So who’s presenting?

So who’s presenting?
5 Steps to present

By Dale Stam 12/10/11


Public speaking is a scary beast that can leap out of the crisp corridors of office life, and snatch up all the confidence you built since 9am. There are various methods for defence, some people tackle the monster first, others react after it has pounced, and there are still others who run away screaming.

I have given a few public presentations, felt the stares and the rapid heartbeat, but there are some tricks to help you overcome the beast.

1. Do not be paranoid.
Truth is all those people you stare out over, they actually want you to do well. They would rather be engaged then bored, and if you are able to make a good presentation, then they will associate you with somebody who they can not only understand, but whom they want to hear from.

2. Turn on the slow-mo.
It might go against everything in your body telling you to fly when giving a presentation, but one of the major factors in bad presentations is presenters who rush into things.

Take a breather, if anybody asks, you’re doing it for dramatic tension. Actors use it to grasp audiences, and teachers do it to hold the class. The speed of the presentation varies from person to person and from your pre-run timing to the actual presentation.
Remember that control like the actor and teachers comes from the pause, let them want more- it also gives you a moment to adjust to the stress.


3. Look to the horizon.
If all those eyes staring at you start to make you quake, then adjust your gaze to a higher plane, but not too high. Rest on the fringe, or the forehead, it appears you are looking at the audience but you gain less of the side effects from direct eye contact.

Hair does not stare, hair does not judge, and it is ready to be blown over by the power of your presentation.

4. Know your stuff.
If you know what you are presenting, then you are able to ad lib, and you gain a sense of confidence that comes with knowledge. Knowledge is power, as they say. This is often a saving grace of teachers, they take a breath as in number 2 above, taking in the scene, and decide whether to follow their lesson plan, or whether it is necessary to improvise to draw the class back in.

Impromptu presentations make this difficult, however try to grasp a handful of items and flesh them out, add a story, bring what you know.

5. You have got to speak to me.
One thing the audience does not want is monotonic reading, you have to present. Most universities and schools have students who will just read their work as their oral presentations. To shine you need to be different, you need to engage with the audience, make it stick. Use examples, stories, jokes, have props, diagrams, or audience interaction.

Some full time public speakers use a theme or metaphor that runs through their presentation. This allows them a path to come back to if they get lost, and can enable a through line for remembering the information and connecting with the audience. Using this method allows them to explore various techniques of engaging the audience and have fun, and so can you because you have a support structure to lean back on.

In conclusion, the audience wants you to do well, because they have been to so many bad presentations, they will be surprised by someone who is able to overcome this. Defeating your fear might seem difficult, but with practice and experience the fear subsides, and then you are the one who pounces.

Did you enjoy this article perhaps you might enjoy the following from within this blog;

http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/introverts-problem-with-social.html

The Tripping Giant

The Global Financial Crisis is an event that has been floated around for a while know but there is a great number of people who do not understand the topic. This article will focus on giving you a basic understanding of some key aspects and might encourage you to do further or at the very least be able to understand and perhaps contribute to conversations in regards to it.

Why does America have such a huge effect on the rest of the world?

This conversation crosses a wide spectrum of topics from finance, culture, technology, media and politics, and to cover them in any real efficient detail would require thesis papers from academic areas such as finance/commerce, sociology, psychology, IT, Political studies, science, engineering to name a few.

To put it simply America is a young country in the scheme of things, and they were able to improve upon the ideals and systems of the European or ‘old world’ nations which in themselves were built upon the progress of the various empires throughout history, Rome, Greece, The Mongols, an Egypt. With their distancing themselves from England they were able to create a new identity for themselves, and the fact that they were able to defeat the British Empire at this time, instantly placed them in a position of power within the new world order.

The Americas compared to Britain were rich in resources, and now had a powerful economic tool in both the slave trade, and child labour through factories; both facts that other emerging countries have noted about progress. If people were to look at America’s progress throughout time, we see that they had less restrictions on how they could push their economy, and thus make America the economic powerhouse that it still holds today. When compared to emerging nations like India and China, they are now having more UN sanctions and Humanity demands placed upon them, which is progress for the Human condition, and rights, but it has to be noted it seems a little ironic that America can gain benefits and then demand that others can not use the same- even if it is morally and humanely wrong- system.

World War 2 came around and it you learnt your history from Hollywood you might be surprised to learn that America was actually a late entry, preferring to trade with both sides of the battle. They did not feel any threat from the Axis powers. This is not to say that there were not a select few who understood the ramifications of the war, and that America should not be profiting through their beloved free trade system and sitting on the sideline. It was not until Pearl Harbour that America decided to really become fully involved in the war. A famous quote in regards to Japan causing America to engage in the war, that they have ‘awoken a sleeping giant’, a similar phrase has recently been stated about China.

America had a lot of economic power and resources to back up their technology, and they gave the Allies a much needed boost. America then ended the war with the bombing of Hirosoma and Nagasaki, and so reaffirmed their position as the dominant superpower.

Of course there was another possible superpower and America took the view that from the East was the evil, the Soviet Union. Thus the Cold War emerged where these two titanic nations engaged in chest beating, comparing of toys, and name calling, whilst getting other usually developing nations to fight out their battles for them. America with capitalism was following the free market where capitalism and the dollar were the engines, and the wheels that were used to keep this going were the concept of the American Dream and that anybody could obtain success- ‘The Land of Opportunity‘.

America through free trade and through their vast output of cultural media made their actions clear to others, whereas the ‘Iron Curtain’ of the Soviet Union created a position where all the world could do is guess and speculate about the wonders, and what few items that were released- I’m guessing they were picky about what they showed- suggested that they were always a step in front of the Americans. This lead to further increases in arms and of course trading to get resources to make arms, a nice little circle. Of course we know now that what we though about the Soviet Union was not in fact reality for the common man, and through this battle of wits and waste of resources to obtain nothing really in the end, caused the Soviet Union to collapse.

Without their major nemesis the Americans were able to keep their progress going and impose their imperial ideology through their trade deals, and because they were the major exporter of culture- film, music, literature, the whole world was already thinking in a similar fashion and hey who wouldn’t want to be like America? Of course this has also caused America to have a few enemies, which dislike various aspects of America’s foreign policy, and their at times selfish and arrogant behaviour. America at times does not agree with the UN decisions, and you have to wonder why UK Prime Minister Tony Blair received trouble regarding his contribution to the War in Iraq, whilst President of the USA, George W Bush did not. Because of their domineering position the rest of the world has taken their cues on many major institutions, such as Business, and of course finance. Thus when the GFC occurred and rocked the US economy it was nearly instantaneously felt within the stock market, and then more gradually in the actual economy- where people order and trade resources and stock, and from this area the vast majority of jobs were lost. Globalisation has many benefits but this was not one of them, thus what normally would have been a more reduced instance was felt worldwide within a few months.

But if America was the cause why do we still use them as our basis?

Well the G20 meeting in London in 2009 is actually being sited as the start of a new world order. The G20 Summit is a group of 19 nation’s finance ministers, central bank governors and the European Union and was started in 1999, who come together to discuss financial problems and global economic governance. As like most of these meetings there were groups advocating for free markets- because you know its not like that led us into this- and others who wanted the State to greater intervention- and no the State is not like the ‘Man’, it means that the Government would have greater control over the system- this limit’s the possibility of growth sure because you have more prying eyes, and people that you have to past ideas through, but in the end some nations including the USA needed to change the way they would handle the situation.Luckily the USA had President Obama, a much more collaborative Diplomat compared to the more dictating style of Bush Jr, and this allowed for the group to power forward.

