"That's my spot!"
Funny Animal Photos by Ty Buchanan
Getting Rid of English, Maths and Rote Was a Big Mistake
Many university students cannot do simple arithmetic or write a complete sentence. Without using spelling checkers, spelling is atrocious. This is because the school leaving test is overwhelmed by "choice" subjects. Oddly, English literature is preferred by many over plain English. Many history teachers cannot spell or understand correct grammar. They say they teach history not English.
A large proportion of students have been accepted into university science and health when they have not done maths, i.e., applied arithmetic, in high school. The usual solution at university is to send you to the remedial teacher who throws up his hands and says you do not know the basics. Students usually go to or pay other students to correct their assignments before handing them in. The problem here is that examinations have to be passed though they have been brought down to the ridiculously low level of 10 per cent of the total subject mark.
It has been made too easy to get into university. Even bridging courses are below high school standards. We are bending over backwards to life easy for the young when the reality is that it is a tough world out there. They need to be toughened not softened. Some would like to abolish exams in high school altogether.
If trends continue. We will live in a world where machines cannot be repaired. This could be the case in this computer era. The IT industry is driven by self-taught technicians. What you learned in a University IT degree a few years ago is now outdated and of no use.
Girls just do not study maths at school any more. Fewer boys are doing so as well. Why would any rational human being choose to do a "hard" subject over an easy one? Intensive English and maths must be made compulsory at primary and high school. The "rot" began with the abolition of rote learning. They still do rote in France and it produces some of the best scientists on the planet.
Education by Ty Buchanan
Northern Australia Has a New Dolphin
There are many species of dolphin. To most people they do look much alike. We know that they are very intelligent and like to be in the presence of Man, even if it is only following boats
A new species has been identified off northern Australia. It could have always been there or moved there from somewhere else. They are in the "hump" class, having a raised portion below the dorsal fin.
Scientists are treating the dolphin as a new species which makes three species of Indo-Pacific humpback. There are four kinds of humpback in total including the eastern Atlantic type, Sousa teuszil.
Apparently, naming of the "new" species is a complex process based on the previously used naming practice, behavior of the animal itself and its habitat.
Discovery of the northern Australian dolphin came about by the first intense study into the humpback genus. It involved examination of 180 skulls and 235 tissue samples.
Evolution by Ty Buchanan
Large Ancient Platypus With Teeth
We see the platypus as a quiet curious animal always on the go, but millions of years ago it was twice as big and had vicious teeth. It hunted turtles crayfish and frogs. Paleontologists have called it Platypus Godzilla because it would have been quite vicious.
The modern platypus, Obdurodon tharalkooschild, is only half a meter long. Its quiet, secretive life could indicate that it is heading for extinction. Identifying platypus fossils is easy if teeth are found, because they are so different from other species.
Platypus teeth are blunt. The animals must have "bruised" their prey to death. Fossils of the ancient platypus were not ancestors of modern platypus. They were a side branch "experimenting' with being a larger size.
Just why platypus millions of years old had functioning teeth while modern ones have virtually lost theirs is not known. Despite being good a hunter Godzilla did itself go extinct. Modern tharalkoo live in a narrow niche. If there is drastic change in the environment they will perish.
Society by Ty Buchanan
Germany Disappointed With Immigration "Experiment"
If Germany expected immigrants to become German by living there it is no wonder people are disappointed. The best one can hope for is that the children of immigrants born in the new country will be fully integrated. If a model of "multiculturalism" was needed Australia could be the example. In the 50s, 60s and 70s the term "wog" was prevalent. Though Australians should have more correctly called people from the Mediterranean region "waps", these Greek and Italian "new Australians" quickly moved into enclaves of major cities. They not only imported themselves, but corner store businesses sprang up selling goods that no native born Australian would buy. The stores did quite well from the local expatriate clientele.
It was common to hear people on buses and in queues speaking the language of their mother country. Australians were not offended by this because the new people were hard working and they didn't try to change Australian culture per se. Their culture just ran "alongside" the dominant culture. If one was lucky, an invite to a party or a wedding was offered. There was this congruency between the cultures. All enjoyed having a good time where alcohol was consumed. Even Asian societies have blended in well.
Today new arrivals come from the Middle East and Africa and they are predominantly Muslim. It is no wonder a clash of cultures occurs. While Christianity strongly affects Mediterranean societies, freedom of the individual is paramount. Islam expects the individual to live strictly by the laws of this religion. This means no alcohol and "kicking up one's heals" is frowned upon. Fundamentally, the problem is a religious one. If the hope is for the children of Muslims to be socialized into their new country Islam needs to be interpreted in ways that for the most part do not clash with the dominant culture. Children of immigrants who strictly follow the ways of their parents are doomed to a life of not fitting in. The pressure on them will be just about insurmountable.
It was common to hear people on buses and in queues speaking the language of their mother country. Australians were not offended by this because the new people were hard working and they didn't try to change Australian culture per se. Their culture just ran "alongside" the dominant culture. If one was lucky, an invite to a party or a wedding was offered. There was this congruency between the cultures. All enjoyed having a good time where alcohol was consumed. Even Asian societies have blended in well.
Today new arrivals come from the Middle East and Africa and they are predominantly Muslim. It is no wonder a clash of cultures occurs. While Christianity strongly affects Mediterranean societies, freedom of the individual is paramount. Islam expects the individual to live strictly by the laws of this religion. This means no alcohol and "kicking up one's heals" is frowned upon. Fundamentally, the problem is a religious one. If the hope is for the children of Muslims to be socialized into their new country Islam needs to be interpreted in ways that for the most part do not clash with the dominant culture. Children of immigrants who strictly follow the ways of their parents are doomed to a life of not fitting in. The pressure on them will be just about insurmountable.
Society by Ty Buchanan
A Stockman's Life Is a Little Easier
Australian stockmen used to lives of absolute isolation, controlling cattle for months on end, going into small towns infrequently. Drovers spending their lives in pubs drinking beer was a myth.
Today, the Internet has allowed people who live and work in outback stations to stay in contact with friends and relatives. Businesses are run using computers. Information flow is now immediate, where in the past getting a newspaper only a day or so old was a luxury.
People now know if rain is on its way. This was always an unknown factor years ago. The horse is not the only mode of transport. Motorbikes are used on stations. Some people even own and fly a helicopters and planes.
Processing of cattle now day just a few days. Few animals are missed with transportable trapping devices placed at strategic points. Staff has been halved. Workers can usually get back to the station every day. Drovers no longer work 100 hour weeks; they used to give stamped letters to passing motorists for posting somewhere along the way.
Most cattle these days are transported by road. It is more cost-effective and faster. Repairing fences is still one of the chores, but aircraft make the job more efficient and much quicker to do. Country people will still tell you that life is harder than in the cities. The sun beats down as hot as it used to.
Society by Ty Buchanan
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