Questions for discussion Midair emergency 1] What happened to the Qantas plane involved in the midair emergency? 2] Describe how the passengers were feeling. 3] Complete the following sentence. The further away you go from the Earth’s surface, the… 4] Why do planes travel between 30 and 40 thousand feet? 5] Describe in your own words what cabin pressurisation is. 6] What happened to cabin pressure on the Qantas plane? 7] What do investigators think caused the cabin pressure to drop? 8] What design features do planes have to cope with air pressure? 9] Why are oxygen masks important on planes? 10] How did this story make you feel? EPISODE 20 5TH AUGUST 2008 Create a quiz or crossword about air travel. Olympic science 1] What role do sports scientists play in the Australian Olympic team? 2] What is the AIS? 3] Why was Michael Rogers training in a tent? 4] What is a `super slushy’? 5] How have scientists recreated Beijing for the cyclists? 6] Do you think it is fair to use science to improve an athletes’ performance? Explain your answer. 7] Why do some athletes take drugs to improve their performance? 8] What impact do you think this has on sport? 9] What are the consequences of athletes taking drugs? 10] Do you think it is ever OK for athletes to take performance enhancing drugs, including natural therapies? Explain your answer. Investigate what Australia’s drug testing procedures are. Create a plus, minus and interesting chart to show your findings. Recycling 1] What is happening to the refund on cans and bottles in South Australia? 2] Where do most bottles and cans end up? 3] How are steel and aluminium cans separated at the recycling centre? 4] What do environmental groups think should be done? 5] How have business groups responded to the plan? 6] What is your opinion of the plan? 7] What else could be done to encourage people to recycle? 8] How does waste impact on our environment? 9] Apart from recycling, what other ways can waste be reduced? 10] How has your thinking changed since watching the BtN story? `Should every state bring in a recycling refund scheme?’ Vote in the online poll. 1 Contract capers 1] What was the main point of the story? 2] Who is Sonny Bill Williams? 3] Describe what he has done. 4] How did his actions impact on his team and fans? 5] Why has sport become big business? 6] How do clubs get the best players? 7] Describe in your own words what a contract is. 8] What sorts of things can be agreed on in a contract? 9] What consequences do you think there should be for breaking a contract? 10] What do you now know about contracts that you didn’t know before watching the BtN story? Send a message or tell us what you think on the BtN Guestbook. Rodeo kids 1] Retell the story in your own words. 2] How old was Josh when he started in rodeos? 3] What injuries has Josh had since riding bulls? 4] How do you win a rodeo? 5] What is Troy Dunn teaching young people? 6] Why is safety an important consideration in bull riding? 7] Why do you think some people might be opposed to rodeos? 8] Choose three adjectives to describe rodeos. 9] How did this story make you feel? 10] Has your thinking about rodeos changed since watching the BtN story? Explain your answer. Test your knowledge in the online quiz. 2 Recycling Imagine getting paid for your rubbish. That’s what happens in South Australia and in a few months the refund on bottles and cans is going to be increased to 10 cents. EPISODE 20 5TH AUGUST 2008 Focus Questions 1] 2] 3] 4] 5] 6] 7] 8] 9] 10] Learning Area What is happening to the refund on cans and bottles in South Australia? Where do most bottles and cans end up? How are steel and aluminium cans separated at the recycling centre? What do environmental groups think should be done? How have business groups responded to the plan? What is your opinion of the plan? What else could be done to encourage people to recycle? How does waste impact on our environment? Apart from recycling, what other ways can waste be reduced? How has your thinking changed since watching the BtN story? Society and Environment Key learning Students will develop a deeper understanding of what waste reduction is The three R’s in your school and changes that can be made at a school level. Clarify what students understand by the following key words: Reduce Reuse Recycle Waste reduction How does reducing, reusing and recycling impact on the environment? Students will be investigating ways to reduce waste in their school. Hold a class discussion about how waste is produced in the community and what happens to it. Now ask students to think about what happens at a school level. Ask students to generate some questions about what happens to waste at their school. Some possible questions include: Why is it important for schools to support waste reduction? How is recycling encouraged in the playground, classrooms and school administration? Is waste reduction encouraged/supported in the