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TRENDSPOTTER: WHEN THE HAND IS QUICKER THAN THE EYE - THE SPORT OF STACKING
Originating in the US, ‘sport stacking’simply involves stacking plastic cups into different formations, usually pyramids, and then unstacking them - all done as quickly as possible. Played as an individual or as part of a team, sport stacking - also known as ‘cup stacking’ or ‘speed stacking’ - traces its history back to the late Eighties when it appeared in boys and girls clubs in southern California (apparently getting a big boost when it appeared on Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show). Bob Fox, a teacher from Denver, is credited as one of the game’s early pioneers, introducing the game at his school some years after he first saw it on The Tonight Show. Since 1998, he and his wife Jill have run Speed Stacks Inc which makes the officially sanctioned cups for the sport - they have airholes to make for easier separation - and promotes the sport to phys ed teachers in the US.
DAVID ADAMS examines 'sport stacking'...|
more...|
Following the ‘money trail’
So how does the pharmaceutical industry stand to profit from outbreaks? There are three massive sales growth factors that result when public and bureaucratic hysteria sets in:
1. Consumer demand: The drug industry has discovered that bypassing the medical practitioner with its marketing is a very powerful tool to increases sales of drugs, any drug. If patients are lead to associate their symptoms with a medicine, then they tend to demand this from their MD. And while the pharmaceutical industry may be limited from direct advertising in most countries, it would seem that with the right media release, with enough "sizzle", the media machine quickly spreads the news without the need for a cent to be spent on advertising.
In part three of his look at swine flu, Dr NICK HODGSON puts forward his theories on how the pharmaceutical industry stands to benefit and outlines a natural approach to the issue... |
more...|
FOR PREVIOUS:
So what can be done to cut the virus off at the pass? In terms of prevention here are the ground-breaking recommendations from the medical authorities: Frequent hand-washing, covering coughs, and having ill persons stay home, separation of the sick from others in single room if available until asymptomatic, cups and other utensils used by the ill person should be thoroughly washed with soap and water before use by other persons.
In part two of his look at swine flu, Dr NICK HODGSON looks at treatment options and a lesson from the past... |
more...|
Swine flu huffs and puffs, and blows the health house down.
"Pandemic, deaths, lethal viruses, stay indoors, lock your windows and doors!" It seems like we are bombarded annually by the mass media with the threat of a super bug which is going to wipe out half of the world's population.
In the first of a three part series, Dr NICK HODGSON takes a look at the what it means to call the swine flu outbreak a 'pandemic', how it's diagnosed and what the possible sources of the outbreak are...|
more...|
It was 75 years ago last week - 9th June, 1934 - that Walt Disney’s creation Donald Duck first made his cartoon debut in The Wise Little Hen with the line “Who, me? Oh, no. I’ve got a belly ache.”
From those early beginnings, Donald - who didn’t even get a credit for that first film - went on to have his own daily newspaper comic strip in 1938. He eventually featured in more than 150 cartoons - a total which exceeded even that of Mickey Mouse and included 128 of his own - and as many as seven full-length feature films.
The duck was conceived as a counterpoint to the goody two-shoes Mickey and quickly became known for his almost indecipherable accent (it was Clarence ‘Ducky’ Nash who gave Donald his voice until 1985 when the job was taken over by Disney artist Tony Anselmo) as well as for running afoul of other characters within the Disney milieu, and, of course, for his short fuse.
Donald Duck celebrated his 75th birthday last week. DAVID ADAMS reports on the rise of an unlikely star...|
more...|
News that criminals are buying personal identities for around $1 should come as no great surprise.
In an age where almost everything from cash to family contact is being digitised, it's not hard to see huge opportunities for scams large and small.
According to a new study on internet security, fraudsters can now buy your credit card details, your name, address and date of birth for less than the cost of a can of coke.
Data collected from over 200 countries showed 349.6 billion spam messages were sent in 2008, a 192 per cent increase on the previous year.
In the midst of all this, more and more people are handing over details of their identities to criminals, via phishing websites. These are designed to mirror trustworthy web pages, and users are fooled into giving away their username, password and even bank details.
MAL FLETCHER outlines some simple steps you can take to help prevent the likelihood of becoming a victim of fraud when online...|
more...|
LifeTips is a Sight column for short tips that help make life easier. Do you have a tip or an idea that others could benefit from? Just add it on the Your Say at the bottom of the LifeTips page or simply send us an email to lifetips@sightmagazine.com.au.
