Questions for discussion

Pollies polling

Costly calls

Paralympic heroes

EPISODE 6

23RD MARCH 2010

Unfair hair

Mini bats

Focus Questions

Costly calls

EPISODE 6

23RD MARCH 2010

Learning Area

English, Society

and Environment

Key learning

Students will

develop a mobile

phone guide to

educate young

people about

mobile phone use.

Student reflection

Further investigations

Related Research Links

Focus Questions

Opinion polls

EPISODE 6

23RD MARCH 2010

Learning Area

Society and

Environment

Key learning

Students will

conduct their own

opinion poll based

on an issue of

interest to them.

Key words

public

opinion

poll

sample

reliability

Further investigation

Related Research Links

BtN: Episode 6 Transcripts

23/03/10

On this week's Behind the News:

Opinion polls, can they be trusted?

The hidden cost of mobile phones.

And tackling the slopes the hard way.

Hi I'm Nathan Bazley welcome to Behind the News.

Also on the show today we report on a very unusual animal that could

be living right under your nose.

Pollies Polling

Reporter: Nathan Bazley

INTRO: On the weekend we've had two State elections, one in South

Australia and one in Tasmania and kids in those areas probably

would have heard the term 'opinion poll' a whole lot in the lead-up.

The polls always say a certain percentage of people want this or

that.

But how on earth do they know? Do they ask everyone in the

country? Let's find out.

People always try and work out what's going to happen in the

future.

NATHAN BAZLEY REPORTER: We're not talking crystal ball stuff

here people try to predict the footy results, or the winners of awards.

Politics is no different.

Running the country is a pretty important thing so everyone wants to

know who's going to get the chance to do it!

That's where opinion polls come in. They are used to try to find out

how everyone feels about an issue, by asking a selected group of them.

So in the case of politics, it could be 'Do you think the prime minister

is doing a good job.'

Polling companies will ring up a selection of people and ask them

what they think.

Some people will say yes. Some people will say no.

That gives them a percentage of people who think he's doing a good

job, or an approval rating.

When something bad happens, like the huge insulation problems a

month ago, the prime minister's poll results can end up taking a

beating, because more people will say they're not happy.

KEVIN RUDD, PRIME MINISTER: We are taking a whacking in the

polls now. I'm sure we'll take an even bigger whacking in the era

ahead, and the bottom line is, i think we deserve it.

If a politician has a high approval rating, they have a good chance of

taking out an election. But if it's bad, things won't be looking so good!

NATHAN: But nothing is certain when it comes to polls, and here's

why... Australia has roughly 21 million people living here, but when

national polls are done, they might only ask around 2 thousand

people or so. That's just a hundredth of one per cent of the

population!

The more people are asked, the more reliable the final result. But if

you only ask a few people, the result isn't going to be all that

trustworthy!

So that's how opinion polls work and they're used far more often than

you'd imagine.

They pop up in newspapers all the time because they make big news

and therefore sell papers.

They can be about the government or the opposition and can ask

things like 'who is your favourite leader', 'who is your favourite party',

and 'who would you vote for?'

They also might be used to find out how certain people feel about an

big issue, like the emissions trading scheme.

Also, political parties do a similar thing privately themselves to find

out what policies people like most to help them make decisions on

what they should support.

And last but not least, we use polls each week to find out what the

kids of Australia think about heaps of different issues.

So jump on our website and have your say!

We'll have this week's poll a bit later on.

Quiz 1

It’s time for a quiz:

The world's first known opinion poll was held in what year?

52 BC

1066

1824

The answer is: 1824

Presenter: That's when voters in the United States were asked who

they thought would win the Presidential election.

Costly Calls

Reporter: Natasha Thiele

INTRO: If you own a mobile phone, you've probably been tempted to

download ringtones and games.

But if you're not careful they can end up costing you big bucks.

Mobile users have been complaining so as Tash discovers, we're

about to be given the choice of barring these expensive services from

our phones.

NATASHA THIELE, REPORTER: They're part of our everyday lives

and have made a big difference to the way we communicate.

The mobile phone was invented in the United States back in 1973.

Australia got its first one in 1987.

NATASHA THIELE, REPORTER: Thousands of Aussie kids have

mobiles and many just don't realise how expensive it can get if they

subscribe to SMS alerts.

It usually happens when kids are given phones and don't read the fine

print in the contract.

But look a little closer at the small print. It's going to cost you a lot

more than a normal text message.

Often our parents get the bill and they're hit with some hefty charges

for these premium SMS services.

They're usually one nine hundred numbers you need to subscribe to

and in return, you can have things like ringtones and games sent to

your phone.

When you subscribe to these numbers you can get pinged with things

weekly or even daily and yep, you got to pay for it!

If you've got a pre-paid mobile, using these services are more likely to

chew-up your credit.

And if you've got a normal plan, your bill could go into the hundreds!

BOY: I was downloading songs, thought it was part of the cap, but I

didn't actually know that it wasn't and it ended up charging me

seventy bucks over.