school? How does this happen? What materials are reused? What else could the school do to support the three R’s? The student generated questions will form the basis for their research into waste reduction in their school. Students will need to interview school staff members – 3 Key words Reduce Reuse Recycle Waste reduction Environmental impact Students can investigate waste reduction in other schools or workplaces to get ideas. There are some web links at the end of this activity sheet to support students’ research. Principal, Deputy Principal, teachers, cleaners etc, to determine what happens to the waste in their school. Students can then determine what they think needs to be done to reduce waste and develop a proposal or action plan to go to SRC, school leadership or the Governing/School Council. Further investigations Research the environmental, social and financial costs and benefits of recycling. Interview an elderly person to discover how shopping (packaging) has changed over time. Students create a guide for kids about the three R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle) with information about how they can make a difference. Related Research Links ABC 730 Report – Recycling http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2008/s2287158.htm Planet Ark website - Recycling tips http://www.recyclingnearyou.com.au/education/25-things-to-re-use.cfm Recycle now - Why recycling matters http://www.recyclenow.com/why_recycling_matters/why_recycling.html Wipe out waste website http://www.wow.sa.gov.au/ KESAB – Fact sheets about aluminium cans http://www.kesab.asn.au/uploads/File/Fact%20Sheets%20%20Aluminium%20and%20Aluminium%20Cans.htm KESAB – Waste reduction tips http://www.kesab.asn.au/uploads/File/Fact%20Sheets%20-%20Waste%20Tips.htm 4 Olympic science Sports scientists have an important role in helping elite athletes win gold. But there’s another sort of science that’s helping people cheat. What is the impact of drug use in sport? EPISODE 20 5TH AUGUST 2008 Focus Questions 1] 2] 3] 4] 5] 6] 7] 8] 9] 10] Learning Area What role do sports scientists play in the Australian Olympic team? What is the AIS? Why has Michael Rogers been training in a tent? What is a `super slushy’? How have scientists recreated Beijing for the cyclists? Do you think it is fair to use science to improve an athlete’s performance? Explain your answer. Why do some athletes take drugs to improve their performance? What impact do you think this has on sport? What are the consequences of athletes taking drugs? Do you think it is ever OK for athletes to take performance enhancing drugs, including natural therapies? Explain your answer. Health and Physical Education Key learning Students will develop a deeper understanding of the impact of drug use in sport. Drug use in sport Students will be developing some key questions to investigate the impact of drug use in sport. In groups, ask students to come up with a range of possible questions about the topic. Students should be encouraged to generate their own questions however some possibilities include: Why do sports people take performance enhancing drugs? What is the history of drug use in sport? How does drug use affect competition? What are the risks or side effects of using performance enhancing drugs? How do different countries test their athletes for performance enhancing drugs? What are societies’ expectations of athletes performing at an elite level? How does sponsorship affect expectations on an athlete’s performance? Collect the questions from each group and display them. Discuss with students the criteria for selecting questions for their inquiry. 5 Ask students to complete the following chart as they go through the inquiry process. This can be done individually, as a group or a whole class. What do I know? What do I want to know? How will I find out? What I have learnt? Once students have investigated their key questions, they need to think about how they are going to transform the information into an end product. Discuss with students what the choices are for presenting the information they have found. Encourage students to choose a format they may be unfamiliar with. Some possible end products include: Animation Written report Oral presentation Desktop publish Further investigations Develop an argument convincing the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that performance enhancing drugs are the future of the Olympic Games. Create a true or false quiz about drug use in sport. Related Research Links ABC Catalyst – The winning edge http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/2320588.htm ABC Catalyst – Doping for gold http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/2320588.htm Children’s BBC – Drug use in sport http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_3170000/newsid_3178500/3178518.stm International Olympic Committee website – position on doping