Thanks for visiting my blog.......
Nominated...
Nominated...for Best Entertainment Blog' 2006,2008,2009
Friday, February 19, 2010
1:03:00 PM | 
Posted by
Sukh Sandhu
Galloping food prices have shattered family budgets across the country, with latest inflation data showing that prices rose at nearly 18% in the week ending February 6. Many essentials of Indian kitchens are almost beyond reach; sugar is up by nearly 60%, pulses by 46% and potatoes by 53% over a year. In a country already suffering from chronic malnutrition and low incomes, this trend is a killer.
President Pratibha Patil in her speech to the Parliament last year had promised to provide at least 25 kilograms of rice/wheat at Rs 3 per kg to all families below the poverty line (BPL). Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee had confirmed this in his Budget speech. The National Food Security Bill, introduced in Parliament last year, includes this provision. Yet, the government appears to be dragging its feet on this vital policy issue.
Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA) points out that if food security is to be really achieved, restricting the provision of subsidized grain to the BPL category is unlikely to do the trick. What would dramatically improve availability of food grains and bring down their prices is channelling cheap foodgrains through a universal public distribution system.
Contrary to fears, the cost of providing subsidized food grains to all Indians is not prohibitive, according to analysis done by the CBGA, even if the amount of grain provided per family per month is raised to 35kg, the amount now given to BPL families under the targeted PDS. They show that additional expenditure of just Rs 84,399 crore is needed for this. This is less than a fifth of the revenue foregone by the government through tax exemptions in 2008-9, which stood at a whopping Rs 418,096 crore.
The total food subsidy currently provided by the government is less than 1% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), and about 3% of the total expenditure incurred by the central and state governments together, according to data compiled by CBGA. It has hovered around this mark for nearly two decades. In 2009-10, the food subsidy given by central government was Rs 52,490 crore. This amount is transferred to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to compensate the difference between the cost FCI incurs in buying from farmers, storing and transporting and the lower prices at which it sells to public distribution system.
If food grain were to be sold at Rs 3 per kg to the estimated 24 crore households in India, the government would have to shell out Rs 136,829 crore, CBGA calculates. This is based on the assumption that procurement, storage and distribution will cost about Rs 18 per kg for rice and about Rs 14 per kg for wheat. Deducting the current food subsidy of Rs 52,490 from this gives an estimate of Rs 84,399 as additional expenditure. The amount of subsidy will get increased to Rs 94,419 crore if grain is sold at Rs 2 per kg.
This expenditure is justified, says CBGA, because over 50% of children in India are underweight and nearly 75% of women are anaemic, as per the third National Family and Health Survey. Despite record harvests every year, the amount of cereals and pulses available per person has been steadily declining from 186kg per annum in 1991 to 166kg in 2000 and further down to 160kg per annum in 2007.
Whether government has the political will to tackle hunger in the country will become clear next week when the annual Budget is presented to Parliament.
The Times of India Report. Click Here
President Pratibha Patil in her speech to the Parliament last year had promised to provide at least 25 kilograms of rice/wheat at Rs 3 per kg to all families below the poverty line (BPL). Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee had confirmed this in his Budget speech. The National Food Security Bill, introduced in Parliament last year, includes this provision. Yet, the government appears to be dragging its feet on this vital policy issue.
Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA) points out that if food security is to be really achieved, restricting the provision of subsidized grain to the BPL category is unlikely to do the trick. What would dramatically improve availability of food grains and bring down their prices is channelling cheap foodgrains through a universal public distribution system.
Contrary to fears, the cost of providing subsidized food grains to all Indians is not prohibitive, according to analysis done by the CBGA, even if the amount of grain provided per family per month is raised to 35kg, the amount now given to BPL families under the targeted PDS. They show that additional expenditure of just Rs 84,399 crore is needed for this. This is less than a fifth of the revenue foregone by the government through tax exemptions in 2008-9, which stood at a whopping Rs 418,096 crore.
The total food subsidy currently provided by the government is less than 1% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), and about 3% of the total expenditure incurred by the central and state governments together, according to data compiled by CBGA. It has hovered around this mark for nearly two decades. In 2009-10, the food subsidy given by central government was Rs 52,490 crore. This amount is transferred to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to compensate the difference between the cost FCI incurs in buying from farmers, storing and transporting and the lower prices at which it sells to public distribution system.