GIRL: I messaged one once and they just kept taking out money out

of my account every week and I didn't know where it was going

BOY: One of my friends she downloaded one of those one-nine-

hundred number ringtones. She didn't realise it was coming off her

cap, but she ended up paying over a hundred dollars for one ringtone.

And that's why people want phones protected because they're being

charged extra money for services they didn't know would cost so

much.

But what's the big deal? Are we sensible enough to manage our own

phone usage or do we need someone to limit what we do?

The people who look out for consumers, the A-triple-C, wanted an

automatic ban on the services.

But another group that regulates the phone companies has decided

we need to ask the companies ourselves, if we want these services

barred.

So from July the first, you won't be able to ring those numbers that

start with say 191, 193, 196 or 199.

Some people reckon the changes will help mums and dads control

their kids' phone costs and stop bills from going way over budget.

Others say it's a win for the mobile phone industry because the

services will still be available.

So keep in mind, when you select these services it's hard to turn them

off and remember always ready the fine print!

Ok that's an interesting issue so we'll make that this week's poll question.

Should Premium SMS services be barred on mobile phones?

To vote just head to our website.

Paralympics

Reporter: Natasha Thiele

INTRO: Imagine what it must feel like to ski down a snow-covered

mountain at a speed of 100 kilometres an hour.

Now imagine doing it on one leg.

That's the sort of action we've been seeing at the Winter Paralympic

games in Canada.

The Paralympics are held every four years for athletes with

disabilities. They always follow just after the able-bodied Olympics.

Australia is there competing and Tash has discovered a bit more

about some of our athletes.

NATASHA THIELE, REPORTER: This is what the Winter

Paralympics are all about.

Hundreds of athletes from around the world compete in a stack of

different events like alpine skiing, cross-country skiing and ice sledge

hockey.

The competitors have a range of disabilities, but that hasn't stopped

them from doing what they love.

This is Toby Kane. Here he is at his first Paralympics in Torino back

in 2006.

He scored a bronze medal, bringing tears of joy and a big smile to his

mum's face.

His story goes back to when he was just a toddler.

TOBY: I got run over by a car when I was two on the footpath.

Toby lost one leg in the accident.

This is Toby now and he's competing in the Alpine Skiing events.

TOBY: I'm not sure if I'm an adrenalin junkie, I do find the speed

events very fun and I find going fast a lot of fun.

The events at the Paralympics aren't too different to the Winter

Olympics, but the rules are slightly modified to suit the competitors.

TOBY: I think that if you are disabled then you've kinda gotta work

out different ways of doing things and if there's an activity you can't

do, then you may have to adapt that activity or adapt the way you do

it.

Another Aussie who's doing well in Canada is Jessica Gallagher.

She's Australia's first female medallist at the Paralympic Games.

Jessica took out bronze in the visually impaired women's skiing.

It's the first time she's actually been part of a Paralympics.

When she competes, she has a guide who lets her know what is ahead

and how to ski for the next turn.

Jess started playing netball and basketball when she was younger, but

when she started losing her sight she thought she'd give the

Paralympics a go.

JESS: I love going fast, I love being outdoors and in the snow and I

think if you ask everyone in the team, I'm a fairly driven person.

While these guys have another four years to practice for the next

Winter Paralympics, we can look forward to the summer Olympics

and Paralympics in London in 2012.

The Score

What’s happening in sport?

Sydney FC is the new a-league champion after a dramatic win over

Melbourne victory at docklands last Saturday night.

The teams ended the regulation ninety minutes locked at one-all so

extra time was played.

It was still one-one after another half hour...so it came down to

penalties.

and Sydney proved to be more accurate from the spot.

*****************

The swimming qualifications for the Commonwealth Games have

continued in Sydney.

Jessica Schipper won the 200 metre butterfly, despite some recent

breathing problems due to her asthma.

Stephanie Rice also wasn't feeling too well, saying she was suffering

from lack of sleep.

But you wouldn't guess it judging by this win in the 400 metre

individual medley.

*****************

It was the opening round of the Trans-Tasman netball competition.

The New South Wales Swifts put a nightmare 2009 campaign behind

them with a win against preseason winners, the Queensland

Firebirds.

Hair

Reporter: Catherine Ellis

INTRO:

You guys would have noticed pop stars and celebrities changing

their hair styles constantly. For example we've seen Paris Hilton

with an ultra short bob one day and long blonde locks the next. Now

hair obviously doesn't grow that quickly. It's all thanks to hair

extensions which have become big business. But where does the hair

come from? And who's making all the money? As Catherine explains,

it all starts in one of the poorest parts of the world.

JAMELIA: In the entertainment and fashion industry hair extensions

are everywhere. I honestly can say I don't know of one person that I've

come across as a performer as a model who has not had hair

extensions in their hair.

CATHERINE ELLIS, REPORTER: British pop star, actor and model

Jamelia was massively into hair extensions when the craze began -

but like most people she had no idea where they came from.

In India there are millions of people who believe sacrificing your hair

is the path to happiness and a gift to god.

