"We'll just fly over this fence."
Funny Animal Pictures by Ty Buchanan
Aussie Coffee Shops Take New York by Storm
Australians love a beer and a good coffee. This country is really a coffee culture. Most workers take time out during a working day and go for a coffee either on their own or with friends. We don't like the instant stuff. Only the best will do. Popular coffee shops have regular customers.
Since last year four Australian coffee shops have opened in New York. Soon their will be another. Toby's was already established in 2012. Australian businesses will be a new experience for New Yorkers. Waiters bring your coffee to the table. Fancy, interesting snacks and even full meals are on the menu. They have the best chefs unlike the usual coffee bars that employ unskilled workers.
Service, service, service is the driving factor. Brunswick is a chain named after a street in Melbourne. It plans 12 shops in New york within two years. Staff are polite and friendly. This is the new atmosphere that will be offered.
New Yorkers like going to new businesses with novelty. The Aussie accents fit in nicely. They will be fun places where you relax and have a good time. Wait for a TV sitcom based around an Aussie coffee shop in New York.
Culture by Ty Buchanan
Electrostimulation of the Brain Could Treat Elipepsy
It has been shown that elecrostimulation of one side of the brain can numb it and allow the other side, the creative part, to take over and temporally improve artistic skills. The sketching of animals by participants got much, much better.
There is hope that treatments for brain disorders will be discovered. A project by Australian and French researchers has applied sequential electromagnetic pulses (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation - or rTMS) to mice. Abnormal brain connections were corrected by this process.
Epilepsy, depression and tinnitus are caused by abnormal brain connections. Low-intensity repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (LI-rTMS) had a positive result on mice born with abnormal organization of the brain.
Permanent implants to human brains could improve life for many patients who have continuous episodes of brain maladies. The electrostimulation changes brain chemistry. A specific chemical spreads across large areas of the brain. It is this that corrects abnormality. Preexisting correct organization was not changed.
Health by Ty Buchanan
Fish Catch Cat
"Yeah, I caught them myself. There are bites on a few of them."
Funny Animal Pictures by Ty Buchanan
Aboriginal Subsistence Fires Benefit the Ecosystem
Bush fires are natural in Australia. Far from being a curse, they benefit the environment and wildlife generally. Of course this has to be qualified by houses being destroyed and injuries to people. Aboriginals have been intentionally lighting fires for thousands of years.
Actually, it has a positive impact on kangaroo evolution. A fire promotes an increase in kangaroo numbers. To get the greatest benefit the best time for a burn-off can be identified. Human subsistence is crucial in managing this. It compliments the ecosystem.
Modern farming is detrimental to the way wildlife functions. The system is thrown off-balance. Stopping the burn-off and mono cropping changes everything. Australia needs more burning, not less. Authorities are following the wrong policy. Leaving native trees to grow tall can only lead to eventual disaster as a massive fire results as time passes.
Managed fires provide more food for animals as new shoots appear. Animals can also hide from predators in patches of older growth in the flatter landscape. It is only in farming areas that kangaroos increase to pest proportions. There is a natural peak in regions still controlled in the traditional way by Aboriginals.
Anthropology by Ty Buchanan
Scientists Make Mice Transparent
Scientists have made mice transparent - let us hope they were dead first! Studying the human body and test animals in general is difficult because usually one has to carry out dissections to see inside. The new process will change medicine.
Lipids block sunlight in bodies, so it has to be replaced with acrylamide which is just transparent hydrogel. After the acrylamide is absorbed, the bodies are placed into detergent which absorbs the lipids. Electricity is also applied to reduce the time taken to "clean" tissue.
The treated mice do not keep their original shape. They end up like gel in a plastic bag. Internal organs can be clearly seen, however. After staining, the structure of organs can be seen as shown in the picture above.
Micro-slicing has been used to date. A computer assembles a 3D structure for study. Both systems will probably be used in future as each as its benefits. There are plans to adapt the transparency technique to evaluate tissue in cancer patients. Biopsies will be treated to identify any cancerous cells.
Science by Ty Buchanan
Cat Burger
"That burger has been there a long time - I must have it!"
Funny Animal Pictures by Ty Buchanan
The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) Should Not Interfer in the Market
Was the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) set up to improve business or just be a nuisance to operations. Its job should be to police the industry and make things run smoothly. However, putting one's nose in when it is not needed is not the best thing to do.
The mining boom is coming to an end as the Chinese economy pulls back from high growth due to wages rising thus demand falling. Companies are looking to move to other Asian countries where labor is cheaper. Australian mining companies are looking to become producers of other things such as technology.
With this move comes threats from ASIC for the miners to keep their noses clean. Apparently they must inform shareholders before they buy tech companies. We have not reached a point yet where shareholders manage companies. Surely, it is up to the CEO and the board to set future company developments and intentions.
ASIC is making accusations that mining companies are "cooking the books" while buying up tech companies. It has said that miners must not use backdoor listing to hide purchases. ASIC is watching Minerals Corporation Limited, InterMet, Nemex, MacroEnergy and Latin Gold.
Surely, with ASIC already making its claims open, shareholders already know what is going on - normal business behavior. Changing business models is not an area ASIC should be watching. This is nothing to do with ASIC. It should stick to asset valuation and financial reporting. It is ridiculous to monitor how capital will be raised. Interfering in the market just distorts it.
Economics by Ty Buchanan
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