Adventure Ausrama Blog

Capitalism is a good thing - or so we believe. The world is getting more obese. Large international companies that produce high-sugar, high-fat products are buying out local distribution firms in developing countries to dominate the market. More than a Quarter of China's population is obese. Twenty years ago each Chinese person consumed only two teaspoons of sugar a day. Currently, China keeps a sugar bank, The government is terrified that a sugar shortage will lead to social unrest. Mexico is becoming fatter than any other nation on Earth. Coca Cola practises price segmentation. In cities where income is higher, coke costs more than average. Poor rural regions get coca cola at a much cheaper price. Young children suffer from malnutrition while their parents are overweight. Sugar and fat consumed regularly is a killer. Diabetes is increasing at a rapid rate. In developing countries medical care is poor, so diabetes goes untreated and people die. There can only be one...

Why does Australia have the highest rate of food alergy in the world?  This is a question that should be answered.  Managing the problem is important.  Research is needed to find out why this is the case. People in developing countries are rapidly catching up with the Western world as they adopt a "modern" food consumption style.  Clearly we are eating the wrong kind of food.  Refined products and those with artificial food flavoring, coloring and preservatives must be responsible.  Humans have eaten natural food for over 99 per cent of evolutionary time.  The way we live has also changed.  Children today are protected from the natural environment.  Only a small minority of Western children actually play outside, where there are are natural flora and fauna so they can build resistance. Food allergy has increased more than alergies such as asthma.  Only northern Europeans evolved to be able to digest milk.  It is no wonder that mi...

Though populations in Western countries are getting older, the proportion of young people in developing countries is extremely high. There are no fears of a future labor shortage because of this. However, Western economies will probably face higher unemployment and lower tax revenue if they do not employ older citizens. Countries that go through boom times seem to end up with societies that do not produce enough children to "even out" the general population over time. A case in point is Japan. It was a strong economy from the 1960s. Now it is struggling but the propensity not to have children persists. Savings were high in Japan. Elderly people have already sold off assets that they had accumulated to fund their retirement. Savings have fallen from 15 per cent of GDP to only 3 per cent. Baby boomers experienced the highest standard of living ever so they had the opportunity to save. Younger Japanese workers today do not have the income surplus to put aside for the...

People who live in industrialized countries are physically weak when they are attacked by parasites, microbes and viruses. This is because children are increasingly being brought up in clean, sterile environments. If they are not exposed to these dangers as children they could die if "bugs" invade their bodies when they become adults. In Ecuador, the Shuar people have a high childhood death rate, three times that in Western countries. However, as adults their immune systems are stronger. A group of Shuar adults was tested for inflammatory levels. Some had very low levels. Others had moderately high levels, below the chronic level, probably because they were in the process of becoming ill or had been sick. Western adults have a generally high level of inflammation, constantly. There bodies fight "minor" infections all the time. Consequently, damage is caused to the body resulting in diabetes, cancer, heart attack and stroke. A Chronic level of inflammatio...

As developing countries become more developed with rising incomes and better health care so the birthrate is falling. Taiwan is a case in point. They are worrying now about how the large proportion of elderly people in the country will be cared for. Taiwanese couples only have one child, currently. In China with the one-child policy the birthrate is higher than Taiwan's 0.91 per cent. This country has the Western "disease" of very expensive housing and wives finding it necessary to work to pay for a home. The date for having children is put off virtually indefinitely. Like in other "advanced" countries the blame is being laid on the government's failure to provide healthcare. The propensity to allocate responsibility on government is a mistake. Unless healthcare is treated as unskilled labor it will remain expensive, Surely any responsible parent would not leave their children in the care of second-class workers? Taking care of young children, particularly b...

The new computer aimed at "poor" Indian students will not be successful. It is like the current craze for eBooks - why buy a machine that is built mainly for reading copies of the written page when you can buy a normal computer for a little bit more? eBooks and the student computer will end up in the bin in time. Few students will be able to buy the new eBerry laptop because it is too expensive. It comes with a package of student related software. The manufacturer says it will be fun to use a "virtual classroom". Yes, it can also fun playing games on your computer after doing your homework. Another problem is that the eBerry locks you into homework mode. Only teachers and parents will have the password to access the Internet per se . At $811 it is an incredibly high price for third world consumers. Openwiis in the Netherlands offers a much cheaper alternative. It provides computers to children in developing countries and it doesn't seek a profit. People ...

People want to come to Australia. They get on a leaky old boat, paying their life savings to the traffickers, thinking they will soon be in the promised land. However, if they did not leave as genuine refugees they will be on the boat back home. Only a few days ago those who were not refugees were forcibly removed. A riot recently broke out between Afghans and Sri Lankans when the Afghans said the Sri L ankans didn't have a chance of getting residency. The truth is the war is over in Sri Lanka and two boats have just been stopped by Sri lankan Government vessels. Why do they want to live here? Well, social services and health now employ more people than retail. The mining industry is booming. People in developing countries hear that life is easy in Australia and the state looks after you. But do they know that coastal cities are short of houses and water runs out, often. Electricity is rapidly increasing in price. Council rates are rising faster than the rate of inflation...