It's part of their Hindu religion and they come to temples like this to

make their personal offering.

Jayanti was unwell several years ago and believes God healed her, so

she's come to thank him.

JAYANTI: It's no big deal so I can't think about whether it's beautiful

or ugly. It's an offering to God, and therefore I have to go through

with it.

Every year millions of people do the same but they have no idea where

their hair goes.

About 20 years ago it was gathered to stuff mattresses, now it's

packed up, sold off and begins a long journey to becoming hair

extensions!

Usually the first stage is to come to factories like this one in India

where, by hand, the hair is washed, combed and sorted into lengths.

The best locks end up in Rome.

David started a company which supplies top of the range hair

extension to thousands of salons in more than FIFTY countries!

DAVID: Now here's some hair that has taken 12 maybe even 15 years

to grow to this length. Very, very expensive. I mean a kilo of hair this

length would be easily $2,500 and this is probably about half a kilo.

The hair can be turned into more than fifty shades.

And here's where the journey ends, at an upmarket salon, where

people pay thousands of dollars for their new hair.

SALON HAIRDRESSER: Well I soften the bond using heat, which is

with the gun here, and then it's easy to mould into place.

And there it will stay for several months.

So what begins as a religious offering in India, ends up as an

expensive accessory in the world's fashion capitals.

And it's the people outside of India who get rich from it.

They claim it's okay, because the temples which sell the hair, pour the

money back into their community.

But the people giving up their hair, have no idea that it ends up on

someone else's head for thousands of dollars!

Presenter: who knew!

Quiz 2

OK . . . let's have our last quiz for today.

What's Lady Gaga's REAL hair colour?

Brown

Blond

Black

Answer: Brown

Mini Bats

Reporter: Nathan Bazley

INTRO: If you believe Hollywood bats have a pretty creepy image.

When they're not hanging upside-down screeching at each other

they're flying silently at night, under orders from blood-sucking

vampires.

But of course reality's a bit different. Bats are delicate creatures and

many are under threat.

We were surprised to hear of a tiny species known as microbats that

live in a lot of Australian backyards.

In fact, they're so small and quiet you probably don't even know

they're there.

REPORTER, NATHAN BAZLEY: These are bats you hear a lot about.

They are fruit bats.

Not just because they're very noisy, but because they like to make a

nuisance of themselves in backyards and parks around Australia.

But this bat has some cousins who behave very differently.

It turns out these bats are far shyer, far more quiet and far more tiny

and that's why you've probably never seen them.

They're called microbats and they hang out in backyards all over the

place, maybe even yours.

Microbats have a pretty cool way of navigating their way around.

They send out sounds that humans can't hear at all.

These echo off all the surfaces around the microbat and bounce back.

From that, the microbats can work out where things are. Amazing

hey!

Unlike fruit bats which feed on, well, fruit; these bats feed on insects

of all shapes and sizes.

RODNEY VAN DER REE, UNI OF MELBOURNE: There's been one

study that showed that one bat could eat 600 mosquitoes within an

hour. So potentially they're really, really valuable and they play

important roles in the ecosystem.

But scientists fear there aren't as many of them hiding out there in

our urban ecosystems as there used to be.

They've been left with less places to roost as trees throughout the city

are chopped down.

So they've enlisted a whole lot of volunteers to help them track down

how many of these batty animals are still round.

RODNEY VAN DER REE: We've chosen this spot because it's kind of

an archway under those branches, so the bats when they're flying

through the bush, they're looking for the easiest path they can find.

RODNEY VAN DER REE: Like that, under there like that. Yep. So

they'll hit the fishing line, slide down the fishing line and then they go

into the bag. And once they're in the bag they can sit there for a

couple of hours without any problems. And then we come along at

regular intervals during the night and take them out. It's an ideal

method because there's very little injury to the bats. In fact I don't

know of any injuries that have occurred to bats in heart traps.

During the night they come back to check how things have gone.

There are none in this one unfortunately but there are other ways to

play hide and seek with a bat.

This researcher uses an echo-locator to find them out.

The machine picks up the ultra-sonic sounds we told you the bats

release earlier.

FIONA CAROL: We've had these detectors set up in people's

backyards. And one of the most interesting thing is, no matter how

sort of urban the suburb, we've found bats in every single bat garden.

Back at the traps they've found one finally. Seem these traps aren't

much of a match for these micro bats and their amazing skills.

Presenter: I want to see if there's some at my place now.

Closer

That's it for today's show!

Before we go let's check out last week's Harmony Day at schools around the country.

It's celebrated each year and is a time for Australians to recognise the diverse cultures of everyone living here.

It's been running for more than ten years now, and some schools have helped mark the occasion too!

Here, some kids for the Adelaide School of English have put on a show of musical performances.

The continuing message of Harmony Day is 'Everyone Belongs'.

It was in-line with this year's theme, which was 'Express Yourself'

Don't forget you can see out any of today's stories on our website... at abc.net.au/btn.

And you can get across all the big stories with News on 3... at 5 to 7 weeknights on ABC3.

I'll see you next time!