THE 'HOW TO' GUIDES :The world is full of experts and the good news is that they’re all out there wanting to share their helpful hints for life with you! Since it’s been a long time between posts in our lifetips column - OK, more than a year is a very long time - we’ve decided to bring to your attention a whole raft of websites simply filled with helpful tips for life. First up is wikiHow, a user-generated site offering advice on everything from how to build an igloo to how to perform a “fireman’s carry” or maintain a mountain bike.
GOOD EATING:
GET YOUR TASTEBUDS TINGLING WITH INDONESIAN DISHES CHICKEN SATAY AND GADO-GADO
Both chicken satay and gado-gado are traditional Indonesian meals that I experienced when travelling there a couple of years ago. The satay are popular with tourists - immediately likeable, they are familiar chicken skewers often topped with a spicy peanut sauce.
Gado-gado is a little different, but is a good option for vegetarians and tastes awesome. The salad is served cold atop cold or lukewarm potatoes, tofu and eggs, with the only heated ingredient being the sauce.
The common use of peanut sauce makes partnering these dishes an obvious choice, and one that will leave your taste buds tingling for more!
"JAMIE
CROOKIVER" enjoys some Asian flavours...|
more...|
SIGNIFICANT
SIGHTS: "EVERY DAY IN GHANA IS A GOOD DAY FOR BARGAINING"
What is it about the evocative markets of Ghana that urge me to shout "Eureka" in semblance to many an intrepid explorer? Perhaps it’s the tangible excitement of being introduced to one of the many dense social hubs that serve to collectively form the very heartbeat of the country. An apparent hive mentality operates within these markets where it seems the whole of the capital descend to buy their provisions on the very same day you choose to.
Every day in Ghana is a good day for bargaining, and today the sun lies high over Medina markets, which splay out as far as the eye can see in a heaving throng of stalls, street vendors, hagglers and carrier women. Cars, trucks, and people, lots and lots of people share the same narrow roads with a degree of reluctance, and ducking and weaving, jostling and shoving is all I can do to escape being absorbed and flushed away by the thicket of bodies.
CHOE BRERETON writes about the color and life of a Ghanaian marketplace...|
more...|
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If I mention the word olive, does your mind turn to a particular
paint colour, perhaps a dear old aunty who dates from the
early 1900s or Popeye’s famous girlfriend “Olive
Oil”? Or you might relate them to food, perhaps the
ever present black olive on your weekend pizza. In this case,
olives are a bit like anchovies: most people either love or
hate them.
Recent research is indicating that virgin olive oil is extremely
good for your health and it is frequently listed in the “must
have foods” section of many fat reduction and weight
loss diets. The olive tree (Olea europaea) is also
making a big comeback in Australian gardens.
GRAHAM LEWIS takes a look at the Mediterranean olive,
a Biblical fruit tree on the comeback...|
more...|
- US-based website TMZ breaking the news at 4pm on June 25th that Michael Jackson had passed away. For previous 'They said it'...| more... |
THIS WEEK ON THE WEB
1st July, 2009
Following the disputed presidential election in Iran on 12th June, authorities have detained hundreds of people. There have also been some deaths. The Guardian newspaper in the UK is compiling a list of people detained or killed and is asking for help in identifying them. You can see the list here...
For previous 'This week on the web'... | more... |
DID YOU KNOW? NEWS BRIEFS
THE
STATISTIC
Percentage of over 65s in Australia who have incomes below the OECD poverty threshold:
WORLD MEETING PLEDGES URGENT SOCIAL SUPPORT FOR HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS
The European Union and dozens of countries have pledged to speed up social support for Holocaust survivors and the search for art and other items that were stolen during World War II by the Nazis.
At a meeting in Prague, they agreed to establish a special European institute to deal with these issues and education. As the number of survivors of the Nazi Holocaust rapidly declines, there is a sense of urgency among delegates that the world must provide them with adequate social assistance and compensation for stolen goods.
The five-day meeting - attended by Holocaust survivors, members of Jewish organisations and delegates from nearly 50 nations - was a follow-up to a conference more than a decade ago in Washington that led to agreements on recovering art looted by the Nazis.
Click here to go
to the forums to have your say...
FORUMS THIS WEEK
SHARK ATTACKS IN AUSTRALIA
Following the third shark attack in the waters off Sydney in three weeks, the NSW Government has released a number of new proposals to prevent such attacks from happening - including a new shark tagging program and the use of GPS to monitor shark nets. What do you think? Are sharks a problem in Australia and, if so, what can be done to prevent future attacks?
