EASYPRINT TRANSCRIPTS
Episode 19.
31/07/07
Hello I'm Nathan Bazley. Welcome to Behind the News. On this week's show ..
Why are kids' teeth in trouble
Training to be an Indian movie star
And who is the flying scientist?
Also on the program today... where does milk come from and why is it getting more expensive?
Those items later... but first to our top story this week...
Desalination
Nathan Bazley, reporter
INTRO: It may be raining in some places, but many Australians are still worried about where their water will come
from in the future. Well what about the ocean? Sea water can be made drinkable through a process called
desalination. It's already happening in parts of Australia and other states are looking at it. But some people say we
should take desalination with a pinch of salt.
Most of the Earth is covered with water!
In Australia we're surrounded by it, so why are we worried about running out?
NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: Well, if you've ever swallowed a mouthful of seawater, you'll know why. It's way
too salty.
But there is a way of getting rid of the salt.
Its called desalination - that's what goes on at this plant in Perth.
It can convert 45 billion litres of salty seawater to drinking water every year - that's almost a quarter of the city's
water supply.
There's talk of building heaps more around the country.
Queensland is building one on the Gold Coast, while New South Wales has just signed off on a plant in Sydney.
Victoria is thinking of one at Williamson Beach, South Australia might have one at Port Augusta.
And even Darwin wants to go desal.
A lot of people think desalination could provide a solution to Australia's water problems so how does it work?
Well there are a couple of ways - the Perth plant uses a process called reverse osmosis.
Reverse Osmosis is when water is pushed through a really fine filter, so the salt particles can't get through. Of
course the filter is much finer than this strainer. It's designed to filter out microscopic particles that are millions of
times smaller than a human hair.
The filter is called a membrane and large pumps have to be used to push the water at enormous pressure through
the membrane's tiny holes.
The leftovers, extra salty seawater, is mostly pumped back to the sea, while the fresh water is pumped into big
tanks, ready to drink!
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There's another way of doing it, called flash distillation.
The idea behind distillation is pretty simple. The salty water is heated until the water turns to steam. So if I collect the
steam and cool it down again, the salt stays in the pot, while the water ends up over here, ready to drink.
It's the same process nature uses to give us fresh water. The sun heats water which evaporates, without the salt
and other impurities then comes back to earth as fresh rain.
Both desalination methods - Flash distillation and reverse osmosis can be used to purify all sorts of water. Not only
can you get salt out of sea water, you can clean up the muck from river water or sewage.
The trouble is, both use a lot of power and are expensive to run; but they are getting cheaper.
Some of today's desal plants use 90 per cent less electricity than they did 40 years ago. Reverse osmosis plants
tend to need less power. In fact, the Perth plant gets all its power from a windfarm!
There are a few other problems though - one of them is the waste.
The process leaves behind ultra salty water which most of the time is pumped back into the ocean - critics say that
can make the sea saltier which isn't good for the environment.
Other people are against desalination plants for other reasons too. Some say the water is far too expensive and
that we should look for cheaper options, while others stand to lose their homes when desalination plants are built.
But with so many states showing interest in their own desalination plants, it could become a common way of topping
up our supplies.
Dental Health
Catherine Ellis, reporter
INTRO: Now teeth might be tough but they're not tough enough to survive if you don't look after them . The latest
figures show many kids aren't looking after their teeth properly and decay is on the rise!
That can lead to all sorts of problems so Catherine thought she'd better check it out.
CATHERINE ELLIS, REPORTING: Mmmm check out those pearly whites!
Did you know Sharks actually have three rows of teeth? And Great Whites have up to 3000 teeth in their mouth! And
if they fall out it doesn't matter, more and more just keep growing back!
But humans aren't so lucky.
Once our adult teeth arrive, that's it, if you don't look after them you don't get any more!
Trouble is new figures show many kids aren't looking after their teeth.
Rates of tooth decay amongst Aussie kids had been decreasing for years and ten years ago, were among the
lowest in the developed world.
But since then, something has been going wrong!
Why? Well experts say it's a combination of things.
One of them is our diet.