If food grain were to be sold at Rs 3 per kg to the estimated 24 crore households in India, the government would have to shell out Rs 136,829 crore, CBGA calculates. This is based on the assumption that procurement, storage and distribution will cost about Rs 18 per kg for rice and about Rs 14 per kg for wheat. Deducting the current food subsidy of Rs 52,490 from this gives an estimate of Rs 84,399 as additional expenditure. The amount of subsidy will get increased to Rs 94,419 crore if grain is sold at Rs 2 per kg.
This expenditure is justified, says CBGA, because over 50% of children in India are underweight and nearly 75% of women are anaemic, as per the third National Family and Health Survey. Despite record harvests every year, the amount of cereals and pulses available per person has been steadily declining from 186kg per annum in 1991 to 166kg in 2000 and further down to 160kg per annum in 2007.
Whether government has the political will to tackle hunger in the country will become clear next week when the annual Budget is presented to Parliament.
The Times of India Report. Click Here
SHENZHEN, China (Reuters) - In the hard, exhaust-choked reality of his days trawling Longhua's clogged roads, taxi driver Zhang Bo's ambition to buy a small flat for his young family has slipped out of reach for now.
Like many Chinese who covet real estate as a symbol of stability and social stature, Zhang is dismayed at the alarming climb of apartment prices in his adopted city of Shenzhen in southern China.
"People can't afford new flats anymore," said Zhang, 28, who drives a taxi to make ends meet after his small electronics factory went belly-up during the financial downturn last year.
"It's a very distant goal for us. Something we can only dream about," said the spiky-haired native of Hubei province, who takes home around 6,000 yuan ($880) in cab fares a month. He likes to joke that he now has to work three months just to buy one square meter (three feet) of residential space in the city's suburbs.
As one of millions of workers gravitating to China's major cities in search of work and opportunity, Zhang's plight mirrors the dilemma faced by many Chinese who are beneficiaries of the country's economic rise, but who are nevertheless finding it increasingly difficult to own a roof over their heads.
"The affordability is deteriorating because of the rapidly rising prices and increasing mortgages for home buyers, particularly for investors," said Xavier Wong, head of research for greater China at property consultant Knight Frank.
In January, property prices in 70 cities across China rose 9.5 percent from a year earlier. The eighth consecutive year-on-year rise added to worries of a real estate bubble.
Stephen Green, a China economist at Standard Chartered noted in a report in early February that at least seven cities saw land prices triple in 2009.
"This is clearly bubble territory for the land markets in many cities," he wrote.
HOT BUTTON ISSUE
The property bubble has become a hot social topic, spawning TV shows, Internet chatter, books and buzzwords such as "house slaves," while the growing ranks of hard-up Chinese couples opting to marry without a home, car and other traditional middle class trappings are now dubbed "naked marriages."
A popular TV drama called "Dwelling Narrowness," depicting the tribulations of a family in a city modeled on Shanghai struggling to buy their own apartment, was yanked from the airwaves in some places, hinting at government sensitivities toward the subject matter.
The migration of grassroots families and graduates in major cities to cheap, rented digs on urban fringes, could pose a socio-economic challenge for the government as the middle class malaise could fuel protests and threaten Communist Party rule.
Risks of an asset bubble forming have prompted Beijing to tighten monetary policies to help cap price rises in land and residential markets, with major developers, such as China Vanke watching future policies closely.
For the second time this year, China last week raised the level of reserves banks must hold in a move that could dent demand for risky assets.
Analysts said the government could deploy other tools as well, such as mortgage rates, lifting downpayments of second homes and slapping a property tax to cool the sector.
The measures appear to be working, with sales of new and existing homes down across the country in January, leading to dampened sentiment and a slide in prices in some cities.
Analysts say, however, that the government may not be able to rein in the property sector too aggressively since it is a main pillar of the economy with its investments accounting for over 10 percent of gross domestic product.
"The central government is trying to get the price down for a short period of time. They're squeezing out the people with money to allow the middle class to be able to afford (property) again," said Andy Xie, an independent China economist.
"(But) the local developers who have liquidity know the game. They'll be asking why should I discount now and sell to poor people when I know the government will come around and open this up again so that they can sell to rich people again.
