Questions for discussion

Taser troubles

Body image

Melbourne Cup

EPISODE 31

3RD NOVEMBER 2009

School boarders

Wallaby foster parents

Focus Questions

Reporting the facts about Tasers

EPISODE 31

3RD NOVEMBER 2009

Learning Area

Society and

Environment

Key learning

Students will

develop an

understanding of

what Tasers are,

why police want to

use them and

opposition to

them.

Reflection

Related Research Links

Focus Questions

Body image

EPISODE 31

3RD NOVEMBER 2009

Learning Area

Health and

Physical Education

Key learning

Students will

develop a deeper

understanding of

what body image is

and how it impacts

on wellbeing.

Related Research Links

BtN: Episode 31 Transcripts 03/11/09

On this week's Behind the News:

How much of what you see in magazines is real?

Remote kids hit the big smoke for study.

And the jockey who dreamed of being a D.J.

Hi I'm Nathan Bazley welcome to Behind the News.

Also on the show today – the wallabies becoming foster parents to

help save a species.

Those items later... but first let's catch up with some of the week's

other headlines ... here's Catherine with the Wire.

The Wire

Last week we told you about people smuggling and it's still all over the

news.

Pollies are arguing about what to do with 78 Sri Lankans who are on

an Aussie customs ship in Indonesia.

The Asylum seekers were picked up when their boat started sinking

on its way to Australia where they want to live.

The Australian Government wants to drop them off in Indonesia, but

they won't get off the boat.

The asylum seekers are saying they'd rather jump into the water than

stay in Indonesia.

*******

A few months ago we told you about a 14 year old Dutch girl who

planned to sail around the world.

Well a court in her home country has banned her from going.

In other sailing news, Aussie Jessica Watson left on her solo around

the world voyage around two weeks ago. So far she's covered more

than 3000 k’s and going strong.

*******

And as much as some of us hate vegies, scientists have found another

reason to eat them!

Research has shown that the fibre in them boosts your immune

system, which helps diseases like asthma and diabetes.

That's on top of the evidence showing they're awesome for holding off

heart disease and some cancers.

So no more pushing them to the side of your plate!

Taser Troubles

Reporter: Sarah Larsen

INTRO: Now to our features and first up today we look at weapons

that shoot electricity.

Sounds pretty sci-fi but they're called tasers and some cops use them.

They're designed to stop dangerous people in their tracks without

hurting them badly, but reports are now saying them might be more

dangerous than first thought.

Sarah has the story.

SARAH LARSEN, REPORTER: Watch a lot of cop shows, and you'd

think being a police officer was a bit like this. On TV the good guys

win and only the bad guys get hurt. But then there's the real world.

Policing is a really important job but it can also be a really hard one.

They see people at their worst and face some horrible situations and

risk their lives.

REPORTER: Imagine walking into a room and not knowing what

you'll find. People could be hurt, and around any door there could be

someone holding a weapon.

Police need a way of bringing dangerous situations under control and

that's why they carry guns. They're trained to use them properly, and

only as a last resort to protect themselves or someone else. Because

when police do have to shoot, it's horrible for everyone; families and

the officers.

REPORTER: Police officers don't want to hurt anyone but they have

to stay safe so they're always looking for new, non-lethal ways of

controlling people.

They already use things capsicum spray and now, tasers. The name

actually comes from a really old kids’ book called Tom Swift, about a

kid who builds an electric rifle. So when a man called Jack Cover

invented his own electric gun in the 70’s he named it after "Tom A.

Swift's Electric Rifle" or "TASER". The taser works by sending a jolt of

electricity between two electrodes. You can also get taser guns, which

fire electrodes attached to wires. They stick into a person's skin and

give them a jolt. The electricity messes up the signals going to the

brain and stops the muscles working for a little while; long enough for

police to get the situation under control. Taser suppliers say it doesn't

last long and it's pretty safe. Police in the US have been using them for

years but in Australia tasers are pretty new.

But not everyone is happy. People have died after being tasered,

although there's debate about whether the taser was to blame. Some

say inflicting pain on someone is wrong. There're also worries tasers

will be used too much. That's why these ones have cameras installed

so we can check that they're being used in the right way. Some say the

answer isn't new weapons but better training for police. These NSW

officers are doing a course designed to show them how to deal with

people who are very upset. They learn better ways to calm them down

so weapons aren't necessary. Tasers are already being used by police

in a few states, and others are trying them out so they can decide

whether or not they want to use them. So it might not be long before

you see more police officers armed with tasers.