Kids are eating a lot more sugar.
CATHERINE, REPORTER: Five years ago Austeralians were eating on average 40 kilos of sugar each, every year.
Now it's gone up to 50 kilograms! That's this much each, every year. No wonder dentists are worried!
So how does sugar cause decay.
Well our mouths are full of bacteria that build up on the teeth in a sticky layer called plaque.
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The plaque feeds on the sugar we eat and releases acid which attacks and weakens teeth.
So if you eat a lot of sugar and you don't brush properly then those nasty bacteria stay in contact with your teeth for
a long time causing decay.
Snacking between meals makes things even worse.
Tooth decay can become so bad that a tooth has to be ripped out, but if it's detected early enough, it can be fixed
with a filling!
Nicholas is only seven-years-old and he's already had four fillings.
And according to experts that's pretty typical now but 10 years ago the average six-year-old only had about one
filling.
Nick's big brother Stewart is proof that if you take good care of your teeth, you reap the rewards. He's 10 years old,
has no fillings and the dentist says his teeth are all healthy.
STEWART: A couple of people I've seen do drink quite a bit of soft drinks and sometimes eat too many lollies. We
need to care for our teeth properly.
Now another problem is toothpaste.
Many primary school kids are brushing with the wrong stuff. They're using toothpaste specially made for
preschoolers.
That's no good because it has far less fluoride in it and fluoride is an important chemical that hardens and protects
teeth.
And the third problem is bottled water.
Lot's more kids these days are drinking it instead of tap water but it doesn't have fluoride in it like tap water does,
that means kids are getting less protection.
CATHERINE, REPORTER: So tips for a sparkling smile.
- watch your sugar intake
- avoid snacking.
- use adult toothpaste
- drink tap water
- clean your teeth properly twice a day
and dentists say don't rinse after brushing, just spit!
Dairy Industry
Sarah Larsen, reporter
Most people drink a lot of milk and eat a lot of dairy products - it's a big part of our diet. So the news that prices will
be jumping in the next few months could have a big effect on families. So why are prices going up? Well Sarah
thought she'd find out and along the way she met some very cute cows.
Dairy farming in Australia is big business. In fact it’s our third biggest agricultural industry... and in the last few years
farmers have seen quite a few changes.
Now the price of milk is going up! The drought and high petrol prices are making feeding cows and
hauling milk more expensive - and in a few months we could be paying up to 50 cents a litre more.
But do you really realise what it takes to get milk from here...to here? It's a long road...
Reporter: And this is where it all starts. Cows like these can produce about 8000 litres of milk a year...that's not a
bad effort.
Kids: We live on a dairy farm and our parents are farmers. They also process the milk.
A dairy farmer’s day starts when most of us are still in bed.
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Kirsten: "Our parents get up at about 5 in the morning then they milk them again at about 4"
And what are these machines?
Kirsten: They attach these to the cow's udder and it basically sucks the milk out.
And do the cows mind?
Kirsten: Not really. They have their heads in there and they eat grain... you push the button so they can't get out.
The milk goes through these pipes and into this vat.
Reporter: When milk comes out, it's warm... about 37 degrees in fact. And if you leave it for a bit a layer of cream
rises to the top. I like that the best!
Then it’s off to the factory.
What are these machines?
Brad: This is a pastuerizer. All milk has to be pasteurized by law. You basically heat up the milk to kill off the bugs.
And what's this one?
Brad: It’s a homogeniser... you separate the milk....
Do you like homogenised or non-homogenised?
Brad: Non-homogenised. Why? It’s creamier.
These guys make all kinds of milk... from different types of cows and with different amounts of fat.
Kids (holding up bottles): "low fat", "homogenised", "non-homogenised", "jersey non-homogenised", jersey low fat.
That might seem like a lot, but go to the supermarket and you'll see there's even more varieties available.... That's
because the industry's really competitive and with health and obesity worrying more people, dairy companies are
producing new types of products.
It’s just one sign of an industry that's gone through heaps of changes. Another change is how the milk is made.
This dairy is small and run by just a few families... in the old days that's how most of them worked.