The G20 Decided that they were going to create a new Financial Stability Board that would unite National Regulators with the IMF to provide more efficient early warning systems, and placed more money into the IMF so that nations in trouble would be able to borrow money to help them. Also it was decided that more emerging nations would be given a say on how the IMF would implement the money, and how the Global Economy will deal with the GFC. Hence instead of using America as the focal point of Global Finance, the new world order will sort of function as an external body- similar to the UN, and the IMF that works for the Global betterment. Because they are separate from a single country they are able to react more quickly than a single nation because they are less tied to communicating with the wide variety of departments, pushing bills and policy through houses, and the minefield of politics in quite the same degree. This however does not mean that the world is out of the metaphorical woods, because those same International Bodies have been criticised for acting with the same ideology of the USA or UK and not Global, or have been implementing items that benefit the developed and only impose on the developing, or even using outdated methods for evaluation. This is probably why there has not been much noticeable change for the everyman.

Another major reason why we still use America as our global financial base is because a lot of different nations have invested money or resources in American Dollars. Because a large portion of some nation’s GDP comes from their investment in American facilities or banks, or resources, it is in their best financial interest to try to keep the American Dollar strong, so that they in themselves are not financially hurt, so holding the other nations to ransom. This creates a paradox of where you are trading in a Currency to make it stronger, so that you can retain a profit whereas usually you would be trading in a currency that is already (or if your crafty about to become strong) so that you gain profits. For example quite a few countries are investing in Australian currency because they see it as a backdoor into investing with the Rising Dragon, China- Australia has a strong economic and trading deals with China, and thus if you invest in the Australian currency which is then fed into China, they can gain benefits.

It might seem a little off putting for those who do not know about banks, but they are nothing like Scrooge McDuck with the vast vaults of money. In fact most banks are investors, hence your money is invested into the stock market, the currency market, the commodity market (the trading of resources such as oil, gold, tin, beef) and banks perform best when they are all interlinked through trading and borrowing between each other. However when the GFC hit banks, like all businesses needed liquidity- translation: Cash. But how are they going to get the cash if they cannot borrow from another bank? This is one of the major reasons that banks or financial institutions of various sizes were in trouble. To make it appear to other institutions and to the public that they were still strong, or in some cases, just not weak banks tended to save. But if the banks are loaning, then other banks, businesses (both large and small) and individuals (including couples) caused a lot of people and businesses to do it hard- or fail, not necessarily through bad business practice but through the need of business for credit to grow and prosper.

But then you have Governments trying to get people to spend, so that the economy would be better. A good example of this for the Australians is when Kevin Rudd gave out the $900 stimulus package to people- did you spend it? Really, you went out and spent all of your $900? Right (Oh by the way when dealing with individuals the paradox is referred to as the Paradox of thrift). Banks did not want to loan because they thought they would fail, but this then made people start to think that banks as a whole would fail- which then lead to the much criticised bail out of the banks. Perhaps the banks will start to save more now, or maybe if we wish hard enough the money back that we paid them.

So in the end America is still important but they are no longer the Giant who could dictate to other countries, they are starting to come into the fold of a new world order, where more countries have a say in finance, and hopefully this will mean that there will be less situations like the GFC in the future.

The Carbon Tax and what it means for you

(http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/gillard-never-met-a-tax-she-didnt-like-and-hike/ )

As some of you will be witnessing today that Prime Minister- Julia Gillard is 'reneging' on an Election Promise to implement a Carbon Tax from July 1st. There of course will be allot of information in regards to this, and we will have differing points of view, this article will try to analyse these.

It has perhaps come at a bad time for Prime Minister Julia Gillard, with all the recent debate in regards to the Flood Tax Levey, and the need to reduce or close certain Government Subsidies to try to make the cost for people cheaper.

It is obvious for all those with bills that the cost of living is increasing, and taxes- just make it harder, but then taxes also pay for the maintenance of the road that we drive on, the parks we sleep in, and implement other strategies to aide Australians both domestic and abroad.

What is Carbon Tax?
This information was provided by http://climatelab.org/Carbon_tax

Carbon Tax is a tax that is placed on CO2 emissions, and is mostly focused on the CO2 emissions related to the burning of fossil fuels- the same burning that creates the majority of electricity in Australia, and currently China- thanks again for buying our minerals :)
(Australia Post-http://www.theaustralianpost.com/2010/03/andrew-forrest-again-number-one/)

We are all smiling like this bloke, unless you don't live in WA

By placing this on to emissions the Government is planning for the company to start to find alternative measures for bringing us energy- mainly green energy. There is at first a fundamental flaw to this at the moment;
A company wishes to make money and at the moment they have not been given an incentive- or better yet legislation to absorb the increased cost that this tax will bring, hence they will more than likely 'pass' the cost onto the consumer, ie you. So the cost of electricity and gas will go up as it has for the past few years, but then you just add some more.

The plan of the Government is also to increase the cost of this tax over the years, thus ensuring greater incentive for the company to change to green or sustainable energy production- but there is likely to be a barrier for a while, because the company can pass a fair portion of the tax onto the consumer.

Here is a diagram

OK lets assume that at the beginning we were in a situation at PE, QE, where the demand for the company's energy is in an equilibrium to the supply given by the company (this is of course simplified and ignoring those with solar energy buybacks, and the lost kilowatts), this means that the cost that we the consumer is willing to pay is being equaled out by the quantity of energy that the company gives us.

Now the Government implements the Carbon Tax, this thus increases the cost of production to the company, and they want to make back this money, moving the price to the consumer to Pc, while the price for the producer falls to PP, hence the consumer will pay the cost of production which is PP, and the added tax, thus Pc. At this point in time a consumer is likely to use less when cost is high, but a producer is likely to produce less when the consumer is paying a low price, hence the quantity will shift from Qe to Qt.

Because of the necessary use of energy in today's society this situation will need to create a new equilibrium, because at the moment at Pc, Qt, there will be a surplus, and that means wasted energy.

Expressed another way;
Shown by an increase in the price that consumers will pay. If we follow this on the y axis (the vertical axis) to Pc, then draw a line horizontally so it crosses both the dotted Demand line and the solid Supply line, we can easily observe that both demand and supply do not overlap here. Hence at the point in time the market will either have a decrease in quantity to Qt on the x axis (horizontal axis). Demand is still high, but if the company wishes to make the money back they might be enticed to reduce the supply, thus bringing a shortage to the market and hence people will pay more for the privilege to use it. This would then eventually create a different equilibrium

- Increase the cost to the company, and they will be likely to decrease supply so that they can then charge a higher price to the consumer- because there is now a higher demand for the product. We will now look at this situation with the following diagram;

At the beginning we are at the Equilibrium of PO, QO. Then the Company is now under the influence of the carbon tax, so they will have an increase in their costs, and the easiest way for the company to deal with this increase in cost is to pass it on to the consumer. Hence the new cost of P1 is formed,

1. The increase in cost is likely to turn people off from using the product and this will hence create a decrease in demand for the product, shown by moving left on the demand scale to its new position on P1, and the company will in turn create less of it, hence shifting the supply scale to the new scale of S1, which then creates a new market equilibrium of P1, Q1.

2. Then as the population grows and the lack of fossil fuels starts to occur there will be an increase in demand which will then increase the price to consumers again, and increase the quantity. Shown in the movement from the equilibrium of P1, Q1 to P2, Q2, which requires the shift in the demand curve to the right.

3. Perhaps the Government will show leniency and give low income earners a subsidy to aid with the supply of power, here is a graph showing the effect of a subsidy using the example or meals.

