Deep Pencil - the musings of Morgan Bell

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Posted By: Morgan Bell - Category: Health

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Ahmed Mustafa - the boy with no arms or legs on The Footy Show

July 24th 2008 17:32

Ahmed Mustafa (16) appeared on the AFL Footy Show tonight. Ahmed is a young man who is vice-captain of the Kilmore footy team and scholarship student at Assumption College in Victoria.

Ahmed came to Australia in 2001 when a lady named Moira Kelly adopted him from an Iraqi orphanage. For the first nine years of his life he could not walk due to severe deformities in his limbs that resulted from his parents being exposed to chemical weapons used in warfare - possibly radiation from depleted uranium.

Ahmed essentially has no arms or legs. His deformed legs were amputated when he relocated to Australia and he now walks (and runs, and plays footy) using prosthetic legs. He has no hands, his arms are only about half length, yet he was amazingly "handy" at putting on his own headset when performing a mock footy call for TV.

Moira Kelly in a Melbourne humanitarian who runs the Children First Foundation and has travelled the world helping children from many war-torn and poverty-striken countries. Moira's work was captured in the documentary film "A Compassionate Rage" (2001) by Alan Lindsay. Ahmed and his brother Emmanuel are featured in the film.

Ahmed now lives on the Children First Farm in Kilmore. He wants to become an Australian citizen and remain involved in AFL football, maybe in the media, management or coaching. His favourite team is Essendon.

Ahmed Mustafa - Iraqi orphan adopted by Moira Kelly

Photo: Alan Lindsay Photos © Vue Pty Ltd
Film: Australian Film Commission and Cinemedia’s Film Victoria. Produced with the assistance of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

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Freedom of Information . . . Accomplice to Poison

July 16th 2008 13:07

The future is grim for the State of Tasmania while the forestry industry is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act. Not content with merely logging old growth forests, is has come to light in recent years that Gunns is now in the business of poisoning the local people and animals with chemicals. The irresponsible use of chemical herbicides and pesticides such as Alphacypermethrin, Atrazine, Simazine and 1080 was shockingly uncovered by Graham Davis on Nine's Sunday program "Tasmania: Name Your Poison" which aired back in September 2004, yet the industry remains self-regulated and Gunns remains unaccountable.

What is Freedom of Information?

The Freedom of Information Act (FOI Act) came into effect in the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 December 1982 to give members of the general public the right to access official documents of the Australian Government and its agencies unless the information is exempt from release. The FOI Act also creates a right to the amendment of incomplete, incorrect, out of date or misleading information.

The Tasmanian Freedom of Information Act 1991 commenced on 1 January 1993. Within this Act is the exemption clause of Section 32A that states:

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 1991 - SECT 32A
Information relating to certain commercial persons

32A. Without limiting the application of any other exemption under this Act, information is exempt information if it relates to the performance and exercise of the functions and powers of any of the following persons and does not relate to the personal affairs of a natural person:

(a) Forestry corporation established under section 6 of the Forestry Act 1920;

(b) Private Forests Tasmania established under section 4 of the Private Forests Act 1994;

(c) Civil Construction Services Corporation established under section 4 of the Civil Construction Services Corporation Act 1994.

Forestry Tasmania is a Government Business Enterprise, an organization reliant on public funding to operate, yet it is exempt from the FOI Act under this Section 32A, excusing them from providing access to information "if it relates to the performance and exercise of the functions and powers" of the corporation.

Forestry Tasmania has chosen to participate in FOI on a voluntary basis but it is not compulsory for them to answer any questions they don't want to due to the Act. In the 2002-2003 financial year there were six FOI requests. Half were provided with full access to the information. But the other half were denied access using the exemption under the Act. What information is for public knowledge is entirely at Forestry Tasmania's discretion. This Government Business Enterprise has been exempt from complying with FOI requests for the past 10 years.

There is also the problem of severe underfunding of the Ombudsman's Office in Tasmania, who is the external reviewer for freedom of information. The Ombudsman tends to be very slow, take the maximum time limit to process requests, and claim exemptions without really justifying the necessity to claim those exemptions.

Who are Gunns Ltd?

