Spitting Into the Wind

Authorities in Germany have taken a baby boy into care after his parents offered him for sale on eBay "as a joke".

According to police, the posting read:

"Offering my nearly new baby for sale, as it has gotten too loud. It is a male baby, nearly 28in (70cm) long and can be used either in a baby carrier or a stroller."

His parents posted an ad on eBay offering to sell the 7-month old for one euro, the equivalent of $1.57. The 23-year-old mother later told police it was only a joke.

Joking is really just testing the water to gauge people's reactions. How many times have you heard someone say, "I was only joking!" after you've taken offence to what they've said. My son will often come out with something... and later say "it was a joke!". Usually I say, "No, it was a lie".

If it was a joke, it was in very bad taste indeed, and I hope these parents will never live it down. How will the child feel in another 10 years when friends tell him that his parents tried to sell him on eBay when he was a baby.

Posted at 10:20 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) |

There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it.

Emergency: The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.

Have you locked your keys in the car? Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their mobile phone from your cell phone.

Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. This saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other "remote" for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).

Hidden Battery Power: Imagine your mobile battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370# and your mobile will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50 per cent increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your mobile next time.

How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone: To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone: * # 0 6 #

A 15-digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. If your phone is stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.

This is the kind of information people don't mind receiving, so pass it on to your family and friends.

Posted at 5:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) |

According to WWF-Australia, we have the highest mammal extinction rate in the world and our native species face increasing threats from invasive species, land clearing and a changing climate.

Nearly 40 per cent of mammal extinctions globally in the last 200 years have occurred in Australia. The major factors driving this shocking extinction record are habitat destruction and alteration, invasive species and altered fire regimes, and climate change is set to add to the list of threats.

Most Australian species are unique to the continent, and extinction here means extinction globally. One important way you can help us reverse the loss of habitat and preserve their (and our) environment is by combating climate change, which is set to become the number one threat to Australian species.

What you can do to help:

• Switch off unused lights
• Switch off appliances on standby
• Change to energy efficient light globes
• Take shorter showers
• Install a triple A rated shower head
• Pump up your tyres to the correct tyre pressure
• Switch to Greenpower
• Install a solar hot water system
• Walk, cycle or catch public transport
• Support WWF so they can continue their work on critical environmental issues such as climate change

Posted at 8:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) |

Animal welfare workers rallied today in support of a bill to ban pet shops from selling kittens and puppies. When you think about how many dogs and cats are put down each year this is not a bad idea. 60,000 dogs are euthanased each year in NSW pounds and animal shelters, and the number of cats put down every year because they were dumped and no alternative home could be found was much higher.

According to the folks at www.deathrowpets.net, cat ownership in Australia has declined about 30% over the past 10 years, and dog ownership is fairly static. As many of us know, the move to a more urbanised and high density living means it’s becoming harder to have companion animals. This is translating as one of the reasons why more animals are finding their way into pounds. Stray and feral cat populations are increasing.

The Animals (Regulation of Sale) Bill, introduced in the lower house by independent MP Clover Moore, seeks to ban pet shops from selling cats and dogs, but would not prevent the sale of birds, fish and a wide range of pet products.

People wanting to buy a cat or dog would instead have to go to a registered breeder, the pound or the vet.

Visit Deathrow Pets to see how you can help.

Posted at 10:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) |

Anyone considering taking their children to China for the Beijing Olympics, which open on August 8, are brave indeed. CNN reported today that

A virulent virus has infected 3,321 children in eastern China where 22 have died of the illness, according to Xinhua news agency. The illness -- known as enterovirus 71 -- can cause hand, foot and mouth disease. The outbreak is another concern for China as it prepares to welcome hundreds of thousands for this summer's Olympics.

In milder cases, EV71 can cause cold-like symptoms, diarrhoea and sores on the hands, feet and mouth, according to the journal Genetic Vaccines and Therapy. But more severe cases can cause fluid to accumulate on the brain, resulting in polio-like paralysis and death, according to the journal.

There is no effective antiviral treatment for severe EV71 infections, and no vaccine is available. Adults' well-developed immune systems usually can fend off the virus, but children are vulnerable to it.

