"They say I look like you Maud."
"You do Sam."
Funny Animal Pictures by Ty Buchanan
We Need at Least Six Hours Sleep a night
There has been differences in views on sleep for decades. Some say a good nights sleep is absolutely necessary to function well in the world. Others believe that sleeping is a waste of valuable time when one could be creating new things.
More time could be made available if sleep was postponed indefinitely. However, there is a question as to whether performance is impaired. Then creativity could be replaced by nuisance behavior - someone who is just a pest to well functioning individuals around him or her.
Research points to sleep being required for efficient functioning. We have evolved with roughly 12 hours of darkness each day. A century or so ago people went to bed early, before electricity grids changed all our lives. Most animals still head for cover when the sun goes down. Particular animals evolved to be active at night, hunting for food. Even these though sleep in daylight hours.
An Oregon study has shown that the elderly function better if they get a minimum of six hours sleep a night. People with dementia also performed more efficiently. Data confirm the findings of similar research in developing and developed countries - everyone needs sleep. The Oregon program was an international study in itself, the first test with subjects from many countries.
Society by Ty Buchanan
Australian Prime Minister Totally Wrong Saying Australia Was "Empty"
He blatantly believes that he didn't lie about what he would do if he won office. He has gone full circle and made cuts to areas he said he would not change. He takes voters for granted thinking they are as stupid as he is.
Again, he has made a statement that the majority of Australians know to be untrue. He said Australia was unsettled when Europeans arrived. Color blindness seems to be one of his flaws.
Suggesting that British investment made Australia what it is today is applying modern theory to times when economic theory was in its infancy. There was little understanding of investment in those days. Anyway, Britain's investment was really more people, unwanted in their homeland. The only real investment was in the police force that did cost a great deal.
Admittedly, white people brought industrious ideas with them and they were responsible for growth in the economy by hard work and toil. Australia is a harsh land and back breaking effort was required to survive. They just applied European ideas to a land that had the Aboriginal culture which was not economically based. Given time, Aboriginals would have caught up if they had continued to have the land to themselves.
Economics by Ty Buchanan
Smooth Newt Lissotriton vulagaris Invades Australia
Australia is full of vermin brought in from Europe over the centuries by immigrants wanting to make this country feel like home. Pet shops and animal collectors are also responsible for some restricted creatures getting out and breeding in the wild.
Even seemingly harmless animals can become pests if their population rapidly increases. The smooth newt, Lissotriton vulagaris, was thought to be safely in collections. However, some have escaped and are becoming a pest in Victoria. Newts are not normally found in Australia. It is not known what the long term consequences will be.
It is not likely that they will spread to Queensland or the Northern Territory because they prefer cooler climates. They could become plentiful in southern Australia.
There is a worry that the newt will carry the chytrid fungus that is deadly to native frogs. Competition for food could cause Australian species to decline. It is necessary to find the extent of the invasion. Though it is unlikely that funding will be found for this.
Biology by Ty Buchanan
New Technology Adopted by Citrus Grower
About the only way for a business to succeed in this day and age is to improve productivity by developing new technology not by breaking employees' backs. Increasing productivity by making people work harder has never worked. It is only successful in the short term.
The Costa Group which exports high quality citrus fruit to Japan has installed an infrared Brix sensor system to improve the selection of the best for export. There will be no rejection by customers because the Brix scale shows how sweet an orange is for example. There is also higher sales of blemished fruit that are very sweet according to the scale.
It seems odd that the Brix system is not shown to domestic customers. There is a down side: minerals and trace elements are not measured. However, there is no doubt that Australian consumers would like the Brix scale placed on the sales price ticket of fruit.
Like keeping out New Zealand apples, Australian growers will go to extremes to sell low quality produce. The strangle hold on the industry must be broken. Australians should have the right to buy the best, no matter where in the world it comes from. Market manipulation is supposed to be illegal.
Agriculture by Ty Buchanan
NSA Does Not Spy on Allies - "Ah! Ah! Gotcha."
Apparently the U.S. National Security Agency is not listening in to people in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Seeing that these countries are America's closest allies this seems rational. However, terrorists are quietly leaving the shores of these countries and fighting for Islam of one color or another.
It seems to me that the United States would be involved with local authorities in these English speaking nations to keep an eye on what suspected terrorists are doing, probably at the request of these governments.
Note, that the United States had secret agreements with Russia that the UK found out about during WWII. Churchill was totally in the dark about them for quite some time. He too had secret talks with Stalin.
If the NSA is watching the IMF, World Bank, the Atomic Energy Agency and European countries why not "nose in" on what people in allied countries are doing? Germany is supposed to be an ally and snooping on Chancellor Merkel did occur.
Politics by Ty Buchanan
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