Work experience for Queensland ministers

What is the ministers’ work? In general, ministers are representatives of the voters to a parliament and their work is to look after the welfare of the voters. However, the problem is that do they actually know what the ordinary people need? This comes with a programme that launched by the Queensland government recently. In this programme, the ministers will work as an ordinary worker such as housekeeper, abattoir worker and prison social worker. This programme aimed to provide opportunity to the ministers to better understand their portfolios. Jobs to be trialled range from working at small businesses, to factory work and public service jobs. The works distributed includes the following:

Premier - hospital orderly

Deputy Premier and Health Minister - canteen waiters

Public Works Minister - short order cook

Emergency Service Minister - ambulance patient transport officer

Disability Services Minister - teacher

Transport Minister and Primary Industries Minister - abattoir workers

Main Roads Minister - road worker

Calls for baby safe havens after dumping

The cases of baby dumping in Australia have increased significantly. It was estimated that a dozen babies were abandoned each year in different states of Australia. This issue has been vehemently debating and prompted “baby safe haven” facilities across Australia.

This programme aims to ensure the unwanted babies being abandoned legally into a safe and caring environment. Such programme has been implemented in Europe, United States and Japan. The children will be put up to adoption after a cooling-off period during which the mother can change her mind.

AMA president, Dr Andrew Pesce revealed that this programme should be considered as an alternative to mothers in order to prevent the abandoned babies from dying. He also urged the government to take prompt action to redress this problem.

Coalition pledges $120m for schools technology

Things are not out of what I had learnt in Economic lesson. I still remembered one of the weaknesses of fiscal policy. When election is near, fiscal policy is normally expansionary. This news has corroborated this lesson. Coalition government announced that they would allocate a $120 million fund to ameliorate the information and communications technology in school. In this case, bureaucratic effects would be avoided by granting the technology directly to schools. As a result, the time lag of the effects could be prevented. Besides that, coalition government also revealed that 30 new colleges would be established to provide an apprenticeship to students after they finished high school. All of these are considered as expansionary fiscal policy where the government expenditures were increased. As a conclusion, fiscal policy is abused for political reasons.

National Broadband Network to be 10 times faster

The Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy revealed that the Federal Government’s National Broadband Network (NBN Co) would be ameliorated to provide speed of 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps). This was 10 times faster than originally envisaged. In this case, the businesses necessitating greater bandwidth for video conferencing would be advantaged. This speed of access was provided through fibre technology. Moreover, the prime minister,Ms Gillard demonstrated that the super-fast broadband was the economic infrastructure to generate economic growth in the future. However, Senator Conroy said that communities would lose the fast internet presently enjoyed if the coalition won the election. Currently, the introductory prices of the access to the fibre technology ranged from $29.95 a month for 25 Mbps to $59.95 a month for 100Mbps.

Boy plead guilty to taking gun to school

A 15-year old boy has been accused for taking gun to school. This led to evacuation and police lockdown around the school in Western Australia’s south. Fortunately, the school principal responded expeditiously by persuading the student to go to an office and talking to him. Eventually, the boy was convinced to put off the gun and was going to be sent to custody. Yesterday, the boy pleaded guilty in Esperance Children’s Court for his act that may cause fear. In the court, the boy’s lawyer claimed that the child was being bullied for years and this was the reason causing this incident to happen. With regard to this incident, Mr. Axworthy, from Education Department, praised the principal and all the staff reacted professionally. He also revealed that bullying was not allowed in schools and investigation had been launched. Currently, the boy stayed in a bail hostel in Kalgoorlie and arrangements were made for him to live with relatives.

$284m to tackle homelessness

The New South Wales Government has introduced a $284 million action plan. This unique plan aims to reduce the homelessness at a regional level right across the state. Under this initiative, $ 40 million has been directly allocated to make sure 20 important projects are carried out to tackle the problem. Besides that, regional communities are asked what kind of initiatives and services are relevant to meet the local homeless people’s needs. This is an important approach as the regional communities know what is needed in their local area clearer. Lastly, the Housing Minister Tanya Plibersek said the initiative will help to achieve the objective of reducing overall homelessness by half by 2020.

Gillard announces $2000 for new cars

The Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard announced that the federal government will give $2000 to anyone who trade in their old car that is manufactured before 1995. This policy will be started from January next year. This policy is implemented because Australians own a lot of old motor cars which guzzle a lot of petrol and spew out lots of pollution. Ms Gillard also stated that the old cars collected would be turned into scrap metal. Moreover, this offer is only for 200,000 new vehicles and it will cost government $394 million. By the way, Ms Gillard also declared that government wants to set up “citizens’ assembly” to curb the difficult issue of a carbon price.

Man found guilty of killing wif

A SOUTH Australian man has been found guilty of suffocating his estranged wife and trying to make her death look like suicide. He had been accused of killing Melissa Allen in port Augusta in July 2008.

In this case, Allen strangled his wife in a shed at their matrimonial home and tried to cover it up by making it look like she had committed suicide. During the prosecution, Allen had always sustained that he got his wife down by unknotting the rope and then tried unsuccessfully to revive her.