At the original equilibrium of P1, Q1 we realise that there are still a large range of people who could be getting energy (food) and but cannot afford it (those on the demand scale below the equilibrium point), hence with the introduction of a subsidy, the company will be forced to decrease the cost of their product by increasing supply- shown in the shift in supply to the right, and the new equilibrium of P2, Q2. The downside with this situation is that there is still the variance between P1 and P2, and this loss in income might eventually cause financial trouble for our power companies, even though the new equilibrium of P2, Q2 should now be economical for both producer and consumer.

Conclusion;

Overall there will be an increase in the cost to the consumer, and the Government is unlikely to give everyone a subsidy for power. Hence will mean higher costs, and because the fossil fuels, and electricity are now such fundamentals of our civilisation, there will be run off costs from other businesses and industries thus increasing the cost in nearly everything- like the GST, another controversial tax.

Questions- Would it then be us or the companies that are really taxed?

The tax is meant to be a burden upon companies, so as to encourage them to improve environmentally, but there will be run off.

* Will all forms of carbon emission be taxed?

The focus will be upon business and industry that are involved with the burning or fossil fuels, though there is a possibility that in the future the plastics and other petroleum products could have a similar fate- though probably at a smaller rate.

This is also possibly true for the agriculture industry. There might also be a related push for cleaner motor vehicles or face the possibility of tax.

Taken to its logical extreme, all people breath out carbon dioxide which in some way would add to the global warming issue (If you believe that; that debate is not the purpose of this article), but it is highly unlikely, and would cause a large outcry from civilians.

* Will the carbon tax create jobs?

This is debatable, Julia Gillard states that it will, these will most likely be in the following areas;

- Those who are called in to license new businesses with carbon tax policies, and the policy makers, and legislation. This in turn will call for an increase in lobbyists from various groups.

- Those who are encountered with the administration and enforcing of the carbon tax. Perhaps a new office or department in public service, and the conflictory business associations.

- Those who will be tasked with counting and then taxing businesses, and industry.

So there is the possibility of creating jobs yes, but it should be noted that any loss in profit for a business (as seen in the GFC) that it would also create the possibility of loss of jobs- this is also a point that the opposition to the tax are pushing.

* This all sounds rather negative why would Gillard risk her governance over this?

The timing of the announcement is unfortunate, with Australia, New Zealand and its allies recently undergoing many natural disasters and thus the need to act and place money into situations that will aid these people have taken the forefront, and have lead to debate on the flood levy tax for example. Australians and all nationalities do not like tax, it is a cost, and items are getting more expensive, however without an efficient tax system a lot of the items mentioned previously, among others would not be available. Sometimes there is waste, and some projects do not work, however the idea that everybody is charged some money to aid in the assistance of all Australians is a noble one.

The Government is trying to implement a strategy which they believe will be a future benefit, probably generations from now- when companies are using energy production that is not based on fossil fuels, and thus the aiding in the environmental problems. The concept of the carbon tax or emission trading schemes is has been around for a while and is in debate around the world.

They are working for a future benefit, similar to the experiment that was conduct where children where given the option of having on piece of candy now, or getting 10 pieces if they were to wait 10 minutes. Unfortunately a majority take short term pleasure over the possibility of greater rewards- hence there will always be more people who would prefer to keep the system as it is or with a slight better off for them- increase the economy, then bargain it on the long term possibility of environmental success. Yes, you read that right- a bargain.

There is concern that if we pass this law the following will happen;

- Loss in jobs and a decrease in the economic ability of Australia- yes we survived the GFC relatively well, but this would be self imposed.

- The possible environmental benefits would not really make a dent globally- unless we were able to protect Australia's air from all the other air in the world- so why should we, 'shoot ourselves in the foot'. This could follow from the 'problem of the commons'; which can be described as follows;

The problem of the commons arises when a group of individuals each acting in an independent and logical fashion will consciously engage in actions that will act in their best interest in regards to a finite resource (our environment), even when it is clear that the the long term ramifications of such an action will be detrimental to the group, and thus each individual.

Each country/region/person wishes to benefit themselves first- and this usually means an increase in income and prosperity- hence using resources, which can then destroy the land. Thus although everyone is acting as an individual, they are in effect all working as a group to in this case endanger the environment.

There are problems when this comes about because if we wish self interest it is hard to actively do something that is not in your immediate interests- hence it usually takes a person or body in authority to take such action- hence usually the Government. But the effectiveness of the current Government and their 'authority', especially when related to the tied election is debatable- and why debate has been a rampant fixture of most decisions made by them.

So in conclusion they are trying to make a lasting impact for better or worse, and hope that other countries will follow, and hence the ideology of the commons will be changed.

* Is Australia the only country that would engage in the carbon tax?

Other countries around the world have similar programs in place such as;

- Finland were the first to adopt the concept of the carbon tax in 1990.

- Sweden followed suit in 1991, with the result of a large increase in biofuel use, and is often the country cited with for an example.

- Netherlands had a fuel tax and now have a Regulatory Energy tax in 1996.

- UK produced a 'climate change levy' in 2001 that was used to fund energy efficiency and renewable energy activities.

- New Zealand has had discussion of a carbon tax from 2005, and a more recent emission trading scheme from 2007 has been on the tables.

- A few states in America have enacted their own carbon taxes or similar programs.

So if Australia were to enact their own carbon tax, they would not be alone in the world, with various models to choose from, and use as guidance.

(All facts for this section were gained from http://climatelab.org/Carbon_tax)

* Closing

There are costs to be accounted for in our future- and this Government; timing bad as it is, perhaps are moving forward. Yes they are reneging on a promise made, but is the possibility for further benefit to Australia and the world in the long run worth it? Possibly? Maybe not?

This article is not meant to give a definitive answer- it is meant to enlighten those who happen by.

Also it helps to have the Greens around to take some of the blame.

Leave what you think about the new tax, the Government, or even the article below.


Dale Stam

Carbon Tax worries perhaps you should look at the following;
Part One;
http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/carbon-tax-hyperbolic-worries-and.html

Part Two;
http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/carbon-tax-hyperbolic-worries-and_10.html

Are you Interested in Social Issues perhaps you will be interested in some of the following articles on this blog;

http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/obesity-article-1.html

http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/sociology-and-problems-group-report.html

http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/tripping-giant.html

http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/what-about-youth.html

Obesity Article 2

This is the second article I have written in regards to obesity. It might have some overlap with the first article.


Obesity

South Australia had the worst rate of childhood obesity in Australia, and to combat this, the SA Government put in place a program that had been shown to be successful in France, the EPODE (Ensemble, prevenons l'obesite des enfants or ‘Together, let's prevent obesity in children’), which involves calculating the BMI (Body mass index) of the children and informing parents of those in danger and providing them with information and guidelines to improve their child’s health.

A few years later the children who would have been exposed to this new program are now nearing their teens. In March the Cancer Council of South Australia found that many of our teens still have unhealthy eating patterns. The respondents of their research were between the ages of 12 and 17 years, the future of Australia, this is why the Cancer Council SA (CCSA) is hoping that Julia Gillard’s Government will put in place some new legislation that will aid in curbing the ongoing battle with childhood obesity.

Almost one quarter of Australian children are overweight or obese, and the CCSA believes that their ‘Right Bites’ educational program needs to be introduced to all schools to inform the students about healthier eating habits and how they can improve their current situation. Currently the program is offered to Government Funded Public Schools, but this means students from Independent and Catholic Schools do not receive the full benefit of this program, but those of its guideline.
28% of respondents ate chocolate bars or chips five or more times per week, while nearly 40% say that they eat fast food two or more times a week. More than half of the respondents (57%) drink high sugar drinks three or more times a week, whereas only 23% are eating enough vegetables to sustain their dietary requirements.

