It's Been A While!

I've been a bit slack with the blog posting lately, but give me a break - it's been a long couple of weeks for me! We're had a few deaths in the family, losing two pets and a beloved family friend, so I've been feeling a bit numb and not very creative.

I've been spending my time playing World of Warcraft with my online friends, reading, watching TV and trying to come to terms with these losses.

Hopefully, I will be able to get back to regular posting, both here and on my personal blog.

If there's something you want to see me blog about, or some abuse you want to throw at me, you can reply to this post!

Eco-Tip of the Week #1

Tip #1: Don't use your dryer!

Even newer energy-saving models use a large amount of energy to dry your clothes. They also have the potential to stretch, shrink and fade your clothes.

If you have a heated house, dry your clothes inside! Use an indoor clothesline or airer. Sure, it doesn't look pretty, but it's not permanent. Put them away when you are expecting guests. If your house is heated with a split-system/heat pump or ducted heating, this method is especially effective.

Or, you can hang your clothes outside! (bit old fashioned, but it works ;) )

So there you go! Save energy, your favorite shirt and the planet!

SMR: Cancer Vaccine Scare

A NEWS.com.au report this morning stated: "THE new cervical cancer jab is believed to be behind a huge jump in the number of women and girls suffering bad reactions to vaccinations."

The new cervical cancer vaccine, Gardasil, is being primarily named as the reason for a large increase in reported adverse reactions to vaccines in the medical community. These statements refer primarily to school-aged girls who recieved the Gardasil vaccination in conjunction with other vaccines during routine innoculations by school nursing staff.

A report released by the National Vaccine Information Centre and reported in an article on the Medical News Today website in February 2007, the reactions reported by the 16 and under group were consistently found when the Gardasil vaccine in conjunction with other school-age vaccines. NVIC President Barbara Loe Fisher was quoted as saying:
"Because Merck only studied GARDASIL in fewer than 1200 girls under age 16 in pre-licensure trials, it is critical that doctors and parents be made aware of the nature of the initial adverse event reports ..."

Doctors are stressing to patients and the media that the benifits of this vaccine far outweigh the risks when used in suggested age groups. The Australian Federal government has funded a program providing this vaccine free to girls aged 12 to 13 through a school program. They are also offered free to 13 to 18 year old girls as part of a 'catch-up' program, and to young women aged up to 26 through their GP.

In my humble opinion, parents should be aware of the potential side effects of this - and any - vaccine their child is to recieve at school. Especially since Gardasil was under-tested by the manufacturer, Merck, during its' pre-licensing phase.

I do still think that it is a worthwhile vaccine for all women eligible. The ideal way for this vaccine to be introduced is to girls before they become sexually active - and let's face it, a growing percentage of young girls are potentially exposing themselves to HPV before they have had the chance to become protected.

I personally have had the course of Gardasil vaccinations, and while it was a rather stingy injection, I suffered no ill-effects beyond a little dizziness after the first treatment. So, I'll have to agree with the doctors on this one.

Do you research, weigh the benifits and risks, and do what you think is right.

How Many Five Year Olds Could YOU Take In A Fight?

31

Created by OnePlusYou

SMR: Food, Fuel and Greening it Up

As fuel prices soar, news services are beginning to warn that food prices will be next to rise. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out!

"As fuel prices hit record highs, the Victorian Farmers Federation revealed yesterday how much it expected prices of essentials would rise as a result." The Sunday Morning Herald reports. "..farmers say they cannot continue to absorb extra costs from rising petrol prices."

Now, normally I'd continue to pick through news articles for the rest of my rant, but this morning I'm inspired, so here are some tips that everyone can use to make their lives easier, save some money, and save the planet too!

Buy Local
This one's a no-brainer. Next time you're at the supermarket and about to buy something, stop for a second and think about how far the item has travelled to get to the shelf. Buy locally grown veggies and meat from local outlets - not from chain supermarkets. Shop right and you'll save a packet too.

Buy Fresh
Most of us are out and about most days of the week, whether it be for work, errands or whatever, so why not buy your veggies fresh? Do your veggie shop once a week, and only buy what you will eat or cook within a week. Frozen veg goes through a lot of processing, and covers a lot of distance before it ends up in the freezer section at the supermarket. Plus, fresh tastes better too!

Turn it off!
This is one tip that I've really taken to heart. I used to leave my computer on all the time, whether I was using it or not. Until I found out how much energy is uses! Turn appliances off at the off switch, or better still, at the power point when they're not in use. Don't put things in stand-by mode either: a study conducted by the International Energy Agency in 2001 showed that a staggering 13% of residential electricity used was stand-by! So take a walk around your home at night. Every little light you can see means more energy wasted! Oh, and turn off the light when you leave the room ;)

Change a Light globe
Change to energy-saving light bulbs in your home. "If every household in the United States replaced one regular light bulb with (a compact fluro bulb)... the pollution reduction would be the equivalent of removing one million cars from the road." If you don't like the color of them, use them where you won't see them much: outside, toilet, laundry, etc..

Don't drink bottled water
Save your money, and reduce waste: install an under-bench or on-tap water filter at home and make your own.

Well, there you have it. My top Eco-tips. Don't get too excited, I may have more in the future!

A quick LOL

I was browsing random news articles this morning, and this one made me laugh :D

"GATECRASHERS are using Google Earth and Facebook to organise illegal pool parties."

Hey, now why didn't I think of that before?!

The final word on Fuel Prices

You could sit here and read me bitch and whine about increased fuel prices, and our lazy Government, but I think this ad from GetUp, a grassroots political movement, says it all...

Sunday Morning Rant

NEWS.com.au reports this morning: "Students told friends dead in hoax". What the hell?!