On the other hand, the prosecutor revealed that a witness heard a scream come from the shed well before Allen raised the alarm. Moreover, the jury had heard evidence Ms Allen was murdered because she planned to divorce her husband. Witnesses also told the court that Allen had publicly accused his wife of cheating.

On Monday, Allen will return to court for sentencing submissions.

HIV rate doubles for over-50s

The UK’s Health Protection Agency (HPA) revealed that the HIV infections among the elder people aged 50 and above has increased from 299 to 710 a year between 2000 and 2007. The findings suggested over-50s were less likely gets tested and this increases the risk of an early death from AIDS. Besides that, the survey found that half of the HIV infected people aged 50 and over had late diagnoses as well as three quarter of deaths are among them. In the article, a senior HIV scientist at the HPA Center for Infection, Ruth Smith has highlighted the importance of HIV testing at whatever age. There was also stated that the white heterosexual men getting the infection abroad. By the way, the middle-aged Brits urged to practice safe sex like using condom a condom with all new or casual partners to ensure people do not become infected with a serious sexually transmitted infection like HIV.

MyHospitals website to open next month, Roxon announces

The Australia government’s My hospital website is scheduled to be running next month. This website is designed to compare the performances of public hospitals against national benchmarks. Moreover, the website aims to provide information on which hospital requires further assistance. The site will also list the medical services provided, the number of beds and whether outpatient services, such as allied health and dental services are offered. This website currently involves all the public hospitals in all states with the exception of Western Australia, but the government is looking at private hospitals into initiative in the future. Lastly, the website address will be www.MyHospitals.gov.au.

Elderly couple dies in home elevator

The elderly couple who are Sherwood, 90 and Caroline Wadsworth, 89 had been found dead in the closet-sized lift of their three-storey home. The elevator was stuck between the first and second floor and the couple was unable to call for help. This incidence was discovered by a newspaper carrier after noticing the unopened editions going back to July 9 and an untouched watermelon a neighbor had left at the couple’s door the day before. Police estimated they had been dead at least 4days before the police had into the house. Besides that, the autopsies concluded both died from heat exhaustion and believed that the temperature in the elevator reached 35 ºc.

Television-Argumentative Essay Final Draft

According to a survey conducted on watching television, more than ninety per cent of households have at least one television set in developed countries (Sharif 1999). Besides, according to American Time Use Survey (2003), a statistic claimed that the population spent about 2.7 hours per day in watching television programmes which is more than the time spent in other leisure and sports activities such as playing games and computer, reading, participating in sports, exercise, and recreation as well as socializing and communicating. Excessive viewing of television programmes has become an issue recently and people are concerned on how does it affects the viewers. However, I strongly believe that television viewing brings more benefits than harm to the viewers as it provides an additional dimension to learning, develops knowledge of the viewers and encourages critical thinking skills.

First of all, television programmes provide an additional dimension to learning through a variety of techniques, present science, geography and other subjects in a unique and attractive way. Television can be considered as a teaching tool. For instance, students are more likely to understand and gain information they have seen and heard through an audio-visual medium rather than merely read. Moreover, pre-schoolers who watch educational programmes from television can learn letters of alphabet and even spell words before they begin their studies at schools (Leigh 2001). Other than that, television enables viewers to release stress and gain a more balanced view of problems (Rutherford 2002). This helps viewers to be more concentrate on things like homework and thus it enhances their ability to learn.

Secondly, young people can gain more knowledge about global problems through television programmes. “News items increase the knowledge of what is happening in the world and, if discussed sensibly, inform young people about global problems.” (Sharif 1999, p.34) This can be a good talking point share with friends and even incite teenagers to do works of charity. In addition, television allows young people to access the latest current events of local and world significance as well as experience the cultures and beauty of other parts of the world (Rutherford 2002). There is evidence to claim that children can learn more about their cultural identity and contribution of other cultures through television programmes (Leigh 2001).

Finally, it cannot be denied that television programmes also encourage the viewers to think critically as critical thinking skills are a crux in both social settings and at school. For example, families or friends can discuss the solutions to solve the conflicts in the television programmes (Sharif 1999). These discussions help to develop critical thinking skills and may even contribute to the future problems faced by the young people. Furthermore, people can learn and think about important issues on a wide range of human problems ranging from globalization to homelessness (Leigh 2001). This can lead them to handle the problems promptly before they get worse.

As a conclusion, I strongly believe that television brings more advantages than disadvantages to the public as it provides an additional dimension to learning develops knowledge of the viewers and encourages critical thinking. Therefore, it is a desirable trend to show that people spent more time in television, video and radio as compared to other activities (UK Time Use Survey 2001). In this twenty-first century, we should always appreciate the improvement of technology like television and make full use of it in a proper manner.