"It's very much a political economy thing," he said.
Unlike places like Hong Kong or Singapore, which provide ample cheap public housing for its citizens, most cities in China lack such municipal infrastructure.
Analysts said a common way of calculating affordability of housing was to measure the percentage of monthly household income needed to pay up mortgage instalments and anywhere between 30 to 40 percent was deemed reasonable in Asia.
"You will find that the ratio (in China) is very, very high. (It's) very unaffordable because a lot of cities -- we're talking about 60 percent to 70 percent of their monthly household income -- needs to be used for monthly mortgages," said Wee Liat Lee, an analyst at Nomura International.
"But the problem with this measure is that you forget the fact that income is extremely skewed in China," he said, referring to the ability of many home buyers to pay for their apartments due to the one-child policy, with parents and grandparents pooling their savings to fund the purchases of the only children who are now old enough to own homes.
Overall, analysts say housing prices may rise further, though at a more modest pace than last year as the government is pushing for more affordable housing to hit the market later this year.
The scope of such housing, however, is likely to remain modest, given the great dependence of public coffers on a flood of property-related income to bankroll government spending and debts from last year's massive economic stimulus package.
Due to a lack of other investment options and as real bank deposit rates turn negative, more of China's accumulated wealth and savings are likely to pour into real estate in many top cities, potentially exacerbating inflation and home prices for the grassroots.
"The property market is a little unsteady at the moment," said Zhou Shaoying, a businesswoman who owns two homes in Shenzhen including an apartment in a complex which has an Olympic-sized swimming pool, tennis courts and even a ferris wheel.
"But if we have any surplus money, we'll invest it in another flat," added Zhou, who runs a printed circuit board factory with her husband in Songgang, a gritty town in Shenzhen's western suburbs. "We'll wait till after the lunar new year ... After that I think the market will rise again in the long term for sure."
(Additional reporting by Yang Fei in Hong Kong; Editing by Megan Goldin)
Reuters
Sunday, February 14, 2010
FILMMAKER Baz Luhrmann has undertaken a personal peace mission to India after a spate of attacks on foreign students in Australia.
During the 10-day visit, the award-winning director painted a mural on the side of a hotel in Mumbai and journeyed through Rajasthan on a motorbike, painting artworks with local children. He was accompanied by Australian artist Vincent Fantauzzo.
''I think we both feel, as a lot of Australians do, that if you have any connection to India you feel really, really sad and disturbed. We never see our country as particularly racist or particularly violent,'' Luhrmann said.
The attacks - including the fatal stabbing of Nitin Garg in Melbourne on January 2 - have strained relations between Australia and India and sparked protests in both nations.
''As artists, we can stand up and very directly say, 'Look, this is not the voice of our country, this is not the attitude of Australians','' Luhrmann said.
''Every country, I said, has a few sick, tragic losers who do very tragic things. It's really important to identify that this is not the Australian voice.''
The Mumbai mural painted by the pair included images of Elvis and dancer Gene Kelly as well as Bollywood iconography.
Luhrmann said it combined Western and Indian musical elements to celebrate the idea of dance as a unifying art.
During his trip he also held a press conference in Delhi and met high-profile Bollywood stars including actor Amitabh Bachchan, promoting the message of friendship between both countries.
An accident outside Delhi left him with a broken hand.
''A guy jumped from a moving bus, collided with my bike and, well, it was a good ad for protective clothing,'' said Luhrmann, adding it was ''a small price to pay for a pretty extraordinary trip''.
He said his ''Indo-Australian peace initiative'' came from ''just a genuine place, honestly. It was very positive and joyous and exciting''.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Sleeping on their side or with their upper body in a slightly raised position can help people who wantto stop snoring. This was concluded by the German Otolaryngologists Association.
Other methods to cure this problem are losing weightand refraining from a nightcap before going to bed, it said. If these measures are not giving results, the snorer may be suffering from sleeping disorder called "sleeping apnoea." This disorder is marked by dangerous pauses in breathing. Should this be the case, a doctor can prescribe nighttime use of a continuous positive airway pressure CPAP) device, which comes with a special mask.