Just incase you're too lazy to go read the article, I'll quote the important bit here:
"To make it seem real, highway patrol officers visited the school on a Monday morning to deliver the grim news explaining why 26 students were missing from class. The Associated Press reports some students wept, some felt physically ill and others were completely overcome."

One student stated to the media that she "...felt betrayed by people she is supposed to be able to trust." Exactly. Couldn't have said it better myself.

Teachers work long and hard to gain the respect and trust of their students, and it's even harder for the Police to earn respect, especially from teenagers.

It's extremely important for students to feel that they can trust and confide in their teachers: for many students, teachers are the only adults in their lives that they can feel safe to talk to. Good on you for destroying these teens trust in authority figures. Bravo.

Alcohol Abuse: It's not just about the grog

In today's post I will discuss alcohol and public housing in Aboriginal communities. Some of my views may offend, so if you are sensitive to this topic, please do not read on.

This post is about a topic that really makes my blood boil.

Today, The West Australian reported "Oombulgurri homes 'danger to occupants'". The article speaks about homes with no windows, no sewerage, unsafe electrics and "grass almost as high as the house". Nineteen houses in the area are deemed 'uninhabitable', with five of those tagged for demolition. Great.

In the same inquest into the situation in the Kimberley region, The Australian reports on 5 alcohol-attributed suicides in the community. It also reported that "...more than 100 residents - almost the entire adult population - left their bank card and pin numbers with a charter company, which flew in planeloads of alcohol in return..." Well that's just dandy. Can't be bothered to mow the lawns. Oops! broke a window. No worries, let's scheme to get alcohol flown in and blame the Government's poor management skills.

"Under questioning by John Hammond, lawyer for the families of the deceased, Mr Hamilton said the department had not provided any funding for building maintenance for two years until July last year..." Yeah, that's right, blame the Government. While the Department of Housing and Works is responsible for many maintenance problems, it is generally the tenants who are responsible for repairing damage, mowing lawns, etc.. As in any other area, a home which has been damaged beyond repair - whether by fire or vandalism - would be demolished, and the funding that would have been spent on repairing the premises is chanelled into another area.

It is disgusting that these homes were allowed to get to this state to begin with. If the area were not so remote, I don't doubt that the DHW would have kicked out the residents and boarded them up quite some time ago. Perhaps it's bad management, or perhaps the residents are to blame. I tend to lean towards the latter.

While I understand that some Aboriginal communities respect and appreciate the services the Government provides for them, I feel that most do not. I think this has been perpetuated by the 'Sorry' attitude people are encouraged to have towards the Aboriginal community, which has guilted the Government into continuing to provide services and infrastructure that would never normally be continued in any other area after so much blatant abuse.

No community - regardless of whether they are black, white or purple - should be afforded special treatment. If services are continually abused, they should be removed or changed. I believe that the access to basic housing should be considered a right, not a priviledge. But with rights come responsibilities! If you are provided with a dwelling, you have the responsibility to look after it. To not damage it, not abuse it, not let it fall into disrepair.

Aboriginal communities continually receive a bad rap. Show the country that you're not just free-loading drunks - step up to the plate and prove that you are proud of the way your country tries its' best to cater to everybody.

Food Blogging

I'm the chef of the house, so I'm always looking for inspiration for new dishes. I've recently added a few food feeds to my Google Reader, and one of them came up with a fascinating liquer today called Nocino. It's an Italian liquer, made with Vodka, spices, sugar and green walnuts! I can't wait to raid the walnut tree and make some of this toxic-looking delight!

You can expect to hear more about my culinary adventures soon!

World of Wifecraft: Approach to Gaming

Thanks for this one Rem. I can say only one thing.... LOL

Note the gratuitous Leeroy Jenkins reference.

The Cats Meow

Ok, so nothing insightful today, the cold I'm working on has taken up all my energy so far.

I did manage to find a cute story about some clever cats in Moscow though!

A story closer to home, and a warning to dogs in Cane Toad areas - watch what you eat!

See what those crazy Mexicans are up to this time?!

And no, there are no second prizes for the person stupid enough to attempt this feat.

Sunday Morning Rant

What the hell is Australia coming to?

A site at Myall Creek in NSW is to be added to the Australian National Heritage List, in recognition of at least 28 indigenous peoples that were massacred there in 1838. "The events at Myall Creek resonate across the years and the listing of the massacre and memorial site formally recognises a pivotal moment in Australia's history,'' said Mr Peter Garrett, Heritage Minister. Good on you Pete. What's next, Port Arthur is already on the list, what you gonna do about that, huh?

The Real World of Warcraft

A recent article on NEWS.com.au surmised that 'Video game addicts are not just shy nerds'.

While this article does raise some interesting points, I think the author completely misses the point of online gaming, and possibly the internet as a whole.

There are over 10 million subscribers to World of Warcraft, and the average player will game for 2 - 6 hours at a time. During this time, they are interacting with literally hundreds of other players in some form or another - whether it be walking past them outside Aldor bank, passing them on the way to Karazhan, buying their wares in the Auction House, or grouping up with 24 others for a raid.

The rising cost of living is making it pretty hard for the average person to engage in a normal social life. From increased living costs like home loan interest rate increases, and a sharp rise in fuel prices, to increased taxes on alcoholic beverages, it is now harder than ever before to enjoy time with friends in The Real World.

Why then wouldn't people find other avenues to extend their social networks?

The Internet is widely available - and affordable. Subscriptions to online gaming networks cost less than a meal at a restraunt. Plus, you get to network with people from all over the globe.

So it's time to deal with it. The Internet is here to stay.