Television-Argumentative Essay #2

A survey with reference to the consumption on television has been conducted and the result showed that more than ninety per cent of households in flourish countries have at least one television set (Sharif 1999). Besides, according to American Time Use Survey (2003), a statistic claimed that the population spent about 2.7 hours per day in watching television programmes which is more than the time spent in other leisure and sports activities such as playing games and computer, reading, participating in sports, exercise, and recreation as well as socializing and communicating. Excessive viewing of television programmes can be an issue recently and people are concerning on how does it affect the viewers. I strongly believe that television viewing brings more benefits than harm to the viewers as it provides an additional dimension to learning develops knowledge of the viewers and encourages critical thinking.

First of all, television programmes provide an additional dimension to learning through a variety of techniques, present science, geography and other subjects in a unique and attractive way. Television can be considered as a teaching tool. For instance, students are more likely to understand and gain information they have seen and heard through an audio-visual medium rather than merely read. Moreover, pre-schoolers who watch educational programmes from television can learn letters of alphabet and even spell words before they begin their studies at schools (Leigh 2001). Other than that, television enables viewers to release stress and gain a more balanced view of problems (Rutherford 2002). This helps viewers to be more concentrate on things like homework and thus it enhances their ability to learn.

Secondly, young people can gain more knowledge about global problems through television programmes. “News items increase the knowledge of what is happening in the world and, if discussed sensibly, inform young people about global problems.” (Sharif 1999, p.34) This can be a good talking point share with friends and even incite teenagers to do works of charity. In addition, television allows young people to access the latest current events of local and world significance as well as experience the cultures and beauty of other parts of the world (Rutherford 2002). There is evidence to claim that children can learn more about their cultural identity and contribution of other cultures through television programmes (Leigh 2001).

Finally, it cannot be denied that television programmes also encourage the viewers to think critically as critical thinking is a crux in both social settings and at school. For example, families or friends can discuss the solutions to solve the conflicts in the television programmes (Sharif 1999). These discussions help to develop critical thinking and may even contribute to the future problems faced by the young people. Furthermore, people can learn and think about important issues on a wide range of human problems ranging from globalization to homelessness (Leigh 2001). This can lead them to handle the problems promptly before they get worse.

As a conclusion, I strongly believe that television brings more advantages than disadvantages to the public as it provides an additional dimension to learning develops knowledge of the viewers and encourages critical thinking. Therefore, it is a desirable trend to show that people spent more time in television, video and radio as compared to other activities (UK Time Use Survey 2001). In this twenty-first century, we should always appreciate the improvement of technology like television and make full use of it in a proper manner.

Television-Argumentative Essay #1

A survey with reference to the consumption on television has been conducted and the result showed that more than ninety per cent of households in flourish countries have at least one television set (Sharif 1999). Besides, according to American Time Use Survey (2003), a statistic claimed that the population spent about 2.7 hours per day in watching television programmes which is more than the time spent in other leisure and sports activities such as playing games and computer, reading, participating in sports, exercise, and recreation as well as socializing and communicating. Excessive viewing of television programmes can be an issue recently and people are concerning on how does it affect the viewers. I strongly believe that television viewing brings more benefits than harm to the viewers as it provides an additional dimension to learning develops knowledge of the viewers and encourages critical thinking.

First of all, television programmes provide an additional dimension to learning through a variety of techniques, present science, geography and other subjects in a unique and attractive way. Television can be considered as a teaching tool. For instance, students are more likely to understand and gain information they have seen and heard through an audio-visual medium rather than merely read. Moreover, pre-schoolers who watch educational programmes from television can learn letters of alphabet and even spell words before they begin their studies at schools (Leigh 2001). Other than that, television enables viewers to release stress and gain a more balanced view of problems (Rutherford 2002). This helps viewers to be more concentrate on things like homework and thus it enhances their ability to learn.

Secondly, young people can gain more knowledge about global problems through television programmes. “News items increase the knowledge of what is happening in the world and, if discussed sensibly, inform young people about global problems.” (Sharif 1999, p.34) This can be a good talking point share with friends and even incite teenagers to do works of charity. In addition, television allows young people to access the latest current events of local and world significance as well as experience the cultures and beauty of other parts of the world (Rutherford 2002). There is evidence to claim that children can learn more about their cultural identity and contribution of other cultures through television programmes (Leigh 2001).

Finally, it cannot be denied that television programmes also encourage the viewers to think critically as critical thinking is a crux in both social settings and at school. For example, families or friends can discuss the solutions to solve the conflicts in the television programmes (Sharif 1999). These discussions help to develop critical thinking and may even contribute to the future problems faced by the young people. Furthermore, people can learn and think about important issues on a wide range of human problems ranging from globalization to homelessness (Leigh 2001). This can lead them to handle the problems promptly before they get worse.

As a conclusion, I strongly believe that television brings more advantages than disadvantages to the public as it provides an additional dimension to learning develops knowledge of the viewers and encourages critical thinking. Therefore, it is a desirable trend to show that people spent more time in television, video and radio as compared to other activities (UK Time Use Survey 2001). In this twenty-first century, we should always appreciate the improvement of technology like television and make full use of it in a proper manner.

