Personally I think this is terrible and animal cruelty! See how far that guy would get with out those gloves or if he received a swift kick to the guts with those huge back legs!
I will also note that the Aussie Olympic flag is of a boxing Kangaroo , which too has been recently banned by the IOC at the Olympics (read below) . Here is a video from the Rocky Show Circus and related news article covering the event that was boycotted.
It is an image that will leave every Australian sick to the stomach. Our national mascot dressed in shorts and boxing gloves with a rope tied around its chest, goaded into boxing a human clown.
Kraft Foods Australia says it is pleased that an American festival show featuring a red kangaroo that is goaded into fighting a human clown has cancelled the exhibition.
The American arm of Kraft - the owners of Vegemite - was sponsoring the show in the Texas town of Hidalgo, which claimed to be a celebration of all things Australian.
Following widespread publicity, Kraft released a statement on Saturday saying it was pleased the event had been cancelled.
"We understand the BorderFest Association, which organises this annual cultural celebration, has apologised for offending anyone, particularly the people of Australia, with the kangaroo boxing display," said Kraft spokesman Simon Talbot.
"That portion of the event has been cancelled.
"Kraft Foods is pleased they've taken this proactive stance."
News Limited newspapers reported on Saturday that the festival features an event called Rocky Show Circus, involving two kangaroos and their owner, Javier Martinez, who dons a clown suit.
Mr Martinez reportedly baits the kangaroo by pushing it and poking it before placing it in a headlock.
If the kangaroos fight back too much, Mr Martinez's wife Sandra restrains it using a heavy tether attached to a harness around the animal's chest.
Mr Martinez has defended the show, saying the kangaroos are in control at all times.
"You cannot force a kangaroo to do nothing," he said.
"(Kangaroos) only do what they want to do so we don't make them work, you work around them."
But News Limited said Mr Martinez is known to US animal welfare authorities, having been on their watch list since 2003, when two kangaroos he was caring for died within four months.
He's also been investigated by PETA, which says one of the kangaroos died from a bacterial disease called lumpy jaw.
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RELATED VIDEO:
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BAN ON BOXING KANGAROO FLAG
The Boxing Kangaroo, a beloved symbol on Australia's Olympic Team's Flag has been hit with an Olympic ban. The IOC (International Olympic Committee) has ordered that a giant Boxing Kangaroo flag draped by the Australian Olympic team on a balcony at Vancouver's Olympic Athletes Village be taken down.
The Australian Olympic Team is standing firm and refuses to take down the Boxing Kangaroo, which has become a hot photo op in Vancouver. (read more)
Earthquakes, tsunamis, floods , mudslides, deadly storms, avalanches and other natural disasters! Is the end of the world approaching? Mother Natures Fury is hitting harder and with more deadlier force and we are hearing more and more of these incidents of late.
I watched this on the tv on the morning show today-
VIDEO: With natural distasters on the increase, experts speculate whether this is the beginning of the end of the world:
Damage caused by the Chile Earthquake and Tsunami which washed this boat right out of the water.
Most recent events have occured with the Haiti Earthquake in January this year. Now only 7 weeks later the Chile Earthquake hit on the weekend which struck a whopping 8.8 on the richter scale and triggered the biggest tsunami warning in history. A tsunami was recorded, with amplitude of up to 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in) high, in the sea at Valparaíso, Chile. Chile also had an earthquake back in 1960 which was the strongest ever recorded in the world at 9.5 magnitude.
And we are only into the 3rd month of 2010! Scary!
This map for tsunami warning changed many times, the last warning before 8am on Sunday had the whole east coast of Australia as a blue 'Marine Warning'.
The tsunami warning for the east coast of Australia after the Chile Earthquake totally freaked me out (as my facebook friends would of noticed) Mind you, living right on the beach will do that to you !
I checked the Bureau of Meteorology website after each update on Saturday night! I had the worst sleep that night before the Sunday morning when it was supposed to hit . Even though it was only a marine warning, I had a dream all night about a tsunami similar to what hit Indonesia. I was then woken by the lifeguards 'horn' and the lifeguards were 'freaking out' over the loud speaker " Could the boys on their body boards please come out of the water as there is a tsunami warning and your parents are worried"... I don't think anyone in the water listened!
