Overweight and Obesity in Australia

For my census data, I have selected the topic of overweight/obese people in Australia over the age of 18. From 2007-2008, obesity in Australia reached 62.8% in males and 47.6% in females, based on people's self reported height and weight. This data for both male and female has increased by 5% in comparison to the 2001 results, which is believed to be caused by lack of exercise and diet. In 2020 it is predicted that 80% of Australian adults and over a third of children will be classified as overweight or obese.Although genetics are believed to play a role in a person's physical appearance, the fundamental cause is an imbalance between food consumption and exercise. Having an overweight population can have a significant impact on Australia's health, as well as negative social and economical factors. Regarding our health, an obese society increases the risk of major health conditions such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers which may lead to physical concerns and poor sleeping patterns. In 2008, the annual cost of obesity in Australia including health system costs and loss of productivity rose to approximately $58 billion.

Fifty eight billion!

Thats 58 billion dollars we could of put into our healthcare systems, improving the environment, economy and education. Fifty eight billion dollars gone to waste. 

One of the main causes of obesity is an energy imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended over time.  Physical activity such as exercise increases the body's normal energy expenditure, the total exhausted amount depending on the type of physical activity performed.  The National Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that adults need at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on a daily basis to maintain healthy status. 

I think its disgraceful that Australia is now currently labelled as the "fattest nation" in the world. Over half of our population is counteracted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as obese or overweight. Without drastic changes in our diets, our health will be at a bigger risk for our futures and have a bad influence on generations to come. Common Australia we are better then that! Lets be proactive and transform ourselves to be at our fill healthy and fit potentials. 

Australiana

Our topic for our last assessment is based on the Australiana Culture. Australiana can be defined as an item of historical or cultural interest of Australian origins. Often recognised Australiana objects include boomerangs and didgeridoos, as well as certain paintings and ceramics that depict Australian imagery. Some animals that depict this image are kangaroos, koalas and emus. The idea of Australiana represents Australia as a whole nation, with all the different cultures included. A day that represents Australia well is referred to as Australia Day, which generally involves cricket, a barbecue, thongs, and beer. This day was established to recognise the Europeans first landing in Australia, and since then has been nationally recognised as a day to be the stereotype Aussie. My group and i believe that this is an issue, as Australia is one of the most multicultural nations in the world, and Australia Day only depicts a certain race. What we question is, what do all the other cultures do, and do they feel as thought they can celebrate although they are depicted as "different" to us. Therefore, we thought, why not make an Australiana Day? This day would recognise Australia's multiculturalism and diverse nation, by celebrating all culturals. This day would be full of traditional food, music and dance, and aim to join our various cultures together to celebrate being Australian as one. I really liked this idea, as when thinking of Australia Day, it would be difficult for other races such as the Chinese or Indian to feel involved in the day, as they stereotypically don't fit in. However, Australiana Day, aimed to be celebrated on the first on Summer, December 1st, would involve all cultures, and bring them together to enjoy one anothers company. 

BALI!

At the end of this year, me, my dad, brother and sister are going to Bali together! Im so excited to feel a million dollars for a week and stay in a 5 star hotel! Everything is so cheap there is it great. We usually stay in Sanur because its less crowded and more family friendly. However, this time dad wants to change it up and we will be staying in Leggien, which is about 15 minutes or so from Kuta's main beach. We are planning on eating lots, getting pampered and buying lots of touristy things! The food there is amazing and I'm so excited to eat the delicious foods that are at ridiculously cheap prices. I have also saved up a lot of money to get massages everyday, as well as manicures and pedicures. We have discovered that it is better off paying an extra couple of dollars to go to a salon, rather then the massaging at the main beach. This is because it feels more hygienic and private. Its a tad uncomfortable when you're getting massaged half naked and people are casually walking past! I'm also keen to visit the two Poppy's Lanes that are jam packed with markets and cheap clothes. You generally have to sift through the clothing a bit to get something nice as well. But that doesn't bother me too much when everything is under $5! When you're arguing with the shop keeper about a few cents high or lower regarding pricing of clothes, i figure that money means a lot more to them then it does to us, so i give in! Some aren't as generous. But really, 30 cents is hardly generous. I'm looking forward to go riding along the main beach. It is about $5 to hire a bike for the day so we all go riding along the foreshore and stop for food and interesting markets we find along the way! I honestly cannot wait, and it is also a great opportunity to catchup with the Family as i live down in Brisbane now.

Media Conference #4

Todays guest speaker is Dr. Peter Milne, the COMU1999 Lecturer. He discussed the use of Visual Culture Jamming and using humour to bring the message across in visual language. Other visual tools he mentioned were religious icons, art such s mona lisa and the scream, and the American flag. He talks about how changes to these icons convey certain messages to the targeted audience. This sort of power can be a dangerous thing, as if not used well can be executed badly, and thus giving across the wrong message. As i study COMU1999 i recognised the lecture as one we were taught a few weeks ago. Therefore, i found the presentation boring and repetitive. In our COMU1999 classes we get taught the same thing over and over again, with different examples and situations. So, everything Dr. Milne was discussing i already had heard a million times. He talked about how ads and billboards have been changed to invert and subvert specific audiences. If not executed well, they can not give across the right impression or idea. At the end of the lecture, i felt as though i hadn't learnt a lot as i had heard it all many times before!