Presenter: OK, I think it’s time now for a quiz – although don’t

stress, there’s no electric shock if you get it wrong.

Quiz 1

When did humans start wearing clothes?

1. 5,000 years ago

2. 40,000

3. 150,000

Answer: 40,000 years ago

Presenter: No-one knows exactly, but some scientists reckon it

could be around 40 to 70 thousand years ago. And they worked it out

by studying body lice!

Ok I know that sounds bizarre but there's a link on our website

explaining all - I'm getting itchy just thinking about it.

Body Image

Reporter: Kirsty Bennett

INTRO: Now let's fast forward to today's fashion .

Wherever we look we're surrounded by images of what look like

perfect people.

Billboards, magazines and catwalks all seem to show people that

have bodies that are nothing like the average persons.

Now that's all well and good, but how do these pictures make you

feel about yourself?

Some people reckon it's hurting a lot of us, so they're fighting back.

Kirsty has the story.

KIRSTY BENNETT, REPORTER: On the catwalk anything goes.

From the skimpy to the strange, there are no boundaries when it

comes to fashion. And what you see in magazines isn't always what it

seems. But the Federal Government is looking to change all that.

When you flick through magazines it's pretty hard to escape all the so-

called "beautiful people". Thin or muscly; pretty or handsome - this is

what advertisers and the fashion world want us to think is the

"perfect" body. But not everyone fits this description.

KIRSTY: Women who have these catwalk bodies only make up a tiny

percentage of the population. As for the rest of Australia, we come in

all shapes and sizes.

Unfortunately there are a lot of people out there who compare

themselves to models. It can affect the way we feel about our bodies

which can lead to eating disorders and other health problems.

Our bodies come in all different shapes but there are some tricks the

industry uses to make models look flawless. A lot of the time pictures

are changed by computer software to make them look better. Now

let's see what our graphics extraordinaire - Ruth - can do with this

picture of me. Big red lips... a bit of a change to my eye colour... and

she can even change my nose! Ok, let's bring my nose back. And

finally the finished product! Its changes like these that the

Government wants stamped out because they say they're not real. So

it's gathered some of the best brains to help make us feel better about

the way we look.

They want advertisers, the fashion industry and the media to show

more models of different shapes, sizes and cultures. They want the

industry to stop using digital technology to make unrealistic images.

And if the image is changed, the consumer should know about it. They

want models to look healthy and be older too. People aged over 16

should be used when it comes to modelling clothes for adults. They

also want fashion shops to stock a large range of sizes to fit different

customers.

While there are rules, the fashion industry, advertisers and the media

don't have to follow them. It's a voluntary code, which means no-one

will be forced to do it. But the group that advised the government

hopes the industries will become more responsible. It's all part of

helping us feel a whole lot better about the skin we're in!

Presenter: Good news there. Now, we’ll make that the topic for our

online poll this week.

Poll

The question is: “Should the fashion industry be forced to use the

new body image code?”

If you want to vote go to our website.

Melbourne Cup

Reporter: Catherine Ellis

INTRO: Now to the race that stops the nation, and will hopefully get

you out of a little bit of school!

The Melbourne Cup is a huge deal in this country and has been going

for nearly 150 years.

For the jockeys it's an even bigger deal, it's like their grand final and

many have been training for it since school.

But one of the guys lining up got into the sport in the strangest way.

Catherine met him to find out all about it.

CATHERINE ELLIS, REPORTER: Twenty years ago, when Dom

Tourneur was just 15 he was obsessed with music and dreamt about

becoming a disk jockey.

So when his mum found an ad in the paper for jockey school, he was

super excited! What he didn't realise was she meant jockey school

with horses!

DOM: So I thought I was going to be a DJ, but as it turns out it had

something to do with horses and I had nothing to do with horses.

But after the ten week course he was hooked. He quit school, had to

leave home and was off to train full time to be jockey.

CATHERINE: Love at first sight really!

DOM: Yeah it was a bit you know once I really adjusted to the horse

and you get to know them they're a beautiful animal and you sort of

learn a lot from them and it's been terrific.

Now all these years later, Dom is set to race in the biggest horse race

in the country - the Melbourne Cup!

He's been getting tips from two time winner John Letts and doing lots

of training.

His favourite thing about racing, is the adrenalin rush!

CATHERINE: What sort of speeds are you getting up to?