The waves I watched from my front window were flatter than most days here.. Turned out that it did barely nothing to the east coast of Australia.. Japan had some flooding and sea rise to1.2 m and 320,000 people were evacuated, no lives were lost thankfully.
"The first wave was just 30 centimetres but then the sea began to rise. First by half a metre, then a metre peaking in Honshu at nearly one and a half metres - enough to flood some port towns and in parts, the surging sea refused to retreat. It took more than an hour for the ocean to return to its normal level." read more regarding Japan
The earthquake in Chile sent tsunami waves roaring across the Pacific Ocean.
Among the biggest in Australia was at Norfolk Island, which recorded a 50cm surge. The Gold Coast saw a 20cm increase in sea levels. In Tasmania, Southport and Darlington experienced a 17cm increase. Port Kembla, south of Sydney, recorded a 14cm increase.
I think we only got about 5cm sea rise increase here where i live , well that's what someone told me and I'm happy thinking that ;) lol.
Earthquake and Tsunami Warning Map
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Bondi Beach : Ignoring the Tsunami warnings yesterday (Sunday 28 Feb 2010)
Aussies ignore warnings as tsunami scrapes coast. Related Article Shared :From : E Travel Blackboard
A Pacific Ocean tsunami hardly tickled the east coast of Australia yesterday despite its trigger being a devastating 8.8 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Chile.
The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre issued a tsunami alert on Sunday for the east coast of the country after Saturday’s earthquake, prompting the evacuation of beaches and surf lifesaving activities.
However, beachgoers ignored the warnings, with many surfers riding waves in the Gold Coast and hundreds of people lining the promenade at Bondi Beach in Sydney to get a glimpse of the tsunami.
27-year-old Gabby Stevenot told the Australian she had travelled more than 20km from West Ryde to watch the tsunami.
"That's why I came down here -- I wanted to see the big waves and the big show but there's not really much happening at all” she said.
Luckily, the tsunami ended up travelling north-west, narrowly missing Australia's east coast.
But there were still tsunami waves recorded along the NSW, Queensland and Tasmanian coasts, with the Gold Coast seeing a 20cm increase in sea levels, the Canberra Times reported.
Tasmania, Southport and Darlington experienced a 17cm increase while Port Kembla on NSW's South Coast recorded a 14cm increase. Norfolk Island recorded a 50cm surge in sea levels.
When the risk of the tsunami had passed, the alert was withdrawn and beaches reopened at 5pm.
NSW Premier Kristina Keneally warned that people should have obeyed the warnings.
"Next time, they may not be so lucky” she said.
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Global Warming?
Are all these disasters occurring as a result of global warming due to us not caring for our planet?
After the weekends natural disaster some enviros are claiming is that global warming is raising sea levels and reducing or eliminating the natural barriers (mangroves, coral reefs, etc.) that protect coastlines from the worst of the tsunami damage. As a result, the damage was worse than it needed to be, and will be worse yet in the next catastrophe.
Al Gore Made a movie called ' An Inconvenient Truth' - A documentary on Al Gore's campaign to make the issue of global warming a recognized problem worldwide. (more info on climate crisis)
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Is the world really ending in 2012?
I have not yet watched the movie 2012.. and not sure that I want to, freaks me out just like the tsunami warning did ! In the movie a global cataclysm brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors. Here is the trailer :
The Maya Calendar:
The Long Count Calendar of the Ancient Mayans ends on Dec 21, 2012. There isn't much information regarding what the Mayans thought would occur in 2012, but the consensus of opinion is that there will be great change. To some people this means a positive, spiritual change, others believe a catastrophic event and the world ending may have been predicted.
UFO researcher Bill Chalker and Dr Martin Plowman discuss if we are getting closer to first contact on the Morning Show. Moscow seems to get a lot of weird things happening there!
UFO or cloud in Moscow? Below - Similar formation in the Movie 'Independance Day' lol
I've written a blog about UFO Sightings - CLICK HERE
I am now streaming a live cam of the beach I live on and have just recently moved to ;)
> > see bottom right side of blog menu > >
..And no I didn't set up the cam myself, it is used by many sites such as coastalwatch and swellnet etc to show the surf. I'm not sure who owns the cam exactly? Maybe someone can tell me this, possibly the council or the surf club? It is attached to the life saving tower. It just happens to be in the vicinity of where I am located ..can't give too much away ;)
So now I suppose I have the view whether I am looking out my front window or sitting at my computer in the back room haha . Supposably I have nothing better to do than blog and watch the surf :)..