But now a lot of the milk that we buy at the supermarkets comes from huge dairies with hundreds of cows.
A lot of families are getting out of the dairy industry because it's too difficult to make money with small herds.
When we pay about $1.70 for a litre of milk at the supermarket, the farmer only gets about 38 cents.
The rest goes to the dairy company for processing, transport, storage..... and the supermarket.
Of course, that's keeping a lot of people in business. But some farmers say their share isn't enough to make ends
meet.
Farmer: With the prices of electricity and power and the drought it's not enough we're not making money
Farmers are getting some extra money from the higher prices but some say that's still not enough.
There might be some good news though. Dairy products are becoming really popular in Asia so there's predictions
of a huge increase in demand.
So our milk farmers could be at the beginning of a boom.
Flying Scientist
Catherine Ellis, reporter
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Now to a story about a flying scientist, a science teacher who literally flies into class!
Sounds like a fantasy book but this white whiskered, jolly character actually exists.
He travels across Australia with his bag of tricks, visiting kids who live in isolated areas.
We sent Catherine to a remote station in South Australia to find out more!
CATHERINE ELLIS, REPORTING: It's a very exciting day at Yudnapinna Station. Not only is a special guest about
to arrive, but these kids rarely get the opportunity to see each other.
They live on remote stations in outback Australia and do all their schooling at home, over the phone and on the
internet.
But today is going to be very different!
And here he comes!!
This is Phill Higgins, otherwise known as Phiggles, the flying scientist!
He used to be a uni teacher, but seven years ago he decided to share his love of science with kids in the outback many of whom have never experienced a 'hands on', interactive science class in their life.
Phiggles and his wife Suzanne, have now travelled more than 56,000 kilometres and they've met more than 1200
kids.
PHIGGLES, THE FLYING SCIENTIST: I had never thought of flying before, I'd never had a pilots license before, I
just thought look if I'm going to help remote kids, they're a long way away and you reach kids that are a long way
away by flying to them.
Well we began the morning learning about some of the very first methods used to measure time, we looked at
reflexes, and optics, which led to this:
...dissecting an eyeball!
We had to try and guess what colour it would be inside. What do you reckon?
Well here's the answer:
PHIGGLES: Absolutely clear isn't it.
Even the lens is clear so all the light can get through and make an image on the back of your eyeball.
It actually makes the image upside down like this picture box but our brains have learnt how to turn the image the
right way up.
Once we'd all done a bit of poking around, it was on to some Electronics - we even made our own traffic lights.
CATHERINE: Have you ever done anything like this before?
NATALIE: No
TOM: Normally with school of the air you have to do it by yourself but um this with other kids is more fun.
JOEY: Phiggles is great!
We took a close look at a camels eyelash, measured and compared our breathing capacity, and did a spot of
chemistry.
Then came a surprise visitor - Harold, the Lizard Man.
Harold just happen to be passing by with some 'show and tell'.
CATHERINE: Does it bite?
HAROLD, THE LIZARD MAN: Very powerful bite.
Well after finding that out I was hardly excited about holding it!
But eventually Shingles and I became best mates!
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My brave face quickly disappeared though, when out came a poisonous centipede, a wolf spider, cockroaches,
lizards and snakes!
Well as if we hadn't already had enough fun, when Phiggles announced we were going to have a boat competition!
We were only allowed one piece of Alfoil to try and make a boat that would carry the most 20 cent pieces.
CATHERINE: How's that?
Hamish was the winner with his barge shaped boat.
CHRIS: And what's your assessment Phil of Catherine's effort?
PHIL: Oh I'd say in between average and abysmal!
CATHERINE: I have something to admit, I used tape to fix the hole in my boat.
Okay not even Phiggles can turn me into a decent boatmaker.
But he did manage to show a whole bunch of kids that science can be fun.
Bollywood
Nathan Bazley, reporter
We don't see many musicals in western theatres anymore... but there is one form of cinema that is colourful...
exciting... and nearly every movie features a sing-a-long...
Sound good? Well next time you're at the DVD store... try asking for a Bollywood movie! Nathan explains why...