Final Version of Junk Food Essay

Generally, any food which is considered to be unhealthy and low nutritional value is defined as junk food according to Smith in Family Journal (2005). Currently, there are more than fifty percent of Australian schoolchildren buying their lunch from school canteens. As compared to thirty years ago, most children bought their lunch from home. Junk foods are mainly consisted of chocolate, canned drink and chips (Weekend News 2005). I strongly believe that the sale of junk food in school canteens should be banned as it creates a lot of problems such as health problems, behavior problems and litter problems.

Firstly, junk food which contains many unhealthy ingredients harms the children’s health. According to Tran in Weekend News (2005), junk food is a main cause of childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is a very serious issue as it can contribute to the children future health diseases like heart disease, osteoarthritis and some cancers. These problems are made worse that most young people who consume a lot of junk foods are generally lack of physical activities. Reynolds in Weekend News (2005) reveals that the junk food sold in school canteens is conflicting to the messages given to the students in classroom. Besides that, a statistic show that most of the popular snack foods are low nutritional value and thus lead to imbalance nutrients intake (Health Foundation 2005).

Moreover, children’s behavior is affected by the presence of junk food. Many behavioral problems such as hyperactivity and poor concentration are caused by junk food that contains chemical additives to prolong its shelf life and enhance flavor as well as color (Family Journal 2005). Nutrients needed for healthy development and growth of children are not available in junk food (The Food Show 2005). This will also reduce students’ ability to learn which will indirectly lead to poor academic performance. Furthermore, according to Caputo in The Food Show (2005), a research shows that cutting down unhealthy foods like junk food in children’s diets helps to improve their behaviors as junk food is usually loaded with chemical additives.

Lastly, litter problems are unavoidable with the sale of many types of junk food in school canteens. The packaging of junk food creates a lot of litters which is a safety and health hazard. Increasing litter leads to higher cleaning cost which will put greater burden on school authorities. In addition, litter creates a bad image for our communities (Family Journal 2005). According to Green in The Food Show (2005), removal of junk food and soft drinks from school canteens reduces the litter problems significantly. As a result, the grounds man can spend his scarce time on maintenance projects that benefit the school as less time are needed to clean the litter.

In conclusion, the sale of junk food leads to a variety of problems such as health problems, behavior problems and litter problems. Since the sale of junk food in school canteen disadvantages the school children greatly, I strongly believe that it should be banned. As the saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure”, the sale of junk food in school canteens should be prohibited expeditiously to prevent the problems from getting worse.

Argumentative Essay draft#2

Generally, any food which is considered to be unhealthy and low nutritional value is defined as junk food according to Smith in Family Journal (2005). Nowadays, there are more than fifty percent of Australian schoolchildren buying their lunch from school canteens. As compared to thirty years ago, most children bought their lunch from home. Junk foods are mainly consisted of chocolate, canned drink and chips. (Weekend News 2005) I strongly believe that the sale of junk food in school canteens should be banned as it creates a lot of problems such as health problems, behavior problems and litter problems.

Firstly, junk food which contains many unhealthy ingredients harms the children’s health. According to Tran in Weekend News (2005), junk food is a main cause of childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is a very serious issue as it can contribute to the children future health diseases like heart disease, osteoarthritis and some cancers. These problems are made worse that most young people who consume a lot of junk foods are generally lack of physical activities. Reynolds in Weekend News (2005) reveals that the junk food sold in school canteens is conflicting to the messages given to the students in classroom. Besides that, a statistic show that most of the popular snack foods are low nutritional value and thus lead to imbalance nutrients intake. (Health Foundation 2005)

Moreover, children behavior is affected by the presence of junk food. Many behavioral problems such as hyperactivity and poor concentration are caused by junk food that contains chemical additives to prolong its shelf life and enhance flavor as well as color. (Family Journal 2005) Nutrients needed for healthy development and growth of children are not available in junk food. (The Food Show 2005) This will also reduce students’ ability to learn which will indirectly lead to poor academic performance. Furthermore, according to Caputo in The Food Show (2005), a research shows that cutting down unhealthy foods like junk food in children’s diets helps to improve their behaviors as junk food is usually loaded with chemical additives.

Lastly, litter problems are unavoidable with the sale of many types of junk food in school canteens. The packaging of junk food creates a lot of litters which is a safety and health hazard. Increasing litter leads to higher cleaning cost which will put greater burden on school authorities. In addition, litter creates a bad image for our communities. (Family Journal 2005) According to Green in The Food Show (2005), removal of junk food and soft drinks from school canteens reduces the litter problems significantly. As a result, the grounds man can spend his scarce time on maintenance projects that benefit the school as less time are needed to clean the litter.

In conclusion, the sale of junk food leads to a variety of problems such as health problems, behavior problems and litter problems. Since the sale of junk food in school canteen disadvantages the school children greatly, I strongly believe that it should be banned. As the saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure”, the sale of junk food in school canteens should be prohibited expeditiously to prevent the problems from getting worse.

Argumentative Essay #1

Generally, any food which is considered to be unhealthy and low nutritional value is defined as junk food according to Smith in Family Journal (2005). Nowadays, there are more than fifty percent of Australian schoolchildren buying their lunch from school canteens which is in contrast to thirty years ago when most children bought their lunch from home. Their lunch from school canteens are mainly consisted of junk food such as chocolate, canned drink and chips. (Weekend News 2005) I strongly believe that the sale of junk food in school canteens should be banned as it creates a lot of problems such as health problems, behavior problems and litter problems.