http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/athens2004/home/full_story_uk.asp?id=2385 6 TRANSCRIPT Episode 20 05/08/08 On this week's Behind the News, what happens when your plane starts to leak? The recycling scheme that would give you cash for your cans. And is this the toughest school in the country? Hi I'm Catherine Ellis welcome to Behind the News. Also on the show today why a footy star was threatened with a life ban because of something called a contract. Those items later but first to our top story. OLYMPIC SCIENCE Sarah Larsen, Reporter INTRO: After years of waiting and millions of dollars of preparation, the 2008 Olympic Games are about to begin. On Friday the opening ceremony will be held and the best of the best will be competing for gold. But this time, more than ever, they'll be using science to help them win. Here's Sarah to explain what goes into a shot at Olympic gold. SARAH LARSEN, REPORTER: Their bodies may not be finely tuned machines. They may not be the fittest, the fastest or the strongest, but when it comes to winning medals, Aussie scientists may be our best kept Olympic secret REPORTER: Sports scientists have a huge role in the Australian Olympic team. Some people reckon that's why we win so many medals for such a small country. These are the real scientists; the minds behind the muscle at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. But don't ask for any of their secrets! PROF PETER FRICKER, AIS DIRECTOR: I'd have to kill you. You'd be taken off camera and you'd never be seen again. He's only kidding. We can have a bit of a peek. Just don't tell anyone! This is Michael Rogers and he's a champion road cyclist. So why is he training in a tent? There's a good reason; it's the weather in there. The experts have recreated Beijing's hot and sticky conditions so Michael can get used to them. They monitor what's going on in his body. Staying cool and getting enough water is vital, so they've come up with a secret potion: The super slushy! It's made up with special chemicals so the liquid stays in the body longer. But wait, there's more. See that screen? It's a recreation of the actual Beijing track. AIS scientists managed to film the course in China. They used it to make computer models which they feed to this special exercise bike. The resistance of the pedals matches every hill and bend. So for a year it's been like Michael is actually training in Beijing! And while we're spying, check out this: It's a pool equipped with 35 cameras, perfect for athletic espionage. Swimmers are recorded from every angle and their every movement analysed. It's a science called biomechanics. 7 The starting blocks record exactly how the swimmers enter the pool, so their power is directed at the best possible angle. It helps improve times by just fractions of seconds; not enough to make me a champion, but for these guys its the difference between gold and silver. But while this science is all about helping athletes getting the best out of their training, there's another sort of science that's helping people cheat. It's called doping and it helps athletes unfairly improve their performance. Athletes can take drugs to make their muscles bigger or their bodies work faster. They can also boost things already in the body like hormones or blood to improve their performance by increasing oxygen flow. Scientists test for these and if an athlete is caught they can be disqualified and lose their medals. New ways of cheating the system are always coming up and scientists have to race to keep up. They've even started storing blood and urine tests so they can catch out cheats in years to come when tests get better. A top runner called Marion Jones recently had to return all the medals she won for seven years because she admitted to doping. As you can see, science is a big part of sport so, as you're watching the games, spare a thought for the unsung Olympic heroes. QUIZ 1 Right let's do an Olympic quiz. What is not a colour of an Olympic ring? a. Black b. Green c. Orange Answer: Orange THE WIRE The five colours of the rings are red, blue, green, yellow, and black. The rings represent the five inhabited continents and every country has at least one of the colours in its flag. Nathan has some more about the Olympics in the Newswrap Games organisers have held a speccy dress rehearsal for the opening ceremony fireworks but while that created a bit of smoke the good news for athletes is that Beijing's famous smog did clear for a few days. With car bans and factories shutting up shop, China is hoping athletes will be able to breathe a little easier during the games. **** Staying in China the government there has lifted internet restrictions for foreign journalists. We told you earlier this year how the country is really strict about which sites its people access and visiting journos were worried, but organisers say the problem has been dealt with. And visitors flocking