To aid in the success of the program the CCSA are calling for the removal or regulation of fast food advertisements and sponsorships from the schools, while also actively restricting the unhealthy foods that are served to students during recess and lunches. With an increase in fruits and vegetables available, the lack of advertising, the restriction of unhealthy items, and their studies it is hoped that the trend will be reversed, and that future studies show a decrease in this alarming trend.

Chief Executive of the CCSA Professor Brenda Wilson states,“Obesity causes cancer and is a major contributor to the global burden of chronic disease and disability. Levels of childhood obesity have risen dramatically and are unacceptably high. Adolescents are eating more fast foods, which are often high in fat and sugar. Obesity in children is a major health concern in terms of cancer-risk later in life.”

The passing on the habits of healthy eating and physical activity has always been reliant upon the family culture, but with the increase in working hours in recent decades, parents are feeling betrayed by schools. Professor Wilson said that ‘To promote healthy eating habits in children, it is important to provide an environment which fosters this- at home and at school’.
Advertising restrictions would be put in place to aid parents in moving their children to healthier options. Children do not have as keen an understanding of advertising as adults and are more likely therefore to be influenced by advertising, leading to the dreaded ‘Pester Power’ that often overwhelms parents who are working long days. Parents are feeling undermined by food advertisers who poach their children while they are not looking, or while they are at school. Many parents support the CCSA’s call to restrict food advertisements to children. The ban would protect children between the hours of 7am and 9am, and 4pm till 9pm on weekdays, and from 7am till 9pm on weekends- effectively protecting the children from the advertising.

Parents are not able to watch over their children’s eating habits as easily as previous generations might have been, and often bad habits are carried outside of the parents view. If the Government were to take this on it would allow for children to be educated about healthy eating at home and at schools. Students spend up to six hours at school and are in a position to influence the habits of students on a level near a parent compared to various surveys.

Australia is recognised as one of the most overweight nations in the world, and the introduction of these initiatives will allow for across the board education on the subject. Teacher, students, their siblings, their parents, and the rest of the community will all be influenced and informed about healthy lifestyles. ‘Obesity causes cancer and is a major contributor to the global burden of chronic disease and disability’ said Professor Wilson. This is one of the CCSA’s 12 items proposed to the Government to reduce the effects of Cancer upon Australians, and they hope they will be taken up by the Gillard Government.

Obesity Article 1

This is the 1st Article I wrote regarding the theme of obesity and what is being done.


Why are our children overweight? The obesity epidemic.


Australia is the largest society in the world around the waist, outstripping our major rivals of both the UK and the USA. However this is not one first place position that we as a society want. 20-25% of our children our considered obese. Obesity is a condition where fat becomes a health hazard, with one of the primary causes being an energy imbalance which is linked to the increase in sedentary leisure activities, and the increase in high energy food consumption.

Following current trends by 2020, 80% of adults and a third of children will be obese or overweight. There have been various attempts to reverse this trend, but it appears that it is an uphill battle that Australia and the rest of the world are losing. Nearly half of all children who are obese will remain obese into adulthood. These people also have a much higher rate of heart related diseases such as high blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar. Obesity can also contribute to respiratory, orthopaedic and gastric problems. Problems related to obesity are a substantial drain on the Australian health system, and will soon be the number one preventable form of death, outstripping smoking. There are a multitude of causes for this situation, which all must be considered if the situation is going to improve.

Just like the topics of global warming/environment and population the obesity epidemic seems to be called up for discussion but not much is actually done to curb this problem. We have had various sports teams sponsoring sport and special PE activities at schools. But limited classes will not fulfill the purpose of frequent exercise needed to combat this problem.

A study in Queensland found that about 60% of children have poor motor skills, and 30% had low fitness levels. Both figures could be improved by the development and enhancement of Physical Education at our schools, but it appears that many schools are restricting their PE lessons, or removing them all together with little to no resistance from the school communities.

With the Howard Government pumping tax payer money mostly into private schools, those in the public system have been left trying to overcome financial difficulties- old text books, faulty air conditioning and heating systems and old or lack of sports gear. This lack of resources has increased the possibility of students not getting a lot of the benefits of the more funded private schools.

This has now been improved slightly but the effects of this still ruminates through our schools, but as some experts have said a few hours of PE a week will not accommodate the exercise our students require. This under allocation to sporting in the school system may be a course for the growing childhood obesity.

In Australian society sports people our held up as role models for our youth, but for those students who are not as gifted are often ridiculed and bullied. These students will then start to view sport and PE negatively and this could contribute to the lack of exercise aspect of childhood obesity.

Another factor contributing to the lack of exercise aspect is the growing technology and leisure activities of modern children. Computer games, and social networking are keeping students inside and in a passive state for longer periods of time then they were generations ago. A lot of employment in the future will be using technology skills from these activities, but we still need to encourage our children to engage in physical activity every day.

Parents set up the food schedule and should find ways of implementing healthier foods, whilst restricting the foods better left as treats. But with the constant increase in the price of food, especially healthier foods it seems that many households are left in a position where they are unable to afford to eat the healthy options, and thus are forced to settle. Some bodies have suggested that the Government should offer a subsidy on healthy food, allowing more households to afford it, however with the addictive qualities of a lot of unhealthy foods, it is doubtful this would be effective.

The South Australian Government has adopted a method that has been considered a success in France, the EPODE (Ensemble, prevenons l'obesite des enfants or ‘Together, let's prevent obesity in children’), which involves calculating the BMI (Body mass index) of the children and informing parents of those in danger and providing them with information and guidelines to improve their child’s health. However not all schools would be able to participate in the proposed plan, suggesting that community action will also be required.

Obesity is an ongoing problem that keeps being fed when we are unable to act and it is through education that many lives will future and present lives will be saved from this terrible disease.

Sociology and Problems Group Report

Dear Readers,

Today I treat you with some of my work from the past, today you will explore some group work that I participated in that involved offering up a question and proposing how given sociological theories would have tried to answer the question. Some of it might be confusing for the unitiated, but this is our summary of the whole 5 part process.

There are references at the end for those who would like to further enlighten themselves.

Enjoy;



Group D Theory summary

Rational Choice Theory Question: If Blau and Homans headed a new “Stop Teenage Binge Drinking” Campaign, what strategies do you think they would use?

The rational choice perspective essentially assumes that people are rational and base their behaviour on what they perceive to be the best course of action in order to get what they want (Wallace & Wolf, 2006, p. 303).

This approach is closely related to economics, with rational choice theorists adopting some basic propositions of economics:
"1. Individuals are rational profit maximizers ....
2. The more of something an individual has, the less interested he or she will be in yet more of it.
3. The prices at which goods and services will be sold in a free market are determined directly by the tastes of prospective buyers and sellers. ...
4. Goods will generally be more expensive if they are supplied by a monopolist ..." (Wallace and Wolf, 2006, p. 308).

* George Homans: A behaviourist

Homans states in the Rationality Proposition that when individuals are “choosing between alternative actions a person will choose the one for which, as perceived by him at the time, the value, (V), of the result, multiplied by the probability, (p), of getting the result, is the greater” (p. 316). Hence, teenagers view the social approval (result) as having a large value and high probability of positive effects. Homans believes ‘that people value (social) approval’, and this is a key factor in explaining ‘how conformity is created and maintained in informal groups’ (p. 315). Hence teenagers feel the need to conform to the wishes of the group to drink in excess, so that they can continue to access ‘approval and esteem’ (p. 315).