DOM: Yeah the horses probably get up to sort of like a top speed of

around sixty maybe a fraction more sort of thing. So you are travelling

at a fairly quick pace without a seatbelt!

CATHERINE: That'd be pretty scary, have you ever fallen off?

DOM: I fell off on Sunday at Mount Gambier in a race. The horse that

I fell off rolled over me and then a horse that was behind me ran over

me as well and then that jockey came off as well so it's a fairly risky

business.

The horses are okay, Dom has a bruised ankle but he's all set for the

Melbourne Cup.

CATHERINE: Now Dom is going to be riding a horse called Alcopop

who is joint favourite to win the race let's go and meet Alcopop.

Jake is Alcopop's trainer. He makes sure he gets the right food, is

brushed, washed and does all sorts of fitness work.

CATHERINE: Is it true that horses get special massages?

DOM: Yeah absolutely.

JAKE: Like Dom.

DOM: Jake uses a neck massager on him about twice a day. They

enjoy it and it loosens them up sort of thing.

CAT: And you walk them through the water what does that do? JAKE:

The cool water is obviously good for their joints after work and

galloping and pace work does the back of their legs and so walking

through the water obviously works the front end.

Jake has transformed Alcopop from a farm horse, who used to round

up sheep, into a prized racehorse.

He'll be nervously watching the big race trackside along with Dom's

proud family.

DOM: It's probably a dream come true to be able to ride in it and to

be on a live chance with a chance of winning it you know if you were

to win it would be an absolute life changing experience.

Presenter: 60 k’s an hour on a horse? I think DJ would have been

safer.

Ok, let’s hit up another quiz now, and see how much you know about

racing.

Quiz 2

The Melbourne Cup has a maximum of 24 horses running, but what’s

the record for the most runners in a horse race?

1. 47

2. 138

3. 228

Answer: The answer is 228.

Presenter: And that race was in China 4 years ago. Sounds like

chaos.

School Boarders

Reporter: Sarah Larsen

INTRO: You might not always feel like going to school but deep

down, you've got to know it's pretty important.

Getting an education means you can be whatever you want to be.

But for Indigenous kids in some of Australia's most remote places,

getting an education isn't really easy.

Sarah has a look at some that have overcome that hurdle.

SARAH LARSEN, REPORTER: Meet Christopher. He dreams of

being a lawyer. Philemon wants to be a helicopter pilot. Christine

wants to be a policewoman and Jazzy wants to get into hairdressing.

Annabella runs really fast; she could end up as a sports star and

Nicky, she doesn't know what she wants to do yet but she's got years

to decide.

REPORTER: This is where the kids are working on achieving those

dreams, at big city boarding schools. The boys go here and the girls go

to a different one.

But both schools are a world away from the place the kids came from.

NICKY: We're excited because we are going home today, we are going

to fly to Alice Springs and our family are going to pick us up at the

airport.

CHRISTOPHER: I'm really looking forward to seeing my family.

Home is thousands of kilometres away from Adelaide, 300km from

Alice Springs on an Aboriginal homeland called Ukaka. It's home to

about 60 people. They're the land's traditional owners but life here

isn't easy, they struggle with poverty. The Ukaka School isn't much,

just one little tin shed. There's no high school and kids don't get the

opportunities most Aussie kids take for granted.

IAN CONWAY: Christopher at the age of 13 couldn't tell the time,

Philemon couldn't even spell his name and they'd been going to

school for between five and 10 years.

Ian and his wife Lyn own Kings Creek Station which is right next door

and they have a lot of friends in Ukaka. It was a promise made to one

of those friends that would eventually change a lot of lives.

IAN: Many years ago I was approached by an old Aboriginal elder, the

Kulpitjara man as I call him. And before he passed away he said to me

will you make sure, will you make sure that my son Billy gets

education and he really needs to go away from Central Australia, he

needs to go to Adelaide to get some education. I was very unsuccessful

at that because I had no idea how I could do it so I felt as though I let

this old man down.

But Ian never forgot his promise and one day Lizzie also asked him

for help.

LIZZIE JAKO, UKAKA GRANDMOTHER: I was really worried about

my granddaughter so I talked to Ian so he could help me out.

Ian and Lyn managed to get enough money to send some kids to

boarding schools in Adelaide. The schools wanted to help as well but

it wasn't easy for kids so far from home.

CHRISTOPHER: When I first came here I was very nervous and my

English was not very good.