A minor operation is also advisable in some cases to stiffen soft palatal tissue. According to German ear, nose and throat doctors, the procedures significantly increased the quality of patients'
sleep - they wake up rested again and are no longer so tired during the day. (With Input from Agencies)
In a recent study conducted in Germany, it was concluded that stress which continues over a long period of time can trigger pain and physical discomforts such as stomach and intestinal
problems, back pain, asthma, skin rashes and headaches. This study was conducted by Germany's professional association of psychiatrists. Sufferers of such problems should consider what in
their lives has put them under pressure and what they can change about their situation, if there is no physical cause of the problems. If that alone doesn't help, psychotherapy could be the solution.
It is estimated that up to one-third of people who consult a doctor because of these various complaints are suffering from a psychosomatic illness.
The stress often is the result of demands or conflicts with colleagues or superiors at work or it can result from relationship problems. (With Input from Agencies)
Indian Exports grew by 11.5% in January
Indian exports reported growth for the third consecutive month as in January exports grew by 11.5% comparing to the same period last year, commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma told reporters today. In January, exports were reported at $14.34 billion while the exports figures were posted $12.9 billion last year. The increase in exports shows that the country is making its strong presence in the international marketplace.
The official foreign trade data, including the import figures, would be released on March 2. The preliminary data had earlier expected a growth of 8% the export figures in January.
Not only in January, exports from India were on a high for the past three months as in November 2009 India's exports grew by 18.2% and were posted $13.2 billion and in Decemberexports grew by 9.8% to reach on a 15 month high and touched $14.61 billion. Before November, India's export saw 13 successive months of decline because of the global economic slowdown since October 2008.
"Between now and March 31, we hope to maintain and further strengthen the growth, which will help us in registering healthy export figures and reducing gap dip in year-on-year exportssubstantially," Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said, Revealing the January export numbers.
Indian exports reported growth for the third consecutive month as in January exports grew by 11.5% comparing to the same period last year, commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma told reporters today. In January, exports were reported at $14.34 billion while the exports figures were posted $12.9 billion last year. The increase in exports shows that the country is making its strong presence in the international marketplace.
The official foreign trade data, including the import figures, would be released on March 2. The preliminary data had earlier expected a growth of 8% the export figures in January.
Not only in January, exports from India were on a high for the past three months as in November 2009 India's exports grew by 18.2% and were posted $13.2 billion and in Decemberexports grew by 9.8% to reach on a 15 month high and touched $14.61 billion. Before November, India's export saw 13 successive months of decline because of the global economic slowdown since October 2008.
"Between now and March 31, we hope to maintain and further strengthen the growth, which will help us in registering healthy export figures and reducing gap dip in year-on-year exportssubstantially," Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said, Revealing the January export numbers.
Many people describe tension headaches in different manners. According to Hans-Christoph Diener, spokesman for the German Neurology Society (DGN) 70 percent of Germans show symptoms of such headache twice a month.
Tension headaches, known medically as tension-type headaches, are a real problem if they become chronic, however. "As defined by specialists, this is when the pains occur 15 or more days a month for a least three consecutive months," explained Volker Limmroth, head physician at Cologne-Merheim Hospital's neurological clinic.
Diener, who founded the West German Headache Centre at Essen University Hospital, said that people with frequent tension headaches should by all means see a neurologist or pain therapist. "There seems to be a time factor," he said. "If you catch a person on the way to chronification, it's possible to 'roll back' the tension headaches with the help of multimodal therapy."
The first pillar, out of four main pillars of multimodal therapy, is long-term medicinal treatment. Painkilling drugs are unsuitable, though, because when taken over a long period they can not only have various side effects but also aggravate the headaches or cause them to become chronic.
The second pillar is behavior therapy. "Two methods are particularly effective against tension headaches: progressive muscle relaxation as developed by (American physician Edmund) Jacobson and autogenic training," remarked Susanne Grohs-von Reichenbach, a relaxation therapist in Munich.
As a third pillar in multimodal therapy, neurologists recommend engaging in an endurance sport such as jogging or swimming three times a week. And finally, physiotherapy as a fourth pillar can target muscle tension, for example in the neck.
Grohs-von Reichenbach noted," Many of the people in my class point to work at a computer screen as a precipitating factor. I advise them to take a two-to-three minute break every hour, roll their shoulders and move their eyes."
