The Difference Between AU and America when it comes to Injury Lawsuits-The McDonalds Case
Region: AustraliaIssue on hand: Jessica Wishart, a resident of Adelaide is suing a local McDonald's franchise for being scalded by coffee purchased at the outlet - a la Stella Liebeck of America. The episode has led to media outrage, calls for law reforms, inevitable comparisons with Liebeck's case and commentaries ridiculing the frivolous accusations of the plaintiff. The case of Stella Liebeck: An urban legend connected with... more
Views: 543Australia's Public Areas Should Be Redesigned to Cater for Exercise
Region: AustraliaOverweight and obesity is increasingly becoming a universal disaster and all efforts are directed towards addressing these problems. On the frontline are physical fitness and healthy lifestyles. There are so many ways to achieve physical fitness including cardio exercises, strength exercises as well as outdoor games. In Australia, fierce discussion has erupted as to whether or not certain public areas should be ... more
Views: 785Police Brutality During LGBTQI Mardi Gras in Sydney
Region: AustraliaWritten by Kevin Rennie A video shot at the iconic Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras [1] on March 2, 2013 involving participant Jamie Jackson has sparked claims of police brutality. There were more than 1.6 million views in the first week of this version, taken by a press photographer for the parade. youtu.be/wxtFtVfAeeE The event celebrates LGBTQI: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Int... more
Views: 836The matter of penalties and fees within contracts
Region: AustraliaRecently, there have been a number of appeals from the customers of eight leading banks in Australia concerning the fees that they have paid and for which they claim are ‘unfair’. This became a unified case, with over 170,000 customers going to court in order to gain $223 million back as compensation for these fees. These fees were described as the fees for late paym... more
Views: 568The Tao of Saigon Horn:Part Two
Region: Australia
But Ellis says it is “not the use of animal parts per se that is the problem – it is the slaughter of animals for what might be specious applications, or worse, the slaughter of critically endangered species”. The solution he offers is: “Even those who have used animal parts for thousands of years – should recognize that the animals that provide these pharmaceuticals, whether usef... more
Views: 977The Tao of Saigon Horn: Part One
Region: Australia
‘Rhino horn has the medicinal benefit of chewing your fingernails’. The phrase is meant to be off-putting, a layman’s interpretation of the results of scientific tests. It is a key statement being echoed in the West to discredit the medicinal use of rhino horn in Vietnam, but it doesn't work. Instead demand for rhino horn continues to rise. One of the reasons the statement d... more
Views: 2220Managing the unmanageable: legal and formal options for debts in Australia
Region: Australia
Today, you can hear about bankruptcy at every corner. Businesspeople are talking about it, ordinary men are talking about and it is constantly on the news. Countries are even going bankrupt these days. This is all the consequence of the Great Economic Crisis, since it has brought a lot of problems with credits and loans, thus causing a great problem for anyone. The world is still recovering from it, so it is ad... more
Views: 747Southbound humpback whales sing along on Gold Coast
Region: Australia
By Michael S. Smith I’d never heard anything like it. Monolithic sounds blasted and bubbled between silent spaces. Slow rhythms and themes, notes like obsidian ocean swells and the heart swallowing troughs between. The minute-long song moved me. It started with gum-leaf squeaks followed by whale oinks that sounded like the “tut tut” of a boarding house maste... more
Views: 2328Australia: What Would Change Your Mind on Climate?
Region: AustraliaWritten by Kevin Rennie The scenario is simple. A wily conservative ex-politician and a young climate activist visit their ‘experts’ around the globe together. It’s a futile and inevitably failed attempt to change each other’s mind. The ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) showed a double-header on 26 April 2012: the resulting documentary I Can Change Your Mind [1], followed by ... more
Views: 1117Australia's PM Gillard and her Party thumb noses at Aussie Voters
Region: AustraliaIn one of the most perceptive reports on the Battle for the Australian Prime Ministership and the future of the Australian Labor Party, the New York Times correspondent Matt Siegel suggests that the battle will be won ultimately by the Australian people - From the last paragraph in a New York Times analysis Feb 28, 2012: Ms. Gillard’s supporters may dismiss Mr. Rudd’s popularity with the electorate ... more
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