Now they're starting to fit right in but home will always be important.

LYNNE CONWAY: And I said you must never forget your language,

or where you come from, or your tradition. You listen to all the stories

that the old ladies tell you, you must always keep that because that is

your life, but with an education you can help your people.

Lyn and Ian have set up a foundation and they hope with donations

they'll be able to send more kids to school to give all the people of

Ukaka the future they deserve.

Presenter: Great plan. Back to sport now, here’s Catherine with the

Score.

The Score

Sebastian Vetell has raced to victory in the Abu Dahbi Grand Prix

ahead of Aussie Mark Webber.

Englishman Lewis Hamilton was looking good to win before car

problems forced him out of the race.

It was just the change Vettel needed to scream ahead.

He finished the race in the dark under the floodlights of Abu Dahbi's

new billion dollar track.

******

The Wallabies have had a bad start to their spring tour losing to the

All-Blacks in Tokyo.

The Kiwis scored 32 points to the Aussies' 19.

But the Wallabies will have a chance to make up for it on the other

side of the world.

This weekend they'll play England in Twickenham, kicking off a

grand-slam tour of the UK and Ireland.

*******

And in cricket there hasn't been any more good news for the Aussies

who lost another player to injury on the weekend.

James Hopes has flown back to Australia after injuring his right

hamstring during the first one day international in India.

He's the third player to fly back home, after Brett Lee injured his

elbow and Tim Paine hurt his finger.

Presenter: Thanks Catherine. We’re going to have a bit of sport

with you now - another quiz.

Quiz 3

So the question is – which of these marsupials has no pouch?

1. Numbat

2. Koala

3. Tasmanian Devil

Answer: Numbat

Presenter: Numbats are one of only a few marsupials that don't

have a true pouch. How random.

Rock Wallabies

Reporter: Nathan Bazley

INTRO: One species that does have a pouch is wallabies but some of

them are endangered.

Breeding programs are meant to help them by getting animals in

captivity to have as many babies as possible, so they can be released

into the wild.

But the problem wildlife people can run into is that some animals

need to care for their young for them to survive, which holds up the

whole process!

But an amazing technique is now helping scientists get around that,

by making other animals 'foster parents'. Let's take a look.

NATHAN BAZLEY, RPEORTER: This is a pretty unfair game of tag.

On one side are a whole group of highly trained scientists; the other,

one brush-tailed rock wallaby.

The scientists don't have a chance!

Despite their amazing running and jumping skills, these wallabies are

one of the country's most endangered species.

But they aren't just catching this one for a challenge. They're using it

for their new breeding program called cross-fostering.

Here's how it works. Mother brush tailed wallabies are caught and

their tiny two week old joeys are taken out of their pouch.

They are still very tiny at this point, and are gently removed from

their mother’s nipple, where they feed.

They then put it into the pouch of a more common wallaby to

continue growing.

That way the brush tailed wallaby is free to have another joey, and its

offspring are still being cared for!

The joeys in their foster parents’ pouches grow just like a normal

brush tail and once they get to about 18 months old, they're released

into Victoria's Grampians national park.

This is one area they used to be plentiful, along with a big stretch

along the length of the Great Dividing Range, but ten years ago the

Grampians were down to just one.

TONY, ECOLOGIST: European hunting for instance there was 200-

thousand skins sold to a single skin dealer in London in a ten year

period in the late 1930's, 20th century, so you can imagine that had a

major contribution to bringing the numbers down.

That wasn't the only problem for these guys. Disease and foxes also

took their toll.

But that's a trend this team is looking to change.

Before they're released they're given a final health check-up, and

given a pretty unnattractive bit of bling - a tracking collar.

And then, off they go!

You can see why they're called rock wallabies!

One of those helping release these amazing animals is 13 year old

Reagan, who spent the week out here with the team after his grandad

sponsored the program.

REAGAN: Knowing what I've done here could elevate this species to

come out of being endangered is just incredible and it's really

motivated me to help them even more.

So far the program has been hailed a huge success. These five

wallabies released today will join seven others still surviving and

thriving.

These volunteers will monitor their movements over the next few

weeks and it's hoped they'll get down to breeding as soon as possible.

That's if any of these speedy rock wallabies can even catch each other.

Presenter: Wouldn’t like to try to catch them again!

Closer

That's it for another show. There are some extra interviews and pics

from Catherine's Melbourne Cup story on our website, plus bloopers

from some of our kid actors as well. Catch you later.