to china for the Olympic Games have been treated to an added attraction - a total solar eclipse. It was visible in most of the northern hemisphere but the great wall of China was one of the best places to check it out. 8 The sun was blocked as the moon cast its shadow on the earth leaving the historic site in twilight. **** And.. remember that large Savannah cat we told you about that's twice as big as a normal cat and can jump about two metres?! Well the Federal Government has moved to ban it from being imported into Australia. A study shows the cats would be a big risk to native wildlife. The Savannah is a cross between an African wildcat and a normal cat MID AIR EMERGENCY Catherine Ellis, Reporter INTRO: Right, moving to the skies. Investigators looking for what blew a hole in a Qantas jumbo just over a week ago now reckon it was an exploding oxygen tank. But why did the hole cause objects to fly around the cabin and be sucked towards it? Why couldn't passengers breathe? What exactly was happening all the way up there? CATHERINE ELLIS, REPORTER: Three hundred and sixty five people were on the flight from Hong Kong to Melbourne when there was an explosive bang and oxygen masks fell from the ceiling. PASSENGER 1: It was chaos in there, there was just stuff flying around everywhere. PASSENGER 2: As you see on the movies, everything just began to shoot out of the aircraft. Passengers feared for their lives as the air was sucked out, the plane shook and the pilot dropped it about 20-thousand feet, which is about seven kilometres. He then made an emergency landing in the Phillipines and it was there they saw the hole in the side of the plane. Now what happened up there was something called 'cabin depressurisation'. SOUND EFFECT: Huh? Well let's start from scratch. Firstly the further away you go from the earth's surface, the thinner the air is which, means there's less oxygen - that's why mountain climbers find it harder to breath the higher they go and they sometimes have to take oxygen tanks. Planes obviously get even higher than that - they travel between 30 and 40-thousand feet. They love it up there because the air is super thin and smooth, they're away from the weather, so they can travel faster and use less fuel. It's also much colder - it's a freezing minus 50 degrees! But while the planes love it, humans wouldn't survive up there. CATHERINE: So how do we survive in planes? Well what they do is they pump air into the cabins - in pretty much the same way we do when we pump air into our bicycle tyres! 9 What happens is, the thin air from outside the plane is pressurised and warmed up and then it's pumped throughout the cabin. It's called 'cabin pressurisation'. Now here's a bit of interesting history. When aviators first began developing planes that could fly really high, they'd reach certain altitudes and pass out! They worked out that they needed to take oxygen in tanks, which they inhaled through rubber tubes to stay alive. Then - more than 70 years ago - they began building planes with pressurised cabins. The windows were made smaller and stronger and any openings were sealed off. But what happens when a hole appears? Well just like when you get a hole in your bike tyre, the air rushes out. And that's what happened on Qantas Flight 30 - the pressurised cabin, 'depressurised'. CATHERINE: But you know how I told you that the air up there is too thin for humans well that's why the oxygen masks quickly dropped so the passengers could breath. Also the pilot quickly dropped the plane to about 10,000 feet where the air is still thin, but breathable. From there the pilot was able to make an emergency landing at the closest airport. Investigators worked out that an exploding oxygen tank caused the hole and they're now checking out why to stop it happening again. As for the 346 passengers, they're just happy to be safely on the ground. And they've praised the efforts of the crew, who saved their lives. RECYCLING Sarah Larsen, Reporter INTRO: When you're on the move, a cold drink can go down a treat. But the convenience of bottles and cans comes at a price to the environment - they often end up on the streets or in landfill. Now some groups reckon Aussies need some encouragement to recycle drink containers and they're looking to one state where that's already happening. Sarah found out more. Fourteen billion bottles and cans! That's how many Australians use each year. REPORTER: That's more than 600 bottles for every man, woman and child in the country. Thirsty lot, aren't we? But what happens to them afterwards? REPORTER: The great thing about most of these containers is they can be recycled. But not that many are. About half of these drink containers will end up in landfill. Unless, of course, you're in South Australia. 10 REPORTER: Have you seen this before? 