Firstly, junk food which contains many unhealthy ingredients harms the children’s health. According to Tran in Weekend News (2005), junk food is a main cause of childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is a very serious issue as it can contribute to the children future health diseases like heart disease, osteoarthritis and some cancers. These problems are made worse that most young people who consume a lot of junk food are generally lack of physical activities. Reynolds in Weekend News (2005) reveals that the junk food sold in school canteens is conflicting to the messages given to the students in classroom. Besides that, a statistic show that most of the popular snack foods are low nutritional value and thus lead to imbalance nutrients. (Health Foundation 2005)

Moreover, children behavior is affected by the presence of junk food. Many behavioral problems such as hyperactivity and poor concentration are caused by junk food which contains chemical additives to prolong its shelf life and enhance flavor as well as color. (Family Journal 2005) Cray in The Food Show (2005) says that nutrients needed which are not available in junk food prevent students from healthy development and growth. This will also reduce students’ ability to learn and lead to poor academic performance. Furthermore, according to Caputo in The Food Show (2005), a research shows that cutting down unhealthy foods like junk food in children’s diets helps to improve their behavior as junk food is usually loaded with chemical additives.

Lastly, litter problems are unavoidable with the sale of many types of junk food in school canteens. The packaging of junk food creates a lot of litters which is a safety and health hazard. Cleaning costs will be risen as increasing litter leads to greater burden on cleaning workers. In addition, litter creates a bad image for our communities. (Family Journal 2005) According to Green in The Food Show (2005), removal of junk food and soft drinks from school canteens reduces the litter problems significantly. As a result, the grounds man can spend his scarce time on maintenance projects that benefit the school as less time are needed to clean the litter.

In conclusion, the sale of junk food leads to a variety of problems such as health problems behavior problems and litter problems. Since the sale of junk food in school canteen disadvantages the school children greatly, I strongly believe that it should be banned. As the saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure”, the sale of junk food in school canteens should be prohibited expeditiously to avoid the problems getting worse.

Text Production Essay Final Draft

What are the potential effects of global warming in terms of climate change and how they can be arrested?

There is a greenhouse gases layer in the atmosphere which traps outgoing infrared radiation in the Earth. It is good because it keeps the Earth warm. However, the concentration of greenhouse gases has increased dramatically because of human activities. This makes the layer becomes thicker and more radiation is trapped in the atmosphere. (An Inconvenient Truth 2007) This phenomenon is called global warming. Generally, global warming refers to an increase in the average global temperature due to the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. There are many potential consequences of global warming in terms of climate change and they should be tackled with prompt actions as soon as possible.

One of the conceivable impacts of global warming is the rising of sea level. Since the middle of 19th century, sea level has been raised, mainly due to the human-induced climate change. During the 20^th century, sea level rose about 15 to 20 centimeters each year. In fact, Greenland is now in melting process. According to a scientific advisor, Tony Blair, if the melting process of Greenland continues, the map of the world has to be redrawn. The low altitude countries such as Florida, San Francisco, Beijing and Bangladesh will sink into underwater. As a result, hundred million or more people will suffer. (An Inconvenient Truth 2007)

Besides, the extinction of the animals is also one of the potential effects of global warming in terms of climate change. Arctic is a country which affected by climate change significantly. As the temperature of Arctic rises rapidly, the summer ice disappears gradually. Polar bears which depend on sea ice for hunting will be unable to survive in the future and extinct. Furthermore, the erratic weather will affect the growth of plants, thus reducing the habitats and food resources for certain animals. Undoubtedly, it decreases the number of migratory birds flying to the Arctic every summer to breed and nest because some breeding habitats have been vanished. (Woodford 2006)

Therefore, global warming must be solved in order to save the Earth from being damaged continuously. As the research shows that greenhouse gases especially carbon dioxide have caused temperature to rise between 0.6°C and 0.9°C over the past century (Riebeek 2007), a very effective way to solve the problem is to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide. To do that, we can use energy efficiency appliances. For example, we can replace the incandescent lamps with fluorescent lamps. We can cycle, walk, or take ride on buses instead of using personal cars. According to An Inconvenient Truth (2007), if we all use more energy efficient appliances, we can reduce the carbon dioxide emission to the level achieved in year 1970.

Moreover, it is exaggerated to compare our planet with economy. If we do not have planet, we can do nothing. If we do the right thing, then we can create a lot of wealth and jobs which can lead to economic growth. (An Inconvenient Truth 2007) Therefore, the world’s governments should participate in Kyoto Protocol which aimed at fighting global warming. According to the Stern Report, the cost of solving this problem will be greater tomorrow so it is important to tackle climate change immediately. Stern also claims that it only cost one percent of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) which is 20 times less if we deal with the effects later. (Woodford 2006)

In conclusion, global warming in terms of climate change brings many problems to the Earth such as the rise of the sea level and the extinction of animals. It is a very serious issue and we, as human beings, should take responsible actions to tackle this problem expeditiously. Reducing the emission of carbon dioxide is a good way. As the saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure”, it would be better if we can do something to prevent the global warming from getting worse.