An anti-drinking campaign led by Homans would focus on trying to change the ‘social approval’ given by these groups. Homans would use a ‘shame’ approach, that would make the teenagers aware of the negative aspects of binge drinking, so that they would come to the ‘self gain’ concept at the centre of Rational Choice theory, similar to the ad for speeding, ‘No one thinks big of you’. A campaign of this kind would aim to help teenagers rethink the value/risk equation in order to decide if binge drinking truly delivers what they want.
* Peter Blau: A collectivist

Blau suggests that the two general functions of social exchange are: 1) for creating friendship bonds between people; and 2) the establishment of domination or subordination (p. 329). He emphasizes the importance of "impression management", i.e. "how people present themselves to others", stating that people wish to be seen as companions whose presence is both extrinsically and intrinsically rewarding (Wallace & Wolf, 2006, p. 340). Therefore, an approach based on social approval would be one aspect of Blau’s anti-drinking campaign.

An anti-drinking campaign led by Blau may also focus on trying to stop binge drinking through the implementation of rules and laws, e.g. no more drinks after 2pm, no drinking on the main street of towns, more security. The teenagers would then be guided by these laws and rules to correct their behaviour, and thus cease binge drinking.

Hence, Homans would attack the problem by getting the teenagers to change their perception of the situation and thus change their behaviour, because it was no longer an effective means to their goals, hence from the small groups to society. Blau on the other hand would attack the problem at an institutional level and implement laws that would influence people to change their behaviour.


Postmodernism Discussion Question: How would postmodern theorists view and deconstruct the various online social networking sites?

* Michel Foucault

Foucault believed that power essentially penetrates society through discourse, which is often sustained by institutions as a means of control (Macionis & Plummer, 2005). He also noted that the specific way in which the world is understood by society is through texts (Wallace & Wolf, 2006) and now with the social networking sites, everybody is a creator of text.

Social networking sites are similar to Foucault’s concept of panopticon- ‘in which each actor is alone, perfectly individualised and constantly visible’ (1977, p. 200). This panopticon played an integral role in defining power relations, maintaining order and subsequent discipline. Power relations on the networking sites can be seen by viewing who has befriended who, just as well as who has excluded who; with the added complexity of each actor having the ability to play the dual roles of prisoner within a group membership; and guard of their own profile or web space. This duality creates a false sense of reality, for an individual who guards their profile space may entrust that they have the power to protect while viewing those of others. Foucault (1977) may indeed have argued that this false sense of reality may provide an ideal environment to enforce discipline and punishment upon society.


* Jacques Derrida

A key concept for Derrida and postmodernism is Discourse; a way to emphasise the meaning and concepts words embody, while also exploring the rules that develop within a group (society) on ‘appropriate ways of talking about things’ (Wallace, & Wolf, 2006, p. 422). To understand this we need to understand that words and their meanings are socially produced, (e.g. slang, and the concept of the sign, signifier and signified).

On networking sites people represent themselves mostly through language (especially on Twitter's post based model), hence their identities are constructed for the world through language. Derrida wrote that identity is nothing more than the various cultural texts an individual is given (and therefore people are no more real than the texts they create). Hence, people are constructed through their use of language, and since language has no ‘centre’ (Bass, A, 1966), then a person can have no centre, thus the dynamic nature of humans and of their profiles. We are constructed by language and our construction is altered by language.


* Jean Francois Lyotard

Lyotard believed that social life is organised around 'language games'. Such games are made up of 'moves' or statements which, are the means by which participants try to influence others to accept their version of what is true or 'win the game' (Van Krieken et. al., 2000).

According to Lyotard, the postmodern era is characterised by the following:
1) People seem to have abandoned the search for truth; people have lost faith in science as providing truth.
2) Technical language games have replaced denotative language games; research is aimed at producing knowledge where there is a market for it. (Van Krieken et. al., 2000).

Postmodern society is no longer interested in theories of truth or justice and instead is based on the exchange of knowledge and the production of knowledge (Van Krieken et. al., 2000). The proliferation of information on the Internet and on networking sites supports the idea that we are living in a postmodern society. In the postmodern era anyone can be published, thus lending credence to Lyotard's views that the people in the post modern era are less interested in one great truth and more inclined to explore a multitude of truths.

References

Bass, A, 1966, ‘Jacques Derrida, “Structure, Sign and Play in the
Discourse of the Human Sciences”, Writing and Difference, pp.
278-95, On Literary Theory Dance Party, viewed 24 August,
2009, obtained through Google,
http://literarytheory.wordpress.com/2007/04/04/jacques- derridastructure-sign-and-play-in-the-discourse-of-the-human-sciences/

Foucault, M. (1977). Discipline and punish: The birth of the prison.
London: Penguin.

Macionis, J. J., & Plummer, K. (2005). Sociology a global introduction.
Essex:Pearson Prentice Hall.

Van Krieken, R., Smith, P., Habibis, D., McDonald, K., Haralambos, M.,
& Holborn, M. (2000). Sociology Themes and Perspectives,
Frenchs Forest: Pearson Education Australia.

Wallace, R.A, & Wolf, A, 2006, Contemporary Sociological Theory:
Expanding the Classical Tradition, 6th ed., Pearson Education,
Prentice Hall, New Jersey, USA.

Authors
Dale Stam, Sophia Grant, Josephine Gravina, Deanne Wright

Glee vs Fame

Musicals have been a genre that many have stated has died repeatedly throughout its life, but it is an adaptable medium that is able to connect with a large group of people and different music styles.

I have been watching Glee like many others, and have found that it bears striking similarities to a previous musical show- Fame. A generation apart perhaps, but with the advent of DVD I have been able to compare the two shows and have found some things that might make me less than popular.

Fame the Television Series was sort of a filler for what happened in between the various stages in the film- however compared to the film it is much lighter in tone. Some of the great aspects of this are as follows;
- Albert Hague who was great as Mr Shorofsky in the film continues to play off of Lee Curreri (Bruno Martelli) to great affect, and their relationship is explored to greater detail.
- Gene Anthony Ray as Leroy is once again a focal point of the series, and his stand off with Miss Sherwood continues into the television series. Though Miss Sherwood is played as a much more light hearted character in the television series.
- They are able to bring new songs to each episode, and although some have dated; mostly the synth heavy numbers- others are still nostalgically pleasing.
- The character of Julie Miller by a young (Lori Singer) is a nice addition to the cast, and is even the character that we follow on the premier episode into the school.


There were some concerns however;
* Different actors for Cocco, Montgomery, Ralph, and Doris.

- Erica Gimpel looks similar to Irene Cara who played Cocco in the film, however the character of Cocco does seem to rub me the wrong way, as she is often used as a plot device.

Cocco will attack or condescend or do another action to rub one of the characters the wrong way, thus propelling the story of the episode along- whereas Cocco herself is left with only her 'passion' as a redeeming point.

This is probably why the character is basically written out of the second half of the first season- or she might have had other work- either case we do not miss her for that time.

It is nice how she is given a little room to explore the astrology which was mentioned in the film.

- P.R. Paul is a much more outgoing and happy Montgomery in contrast to the quiet and repressed quality that Paul McCrane brought to the character in the film. Nothing is mentioned about his homosexuality in the series which was one of his causes of loneliness in the film. Also instead of Drama focus he seems to take the role of stage managing in the production of the series- and on other occasions as a side kick to the Doris character.

- Doris Finsecker (Maureen Teefy) was a tall, quiet and terrified character searching for her place in the world, and the school. In contrast again Doris Schwartz (Valerie Landsburg) is a short, plumper character that takes the role of sarcastic friend and problem solver. I am not sure it is supposed to be the same character because the only characteristics they share are their first name, they both sing and do drama and that they are both Jewish. You get used to her, but I always had it in the back of my mind whether it was supposed to be the same character.

