The Question Is - International Current Events - and the big question.

Foreign Companies Buying Australian Farm Land For The Future

2010-11-15T12:42:00.000-08:00

Foreign Companies Buying Australian Farm Land For The Future

They have been accused of taking part in a land grab. Of course, its not a land grabe when all is aboove the board, and what the foreign companies are doing is legitimately buying land.

Of course, the fact that it is farm land and that the food produced by that farm land will now be channelled exclusively off shore makes it chillingly similar to companies wanting to buy our mines, forests, water, resources, etc.

It makes Australia sound a little like Nauru, or Africa. Sad really but predictable.

THe question is - who can blame them? And what can be done to ensure that this process is handled appropriately? And what exactly defines appropritat under these circumstances?

Foreign Companies, Buy Farms, Australian Farm Land, For The Future, Land Grab

One In Ten American Children Has ADHD?

2010-11-10T21:06:00.000-08:00

One In Ten American Children Has ADHD?

You have got to be kidding me. A survey from New York University's Child Study Centre has found that one in ten US kids has ADHD.

No way. Yes way. You gotta be kidding me. ADHD. One in ten. I reckon thats an awful lit of over diagnosing by way too many doctors in the hope of prescribing way too many ADHD cures. Of the pharmaceutical kind.

So what do you think?

Do one in ten USA children really have ADHD or is this really some kind of freakish wrong diagnosis ona grand scale?

Mozart Drops The Crime Rate in NZ

2010-11-07T17:38:00.000-08:00

Mozart Drops The Crime Rate in NZ

In the city of Christchurch, on the South Island of New Zealand, is a pedestrian mall that has an unusaul story to tell.

Frustrated with violent incidents and antisocial behaviour, the mall trialled the playing of Mozart music over speakers in the mall.

Successfully, it seems in lowering the crime rate and the number of antisocial behaviour incidents.

In October 2008, 77 incidents were reported. In October 2010, only two.

The question is - what other types of music influence other types of behaviour - does anyone know?

Mozart Drops The Crime Rate in NZ

Qantas Plane Engine Explosion

2010-11-05T14:12:00.000-07:00

Qantas Plane Engine Explosion

Hard on the heels of the recent engine explosion on board a Qantas A380 super jumbo recently , there has been another issue with an engine. Again, after leaving Singapore coincidentally perhaps.

After 30 years with an unblemished safety record, the arline outsources its work to cheaper operations centres, who apparently do not even fly the aeroplane models that they are tasked with keeping safe.

Now we have incident after incident after incident. And lets face it folks, these things are simply too scary at 38000 feet and 600 kph hour.

Executives say there is no link between the outsourcing and the saftey incidents.

The question is....do these same executives fly Qantas?

Qantas Plane Engine Explosion

Internet Attack In Burma Slows The Internet - Whodunnit?

2010-11-04T00:46:00.000-07:00

Ahead of the elections in Burma, the internet has mysteiously slowed down.

Local telecommunications authorities are quick to highlight that these attacks are originating from outside the country however others tell a different story.

Burma, which is controlled by a military junta, has suffered from frequent outages, as well as limited bandwidth - read slow internet over the last week.

Some have gone so far as to claim that the current connection outage is being caused by the government in Burma. Perhaps coincidentally on other significant politically sensitive dates the internet has also been slowed. DDOS?

Again, coincidentally perhaps, exiled Burmese media groups websites were also attacked recently.

So the question is - who is really behind this the Burmese Government or some unknown international group with a coincidentally timed DDOS attack aimed at stopping communication in the country?

James May Says Modern Men Are Useless

2010-11-02T18:14:00.000-07:00

What a interesting snippet this one is....

James May, Top Gear presenter, has allegedly said that modern men are useless. They cannot do many things that traditionally have been the male domain. We are not talking about rebuilding Rome mind you - just the simple things like countersinking screws, ironing a shirt or putting up a shelf.

I am quietly glad that all of these things I can do - does that qualify me for a role on Top Gear.

Still, James has a point. Many of the generation of today have never had to do so much as push a garbage bin out, let alone be given the skills to undertake these seemingly minor projects. But they can, in fairness, do things that the older generation cannot, particularly when it comes to engaging modern technology.

So we look forward to James' new show - Man Lab its called. Sounds hilarious. SERIOUSLY.

The question is...how did we get this way?

James May Says Modern Men Are Useless

Did Chuck Norris Kick A Hole In Time?

2010-10-30T15:29:00.000-07:00

Of course. How silly of me. If ever there was a reason that time travel would be possible, it stands to reason that Chuck Norris is the cause. I mean, how else is a tear in the fabric of the space - time continuum supposed to happen?

