australia

Why Australia started turning on McDonald’s

I was mildly surprised and, yes, I admit, more than a little pleased to read of fast-food giant McDonald's sales going backwards here in Australia. Last month, at an investment seminar in the US, McDonald's global chief executive and president Don Thompson warned investors that “lower levels of spending in Australia and cut-throat competition among [...]

By |2013-08-19T10:27:16+10:00August 19th, 2013|Categories: Society & Culture|Tags: , , , , , , |0 Comments

Young People and Sexting in Australia

This report from ARC Centre of Excellence in Creative Industries and Innovation at the University of New South Wales, Australia presents the endings of a qualitative study of young people’s understandings of, and responses to, current Australian laws, media and educational resources that address sexting. via Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies.

The Great Aussie Paradox | Vitamin D Deficiency Rates Soar

We might live in the sunny country, but our deficiency in the so-called 'sunshine hormone', vitamin D, is worse than previously thought. Australia's largest vitamin D study to date, conducted on 24,000 people over two years, has found up to 58 per cent of Australians are deficient in the vitamin, not 23 to 31 per [...]

Computer and video game addiction – the evidence grows

Recently there has been a renewed cry for video and computer game addictions to be recognised by the greater community. More and more material is coming to light that confirms obsessive and addictive behaviour is increasing among people, especially young people, who engage in computer games for long periods of time. In Australia, Professor Vladan Starcevic of Sydney [...]

Guest Post: We all learn with style!

By Angie Wilcock. We all learn (and teach!) in a way that suits us - we might never have thought too much about it, and most of us may never have 'labelled' it! If someone were to ask you about your 'style', you may be aware that you are not a good listener, or that [...]

Questions and answers: the provision of alcohol to minors

In a recent post, Paul Dillon discussed the provision of alcohol to minors. A young reader named Kate responded to the article with a very well considered and thought provoking question: I am a 17 year-old girl going on 18 and I have been to parties where alcohol has been served and there have been [...]

Government releases report on anti-bullying technique

The Australian Government earlier this week released research showing results of a study investigating a new technique to reduce bullying. The research assessed the 'Method of Shared Concern', a technique which aims to reduce and eliminate bullying without directly punishing the bullies. The technique involves non-confrontational meetings with the students involved in the bullying where [...]

Parenting found to reduce blood pressure

An American study has found that couples with children have lower blood pressure then childless couples. The counter-intuitive results were explained as resulting from the sense of meaning  parents derived from their children. The study controlled for factors such as health, age and weight. Lead author of the study Dr Julianne Hold-Lunstad explained how the [...]

Television increases risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer

Australian Research has found a link between watching television and ill health, finding that each hour of TV per a day that people watch increases their overall risk of dying form all causes by 11 per cent. The study, published in the journal Circulation, also found that the additional hour increases the risk of dying [...]

Guest Post: The Positive Body Image Debate

By Melinda Hutchings. Last week an intense debate erupted over Jennifer Hawkins appearing naked and unretouched on the cover of the current issue of Marie Claire – and whether she represents a role model for positive body image. Media personality Bianca Dye, who also posed nude for a recent issue of Madison, made the point [...]

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