Blood Oath There was a story of a little girl named Liza who was suffering from a disease and needed blood from her five-year-old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying,
"Yes, I'll do it if it will save Liza."
As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?" Being young, the boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give her all his blood.
1. Investor confidence mirrored There is no doubt that investor activity in the property market has increased over the past three months, and the reasons are evident in the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures, the Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) said this week. The June 2009 quarter CPI figures show that rents increased by 1.4 per cent for the weighted average of eight capital cities, and increased 7.2 per cent for the year. There is no doubt that investor activity in the property market has increased over the past three months, and the reasons are evident in the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures, the Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) said this week. The June 2009 quarter CPI figures show that rents increased by 1.4 per cent for the weighted average of eight capital cities, and increased 7.2 per cent for the year. Rents rose in every capital city, ranging from 2.2 per cent in Darwin and Adelaide respectively to 0.9 per cent in Canberra over the June quarter. For the twelve months to June, the increases for the other capital cities were: Brisbane, 1.4 per cent; Sydney, 1.5 per cent; Melbourne, 1.3 per cent; Hobart, 1.5 per cent; and Perth, 1.8 per cent. REIA CEO Neil Fisher says the figures are consistent with research published in the latest REIA/Deposit Power Housing Affordability Report. "The increased number of investors purchasing property over the last three months (as reported by the Australian Bureau of Statistics) can be attributed to relatively stable housing prices and the prospect of reasonable rental returns", Mr Fisher said. "By contrast to the increases in rentals, the CPI recorded a 0.8 per cent increase in the cost of house purchase, as distinct from house prices, in the June quarter and 5.2 per cent for the twelve months. "The CPI figures for the cost of house purchase for the June quarter reflect the impact of the First Home Owner's Grant Boost (FHOG Boost) and interest rate reductions", he concluded. 2. A mite exposed The millions of people around the world with house dust mite allergies may find answers to the problem in a newly-published book on the subject. CSIRO Entomology's Dr Matt Colloff's book, Dust Mites is an exposé of the lives of house dust mites, the problems they cause, how they cause them and what measures can be taken to control their numbers. The millions of people around the world with house dust mite allergies may find answers to the problem in a newly-published book on the subject. CSIRO Entomology's Dr Matt Colloff's book, Dust Mites is an exposé of the lives of house dust mites, the problems they cause, how they cause them and what measures can be taken to control their numbers. "This is the first book to comprehensively cover all aspects of the mites, which can cause allergic responses ranging from asthma and hay fever to eczema," Dr Colloff says. "House dust mites feed on organic `dust' such as flakes of shed human skin and love our houses
where they can be found in our beds, clothing, curtains and carpets." The allergens produced by the mites are found in their bodies, secretions, faecal matter and shed skins. Some of their gut enzymes can be strongly allergenic and these often persist in their faecal matter. Far from just being a nuisance in the home, the ubiquitous critters have even been found in the Antarctic and on the Mir Space Station. Their recorded history goes back to the 17th Century, as illustrated in a 1657 woodcut by August Hauptmann which appears on the cover of Dr Colloff's book. "A fresh look at clinical trials revealed that there needed to be at least a 90 per cent reduction in allergen levels to significantly improve patient outcomes", Dr Colloff says. "This new information means we can start improving the effectiveness of dust mite control." 3. Suppliers in hot water over unsafe bottles The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is leading a nation-wide blitz on unsafe hot water bottles after more than 10 people in New South Wales were hospitalised with severe burns this winter alone. ACCC chairman, Graeme Samuel, announced this week that investigations by government consumer agencies across Australia have found some hot water bottles fail to meet mandatory safety requirements. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is leading a nation-wide blitz on unsafe hot water bottles after more than 10 people in New South Wales were hospitalised with severe burns this winter alone. ACCC chairman, Graeme Samuel, announced this week that investigations by government consumer agencies across Australia have found some hot water bottles fail to meet mandatory safety requirements. "It is alarming to find children and elderly people severely burnt and to find some retailers selling illegal hot water bottles", Mr Samuels said. "The ACCC, the states and the territories are now working together to investigate and test hot water bottles across Australia." Preliminary assessments should be available in the upcoming weeks. Unsafe hot water bottles will be withdrawn from sale. "This is a warning for hot water bottle suppliers to ensure their merchandise is safe and meets the mandatory product safety standard designed to protect all Australians," he said. The mandatory standard requires hot water bottles to be of an acceptable capacity and thickness and meet stringent performance tests relating to leakages, seam strength and pressure. The ACCC expects that the national investigation will help eradicate unsafe hot water bottles from store shelves across Australia, but in the meantime offers the following safety tips: - Never use an old hot water bottle - most are only designed for one winter season.
- Always do a quick check of a hot water bottle for weak seams - get rid of it if it shows any sign of perishing or splitting.
- Hot water burns like fire - so never fill a hot water bottle with boiling water. Leaking or splitting hot water bottles cause very serious injuries.
- Never put pressure or lie on top of a hot water bottle. If you use a hot water bottle to warm a bed, remove it when a person gets in.
4. Nesting hours caught in net It seems winter isn't the only thing keeping Australians indoors this year. According to a recent survey of our entertainment habits, half of us save money by spending at least five extra hours at home each week with pastimes that don't blow the budget. It seems winter isn't the only thing keeping Australians indoors this year. According to a recent survey of our entertainment habits, half of us save money by spending at least five extra hours at home each week with pastimes that don't blow the budget. Of the 1,201 people who responded to the Pure Profile survey carried out for Telstra in May, one in four cited surfing the internet as a favored form of entertainment, with almost half feeling the effects of the downturn. This figure was highest in Victoria (53 per cent) and lowest in the Northern Territory (30 per cent). The survey showed that 50 per cent of people have come close to or exceeded their internet plans more often in the past six months as they jumped online instead of heading out. Social commentator Mark McCrindle said that as people spent more time at home they were using the internet more. 'The trend towards nesting finds a growing number of people using the internet not only for research and education but increasingly for entertainment,' Mr McCrindle said. The survey showed 28 per cent entertaining friends at home, as 65 per cent ate out less, while 26 per cent surfed the net for entertainment. 5. The early German catches the chair There's nothing like going on holiday, kicking your feet up and relaxing by the pool, which may be why resort sun chairs are in such high demand around Europe. Now it seems there is a way for the early bird to be even earlier when staking a claim on a recliner. Reuters reported recently that German holidaymakers, famous for rising early to reserve poolside chairs with a towel then going back to bed or eating a lengthy breakfast, can now book a resort recliner before they've even left home. The German arm of Thomas Cook, Europe's second largest travel company, is offering the service for a fee at nine hotels in Turkey, Egypt and the Canary Islands, to the dismay of tourists from other nations as it is valid only for people booking their trips from Germany. 6. Let them eat mortgage cake It seems a US woman has cooked up a novel solution to avoid defaulting on her mortgage payments. Angela Logan, a divorced mother of three, resorted to a bake sale to save her home from foreclosure, with the goal of selling 100 homemade "mortgage apple cakes" at AU$48 each. US news agency The Record reports that within a week she had over 500 orders, as well as the icing on the cake - an invitation from a nearby hotel to use their kitchen over the weekend before the first of three $3075.10 payments was due. Ms Logan is reportedly confident the first payment won't be a problem and has said she won't stop baking until people stop ordering. | |
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