Gunns Ltd is Australia's largest fully integrated hardwood forest products company. It owns 175,000 hectares of freehold land and manages in excess of 90,000 hectares of plantations. The company employs over 1200 people and has a turnover in excess of AUS$600 million. Gunns controls 70 per cent of the Tasmania's saw logging industry and exports 95 per cent of the state's woodchips, dominating logging in the state.

Gunns is responsible for the aggressive use of clear-felling and logging of old-growth and rainforests and the conversion of native forests into plantations. Thanks to Gunns there has been a dramatic increase in native forests turned into woodchip. As the native forests disappear, plantations take their place, replacing 200-year-old native trees with by two-week-old plantation seedlings.

While Tasmanian forests and Gunns may seem like a local issue, it has relevance to all Australians, as Gunns is a stock market darling, its share soaring from $2 to $8 in just two years, with a stranglehold on the forestry market.

Devastating Effects

For Gunns to establish its plantations, it uses a combination of pesticides and herbicides to keep native animals, insects and rival plants at bay, much of it sprayed by helicopter.

Gunns uses the pesticide 1080 which also poisons native animals. 97 000 native animals died in one year due to 1080 according to the Tasmanian Government.

1080 is an extremely toxic and variable pesticide. Its effects aren't as immediate and depending on the strength of the dose and the species, symptoms can last 1-2 hours before death. This blanket poisoning appears inhumane and is often killing the wrong animals. 1080 poisons non-target animal species including native, endangered or larger animals, and often takes secondary poisoning victims, like dogs, who eat poisoned carcasses.

In soil 1080 breaks down to trace amounts in 27days when the temperature is 23C, but will stay toxic for 80 days at 5C. Residue can last in a poisoned possum carcass for 12 months after death. It is advised to keep 1080 out of any body of water and the use of 1080 has been determined to pose a hazard to several endangered species.

The Tasmanian devil has recently fallen victim to a disease that has cut some population groups by 85 percent. A cancerous disease has spread widely through the Tasmanian devil population over the last two years, causing huge tumours that block the animals' eyesight, hearing or mouths, leaving them unable to feed and starving to death. It has been hypothesised that the herbicides and pesticides used by the forestry industry correlate with tumours and mortality in the Tasmanian devils being killed off by a mysterious facial cancer, as Tasmanian devils are scavengers that eat carcasses of other poisoned animals.

On the human side, the effect of contaminated drinking water is only just rising to the surface, in a situation straight out of Erin Brockovich. People who live near plantation areas are at risk from the drift of pesticides or of being made sick by a chemical load that's been accumulating for years due to irresponsible use of aerial spraying putting chemicals in catchment areas.

In the US Atrazine has been linked to sex changes and hormonal abnormalities in frogs due to run-off from crop spraying of the herbicide entering into nearby water bodies. Atrazine also has known links to cancer and is a chemical with a degree of persistence being detectable years after spraying has stopped. Forestry Tasmania stopped using Atrazine due to a health scare yet the herbicides Atrazine and Simazine and the pesticide Alphacypermethrin are still being detected in Gunns plantations. Just four grams of Alphacypermethrin is enough to contaminate one million cubic metres of water yet Gunns is spraying it by the kilo.

Portrait of a Self-Regulated Man

Excerpt of transcript of Davis' interview with Gunns head John Gay

GRAHAM DAVIS: Well, how do you feel about protected species dying for your business?

JOHN GAY: Well, they're - there's too many of them, and we need to keep them at a reasonable level.

GRAHAM DAVIS: Well, why are they protected, then? Why are they classed as endangered?

JOHN GAY: Well, because the numbers are getting too great. And the ring-tailed possums is a very small proportion of this. It's usually the brush possums that are poisoned, not ring-tails.

GRAHAM DAVIS: Well, how can you say that, though, when you concede that this thing kills everything?

JOHN GAY: Well, that - that - everything that goes there to eat. But I believe that it is an acceptable practise.

GRAHAM DAVIS: It is acceptable?

JOHN GAY: Practise.

GRAHAM DAVIS: To knock off all the wildlife in the surrounding area so that you can put your tree seedlings in?

JOHN GAY: Yes.

Is This Necessary?