You will need Windows Media Player to play the streaming video..
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There are more cams and detailed surf reporting, swell forecasts and events at COASTALWATCH.
I really like this website, but was only able to embed the cam to my blog via CoolStreaming..
Setting up for the Kelloggs Nutri Grain Iron Man Competition FINALS this morning..
Oh geez that's going to be hard on the eyes ;P MORE INFO
A TV chef has been given a roasting by animal lovers and network chiefs for praising cat meat.
Beppe Bigazzi, the co-presenter of Italy's version of Ready Steady Cook, gave advice on preparing "tender, white cat meat" for a cat casserole.
During the nutrition section of the lunchtime show, he said he often ate cat meat and found it "tastier than other animals", The Daily Mail reported.
He then quickly added: "I can assure you it's a delicacy now I am going to get lots of letters."
Hundreds of outraged viewers phoned the show's makers to complain, while thousands more made their feelings known on websites.
Francesca Martini, Italy's undersecretary for health, said Mr Bigazzi's comments were "offensive to the growing number of people who care about the way we treat animals".
Killing and cooking cats is illegal in Italy, with offenders risking of up to 18 months in prison.
Mr Bigazzi said: "It's all a big mix up. I was just trying to explain a saying from where I come from about the eating of cats. In the Thirties and Forties they were very popular."
Cat meat is considered a delicacy throughout much of South East Asia.
TV Chef - Beppe Bigazzi
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Is eating dogs or cats legal in Australia? ACT: ? Not covered in Welfare Act NSW : ? Not specifically prohibited. However it would be possible to take action under the general cruelty provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979 NT: ? Not specifically prohibited under the Animal Welfare Act QLD:? Comes under jurisdiction of the Food Production (Safety) Act 2000 , administered by Safe Food Queensland. Contact 1800 300 815 or info@safefood.qld.gov.au SA:No Summary Offences Act TAS: No Tasmanian Meat Hygiene Act VIC: No Illegal under Section 35(1) of the Meat Industry Act 1993 WA: ? Some provisions in the Health Act Why is it that in the Nothern Territory can get away with more things than other states!! Shocking! ---------------
As I was sitting in bed watching the TV Show - 'Lie to Me' I started to think about how many times I wish that I had the ability to read someones expressions to determine if they are being untruthful. This is mostly because I seem to have been lied to a lot during my life and in relationships and probably somewhat enjoy the feeling of catching someone out in a lie, even though the truth usually does hurt.
I decided to do some research into the signs, body language & micro expressions that can determine if someone is lying to you and I share them with you in this blog post.
Warning: Sometimes Ignorance is bliss; after gaining this knowledge, you may be hurt when it is obvious that someone is lying to you.
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VIDEO with language expert - Judi James
When you're in a marriage or a committed relationship, havent you always wanted to play detective and know exactly when your partner is lying to you? In this youtube feature, body language expert Judi James spills the beans on how you can tell if someone is lying to you.
Here are the signs to watch out for. First, check on the persons body movement. Little or no body movement when combined with an inability to maintain eye contact can signify lying. On the other hand, exaggerated body movements and trying to maintain more eye contact can also mean that your partner is lying.
Remember that lying causes stress so other body movements like swallowing, faster blinking or feet shuffling may mean that your partner is hiding something from you. Replicating the innocence of childhood when a person looks away at the point of lying is also a dead giveaway.
Perhaps one of the most interesting points that the body language expert in the video have is the eyeball movement. This is a way for a person to stimulate part of the brain. When your partner looks to the left, he or she is recording memories which signifies honesty. Looking towards the right is a way to stimulate the imagination, so your partner is most probably lying. Other warning signs to watch out for include the Pinocchio effect when a person touches or scratches the nose when lying and covering the mouth or face.
All in all, the video is extremely helpful for those who would like to learn more about how they can read a persons body language and tell when someone is lying to them or not which are great clues if you want to know if your partner is cheating.
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The 7 Common Signs of Lying
1.No eye contact. Generally, if someone is lying they will not look you in the eye, at least during a certain part of the conversation. Normally, people make eye contact for at least half of a conversation, so anything less than this could be suspicious. One caveat: there are some people who will take great pains to make eye contact with you even if they're lying, simply to make you think they're not. They may turn their head or body away.