Tension headaches, known medically as tension-type headaches, are a real problem if they become chronic, however. "As defined by specialists, this is when the pains occur 15 or more days a month for a least three consecutive months," explained Volker Limmroth, head physician at Cologne-Merheim Hospital's neurological clinic.
Diener, who founded the West German Headache Centre at Essen University Hospital, said that people with frequent tension headaches should by all means see a neurologist or pain therapist. "There seems to be a time factor," he said. "If you catch a person on the way to chronification, it's possible to 'roll back' the tension headaches with the help of multimodal therapy."
The first pillar, out of four main pillars of multimodal therapy, is long-term medicinal treatment. Painkilling drugs are unsuitable, though, because when taken over a long period they can not only have various side effects but also aggravate the headaches or cause them to become chronic.
The second pillar is behavior therapy. "Two methods are particularly effective against tension headaches: progressive muscle relaxation as developed by (American physician Edmund) Jacobson and autogenic training," remarked Susanne Grohs-von Reichenbach, a relaxation therapist in Munich.
As a third pillar in multimodal therapy, neurologists recommend engaging in an endurance sport such as jogging or swimming three times a week. And finally, physiotherapy as a fourth pillar can target muscle tension, for example in the neck.
Grohs-von Reichenbach noted," Many of the people in my class point to work at a computer screen as a precipitating factor. I advise them to take a two-to-three minute break every hour, roll their shoulders and move their eyes."
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
A sexual health charity has found in a survey that the women over 35 years, who believe that they don't need to takecontraceptivesbecause their fertility is on wane, are mostly seen going for abortions.
The campaign launched by the Family Planning Association has reported that believing age as a main cause of infertility is encouraging older women to avoid contraception.
The figures related to the study revealed that the abortion rate in Scotland is higher for women over-35 year of age than for the women under-16, the abortion rate for women in the 35-39 age range was 6.2 per 1,000 of the population in 2008 as compared to 4.7 for the women under-16.
While in England and Wales, the abortion rate for the women under 16 had an abortion rate of 4 per 1000 women in the year 2008 and same was the rate for the women aged between 40- 45.
The campaign so conducted is planned till the Valentine's Day with the slogans including "Fertility. You'd be surprised how long it takes to disappear" and "Unplanned pregnancy. You'd be surprised how long you're able to conceive before your fertility finally fades away."
FPA further advised women to use contraceptives until the menopause in order to avoid pregnancy. It also advised women to use contraceptive for two years after menopause if age is under 50 and for 1 year if age over 50. FPA has been spreading the message through the health professionals that the women should use contraceptives in order to avoid pregnancy.
Microsoft has earned another reason to get appreciation by deciding to launch a new customized version of the IE8 in order to promote online safety for families. This step has been taken in collaboration with CEOP, Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre.
The new customized version of IE8 contains advice, help and report services directly into the toolbar and also provides access to information on cyber bullying, viruses, hacking, mobile protection, harmful content and sexual behaviour.
Regarding the release, the Microsoft business and marketing officer, Methew Bishop said, "As more and more young people are learning, playing and communicating online, it is vital we provide the appropriate safety information as we know this is one of the most effective ways of helping to protect people."
In addition to this, IE8 has released with the improvements on the shortcomings of IE6 and IE7. But the IE8 is not recommended for the users who are much concerned about the security threat from the viruses and bugs. Moreover, IE8 is slower as comparable to the other browsers.
Monday, February 8, 2010
LONDON (Reuters) - Estrogen-only hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may increase the risk of developing asthma after the menopause, scientists said on Monday.
The findings, from a major study involving almost 58,000 women in France over 12 years, add to a growing body of evidence suggesting a link between some female hormones and asthma.
French and Mexican researchers found that compared with women who had never used any form of HRT, those who did use it were 21 percent more likely to develop asthma, but the risk of asthma was most significant in those using estrogen alone.
Among these women, the overall risk of asthma was 54 percent higher than for women who had never used any form of HRT, the scientists from the Gustave Roussy Institute in France and the Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica in Mexico wrote in a study in the British Medical Journal's Thorax publication.
"There is now a large body of evidence suggesting a link between female hormones, including the use of HRT, the development of asthma and its severity," Leanne Metcalf, director of research at the advocacy group Asthma UK, said in a commentary on the study.
"However this is the first large-scale and long-term study to suggest that it is estrogen-only HRT which significantly increases the risk."