THE WORD
Our new space to discuss our definitions from The Word Explained. This week's definition is 'Pentateuch'...
GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS
The world's economic markets have been shaken in recent weeks as the US experiences what some are saying is the worst economic crisis to face the nation since the Great Depression. How has it affected you? Are governments doing enough?
SIGHTPOLL: SHOULD THE DATE OF AUSTRALIA DAY BE CHANGED?
Click
here to go
to the forums to have your say...
THOUGHTS ON LIFE: MEANING AND WELL-BEING IN THE RAT RACE
As I waited at the bus stop one morning last week, watching both school kids and adults waiting to go to their places of education or work to spend the day, I was once again struck by the thought of meaning in life.
The kids were waiting there to go to school to work out what they want to do with their lives, what career path they want to follow. Then there were the adults who had gone through it all years before. It was the expressionless or just plain unhappy looks on the faces of the adults - who used to be just like the school kids next to them - that hit me.
NILS VON KALM'S blog on faith, life and how it all might fit together...|
more... |
STRANGESIGHTS: 'BRING YOUR GUN TO CHURCH DAY', THE VUVUZELA DISPUTE, AND A HOUSE THAT TWEETS... ‘Bring your gun to church day’ probably isn’t the sort of idea that will catch hold in Australia but in the US, a pastor did ask his flock to do just that. Pastor Ken Pagano, of New Bethel Church in Louisville, as people to bring their guns - in holsters, mind - to church to celebrate the Second Amendment (that’s the bit in the US Constitution that guarantees the right to bear arms)
DAVID
ADAMS writes about the odder side of life...|
more... |
JUST
BEEN THINKING: NOTE TO SELF ...
Note to self: Inheritance has already been received, not in it’s final entirety of course, but definitely in terms of freedom, authority and identity.
Note to self: Spend it wisely, confidently and with thankfulness. It’s a big one.
ANN
WOJCZUK's blog about life, the universe and possibly everything...|
more... |
FOR
SIGHT'S BLOG LINKS, HEAD TO OUR BLOGSPOT PAGE...
SIGHT PODCASTING
WEEKLY UPDATE:
24th September, 2008: Hear DAVID ADAMS speaking to GURYEL ALI, of 96.3 Rhema FM in Geelong, talking about some of the stories featured on Sight...|
more... |
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writers, illustrators and photographers to join the Sight team (please note that all Sight contributors are presently volunteers) - use the
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Originating in the US, ‘sport stacking’simply involves stacking plastic cups into different formations, usually pyramids, and then unstacking them - all done as quickly as possible. Played as an individual or as part of a team, sport stacking - also known as ‘cup stacking’ or ‘speed stacking’ - traces its history back to the late Eighties when it appeared in boys and girls clubs in southern California (apparently getting a big boost when it appeared on Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show). Bob Fox, a teacher from Denver, is credited as one of the game’s early pioneers, introducing the game at his school some years after he first saw it on The Tonight Show. Since 1998, he and his wife Jill have run Speed Stacks Inc which makes the officially sanctioned cups for the sport - they have airholes to make for easier separation - and promotes the sport to phys ed teachers in the US. 
It was 75 years ago last week - 9th June, 1934 - that Walt Disney’s creation Donald Duck first made his cartoon debut in The Wise Little Hen with the line “Who, me? Oh, no. I’ve got a belly ache.”
Both chicken satay and gado-gado are traditional Indonesian meals that I experienced when travelling there a couple of years ago. The satay are popular with tourists - immediately likeable, they are familiar chicken skewers often topped with a spicy peanut sauce. 
What is it about the evocative markets of Ghana that urge me to shout "Eureka" in semblance to many an intrepid explorer? Perhaps it’s the tangible excitement of being introduced to one of the many dense social hubs that serve to collectively form the very heartbeat of the country. An apparent hive mentality operates within these markets where it seems the whole of the capital descend to buy their provisions on the very same day you choose to. 
If I mention the word olive, does your mind turn to a particular
paint colour, perhaps a dear old aunty who dates from the
early 1900s or Popeye’s famous girlfriend “Olive
Oil”? Or you might relate them to food, perhaps the
ever present black olive on your weekend pizza. In this case,
olives are a bit like anchovies: most people either love or
hate them.