5c refund in SA. So if you're in South Australia, you can take your drink container along to a recycling centre and get 5 cents back. In a few months it'll go up to 10 cents a can or bottle. So your rubbish can earn you a nice little profit. CARRIE HOLLIS, POORAKA RECYCLING: We have many local sporting clubs and charities that bring in their bottles and cans. Mining companies bring their bottles and cans down and they donate their money to the Royal Flying Doctor Service. So basically, yes, most money is put back into the local community. So how does it work? The five cent deposit is included in the price of drinks you pay a bit extra to the drink manufacturers. But when you return your can, bottle or carton they give it back. If you throw away your container you lose your 5 cents and other people can collect it. South Australia is the only state with a drink container deposit scheme and it’s been doing it for a long time. OLD NEWS REPORTER: At the recycling centre a magnet is used to separate the steel cans from the aluminium cans. The whole can recycling process in South Australia is gaining speed. It seems to be working. South Aussies recycle more than 70 per cent of their cans and bottles. It's only 40 per cent nationally so now some people reckon it's time other states got in on the action. Environment groups say the government should set up can and bottle deposit systems like South Australia's all over the country and the pollies are seriously thinking about it. But not everyone's excited. Some business groups say it's silly to just go after cans and bottles when there's a whole lot more rubbish out there that needs recycling. And in some states you can already sell your recyclables but how much you get depends on the weight. Some reckon that can work even better. Nothing's been decided yet but, you never know, pretty soon your empty bottles could be worth some serious dough. ONLINE POLL Let's make that our online poll. The question is "Should every state bring in a recycling refund scheme?" If you want to vote go to our website at abc.net.au/btn And you can leave us a comment while you're there. CONTRACT CAPERS Nathan Bazley, Reporter INTRO: We've all seen movies like 'Ironman', where the hero gets a mechanical makeover and all of a sudden he's saving the world. While it may seem far fetched the reality is still pretty amazing. Scientists are working flat-out to try to make a bionic eye! Sonny Bill Williams is a Rugby League player who can make his opposition very angry. But lately he's been making his fans and even his teammates very angry as well. It all started when the Bulldogs were busy preparing for a big match against the Dragons. But not every player was getting ready. Star forward Sonny Bill had just jumped on a plane for France without telling any of his team. And that made a lot of people mad. 11 DAVID GALLOP, NRL BOSS: He has adopted a secretive, covert and deceitful operation. FAN: Look I think he's a great player but from what's done over the player I don't think much of him at all. NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: But why are they getting all upset. It's just a game, right? Well, it might look fun to us, but everything that happens out on the field is business. Big business! Just like any business, sporting teams have employees. That's them running around now! And like any other employees, sports stars are paid to work for their club. And what are they paid to do exactly? Win premierships of course! To do that, clubs have to lure the best players to join their side. And they do that with cold hard cash. How much cash are we talking? NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: Well it varies a lot from player to player, but it’s safe to say that the best can score themselves tens of thousands of dollars each time they step out on the field. But there is a catch. In return for getting paid the big bucks, players have to sign something called a contract. You know those days when you're feeling a bit lazy; have you ever thought about paying your brother to do your chores! First off you would both sit down to hammer out a deal. OLDER BROTHER: Okay I'm willing to pay you 20 bucks for a month of chores. YOUNGER BROTHER: Haha no way! I want at least 50. Once the deal is done, you could get your brother to sign a contract that says exactly what chores he has to do and for how long. That way, if you find him trying to get out of them, you can always show your mum the contract and force him back to work! Contracts find their way into schools too. You might remember Jonah from Summer Heights High has a behaviour contract. That's how it works in business and sport. Back when Sonny Bill joined the Bulldogs, they worked out how much he should be paid then he signed a contract. His contract said he'd stay with the club for five years, but after only one, he decided to leave, because a French Rugby Union team offered him much more money. But breaking a contract can get you into a lot of trouble. The NRL now wants to take