Experts say asthma is more common in young women after they have started having periods, and hospital admissions for asthma are more common among women than men.
The severity of asthma also varies throughout the menstrual cycle and during pregnancy, and the incidence of the disease tends, in general, to fall after the menopause.
HRT can be effective for menopausal symptoms like severe hot flushes and vaginal dryness, but it also carries risks.
Its use has dropped sharply in recent years since a Women's Health Initiative study in 2002 found an increased risk of ovarian cancer, breast cancer, strokes and other health problems in women on hormone replacement therapy.
However, separate research published last week found that women using HRT were less likely to develop colon cancer.
The authors of Monday's study said that although their findings pointed to an increased risk of asthma, this should be judged "in the light of all the other health effects of HRT use -- including its beneficial effect on the quality of life of menopausal women."
(Reporting by Kate Kelland, editing by Robin Pomeroy)
Reuters
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Australia paused to remember the day when fires ripped through Victoria killing 173 and wiping towns off the map.
Grieving mother Carol Matthews spoke for the families of the 173 victims of the Black Saturday bushfires when she told an anniversary memorial service that those remembering the devastating fires came from no specific place.
NO one was named but all were remembered.
Grieving mother Carol Matthews spoke for the families of the 173 victims of the Black Saturday bushfires when she told an anniversary memorial service that those remembering the devastating fires came from no specific place.
"We are scattered across Victoria, across Australia and across the globe," Ms Matthews told more than 2000 people at the multi-faith service at St Pauls Cathedral in central Melbourne.
"One year ago our lives changed forever.
"Our son was killed by the bushfires and our memories and our house were destroyed. On that day, we lost our past, our present and our future."
But there was a future, said Melbourne Archbishop Philip Freier who told the congregation the candles lit to represent each of the 100 or so communities affected by the fires were "a symbol of light and hope for the future".
As bereaved families, survivors, those who lost their homes, dignitaries and representatives of the multiple faiths lit the candles, the names of the affected communities were solemnly read out, from Arthurs Creek to Kinglake, Marysville and Strathewen to Yinnar South.
Some lit the candle in pairs, holding hands for support or clutching the taper together. Others came up in family groups, others stoically solo.
Because none of the 173 individuals were named during the service, those who suffered loss collected white pebbles, upon which they wrote personal messages and left them at the base of the candles.
The dignified service began with a minute's silence and included biblical readings by Governor-General Quentin Bryce and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, while Victorian Premier John Brumby read a poem written by Rhonda Abotomey, who lost a brother and other family members in the February 7, 2009, fires.
State Governor David de Kretser and federal and state opposition leaders Tony Abbott and Ted Baillieu lit candles.
Joan Davey, who lost her son, daughter-in-law and two granddaughters, clung to Ms Abotomey after they read a prayer for those who died.
The head of the Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority Christine Nixon said there could be no under-estimation of the "enormous pain, trauma and grief" thousands of Victorians had experienced since Black Saturday.
"We are here to remember all those who lost their lives," she said.
"The worst national disaster in Australia's history has left an indelible scar on families, friends, neighbours and relatives and strangers across the world.
"People have seen and heard things they hope never to see again."
Several hundred members of bereaved families and those from bushfire-hit towns filled the front 20 pews of the cathedral and many were then heading back home to remember the day with their own communities.
References: News Report: News.Com.Au
Some pictures of the Black Saturday:
At a special interfaith church service in Melbourne, politicians, dignitaries and the families and friends of the Black Saturday victims joined Australians around the nation in silence as a mark of respect to those who suffered in the fires.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Victorian Premier John Brumby are among those at the service at Melbourne's St Paul's cathedral.
Governor-General Quentin Bryce and Victorian Governor David de Kretser are also at the service.
The head of the Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority Christine Nixon said there could be no underestimation of the “enormous pain, trauma and grief” thousands of Victorians had experienced since Black Saturday.
“The worst national disaster in Australia's history has left an indelible scar on families, friends, neighbours and relatives and strangers across the world,” she said.
“People have seen and heard things they hope never to see again.
“Through all this the Australian spirit has been there in spades.”
Ms Nixon said she was amazed at the ability of people in affected towns and communities to take on leadership roles to rebuild.