Forget the TARDIS, bring on Chuck Norris. And all of this because someone appears to be seen to be talking ona mobile phone in the background of an old Charlie Chaplin movie, The Circus...

Chuck Norris Kicks Hole In Time

Workplaces Versus Facebook

2010-10-28T21:28:00.000-07:00

Workplaces and employers dont like Facebook? We have all heard that before we are sure. But why are workplaces clamping down on Facebook?

It is true that surfing websites such as Facebook, mySpace and similar are not really working activites. And as such it could well be said that this is an activity that employers should not be forced to pay for by default. infact, many workplaces block sites such as Facebook.

Other points of view in this debate include the idea that a happy workplace is more productive, and that surfing a site such as facebook helps to keep workers stimulated and therefore more productive.

Breaking research by University of Melbourne lecturer Doctor Brent Coker reveals that employers can potentially benefit from their employees visiting social networking sites.

"We found the more enjoyable the break, the more likelihood of it increasing productivity," Dr Coker commented. With that in mind surely what an employee does during their break should not be an issue - right?

The question is - where is a happy middle ground on this one - should workers be granted facebook access full time or just on breaks?

A CHOLERA outbreak in Haiti has killed nearly 300 people

2010-10-28T05:25:00.000-07:00

A CHOLERA outbreak in Haiti has killed nearly 300 people. The outbreak of Cholera is rapidly spreading in Haiti. This outbreak has yet to run its course, according to Haitian officials who said today 500 more people had been admitted to hospital with the virulent illness.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned meanwhile that the outbreak had yet to reach its peak, and said the Caribbean nation should prepare for the disease to hit the capital Port-au-Prince, still teeming with squalid tent cities built after January's massive earthquake.

"We cannot say it is contained," Claire-Lise Chaignat, the World Health Organisation's cholera chief, said, disputing reports from Haiti that the outbreak was tapering off.
"I think we haven't reached the peak," she said, recommending that Haitian authorities prepare for the "worst case scenario" - cholera in the capital.

Cholera is an acute intestinal infection. It is caused by eating food or drinking water contaminated with the Vibrio cholerae bacteria.
Although Cholera is easily treated, it has a short incubation period. This can cause illness within a matter of hours and causes severe diarrhoea that can rapidly cause severe dehydration and death without treatment.
Over 1 million people made homeless by January's earthquake in Haiti are still living in thousands of squalid temporary camps surrounding the capital, and international agencies have expressed fears that this cholera epidemic could spread like wildfire in such conditions.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which operates a number of medical centres open to cholera infections in Artibonite and around the Port-Au-Prince, said that despite less relative deaths the need for vigilance is still strong.

"The fact that we are seeing fewer severe cases is positive," commented Federica Nogarotto, the Medecins Sans Frontieres field coordinator in Saint-Marc, Haiti.
"It suggests that people are taking precautions and that there is a greater understanding in the community of the need to maintain strict hygiene and to seek medical assistance at the first sign of symptoms."
Having said that the number of infections is rising in this highly transmissible disease. That, coupled with a mobile population, under nourished and with poor shelter, seems a recipe for potentially a severe cholera epidemic in Haiti.

The question is, what is the international community doing to prepare for what surely will be a severe outbreak of one of humanities oldest enemies – cholera?

Telstra Slashes Nearly 1000 Jobs

2010-10-28T02:06:00.001-07:00

TELSTRA is slashing almost 1000 jobs within middle management areas in a strategy designed at "simplifying company processes".
In a closely observed move to lower costs, and operating overhead expenses Telstra said it would remove 950 jobs from mostly executive and middle-management roles in Australian capital city offices.
"Affected employees will have access to assistance programs and, based on their length of service, redundancy entitlements of up to 80 weeks pay," the company said in a statement. The shareholders of Telstra will probably be happy you would think but the Telstra share price only rose 1 cent on this news. Hmmmmm.
This from Telstra chief executive David Thodey:
"Change is always difficult, even where it is made in a way which is focused on improving service to our customers," he said.
"Telstra’s simpler new operating model will shift decision-making from head office to local managers and allow our frontline employees to get results more quickly, with fewer steps and approvals."

Mr Thodey said the telco would now be organised as a sales and marketing company that was "faster to market" and "more focused on customers".
With the new business plan, 33 local area managers will manage Telstra’s "5000 points of presence" such as Telstra shops and Telstra dealers throughout Australia.
"The changes we are announcing today will reduce duplication of roles, clarify job accountabilities, eliminate unnecessary steps in company processes, and substantially simplify decision-making," Mr Thodey also said

The question is - do you really think this will improve customer service?

Telstra Slashes 1000 Jobs in Australia