These kids could be the next generation of Bollywood stars. No, not hollywood: bollywood!
You may not've heard of it, but that's the name given to a really popular part of India's massive movie industry.
Bollywood movies are very different to western films.
They have a lot of singing and dancing and often feature amazingly colourful costumes.
Most are shot in the city of Mumbai, which is north-west of Australia, in India.
Mumbai used to be called Bombay and that's where the name Bollywood come from, a cross between Bombay and
hollywood.
They are spoken in Hindi, the most common language spoken in India.
Another big difference is that it's very rare for characters in Bollywood films to kiss. In fact, it was illegal to kiss on
screen in India until 20 years ago!
NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: If someone asked you where most of the world's movies were produced, you'd
probably say Hollywood, right? But you'd be wrong. It's actually Bollywood! They make over 1000 movies every
year and they are a whole lot of fun too!
My bad dancing aside, this bollywood exhibition in Sydney got lots of kids in on all the bollywood action.
Thousands of people turned out to see the dancing.
You could even learn how to do it yourself.
NERISSA, BOLLYWOOD DANCER: Kids love it and they love dressing up as well and they just love the hips and all
the little girls love that and the boys get to be movie fighters and the characters that they love so it's like superheros
- bollywood style.
Posters for bollywood movies are often hand-painted and are very bright and colourful.
This man is creating a movie poster by sprinkling brightly coloured powders onto a big canvas.
This poster will take around 50 hours from start to finish!
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But bollywood films don't all have to be set in India, quite a few are now being made in Australia.
And some people say that's great for tourism.
VINITA: When people see those movies in India they all want to come out and see Australia.
But it's not just Indian filmmakers coming over here. Some Aussies are becoming stars over there.
Aussie cricketer Brett Lee is a household name in India not just for his fast-pace bowling attack, but also for this
bollywood style song, sung in english and Hindi, which he released earlier this year.
I think he makes my dancing look pretty good really!
Zoom
Other stories in the news this week ...and you'll remember last week we told you about the case of Mohammed
Haneef.
He's the doctor from India who was working on the Gold Coast and he was locked up on charges of supporting the
terrorist attacks in Britain.
Well on Friday prosecutors dropped the charges because they didn't have enough evidence.
Dr Haneef has now gone back to India to see his wife.
However the controversy is continuing - the government says it won't let him stay in Australia because they think
he's still a risk.
Dr Haneef's supporters say that's unfair and they'll try and change the decision.
And you'll remember last week we also told you how politicians are beginning to use YouTube to campaign.
In the United States pollies from the Democratic party have held what's being called the first campaign debate on a
video website.
Eight candidates answered pre-recorded questions uploaded to YouTube.
Three thousand questions were sent in but only some were put to the panel.
Some critics say the debate was just hype. Others say it was a more democratic way of testing future leaders.
And a Woy Woy dog has been reunited with its owner after a dog napping three months ago.
Rusty was taken from outside a newsagent and its owners feared they would never see it again.
But last week it was found by a dog catcher thousands of kilometres away in Darwin.
Because Rusty has a microchip they were able to trace its owners and they were reunited.
No-one knows how the dog managed to travel so far but it seems to be fit and well .. the only small problem - it's
hair had been dyed.
Spin
To sports news now and for the first time an Australian has finished second in one of cycling's most famous races the Tour de France.
Cadel Evans was born in the Northern Territory and says when he was a kid his best friend was his bike.
He finished just 23 seconds behind the winner.
The Tour de France is an incredibly gruelling competition - riders race each other for almost three weeks and cover
three and a half thousand kilometres.
But this year there's been enormous controversy about the race - next week we'll tell you all about it.
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In soccer a fairy tale came true when Iraq won the Asian Cup final beating Saudi Arabia 1 -0.
There is a lot of violence and fighting in Iraq and the team had to train and play overseas for safety.
Many members have suffered because of the fighting.
There were big celebrations in Iraq and around the world after the win.
Iraq's Prime Minister says the victory is a lesson in how to triumph over the impossible.
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