The Forestry Industry may be an important money-spinner, but it should not be a law onto itself. The Tasmanian Government needs to open Forestry Tasmania up to public scrutiny and adopt a more open approach to FOI laws. The Freedom of Information Act and Forest Practices Board need to be overhauled in efforts to improve the transparency of Tasmania's forestry practices and there is a need for an independent and impartial regulator for Tasmania's forestry industry. The entire industry should be subject to an investigation by environmental experts where information is available for open discussion and analysis.

Forestry Tasmania should not be treated any differently to any other agency. Information is currently being wrapped up in the red tape of bureaucracy, and stalling on the release of this information is giving companies like Gunns more time to contaminate the land and massacre local animals. Self-regulation is giving the nod to the Forestry Industry to act irresponsibly as they feel hidden and not subject to the consequences of being accountable.

Greater transparency would help the Government, industry and people of Tasmania move forward in the forestry debate and once Forestry is subject up to the Freedom of Information legislation concerns that have been raised about forestry and forest practises will have a better chance of being laid to rest. Under no circumstances should the Forestry Industry remain exempt from the Freedom of Information Act.

© Morgan Bell 2005 (originally published in Opus)

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22 tubs of yoghurt or one capsule?

June 30th 2008 12:22

ok ill give it a go!

after years and years of regularly taking antibiotics due to chronic sinus infections i decided to try this new probiotic to help raise my lowered immune . . . i may have just fallen for a convincing advertising campaign but i thought it sounded like a brilliant concept!

INNER HEALTH PLUS DAIRY FREE
High Potency Probiotic Capsules
30 or 90 Capsules
Each capsule contains:
25 Billion Good Bacteria
12.5 Billion Lactobacillus Acidophilus (NCFM) Organisms
12.5 Billion Bifidobacterium Lactis Organisms

One of the strongest and most convenient medical strength acidophilus available in Australia. Medical Strength therapeutic strains of Acidophilus and Bifidobacterium. Suitable for dairy and lactose intolerant people who want to maintain their intestinal health.

Inner Health Plus promotes the growth and adherence of beneficial intestinal bacteria. The formula combines Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium Lactis, Colostrum, and ProbioplexTM

Lactobacillus acidophilus (NCFM strain) is therapeutic strain of acidophilus which is acid and bile resistant. It adheres to the gut wall and combines well with Bifidobacteria to provide a balanced, holistic approach to probiotic supplementation.

Bifidobacteria comprises about 90% of all beneficial bacteria in the mature large intestine, and makes up 99% of endogenous beneficial probiota in breast-fed babies. Bifidobacterium lactis (BBL strain) has been specifically developed to repopulate the intestine quickly for maximum benefit. It also adheres to the gut wall and rapidly repopulates intestinal flora levels that have been reduced by antibiotic or oral contraceptive use.

Just having the right strain of acidophilus is not enough to be therapeutic. To be truly effective, a supplement intended to repopulate and rebalance the bacterial cultures in the human gut should also contain an immunoglobulin concentrate derived from colostrum (the first milk secreted during lactation).

ProbioplexTM is a immunoglobin concentrate which increases the adherence and nourishment of the lactobacilli to speed up their colonisation of the gut wall. Inner Health Plus is one of a small number of products that provide both the good bacteria with a specially designed complex (ProbioplexTM) to assist in restoring healthy intestinal flora and achieve maximum adherence in the human gut. ProbioplexTM is a specially designed complex of rice maltodextrin and lactalbumin. It is a biologically supportive matrix designed to encourage the growth of probiotic organisms.

The Yoghurt Myth

Many people believe that eating a tub of yoghurt will give them all the acidophilus they need but in many cases you’d have to eat at least 22 tubs of yoghurt to get the same amount of good bacteria contained in just one Inner Health Plus capsule.

To effectively repopulate and rebalance the gut, these bacteria need the right environmental conditions and a culture strength of at least 2 billion live organisms per gram! This is about 75 times the strength of good bacteria available in the best yoghurts, and 7,500 times more than some!

