have only been paying it for a few years of their working lives. The amount saved by super is certainly not enough to live on. This group relies on the government to provide them with an income.
Calls are coming from all sides for an increase in the pension to a "livable" level. Basic costs like council rates, rents, electricity, gas, water and sewerage have gone through the roof in the last decade. There is no solid reason why this should be so. Electricity companies keep saying the old infrastructure has to be renewed. Surveys show they have actually over-spent, pushing the cost onto consumers.
Giving those who could afford solar power a massive discount for feeding electricity back into the grid is appalling political decision making. Pensioners could not afford solar. They are subsidizing the wealthy.
We are entering a tough period for older Australians. As time passes retiring workers will have full superannuation cover. What happens about those already on the government pension? When Paul Keating introduced compulsory superannuation it was with the intention of phasing out state funded pensions. Both sides of politics are pushing toward this. They are not planning to increase the pension by the needed $4,000 a year.
In the past the wandering tramp was common and this wasn't only during the depression. Nearly all of these were elderly. They could not afford to put a roof over their heads. Within a decade, such a social class will return. This time though they will join the homeless young who exist on unemployment benefit that it much lower than the pension.
Society by Ty Buchanan
Being Overweight Causes Osteoporosis
Being overweight leads to heart disease but it can also cause osteoporosis. This is due to people cutting out vital elements in the diet in their attempts to lose weight. Dairy products are essential for strong bones. Yet milk, butter and cheese are precisely what it being disregarded in diet by 30 per cent of women. Another danger is the consumption of bread. An astounding 40 per cent of women have stopped eating this food that is calcium fortified. It must be remembered though that bread has only been part of the human diet for 10,000 years. It could be the cause of many humans "diseases".
Research has shown that the real cause of weight gain is carbohydrates. Yes, it's as simple as that. People who only cut out sugar lose weight very quickly and maintain a low body weight thereafter. People concentrate on eating low fat diets even though research shows this to be the wrong thing to do. Look at movies made up to WWII. Actors and actresses and especially the extras were all quite skinny then. In those days most Western nations had not developed the high sugar habit. And most workers then went to work on a large fatty fried breakfast.
Danger in the future will not be with low fat diets. Young people today just refuse to eat vegetables. Cabbage and broccoli are high in iron. Young people steer well clear of these. Hope lies with the intake of fish. The young do like fish. Note the dash for seafood at Christmas. Fish contains calcium and minerals. Processed food is high in sugar. Government needs to have a policy aimed at lowering sugar intake in our diets.
Research has shown that the real cause of weight gain is carbohydrates. Yes, it's as simple as that. People who only cut out sugar lose weight very quickly and maintain a low body weight thereafter. People concentrate on eating low fat diets even though research shows this to be the wrong thing to do. Look at movies made up to WWII. Actors and actresses and especially the extras were all quite skinny then. In those days most Western nations had not developed the high sugar habit. And most workers then went to work on a large fatty fried breakfast.
Danger in the future will not be with low fat diets. Young people today just refuse to eat vegetables. Cabbage and broccoli are high in iron. Young people steer well clear of these. Hope lies with the intake of fish. The young do like fish. Note the dash for seafood at Christmas. Fish contains calcium and minerals. Processed food is high in sugar. Government needs to have a policy aimed at lowering sugar intake in our diets.
Conservation by Ty Buchanan
Australian Headset Slows a Car During Driver Inattention
Every car manufacturer in the world is working on a self-drive vehicle, but is this the way of the future? How is it possible to have self-driven and human-driven cars on the same road at the same time in the "change-over" period? Auto-drive vehicles tend to be small, though there is no real need for this. It seems designers are trying to force us to accept tiny cars that get around on their own. Most elderly people use their cars to do the weekly shopping. with no boot/trunk this is impossible.
Accidents are caused by drivers not cars. It is human error, particularly not paying attention that is to blame. If human concentration can be improved there will be no need for auto-driven vehicles.
Researchers in Australia are working on a "headset" that monitors brain activity during driving. As brain activity changes when a driver is distracted the cars automatic braking system comes into action.
At the moment the headset is quite large - it has 14 sensors. This is only the beginning of the program though. Several different types of distraction were used: switching radio stations, using mobile phones, drinking water and reading maps.
Gaze rate, blink rate, blink duration and dwelling on a fixed point were also measured by the headset. A great deal of data is collected. This is not difficult to analyse with modern computers. Reducing accidents by making a car slow down then speed up again is paramount to lessen the 46 per cent of fatal accidents caused by inattention.
Technology by Ty Buchanan
New Food Varieties From Plant Enbryo Culture
Natural pollination was used for years in plant research. it was thought to be the only way that a "pure" line could be preserved. Plants vary in characteristics depending on altitude and longitude. Crossing plants from different geographical region was the method put forward by Nobel Prize Laureate Dr Norman Borlaug who led the way in the Green Revolution.
This method only produced three generations of new varieties each year. A different system was needed. Embryo culture is the result. This is used in combination with changes in water, temperature, humidity, light and potting mix and is much more productive. Plant embryos are like stem cells. The neutral "baby" plants are nurtured and placed onto a media culture that determines what type of plant they will become.;
Pure-line plant genotypes are obtained in a shorter period. This is a major change in the creation of new crops that will feed the world's growing population. It will obviously take several decades to achieve the higher growth rates of the new food crops. However, scientists are optimistic.
Conservation by Ty Buchanan
Woman Complains About Gollywogs
Be careful! There might be a gollywog about. A Melbourne woman saw a gollywog doll for sale and she is now campaigning to stop it. But is she stopping racism or preventing the gollywog from existing? This all goes back to the Noddy series of books by Enid Blyton. Gollywog, who held an important position as Toytown garage proprietor, was a major character. Enid Blyton had no racial intentions by including him. Though she did admit that she hated children.
The woman says, “It’s a shock to see them brought back." However, they didn't actually go away. They have been available for many years in shops despite Gollywog's removal from Blyton books after 1980.
These days you can buy Caucasion, Asian and African style dolls, so what is the big problem about selling gollywogs? Banning things always causes problems because it makes an issue out of something when no bad feeling is intended. Australians used to call people from Italy and Greece wogs in the 1960s and 70s. These new Australians made it into a badge. Remember the wog series of films?
This lady is reading something into the situation which really isn't there. She complains, "There is an elegant white ballerina doll whereas the black doll is seen to be poorly dressed." Gollywogs were always dressed in a type of uniform, dungarees. She probably interprets this uniform as being "poorly dressed". Obviously there is demand for them, otherwise they wouldn't be for sale. Perhaps a dark skinned child wants one for comfort, a friend to play with.
The woman says, “It’s a shock to see them brought back." However, they didn't actually go away. They have been available for many years in shops despite Gollywog's removal from Blyton books after 1980.
These days you can buy Caucasion, Asian and African style dolls, so what is the big problem about selling gollywogs? Banning things always causes problems because it makes an issue out of something when no bad feeling is intended. Australians used to call people from Italy and Greece wogs in the 1960s and 70s. These new Australians made it into a badge. Remember the wog series of films?
This lady is reading something into the situation which really isn't there. She complains, "There is an elegant white ballerina doll whereas the black doll is seen to be poorly dressed." Gollywogs were always dressed in a type of uniform, dungarees. She probably interprets this uniform as being "poorly dressed". Obviously there is demand for them, otherwise they wouldn't be for sale. Perhaps a dark skinned child wants one for comfort, a friend to play with.
Society by Ty Buchanan
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