According to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, China reported 753 deaths from infectious disease in March 2008, according to the country's health ministry.

Last month, 456,209 cases of contagious disease were recorded nationwide, the ministry said. It noted the figures didn't include those from China's Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao regions.

The diseases included AIDS, hepatitis, diarrhoea and measles, among others. No cases of plague, cholera, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), polio, human bird flu, dengue or diphtheria were reported, the ministry said on its website.

AIDS was the deadliest of all the infectious diseases with 260 fatalities last month, according to the ministry.

Posted at 7:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) |

One news story that grabbed my attention today was the announcement that the Tasmanian Devil is being decimated in such dramatic numbers that they are to go onto the Endangered Species listing. The ABC News reported that

A deadly facial tumour disease has so depleted the wild population of Tasmanian Devils that the species is now about to be declared endangered.

More than half of the wild devil population has been wiped out by the disease, with researchers scrambling to isolate disease-free populations on offshore islands as an insurance policy.

A team at the Mt Pleasant Laboratories in Launceston has found that the devil facial tumour disease, DFTD, which is killing Tasmanian devil populations, is not caused by bacteria or a virus as previously thought, but by an infectious line of cancer cells which are passed from one to another by biting.

The news story has generated a huge amount of comments on the site and more than one commenter blames the Tasmanian Government:

Tasmania's got the most stunning environment in Australia yet the Tasmanian governments over the years have been happy to completely destroy it to make a quick buck rather than embracing ecotourism and its sustained revenue stream.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was dioxins and other chemicals which have found their way into the water and land that were causing these problems. The only way this is going to be stopped is if Paul Lennon and his buddies at Gunns come face to face with the problems they've saddled Tasmanians with by having their family members fall sick.

Until that day comes, Lennon and Gunns will trash the forests, rivers, lakes and coastlines of Tasmania. The Liberals have shown they're no better, though, so it's up to Tasmanians who care about the future of their state to start electing minor parties and independents.

And another defending the government:

Keep the facts to the Devils and the problems they have - i actually know of a place in north west Tasmania that are breeding them for the government without disease in a farming community ( maybe the chemical theory is not so clear?) a lot of Tasmanian's are working to help the situation. blaming them doesn't help the situation.

Several websites have emerged to help save the Tasmanian Devil:

• University of Tasmania Foundation
• Tasmanian Devil Cancer Project
• Save the Tasmanian Devil

Posted at 8:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1) |

If your live in an area like me and have been experiencing extreme heat this summer, here's a list of the top 9 things you can do around your home to keep it cool.

1. Reflect heat away from your home. Dark colours absorb 70 to 90 per cent of the radiant energy from the sun resulting in heat gain. In contrast, light colours reflect more light and heat away. If you want to help keep your home cool, make sure the roof is a light colour. Better still - use corrugated iron - a reflective roof with aluminium foil backing can reduce heat gain by 25 per cent.

2. Lighten walls. White or light-coloured exteriors absorb less heat than dark walls.

3. Improve window efficiency. Around 40 per cent of unwanted heat comes through windows. Reflective window coatings, double glazing or thick curtains can reduce this impact considerably, particularly if you have large areas of glass. As the day cools, open the windows and curtains again to allow the evening breezes to flow through the house.

4. Insulate. In addition to protecting your house during the winter, insulating, weather-stripping and caulking help protect it against summer heat. One of the most important places to insulate is the roof, because it attracts so much heat.

5. Shade the house with trees. Shading your house can reduce indoor temperatures by as much as 20 degrees.

6. Landscape with shade in mind - use native plants that can survive with little care or deciduous trees that lose leaves in the winter and therefore allow more light in. Vines can provide shading and cooling.

7. Use exterior shading devices. Exterior shades are effective because they block sunlight before it enters a window. A properly installed awning, for example, can reduce heat gain up to 65 per cent and of course a light-coloured awning will reflect sunlight. Louvres, shutters, and rolling shutters are also options for outdoors.

8. Reduce heat-generating appliances. Ovens, dishwashers, dryers, and other appliances generate a lot of heat. Try to only use them in the morning or late evening.

9. Install fans. Ceiling fans can make a room feel as much as 4 degrees cooler.

Posted at 10:27 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) |