“I spoke to one local in an area decimated by fire ... he had been to 17 funerals in a row, it's hard to comprehend.
“He spoke of being lucky, to be alive and rebuilding the town he loved.”
The Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne Dr Philip Freier told the congregation the first anniversary of the bushfires was an opportunity for thanks as well as for grieving.
Dr Freier said the anniversary was a reason to understand that tragedies such as Black Saturday need not be annual events.
“The best that we see at these times gives us a glimpse of a world that has healed and restored,'' he said.
As part of the service, candles were lit as, Dr Freier said, “a symbol of light and hope for the future''.
Introduced just over 25 years ago, the ugly truth about our plastic bag addiction is that society’s consumption rate is now estimated at well over 500,000,000,000 (that’s 500 billion) plastic bags annually, or almost 1 million per minute.
_________________
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kindest Regards,
Sukh Sandhu
Site Administrator
People have very long memories, So invest in making yourself a good memory...
* Single-use bags made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) are the main culprit. Once brought into existence to tote your purchases, they’ll accumulate and persist on our planet for up to 1,000 years.
* Australians alone consume about 6.9 billion plastic bags each year, that’s 326 per person. According to Australia’s Department of Environment, an estimated 49,600,000 annually end up as litter.
* In 2001, Ireland used 1.2 billion disposable plastic bags, or 316 per person. An extremely successful plastic bag tax introduced in 2002 reduced consumption by 90%.
* According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. An estimated 12 million barrels of oil is required to make that many plastic bags.
* Four out of five grocery bags in the US are now plastic.
* Plastic bags cause over 100,000 sea turtle and other marine animal deaths every year when animals mistake them for food.
* In a dramatic move to stem a tide of 60,000 metric tons of plastic bag and plastic utensil waste per year, Taiwan banned both last year.
* According to the BBC, only 1 in 200 plastic bags in the UK are recycled.
* According to the WSJ Target, the second-largest retailer in the U.S., purchases 1.8 billion bags a year.
* As part of Clean Up Australia Day, in one day nearly 500,000 plastic bags were collected. Unfortunately, each year in Australia an estimated 50,000,000 plastic bags end up as litter.
* The average family accumulates 60 plastic bags in only four trips to the grocery store.
* Each high quality reusable bag you use has the potential to eliminate an average of 1,000 plastic bags over its lifetime. The bag will pay for itself if your grocery store offers a $.05 or $.10 credit per bag for bringing your own bags.
* Windblown plastic bags are so prevalent in Africa that a cottage industry has sprung up harvesting bags and using them to weave hats, and even bags. According to the BBC one group harvests 30,000 per month.
* Australians alone consume about 6.9 billion plastic bags each year, that’s 326 per person. According to Australia’s Department of Environment, an estimated 49,600,000 annually end up as litter.
* In 2001, Ireland used 1.2 billion disposable plastic bags, or 316 per person. An extremely successful plastic bag tax introduced in 2002 reduced consumption by 90%.
* According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. An estimated 12 million barrels of oil is required to make that many plastic bags.
* Four out of five grocery bags in the US are now plastic.
* Plastic bags cause over 100,000 sea turtle and other marine animal deaths every year when animals mistake them for food.
* In a dramatic move to stem a tide of 60,000 metric tons of plastic bag and plastic utensil waste per year, Taiwan banned both last year.
* According to the BBC, only 1 in 200 plastic bags in the UK are recycled.
* According to the WSJ Target, the second-largest retailer in the U.S., purchases 1.8 billion bags a year.
* As part of Clean Up Australia Day, in one day nearly 500,000 plastic bags were collected. Unfortunately, each year in Australia an estimated 50,000,000 plastic bags end up as litter.
* The average family accumulates 60 plastic bags in only four trips to the grocery store.
* Each high quality reusable bag you use has the potential to eliminate an average of 1,000 plastic bags over its lifetime. The bag will pay for itself if your grocery store offers a $.05 or $.10 credit per bag for bringing your own bags.
* Windblown plastic bags are so prevalent in Africa that a cottage industry has sprung up harvesting bags and using them to weave hats, and even bags. According to the BBC one group harvests 30,000 per month.
_________________
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kindest Regards,
Sukh Sandhu
Site Administrator
People have very long memories, So invest in making yourself a good memory...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)