him to court and they say if he doesn't come back and play in Australia, he'll be banned for life! So signing a contact is a very important thing and something league stars, or brothers, should think very hard about before putting their name on the dotted line. QUIZ 2 We'll let you know how that goes. Now as it's Olympics week - I reckon we'll do another Olympic quiz! Which Australian has won the most Olympic medals? a. Ian Thorpe b. Dawn Fraser c. Petria Thomas Answer: Ian Thorpe 12 THE SCORE Ian Thorpe has won 9, Dawn Fraser and Petria Thomas have won 8. Now here's some more sport news. New Zealand are on top of the Tri-Nations ladder after thumping Australia 39 to 10 in Auckland. The Wallabies haven't won at Eden Park for 22 years and didn't look like breaking the hoodoo. *** In tennis everyone is asking if the Fedexpress has finally run out of steam. Roger Federer is set to lose his world number one spot to Spain's Rafael Nadal. Federer had been at the top for four years but Nadal has been doing better lately and is tipped to take over next week. *** In the V8's there was a huge pile up during the weekend's racing at Winton. Jason Richards crashed at the start and knocked out Mark Skaife and Russell Ingall. Ford's Will Davison managed to avoid it and won the race. *** And can you imagine playing sport without being able to hear - that's what this team does. Meet the Broadview Tigers. Almost all of their players are deaf. The team hasn't won a game yet but reckon it's only a matter of time RODEO KIDS Nathan Bazley, Reporter INTRO: Good luck to them. Right, now turning up to school, you usually do similar things each day. You might start off with some maths, before moving onto English and then maybe some history. But what about turning up to a school where one of the first things you're asked to do is jump on a raging bull!? Well Nathan found some kids in Queensland who are doing just that. In this yard, it's man vs beast. JOSH BIRKS, JUNIOR BULLRIDING CHAMPION: Yeah, it's always in the back of your mind that this bull could hurt me, you know, any bull could do it. Some kids would call Josh crazy, but his idea of fun is to sit on top of an angry 600 kilo bull, strap himself in and hold on for eight seconds. That's the aim of Rodeo and Josh started when he was just 3. He was Aussie Junior Champion when he was 12 and went on to win the titles another four times. But achievements like those don't come without some pain. JOSH BIRKS: Last round a bull jumped on me guts and pierced my kidneys and broke seven ribs, and I've been out for six weeks. But despite all that, Josh is here today to sharpen his skills with a bull riding master. BULLRIDING COMMENTATOR: He’s a legend. Gone out this way. Hey, hey, this is a good combination. Troy Dunn - the combat to the United States. Man, oh man, it's good to see him! 13 Troy Dunn is a legend of the sport. He's the only Australian to ever win a world title. But how do you win a Rodeo? NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: As well as staying on for 8 seconds, judges give you and the bull a score out of 25 depending on how wild the bull is and how well you ride. You're also meant to keep this hand in the air all the time. But world champ Troy can ride the real thing and now he's passing on his knowledge to some enthusiastic kids. TROY DUNN, FORMER WORLD CHAPMION BULL RIDER: There wasn't a lot of fellows that knew how to explain bull riding in the early days and what I learned and experienced was basically trial and error. In a sport where injuries are common and deaths are possible, Troy's first lesson is 'safety first'. TROY DUNN: I know it's an old cowboy thing, you know, to wear a hat, but it's OK to wear a helmet, you know. Mike Lees is a world champion, he wears one, and you are not a pussy if you wear a helmet. The kids have come from all over the country for this special school. And while it's all boys today, girls get involved too. After a lecture on gear and safety and a couple of rides on a mechanical bull, it's time for the class to hop on the real thing. The safety lesson ends up paying off for two riders! But the real aim today for junior champion Josh is to ride the toughest bull they have here – Fizzbomb. It's a tight contest, and despite a heavy landing, Josh has made the 8-second mark - just. JOSH BIRKS: I knew it'd be tough and I knew it was alright. REPORTER: Who won the day, do you think? JOSH BIRKS: I reckon I did. I gave him a more chops than he gave me so. And if Josh wants to be world champion like his hero Troy, he'll have to ride many more just like it. DID YOU KNOW? Some people think the sport of rodeo is cruel to animals and want it banned. CLOSER Ok that's it for another show. Just a reminder you can catch any of those stories again by jumping on our website and every Monday to Friday at 5 to 6 you can see all the exciting news from around the world in BTN Daily. See ya then. 14