- Ralph (Barry Miller) was arguably the most interesting character in the film version, but it seems they did not know how to implement him into the television series. He appears in the first few episodes as a more stereotypical comic character- reminding me of the character of Fez from 'That 70s Show'. Soon after he is replaced by a less ethnic comic in the Character of Danny Amatullo (Carlo Imperato), who is entertaining in his role of dumb but lovable comic...but he is not Ralph.

- Debbie Allen as Miss Grant- also the shows choreographer- seems to have been given a piece in her contract stating that she gets to have or feature in a dance segment in every episode. It gets slightly annoying. I know that dance teachers might show their students the steps but they wouldn't then get to be, or draw themselves into every opportunity to dance with their students. Maybe it is a problem with context, especially given the amount of hugging and so on that these students do with their teachers in every episode- so should not happen in today's 'can't touch hurt kid' world- I hope you are hearing me Glee.

The show features many high profile celebrities of the time- I would recommend you looking out for the episode featuring Richard Simmons- the guy just has so much energy and he is able to calm down the often dog headed character of Miss Grant.

Like Glee the show had its own Albums released- The Kids from Fame; check out this page to see more details http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kids_from_%22Fame%22. The songs were original, with Curreri working on the actual writing of the songs, it follows the more traditional musical formula of original songs to express their personal emotions- a feature that has been sadly lacking from Glee- and I am starting to get slightly annoyed about the similarity of the Glee songs- especially Amber Riley who needs to have the high notes- and stereotyped coloured vocal gymnastics in each song. I especially hated how this was done on the Rocky Horror Episode.

However the characters on Glee are given a lot more room to grow. They are not slotted into the need to give a refreshing youth message this week, but need to slot into the overall Season story arch- which aids the show greatly. This was a downfall of Fame, especially with the Season One closer basically saying we would have one teacher coming back, and by the beginning of next season he was replaced anyway- and no mention of it.

The story arch allows for more interaction between the various characters and we can come to know them more- making Glee, for lack of a better word a more adult oriented show- where we do not need to learn specific stories, within a non-canonical session, but one that requires you to watch and remember back to previous episodes.

The voices of the cast of Glee sound better, but that only makes me feel, especially with Amber that their voices are edited too much. While watching Fame we could tell that the characters could sing, but they had human problems with it, and you could hear that certain characters were better singers- because they were studying it.

I like them both in different ways, but if I had to choose one I would suggest Fame- only if you liked the original movie, and do not mind the slightly different story style of the time. I just seem to gain more from their originals then having previously loved songs, possibly turned into a slightly different monster that follows the Glee formula.

I will be looking forward to the possible Glee feature film that is upcoming though. Hopefully it will be more like Fame (the original) and not Fame the remake- because after watching that I could not remember one character's name, and for some reason it was afraid to explore the darker territories of the original.

Let the flaming start.

Dale Stam


You might also be interested in the following articles from this blog;
http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/spider-man-turn-off-dark-soundtrack.html

http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/bloody-jackson-review.html

http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/strange-bedfellow-new-review.html

http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/livid-productions-presents-monty.html

http://dalesnewsblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/awtc-pirates-of-penzance.html

Writing

Dear Readers,

Sorry for the delay I have been away, but I have been doing a chapter outline for a possible novel which will feature/tie in with some of my short stories.

I am up to chapter 68 and still have some more to go. It will be more action based than the majority of my stories and will deal with an apocalytic scenario and how human kind will react to the situation. Filled with my usual focus on off beat characters and details. It should be a fine read.

So in preparation I suggest that many of you try to get your hands on some of my short stories and inform me of anything in particular you might like highlighted.

Dale

What we don't notice

Shoes...high heeled shoes. Why do women buy them? Besides their desire to have something to cover their feet. It could be the pretty colours or the wow factor among their girl friends. What about seduction- or the need to look desirable to the opposite sex? It lifts the rear, it elongates the legs, and it allows for an easier hip swivel action that has been noted as all desirable feminine traits. So men must be going gaga (you know crazy, but not in the lady type of way) over women who where high heels and less so over those who do not, right?

Well 'experts at Northumbria University in the UK have studied the reactions of men to women walking with and without high heeled shoes' (To read where this quote is from and another blog about this check out http://grazia.ninemsn.com.au/blog.aspx?blogentryid=709440&showcomments=true). In a result that makes me further question the supposed increased intelligence of our species they have found that men give the same amount of excitement and desire through the very accurate measurement of 'wolf calls' to both women who were wearing high heeled shoes, and those who were not. I know this must come as a shock, but it appears that men just like women. Who would have thunk it?

So women of the world please do not torture yourselves for us...it appears we don't really care or notice. Speaking of things we never noticed, it fell on us all yesterday that many of us never noticed that a draw was a possible option for the AFL Grand Final. All the wasted bet/TAB and BBQ games were all drawn to a confused halt- who gets the money. This general outrage of confusion has called for many people to call the AFL and state that the rule for a second game in a drawn Grand Final should be changed- and that the code should follow a similar rule to other sports where there is extended time or penalties. But I would like to remind Australia how frustrating these things can be; remember the World Cup- not the recent one, but the one where Australia made it to the 16. Then we had to have a penalty shoot out with Italy- which they won, and then went on to win the whole Cup? That could be replayed but with a crowd of drunken Aussies that could give those rioting soccer fans a run for their money. Do we really want that?

Dale Stam

Various News

For those walking along Dean Street you may encounter the sad sight of the burnt out ruins of PriceLine and the Reject Shop. The news cameras of both Win and Prime were itching around the corners- the reporters looking anxious as people walked past the shot. Consider watching the news from either of these stations to gain some full details and possible leads.

There was a discovery of a new gene in mice that is related to intelligence, memory and problem solving ability, named appropriately the Homer Simpson Gene. It appears that this particular gene acts as a sort of resistor to the neural transmissions in the mouse brain- causing an inefficiency of compiling, recalling and understanding incoming information. The Gene by its other less memorable name RGS14 when switched off, removed or disabled allowed the mice to perform better than their normal peers at solving a maze as found by scientists at Emory University School of Medicine. Why a gene that's purpose is to hold you back has evolved is still under contest and debate. So are we going to have an army of super smart mice now- perhaps but as with most things with science it has a human application. You to have the Homer Simpson Gene and the thought is that there might be a future where we are removed from our own incompetence. However as many of you are probably noting we are quite different from mice, and the area of the brain that this gene mostly affects is still mysterious- like the rest of the brain, so we are not quite sure if this gene perhaps has other uses in us humans- like a love of donuts, or a sense of humour. Look for more information on the Homer Simpson Gene here http://technology.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978530717 or www.dailymail.co.uk/.../Scientists-discover-Homer-Simpson-gene-makes-mice-clever-switched-off.html

Even though we live in a technological time, it does not seem to make things any easier. An example- phones are a lot more fragile today and they have all of these difficult plans to decipher. Also it appears that the ability to recall your number is becoming more difficult because people store a lot of their information online- probably not the best place to put your number really. But as I have talked to a friend recently if you have to resend an 'unfortunately you have not been successful' letter because you printed the wrong contact details on it...well I do not really have a comment to that- I find it rather humorous really.

Also it appears that the Canadian city that was in discussions to hold the Commonwealth Games recently are reporting that the dangers, concerns and progress of their grounds would not be in such a state as Dehli's is- there would probably be different concerns though- since athletes would be able to go on winery tours during breaks- yes I won a medal- a good Semilon please. These are the representative of our countries they can drink when they get back.

Dale Stam

Gaining Work Experience

For all those aspiring to be within the media or the performing arts one cruel factor that needs to be examined is the need to distinguish yourself from the rest of the crowd. This is a true factor for most jobs, but the difference here is that there is not always one person best suited to the job. To try to 'live life a little' or 'gain some life experience', are all handy, and a factor that is very beneficial is the work experience factor.