2. Change in voice. A change in the pitch of a person's tone, or a lot of stammering (umm, ah), or throat clearing could indicate a lie.
3.Unusual body language. If a person taps their foot a lot, fidgets with their hands, raises their shoulders, turns away from you or brings their hand to their face (to touch their chin or nose, etc.) -- in other words, if they act nervous or uncomfortable -- it could mean they're telling a lie. Also watch out for blushing (or becoming pale) and increased blinking.
4.Something sounds fishy. Making statements that contradict each other, are inconsistent or don't sound quite right are usually part of a lie.
5.Overly defensive. Sometimes when a person is lying they will become extremely defensive, refusing to answer any questions and even accusing you of lying. This may mean they have something to hide.
6.Changes subject easily. If someone is lying and you change the subject, chances are high that they'll go right along with it and become more relaxed. A person telling the truth, however, will likely ask why you changed the subject and want to go back to it.
7.Humor or sarcasm. A guilty person will often try to change the subject using humor or sarcasm.
Of course, no one behavior can tell for sure whether or not someone is telling the truth or lying. While you should trust your instinct, if you're not sure it's best to try to get some evidence to back up your accusation. Rather than relying on a specific behavior, catching a liar in the act is best done by watching their normal behaviors. When those behaviors suddenly change, that's when a lie has likely been told.
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VIDEO: Micro Expressions - The experiment
--------------------- What are Micro Expressions?
A micro expression is a momentary involuntary facial expression -- that people unconsciously display when they are hiding an emotion. They are quick & intense expressions of concealed emotion.
The main points to remember are that micro expressions are:
Brief - Micro expressions can appear then disappear off the face in a fraction of a second. In other words micro-expressions occur so quickly, that most people don't even notice them.
Involuntary - A micro expression is caused by involuntary movements in facial muscles. (See the fake-smile diagram). Most people cannot control these involuntary muscles which are affected by their emotions.
Micro Expressions are generally grouped into seven universal emotions: anger, disgust, fear, sadness, happiness, surprise, and contempt.
Tim Roth plays Dr. Cal Lightman, the world’s leading deception expert, on ‘Lie to Me.’ He oversees The Lightman Group, a private agency hired to expose the truth behind the lies.
Below are diagrams of these seven universal micro-expressions as discussed above that Lightman looks for:
Micro Expressions betray us when we lie. We can try to cover our feelings with fake smiles, but involuntary face muscles reveal this hidden emotions. Seeing is easier, watch this short video:
Paul Ekman and his research is the inspiration for the TV series 'Lie to Me'.
Important to remember:
* Micro-expressions can also reveal emotions that are unconscious or only partially related to whatever is being talk about. In other words, just because someone says "that's awesome!" and flashes a brief micro-expression of contempt ... doesn't necessarily mean they are lying about their feelings.... just that there is something about the subject that "bugs" them (and they may not even know it bothers them).
So, you show your friend Sarah a picture of your new dog. She looks at you and says "wow, really cute", but you catch a micro-expression glimpse of "disgust". I believe it would be presumptuous to take this as a sign that Sarah thinks your puppy is ugly. She may have been bit by a dog in the past, and that emotion briefly flashed across her face when she looked at the pic of your dog.
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Emotional Gestures & Contradiction
• Timing and duration of emotional gestures and emotions are off a normal pace. The display of emotion is delayed, stays longer it would naturally, then stops suddenly.
• Timing is off between emotions gestures/expressions and words. Example: Someone says "I love it!" when receiving a gift, and then smile after making that statement, rather then at the same time the statement is made.
• Gestures/expressions don’t match the verbal statement, such as frowning when saying “I love you.”
• Expressions are limited to mouth movements when someone is faking emotions (like happy, surprised, sad, awe, )instead of the whole face. For example; when someone smiles naturally their whole face is involved: jaw/cheek movement, eyes and forehead push down, etc.
--------------------- FAKING EMOTIONS ?