Text Production Essay #2

There is a greenhouse gases layer in the atmosphere which traps outgoing infrared radiation in the Earth. It is good because it keeps the Earth warm. However, the concentration of greenhouse gases has increased dramatically because of human activities. This makes the layer becomes thicker and more radiation is trapped in the atmosphere. (Al Gore 2007) This phenomenon is called global warming. Generally, global warming refers to an increase in the average global temperature due to the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. There are many potential consequences of global warming in terms of climate change and they should be tackled with prompt actions as soon as possible.

One of the conceivable impacts of global warming is the rising of sea level. Since the middle of 19th century, sea level has been raised, mainly due to the human-induced climate change. During the 20^th century, sea level rose about 15 to 20 centimeters each year. In fact, Greenland is now in melting process. According to a scientific advisor, Tony Blair, if the melting process of Greenland continues, the map of the world has to be redrawn. The low altitude countries such as Florida, San Francisco, Beijing and Bangladesh will sink into underwater. As a result, hundred million or more people will suffer. (Al Gore 2007)

Besides, the extinction of the animals is also one of the potential effects of global warming in terms of climate change. Arctic is a country which affected by climate change significantly. As the temperature of Arctic rises rapidly, the summer ice disappears gradually. Polar bears which depend on sea ice for hunting will be unable to survive in the future. Furthermore, the erratic weather will affect the growth of plants, thus reducing the habitats and food resources for certain animals. Undoubtedly, it decreases the number of migratory birds flying to the Arctic every summer to breed and nest because some breeding habitats have been vanished. (Chris Woodford 2006)

Therefore, global warming must be solved in order to save the Earth from being damaged continuously. As the research shows that greenhouse gases especially carbon dioxide have caused temperature to rise between 0.6°C and 0.9°C over the past century (Holli Riebeek 2007), a very effective way to solve the problem is to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide. To do that, we can use energy efficiency appliances. For example, we can replace the incandescent lamps with fluorescent lamps. We can cycle, walk, or take ride on buses instead of using personal cars. According to Al Gore An Inconvenient Truth A Global Warming, the 2007 film directed by Davis Guggenheim, if we all use more energy efficient appliances, we can reduce the carbon dioxide emission to the level achieved in year 1970.

Moreover, it is ridiculous to compare our planet with economy. If we do not have planet, we can do nothing. If we do the right thing, then we can create a lot of wealth and jobs which can lead to economic growth. (Al Gore 2007) Therefore, the world’s governments should participate in Kyoto Protocol which aimed at fighting global warming. According to the Stern Report, the cost of solving this problem will be greater tomorrow so it is important to tackle climate change immediately. Stern also claims that it only cost one percent of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) which is 20 times less if we deal with the effects later. (Chris Woodford 2006)

In conclusion, global warming in terms of climate change brings many problems to the Earth such as the rise of the sea level and the extinction of animals. It is a very serious issue and we, as human beings, should take responsible actions to tackle this problem expeditiously. Reducing the emission of carbon dioxide is a good way. As the saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure”, it would be better if we can do something to prevent the global warming from getting worse.

Text Production Essay #1

What are the potential effects of global warming in terms of climate change and how they can be arrested?

There is a greenhouse gases layer in the atmosphere which traps outgoing infrared radiation in the Earth. It is good because it keeps the Earth warm. However, the greenhouse gases have increased dramatically because of human activities. This makes the layer becomes thicker and more radiation is trapped in the atmosphere. (Al Gore 2007) This phenomenon is called global warming. Generally, global warming refers to an increase in the average global temperature due to the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. There are many potential consequences of global warming in terms of climate change and they should be tackled with prompt action as soon as possible.

Global warming which leads to climate change causes the sea level to rise. Since the middle of 19^th century, sea level has been raised, mainly due to the human-induced climate change. During the 20^th century, sea level rose about 15 to 20 centimeters each year. In fact, Greenland is now in melting process. According to a scientific advisor, Tony Blair, if the melting process of Greenland continues, the map of the world has to be redrawn. The low altitude countries such as Florida, San Francisco, Netherlands, Beijing, Shanghai, Calcutta and Bangladesh will sink into underwater. As a result, hundred million or more people will suffer. (Al Gore 2007)

Besides, the extinction of the animals is also one of the potential effects of global warming in terms of climate change. Arctic is a country which affected by climate change significantly. As the temperature of Arctic rises rapidly, the summer ice disappears gradually. Polar bears which depend on sea ice for hunting will be unable to survive in the future. Furthermore, the global warming will affect the growth of plants. Undoubtedly, it decreases the number of migratory birds flying to the Arctic every summer to breed and nest because some breeding habitats have been vanished. (Chris Woodford 2006)

Therefore, global warming must be solved in order to save the Earth from being damaged continuously. As the research shows that greenhouse gases especially carbon dioxide which mainly spewed by the factories and vehicles have caused temperatures to rise between 0.6°C and 0.9°C over the past century (Holli Riebeek 2007), a very effective way to solve the problem is to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide. To do that, we can use energy efficiency appliances. For example, we can replace the incandescent lamps with fluorescent lamps. We can bicycle, walk, or take bus instead of using personal car. According to Al Gore An Inconvenient Truth A Global Warming, the 2007 film directed by Davis Guggenheim, if we all use more energy efficient appliances, we can reduce the carbon dioxide emission to the level achieved in year 1970.