The varieties of bacteria contained in most yoghurts are not well adapted for the human gut, and often they are not plentiful enough to have a significant therapeutic effect. Often the acidophilus used for yoghurt cultures are ‘transient bacteria.’ That is, they are chosen for their taste properties rather than their therapeutic ones. This bacteria does not attach to the bowel wall and will generally pass straight through. Therefore, the user will experience no benefit whatsoever aside from the pleasant taste.

The bacteria that live inside us are very well adapted to our internal environment, needing specific ranges of temperature, pH (acid/alkali balance), nutrients, etc., to flourish. The bacteria present in yoghurt produced at or around room temperature are unlikely to flourish when exposed to conditions that exist inside us.

Storage: Store at 2°C to 8°C. (Refrigerate. Do not freeze.)

CLICKHERE for more info

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Rapists are not strangers hiding in the bushes

June 19th 2008 17:25

Most woman who are sexually assaulted in Australia know their attackers

One in five women (19 per cent) have experienced sexual violence at some stage of their adult lives (since the age of 15)

78 per cent of these female victims of sexual assault knew the offender

Of the women who were sexually assaulted by a previous partner, 49 per cent were physically injured (bruising or worse) while 8 per cent of women sexually assaulted by their current partner were physically injured.

12 per cent of women have been sexually abused as children (before the age of 15)
Most of the abuse was perpetrated by other male relatives (35.1 per cent), father/step father (16.5 per cent), family friends (16.5 per cent) and acquaintance/neighbours (15.4 per cent). Only 8.6 per cent of these young women were sexually abused by strangers.

The United Nations measured crime victimisation across seventeen industrialised countries, including Australia. Sexual assault included incidents described as rape, attempted rape or indecent assaults. These were some of the results:

Women in Sweden, Finland, Australia and England and Wales were most at risk of sexual assault.
Women in Japan, Northern Ireland, Poland and Portugal were least at risk.
Women know the offender(s) in about half of the all sexual incidents: in a third they were known by name and in about a sixth by sight.
Most sexual incidents involved only one offender.
Weapons were very rarely involved.

Source:
Australian Parliamentary Library
Measuring domestic violence and sexual assault against women: a review of the literature and statistics
Really Long Link

According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)
In the USA almost 2/3 of rapes are committed by someone known to the victim.
60% of sexual assaults occur in the home (either your own or that of a friend or relative)
Really Long Link

Help Lines in Australia
Domestic Violence Line Counselling Service - 1800 656 463 (FREECALL)
Rape Crisis Centre - 1800 424 017 (FREECALL)

Help Lines in the USA
National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1.800.656.HOPE.

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breast implants are not a quick fix for self-esteem

June 16th 2008 09:17

women who undergo cosmetic surgery to enhance their bust dimensions are 3 to 4 times more likely to commit suicide compared to national averages (CLICKHERE for more . . . ) suggesting that women suffering from depression or low self-esteem may be opting to go under the knife believing it is a solution and becoming more than a little disappointed to find that being the proud owner of a super-perky set dont automatically lift the spirits and enhance quality of life . . .

Australias own Navy was recently ridiculed by the media for paying for breast implants for female officers, their justification was that the surgeries were done for psychological reasons (CLICKHERE for more . . . ) with the Navy believing that underlying mental problems relating to self esteem could be solved by giving women a bigger rack

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Developments in HIV treatments (LINK)

June 1st 2008 15:07

HIV is a virus that mostly infects cells in the immune system.

A cell will often make new proteins in order to stay alive and to reproduce itself. In order for viruses to reproduce, they must hi-jack and infect a cell so they can use it to make new viruses. Viruses hide their own DNA in the DNA of the cell, and then, when the cell tries to make new proteins, it accidentally makes new viruses as well

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know why your uterus is being a pain?

May 24th 2008 16:12

Any woman who suffers from period pain should try Naprogesic
(Active ingredient: Naproxen Sodium 275 mg)

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im not an addict . . .

April 15th 2008 15:10

some time ago i read of something called pseudoaddiction where people who are under-treated for pain exhibit the drug-seeking behaviour of addicts . . . i feel like this is happening to me as whenever i try to fill my prescriptions and buy over-the-counter medications i am met with suspiscion . . . i feel it is this constant suspiscion which is eroding my quality of life more than the chronic pain itself . . .

im not an addict

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