You might not really think much of your little community theatre work, or school productions or that little film that you shot with your mates while blind drunk on some European fad liqueur. But they do...a little. It is like you are trying to build your own hut, but instead of big logs all most of us can claim is a little stick of experience. But overtime, all of these experiences will start to form a shape of some skills to a potential employer. You could try using the same type of twigs, or you could have a variety of different twigs- all present different attributes to your potential employer.



I have worked on various projects- film, TV, advertising, theatre, literature and academic work, and with all of your help I plan to increase this experience and make my hut a little more strong, and someday somebody might marvel at my hut and offer to make it even better.

So go searching for your twigs, because even if you don't use them for your hut, they still keep the fire going...



Dale Stam


As you can see from the picture a hut without the small twigs looks a little concerning.

We appreciate and look forward to hearing feedback on how we can make this blog more appealing.

New Channels

The battle for rating supremacy is still being waged between Channel Seven and Nine. Seven was the market leader for the last few years knocking the champions- Nine of from their podium and showing that they need to refocus their programming. It appeared for the time being at least that Nine were not- 'Still the One'. However when they released Go! they were able to reconnect with the younger generation and have thus improved their position. With Go! becoming a rather popular Channel.

However just because they are increasing the amount of free-to-air channels they are not increasing the amount of local content that Australians have been clamoring for. With Go! showcasing many American shows, mostly in a re-run format. Thus giving further evidence and precedence for upcoming television writers to aspire to the US of A, where writers seem to be employed.

The new Channel Seven offering after the success of Seven 2 is going to be called Seven Mate- which is aimed at the Male market; with shows such as "AMERICAN DAD, FAMILY GUY, PARKS AND RECREATION and sci-fi dramas CAPRICA and WAREHOUSE 13 alongside factual hits FIFTH GEAR and MEGA DISASTERS." Seven Mate will premier at the HD AFL Grand Final on the 25 September at 6pm- with a light and relatively safe opener of 'That 70's Show'. They will also follow the tradition of the subsidiary channels of returning the well-missed tradition of the Friday Night Movie. Further information can be found on the official site http://au.tv.yahoo.com/mate/article/-/article/7759064/.

In contrast Channel Nine will try to pull the ladies with their sly pick-up Channel called Fems. Actually only half of that is true, with their new Channel, GEM, Nine will focus on attracting female viewers the day after Mate starts- possibly a smart move to not compete with the AFL opener- it tends to be a male remote dominated day.
"GEM will be a mix of new content, classic comedies, cherished drama series, all-time favorite movies, and all of Nine’s sport coverage in high definition.

GEM is designed to complement Nine’s premium channel, and the network’s number one multi-channel, GO!, attracting females 35+ and grocery buyers." They will be banking upon the success of a relatively new show 'The Big C'- perhaps a more risky gamble compared to the Mate offering. With other shows such as Weeds and Friends and Secret Diary of a Call Girl. For more information refer to the official Nine information article http://channelnine.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=7960634.

Mate or Gem will either of them usurp the current channels, unlikely but the audience will certainly have more to choose from, and as the broadcasters hope more gender battles for the remote.

Dale Stam

What do you think of Mate or Gem, leave us a comment or send in a request.

Stolen memories of yore

Danny- Danny tastes great. No, not my impression of an intelligent zombie, it was the marketing phrase of a dairy product from my youth. It was similar in style to Yogo but was of a more firm base, and well did not need a Gorilla and Snake to sell- though on the off hand if anyone with the marketing department of Yogo is reading, bring back the Gorilla and Snake, I miss their stories- and it was my favourite item to have in my lunch box. It did not dry out as the sandwiches often did, and I did not have to wait in line at the canteen to purchase it. Put simply, I thought Danny did taste great. Then one day during my Primary schooling it just dissipated; it was no longer available. This has been a hard road for those of us who have had our favourite items removed.



More recently there was at least a ten month long period where I was unable to get CC's, it seemed that I wanted them but the production companies can supposedly say No to them...they just defied their own marketing strategy. So in a huff I was to trail my way through countless other brands to find something comparable to the Tasty Cheese CC. Doritos did not even come close, and their 3 cheeses and nacho cheese only started to make my head swirl- more of a dipping chip. In fact the closest I was able to get was El Toro Tasty Cheese from Aldi, however the after taste was slightly synthetic...I had adapted but I was not happy.



At university I was slowly developing a taste for coffee and allowing it to mingle with my old friend tea, and one day at the super-market I stumbled upon a product that would allow for a easier adaptation of the different texture of a latte or cappuccino- a Tea Latte from Nerada. They were in a similar fashion to the packaged powdered lattes and caps that we see their now, but they were from a tea extract and well like everything else in this article- I loved them. But I was unfortunate enough to witness not the immediate halt of the product, but the slow gradual demise. I still have stashed away, for fear that they are the last of their kind. And seriously I don't particularly want to go to Europe or the UK just so I can have a Tea Latte (For information about what a Tea Latte is check this website http://breweddaily.com/2008/12/what-is-a-tea-latte/)



Also during this time Taylors stopped producing a Tai Satay which was the perfect blend of spice and penuts that went well with my spicy chicken- one of my favourite meals, but they stopped producing them. We even went to the extent of contacting the factory and seeing if we could purchase it in bulk or direct. Once again I was foiled. We are a society based on consumption, and though I have written and will post my ideas about that, I have to learn to live in it. However I find it especially mocking to produce something, get people to like it, and then remove it- perhaps they were not making money? Am I the only one seriously buying these items?



On the positive side, CC's have come back- they changed the packaging of my flavour from Yellow to Red, but hey I can adapt to that small thing...I guess. In the world of competing products perhaps we should fight more for those we love, and not just accept those that are given to us.



Dale Stam



Send in your comments about the story or any products you have lost.

Why Sociology can never be a 'hard' science

Printed in the Hungappa- University Magazine

Why Sociology can’t be a ‘hard science’.

Sociology sounds like it could be quite profitable to society; to be able to view, interpret and thus predict society would allow us to know what works and hence advance society to the Utopian ideal of Well’s and not Huxley. This would make it a good candidate to be in the same league as physics- to explain the universe and particles, chemistry- to explain and understand the reaction of elements, and biology- to understand how plants and animals (including us) work. Unfortunately sociology has a few problems;

1. Unlike the other sciences aforementioned, sociology has no laws to speak of really (I know in physics technically they’re theories, but generally accepted as right until something better comes along). Instead it has a lot of good ideas that contrast each other, which also often have a gaping hole that resembles the logic of some university assignments.

2. It has many factions that despise each other, and unlike the constructive criticism shown in the ‘hard sciences’, sociologists tend to berate each other because they see society differently- much like religious groups. Even though the foundations of nearly all of these factions can be traced back to a small band of people who definitely should be in the next summer buddy blockbuster. Imagine Talcott Parson’s, Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, and Max Weber as the ultimate society analysing team, who then have to beat up their evil students for taking one of their ideas and then twisting it to all kinds of WTF. Or how about a collectable card game, either way it is not aiding in the self cohesion of their science, though neither did my ideas, but they would at least take their war of words to a different level.

3. The agency-structure dilemma. The major teleological paradox that has caused the splintering fanatical groups that tear each other apart thus reducing the possibility to forming laws. Basically do people construct society or does society construct people. Some groups go former, other later, in exams and assignments it’s a little of both. That’s right its one of the few sciences where you can fence sit and be rewarded.