Moreover, it is ridiculous to compare our planet with economy. If we do not have planet, we can do nothing. If we do the right thing, then we can create a lot of wealth and jobs which can lead to economic growth. (Al Gore 2007) Therefore, the world’s governments should participate in Kyoto Protocol which aimed at fighting global warming. According to the Stern Report, the cost of solving this problem will be greater tomorrow so it is important to tackle climate change immediately. Stern also claims that it only cost one percent of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) which is 20 times less if we deal with the effects later. (Chris Woodford 2006)

In conclusion, global warming in terms of climate change brings many problems to the Earth such as the rise of the sea level and the extinction of animals. It is a very serious issue and we, as human beings, should take actions to tackle this problem expeditiously. Reducing the emission of carbon dioxide is a good way. As the saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure”, it would be better if we can do something to prevent the global warming from getting worse.

Hammer killing of Charlie Boulos, 24, prompted by jealously

By Greg Roberts

From:AAP

March 11, 2010 11:38pm

A JEALOUS lover lay in wait before brutally murdering his girlfriend's male friend, a court has heard.

Troy Joshua Townley used a hammer and knife to kill Charlie Boulos, 24, at the home of Karen Hanna, Townley's on-again off-again lover, Crown prosecutor Paul Darcy told the Victorian Supreme Court today.

Defence lawyer Wayne Toohey, however, told the court Ms Hanna and her brother conspired in a plan to rob Boulos and Ms Hanna landed the fatal blows while Townley helped them dispose of the body.

"Mr Townley never agreed to forcefully injure him ... Karen Hanna went off on a frolic and mission of her own,'' he said.

Mr Toohey said Townley, of Derrimut in Melbourne's west, was part of the conspiracy with Ms Hanna to assault and rob Boulos, but had not killed him.

Mr Boulos's badly charred body was found a week after the mechanic went missing by a man walking his dog at a reserve in Laverton North, 13km south of where he was allegedly killed at Ms Hanna's home in St Albans.

Mr Darcy told the court Ms Hanna claims Townley, 25, was sending jealous text messages on the night Mr Boulos was killed on June 23, 2008.

"Karen Hanna said over a period of months leading up to the event occurring, there were tensions and jealousies with the accused man,'' he said.

Boulos, Ms Hanna and her younger brother Michael were using illegal amphetamines in her furnished shed on the night of June 23 when Michael saw Mr Townley lurking in the backyard, Mr Darcy said.

"The accused man came up behind Charlie, put his finger on his lips and Michael thought he was going to play a joke on him,'' he said.

"What happened was anything but a joke, the accused man started the process of hitting Charlie in the head with a hammer forcefully.''

Graphic images displayed how Boulos's skull was fractured countless times from blows with a hammer to his scalp, eye sockets, cheekbones and jaw, with several depressed fractures touching his brain.

He was also stabbed 10 times in the torso and plastic was shoved down his throat but he had died from the hammer blows, forensic pathologist Melissa Baker told the court.

She said the blows were delivered with "severe force'', which the prosecution will argue reveal Mr Townley's intent to murder Boulos.

The trial before Justice Betty King continues.

Schoolboy helps mum deliver baby sister in Queenland

AAP

February 26, 2010 5:38pm

• Boy helps mum through labour
• Takes instructions over the phone
• Delivers baby girl

AN 11-year-old Queensland boy has delivered one of his mother's premature twin babies.

Rohan Townsend delivered one of his sisters with instructions from a paramedic over the phone early this morning after his mum went into labour 12 weeks early at their Sunshine Coast home.

An ambulance crew took mum Amanda Sullivan and the new arrival to Nambour General Hospital after being called to the the family's Bli Bli home at 6.50am (AEST), the Department of Community Safety said.

Ms Sullivan's second daughter was delivered at the hospital and both girls have since been transferred to the Royal Brisbane Hospital.

Australian Medical Association (AMA) Queensland president-elect Dr Gino Pecoraro said Rohan had performed an amazing feat for such a youngster.

"What an amazing young man," he said.

"How difficult and scary it must be for an 11-year-old to come face to face with his mother having twins and not only twins, but early twins.

"He certainly should be congratulated as are at least our emergency services people who guided him through that on the phone."

Dr Pecoraro said he'd be happy to help Rohan become an obstetrician.

"When he finishes high school and grows up and does medicine if he wants to be an obstetrician get him to give us a call and we will get him on the training program," he said.

Ms Sullivan, who checked out of Nambour Hospital yesterday, is in on her way to Brisbane to be reunited with her daughters.