FORCED SMILE: Usually used out of politeness... People who put on a smile only use the muscles around the mouth. But the top half of their face remains virtually unchanged. Their smile is also less likely to be showing their teeth. This smile could mean the person is not telling the whole truth. -----
GENUINE SMILE: A genuine smile involves the whole face including the eyes… More than just the mouth, many facial muscles are in action. The most visible is the tightening around the eyes. This action around the eyes is extremely difficult to fake and is the main signal you want to look at if you think somebody might not be telling you their real feelings. Do not fake a smile. Research shows that a large majority of people unconsciously recognise the sincerity of your smile simply looking at the top half of your face.
Which face is the forced smile?
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EYE MOVEMENTS
The Eyes are called the "window of the soul" for a reason, the eyes don't reveal everything… but they are very expressive!
The way a person looks at someone reveals a lot… and the intensity and direction of their stare can reflect a person's thoughts.
Visual Accessing Cues:
When asked a question a "normally organised" right-handed person looks (from your viewpoint, looking at them):
Up and to the Left Indicates: Visually Constructed Images (Vc) If you asked someone to "Imagine a purple buffalo", this would be the direction their eyes moved in while thinking about the question as they "Visually Constructed" a purple buffalo in their mind.
Up and to the Right Indicates: Visually Remembered Images (Vr) If you asked someone to "What color was the first house you lived in?", this would be the direction their eyes moved in while thinking about the question as they "Visually Remembered" the color of their childhood home.
To the Left Indicates: Auditory Constructed (Ac) If you asked someone to "Try and create the highest the sound of the pitch possible in your head", this would be the direction their eyes moved in while thinking about the question as they "Auditorily Constructed" this this sound that they have never heard of.
To the Right Indicates: Auditory Remembered (Ar) If you asked someone to "Remember what their mother's voice sounds like ", this would be the direction their eyes moved in while thinking about the question as they "Auditorily Remembered " this sound.
Down and to the Left Indicates: Feeling / Kinesthetic (F) If you asked someone to "Can you remember the smell of a campfire? ", this would be the direction their eyes moved in while thinking about the question as they used recalled a smell, feeling, or taste.
Down and To the Right Indicates: Auditory Digital / Internal Dialog (Ai) This is the direction of someone eyes as they "talk to themselves".
Example of how this works:Let's say your child ask's you for a cookie, and you ask them "well, what did your mother say?" As they reply "Mom said... yes." they look to the left. This would indicate a made up answer as their eyes are showing a "constructed image or sound. Looking to the right would indicated a "remembered" voice or image, and thus would be telling the truth.
Remember: * Looking straight ahead or with eyes that are defocused/unmoving is also considered a sign of visual accessing.
* A typical left-handed person would have the opposite meanings for their eye-directions.
* As with other signs of lying, you should first establish and understand a persons base-behavior before concluding they are lying by the direction of their eyes.
VIDEO: How to Read Body Language : How to Tell if Someone is Lying with Body Language
Learn how to tell if someone is lying by their body language and how to read other body language in this free video on body language communication skills.Expert: Michelle RothBio: Dr. Michelle Roth is licensed Psychologist and relationship expert.Filmmaker: Nili Nathan
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Other Signs a Person is lying
• A liar might unconsciously place objects (book, coffee cup, etc.) between themselves and you.
• A liar will use your words to make answer a question. When asked, “Did you eat the last cookie?” The liar answers, “No, I did not eat the last cookie.”
•A statement with a contraction is more likely to be truthful: “ I didn't do it” instead of “I did not do it”
• Liars sometimes avoid "lying" by not making direct statements. They imply answers instead of denying something directly.
• The guilty person may speak more than natural, adding unnecessary details to convince you... they are not comfortable with silence or pauses in the conversation.
• A liar may leave out pronouns and speak in a monotonous tone. When a truthful statement is made the pronoun is emphasized as much or more than the rest of the words in a statement.
• Words may be garbled and spoken softly, and syntax and grammar may be off. In other words, his sentences will likely be muddled rather than emphasized.
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Remember:
* Look for signs that could prove that you’re wrong rather than the person is wrong. You play the “devil’s advocate” if you will. In fact, research shows that you’re more likely to correctly detect honesty than lies.
* Dishonest people who try to use body language to manipulate or cheat others usualy fail. Because their own uncontrollable body language signals give them away at some point and anyone easily catches their game.
On the other hand, if you are honest, trustworthy, and respectful, your in-depth understanding of body language naturally makes you a confident and influential communicator - who can easily connect with people at a deep level.