4. Because of the previous debate we have either macro-structural: the bird’s eyes view of society, like Parson’s abstract Grand theory, or micro-interactional: the individual’s view, like the examination of common sense acts of the ethnomethodologists. Those groups that try to bridge them fail much like bridging astro and quantum physics. They usually commit the logical sin of teleology, that agency creates structures and then structures creates agency or the reverse. Creating the spin the wheel explanation of society, and links back to the previous point of fence sitting, that is incredibly looked down upon in the other sciences.

Hence sociology will not be taken seriously as a ‘hard’ science, and must retain its convoluted form in the ‘soft’ science till it gets its act together. But this need not be a bad thing sociology, you just need to believe in yourself, and make sure you build a few good strong fences, you’ll need them.

The Thinker. (aka Dale Stam)

The Downsides of being a Writer

Being a writer is a difficult career- because it is based upon a form of communication that is hounded into us since we are able to talk, or at least start schooling. We all work our ways through trying to keep the cursive writing from being more descriptive to the name by trying desperately hard to stay within the lines and be fluid. Just to look over and see that another student can do it with ease.

You struggle through using a pencil, and having to constantly resharpen it because you have to keep it sharp- but then it is too sharp and it snaps on you- making you fall behind in the writing off of the overhead. Until finally the teacher deems you worthy of obtaining a Pen License. You develop a great smile and hold it as a testimant to your dedication to improvement. Then when you head to the year later, the teacher will not accept anything written in pencil, ha ha you might think about those slackers who never got their license...well ha ha back- it turns out you do not need one.

Then when you start to write in high school- they praise your creativitiy to a degree- it is all subjective you see, it sometimes gets in the way...as a friend of mine might be able to regale you about a certain creative chemistry exam. Then you win awards and people start to notice your writing- then you reach university.

It follows a similar path- it might be creative and different...but not necessarily my cup of tea. So you spend more time developing a hand of your audience and able to adapt and mold to certain situations. Unfortunately for you so do all the other students- but they usually have the upside of not necessarily having to be that creative.

Then you head into the world- most job applications want someone who is a good communication, written and oral. Yes you think, but have you considered all the other people who learnt how to write.

Unlike a doctor or an engineer or even a sound technian, a writer will always be viewed as easily replaceable. I mean they can write, and I can write...why do I need to pay them. The writer will also have a bunch of people offering suggestions for improvement- as will other professions- but nobody knows more of writing than someone else. Writing is communication, a collection of symbols we are all aware of, and most of us can form some meaning from them.

So pity the writer who writes all day, fearful that someday he will be replace and just like that, be gone with neither titter or tat. Support your writers because they might just be able to help you with your writing.

Dale Stam

Feel free to comment, and tell us whether you got your Pen License.

The Job Expo

Thursday 16th

The wind brings a chill on an overcast day- the smell of sausages tickles the nose. People enjoy the free food, as they search for job opportunities at the Albury Sports Stadium. Dale Stam reports.

The car park is nearly full, the stand is packed. Middle age and youth appear to have mingled in a harmonious fashion, as they sort through the possibilities in their Centrelink bags. Some youth are accompanied by their parents- probably to guide or gently prod them to a decision.

A slight mist dribbles down as I approach the entrance. The sausages and onion reassures those of us approaching, perhaps the same warmth on the inside awaits. The Lions are older, probably retired, but offer another smiling face for those approaching.

Representatives of the employment agencies circle, new people, new income potential. Personnel group seems the most active. Also the media swarms around- cameras, notepads- I don't stand out it seems- but I am the only one that seems to notice the scream of the ambulance as it roars by. Ignoring the bad omen, I head for the entrance.

Some have dressed for the occasion, others more casual- a cross section of the population. A couple of gruff younger men smoke out front, while a group of girls comment on the overcast weather. A Lion approaches me, and asks what I am doing- perhaps I do stand out- I inform her I want to get work as a writer- so in a way I do belong with this group. We are all seeking a job. With a supportive comment and a wave she departs. Leaving me at the front taking notes- I have to learn short hand- some passers by give me a suspicious look. I take a breath and decide it's time to go inside.

I am greeted at the door by Centrelink staff- a map and a bag are my rewards for a slight smiles and a nod. Just beyond them sits a multitude of people ingesting more warm food, as a baby cries another person tells a joke.

Training bodies and recruitment agencies make up the body of the groups exposed. A businessman talks up the benefit of the job expo-study, learning, career, development, whereas a young man tempts his fiancee over the phone. I head onto the floor with the next wave- my new bag in place.

The sound of sport and whistles echo through from the other side of the stadium- mixing and dissolving into the announcements and the Centrelink financial aid information session. Centrelink and the recruitment agency people roam- badges displayed proudly. A photographer gives me a look as he passes- I look right back.

The barricades are in place as people filter and flow their way through- some going to each bay, whereas others glimpse at their maps as they head toward their desired destination. The River has taken a break from broadcasting, replaced by the slightly tack competitions- the diversity of people seem to be the selling phrase of the expo.

Strangely for a job expo there seems to be little actual employers present- the majority seems to be employment agencies- to find people for that elusive job, a benefit to both groups- maybe it is not necessarily a bad thing. People seem to flock to the job notice boards- each with a face of anguished desire- 'will the perfect job for me be up here'.

It is a more humble experience compared to the school career expo. You will not find so many aggrandised professions. The majority of these people are labourer, officer/administration and finance, The often overlooked cogs- not the stars that the media often flash about, but those that keep us going- society at its rawest.

The barricades are high- fence like generating a feeling of separation. Instead of bringing people together to find jobs, we have once again resorted to filtering and competition. A Centrelink Officer stands next to me- once again I am forced to move on.

The Big Government bodies are placed in one isle- Centrelink with a commanding four bays- sharing space with Job Seekers, CRS, Child Support and Medicare. Strangely Wodonga Senior Secondary College is present- to attract those of school aged with the varied VET areas including; circus, automotive, engineering and multimedia...sounds like a nice school.

In fact the most odd bay is for the River- giving live announcements, with their small transistor. Sometimes their live broadcast overshadowed by the loud announcements. But there is no one around- a thought crosses my mind, they are probably not here for jobs. This did not deter me from discussing their presence-

It turns out that they were there for the promotional side only- they believed that the event was very helpful to the local community, and wanted to encourage people coming down. They were doing their talk updates roughly every hour, and they also held some interviews. I thank them for their time, and leave- happy that they were there.

I pass another job board, the Centrelink staff standing awkwardly to the side, while they patiently wait for the opportunity to aid. 1 pm, four bays were closed. The day and the event is closing down. I look at the job board, squeezing into the gaps. A yellow dot representing those employers who were not present. The positions ranged from trades, apprenticeships, to strangely enough Santa- however needing previous experience. It is easy to get lost with the wide options on the board. Skills required abound from degree certified to full training provided.

1:10pm The River packs up- I let out a sigh before carrying on. I talk to a few of the providers who explained the benefit of the event, and how they were able to get the opportunity across to people. Even though some did not have positions available at the present, they were taking resumes for those interested. For those who did not bring in many- there was a free photo coping service. One group however decided it was best not to discuss their decision with me- giving me the number of their Media Liaison in Brisbane. For those their they also offered way to adapt your resume to suit the selection criteria, and what training might be best suited to getting into the area.

I overhear some youths whilst enjoying another decent mug of Joe- at around 1:50pm- 'She asked how I would feel if I got a job, and I said, well why don't we swap places and I'll ask you'- rude? Perhaps, but the desire of these people to find some employment was enlightening. As I leave the expo at 2:10pm, the wind has ceased, and the clouds have parted somewhat...with a smile from a Lion, and a sausage in hand, I think maybe my day will come as well.

Dale Stam