Internet porn? We don't look at it, say Aussies

By Andrew Ramadge, Technology Reporter

From:news.com.au

February 11, 2010 11:18am

• Australians say they don't look at porn
• The majority also support web filtering
• But not the way the Government plans

MOST Australians say they don't look at online porn and support the idea of an internet filter, a survey has found.

Just one in five respondents admitted to looking at legal but sexually explicit material on the internet – less than the number of people who said they had stumbled across it by accident.

Sixty per cent – including almost half of those aged 18 to 29 – said they had never seen it, in the survey conducted for ABC program Hungry Beast.

However the numbers may be skewed by modesty, with at least four major porn websites among the Top 100 visited by Australians as ranked by web traffic monitor Alexa.

All four adult sites were more popular than the official sites of Qantas, the Yellow Pages and the Australian Open, according to the list.

Only 6 per cent of people said they had deliberately looked at material online they thought would be refused classification under the Federal Government's internet filter.

A further 24 per cent said they had seen such material accidentally.

Support for filtering

The survey also canvassed opinions on the Government's plan to create a mandatory internet filter for all Australians.

Eighty per cent of respondents said they supported a system to block access to material that is refused classification, such as child sexual abuse, bestiality, fetish porn and instructions on drug use.

Nineteen per cent were not in favour.

However, even more overwhelming was the number of people who thought the system should be transparent.

Ninety-one per cent said they thought the community should be told which websites had been placed on the filter blacklist.

Under the Government's current plan, the blacklist would be secret.

The results echo the thoughts of web filtering proponent Clive Hamilton who last year told news.com.au he believed the current plan was too secretive.

"One of the problems with the Government's approach has been the lack of transparency in the process and that has raised concerns," he said.

"It all seems to be done in secrecy. And the policy, if they went ahead, would have a great deal of secrecy attached to it."

The research was conducted by phone by McNair Ingenuity Research and included 1018 adult respondents.

Oh, my God - atheist convention sells out

BARNEY ZWARTZ

February 2, 2010

AN ATHEIST convention in Melbourne has sold out six weeks before it opens despite no aid from any level of government, organisers said yesterday.

Convention organiser and Atheist Foundation of Australia president David Nicholls said the state government had ''stabbed the people of Victoria in the back'' by not helping, forcing organisers to hire smaller venues.

The Global Atheist Convention, at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on March 12-14, features a stellar line-up of presenters, including the world's best-known atheist, Richard Dawkins.

''We think this is a turning point for secularism in Australia, and it will be looked at by the rest of the world,'' Mr Nicholls said. ''We will see it happening more through the free planet, and our aim is to make the whole planet free.''

He said more than 2500 tickets had been sold, about half to Victorians and the rest to interstate and international visitors.

But he said that only the last day, with Richard Dawkins, would be in the 2500-seat auditorium. Because organisers ''could not afford to gamble'', they had hired smaller auditoriums for the first two days.

''We were very annoyed that all three tiers of government refused to assist us,'' Mr Nicholls said.

He said Canberra bureaucrats said such funding was not part of the portfolio responsibility of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd or his deputy, Julia Gillard, and provided no other advice.

The Victorian Government raised hopes, then suddenly told him ''the event has been secured, so you're not getting the money'', he said.

The Parliament of the World's Religions, held in Melbourne in December, received $2 million from the federal government and the state government.

Mr Nicholls said if the organisers had been able to afford a bigger venue and advertising, many more people might have been able to attend.

Other speakers include philosophers Peter Singer and A.C. Grayling, American commentator P.Z. Myers, former evangelist Dan Barker and broadcasters Phillip Adams and Robyn Williams.

A thousand broken hearts: tragedy of teen campers

The deaths of two teenagers run over by a ute as they camped out after a party had "broke 1000 hearts", says one of their grief-stricken mothers.

Early on Tuesday morning, 19-year-olds Will Dalton-Brown and Eliza Wannan were sleeping beside a ute on a farm near Molong, in central west NSW, after celebrating Australia Day at a gathering of friends.

Police allege a 17-year-old boy reversed over them in his ute as he prepared to leave the Belgravia Road property about 5am.

The injured pair, whose long-time friendship had recently taken a romantic turn, was rushed to hospital, where they died within hours of each other on Wednesday.

Lee Dalton said her son was on the "cusp of life" but now her worst nightmare has been realised.

"The deaths of Will and Eliza broke 1000 hearts on Wednesday - four of them being their parents," she told AAP.

"It's every parent's worst nightmare. For us it has become a reality.

"Will was, and will remain, 19 years and two days old."

Ms Dalton said her son had recently returned to Australia after a gap year in which he spent three months travelling around southern African by himself.

He financed his trip by chopping and selling firewood.

He and Eliza, former students of Orange's Kinross Wolaroi School, were both about to start university courses.

Nedra Burns, a friend of the Wannan family, said Eliza's parents were "absolutely devastated".

Eliza's MySpace page said she was "supposed to be born in the 60s" and loved to laugh at her own jokes and find the good in everyone.

Police took statements from everyone in the area at the time of the tragedy.

The 17-year-old driver was questioned and released pending further inquiries.

AAP