Adventure Ausrama Blog

SAnthropology: we have evolved to be on guard on the first night when sleeping in a new place. Man is still a hunter. We may live in cities and believe we are advanced but our genes have evolved to survive in the wild outdoors beneath the starlit night sky. If we move into a new environment getting a good night's sleep on the first night is a problem. Our brain is "on-guard" against unknown dangers. This phenomenon is in all animals. One hemisphere of the brain will sleep while the other remains on sentry duty. This "first-night-effect" is permanent. There is no cure because it isn't an illness. After the first night the brain adapts, records the new environment and deems it to be safe. Tests show that the left hemisphere sleeps lighter in a new situation. Slow-wave activity is weaker than the right hemisphere. Furthermore, the default-mode network which involves mind wandering is more active. This indicates that the brain is checking th

The main problem with our Prime Minister is her gender. Australia still remains an "ocker" society where males see themselves as superior. Just how John Howard would have behaved in opposition to Julia Gillard is anyone's guess, because he epitomizes the Aussie male. Most lie in the center politically. Australia's cultural heritage has left us with a very odd political system. There is a Coalition of a so called centrist party and a right wing party derived from pastoralists. Even in the centrist Liberal Party there are ultra-conservatives, mainly as they have nowhere else to go. Labor is accused of being splintered into factions, but the Coalition is truly split between centrists and rightists. To put it bluntly they hate each other just as much as Labor factions. Some parliamentarians have left the National Party claiming that their rightist and in some cases center (tariff protection) policies are totally ignored by members of the Liberal Party. This is t

Many people in developed countries rely on welfare to live their lives. The welfare state has been accepted as the only way for government to go - until now. Britain where the welfare state began is making major cutbacks in government payments. Even in the US, where government support is perceived as low by non-US citizens, middle class welfare is rife. The term middle class is a widely misused term. Everyone knows it means the rich. It seems everyone has the their hands in the government feed trough. In Australia the baby bonus was introduced by a right wing Howard government. It is ironic that it has been virtually abolished by a left wing government. It was available to all, rich and poor. No means testing was ever done. The problem is political parties keep giving in order to be elected. This happens until a major deficit occurs and cutbacks are forced onto prevailing government. If redistribution of income was not done the rich would get richer and the poor would be u

It's amazing - show something in a documentary and people want it quick smart. Sorry about the pun. People are having high voltage electricity pumped into the left side of their brain to make them more creative and it is excruciatingly painful. The theory goes: pulverise the left brain until it no longer functions then the right side takes over and you can draw and paint better. That's just about it. And people are lining up in droves to try it. It doesn't do a thing for your intelligence and damage to your brain has not been determined yet. Apparently, it not only improved your artistic faculties, you can do sums better as well. But it's creator Allan Snyder of the University of Sydney says it makes you child-like, hardly something you really want. No, it's probably better if the left side of the brain controls the right side - better for society that is! http://www.adventure--australia.blogspot.com/ http://www.tysaustralia.blogspot.com/ http://www.feeds.feedburner

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