News
A New Way – or not?
Last year – after weeks of vote counting and speculation, we Australians finally got a new leader and a new Government.
But did we really?
Imagine if we had an Olympic Games where competitors could allocate preferences so that “first past the post” was not necessarily the winner?
That is the case now with our government in Australia. And I wouldn’t mind Labour and the Greens uniting to beat the LNP, if the Greens would just come clean on what their policies REALLY mean. Great rhetoric: “we want to apply a carbon tax to the big companies who are the largest emitters of greenhouse gases”: Christine Milne (deputy leader of the Australian Greens).
Since when do big companies just absorb extra expenses? Don’t they simply pass expenses on to the consumer? So what the Greens are REALLY saying here is: “we are going to tax every person in Australia for all the energy they use which is derived from fossil fuel”. Great if we had a choice; unfortunately – whereas electricity derived from coal costs only about 15c per kilowatt, the real cost of producing electricity from solar (and storing it for when the sun goes down) is somewhere around $1.50 per kilowatt.
I do agree with the Australian Conservation Foundation: our government needs to start doing something NOW to investigate alternative renewable power sources (it has been estimated we only have about 400 years supply of coal left at the present usage rate).
The ACF’s target is 25% of Australia’s electricity renewable by the year 2020. This will cost us all SOMETHING, and I’m all for everybody doing their bit to preserve the world for future generations. But let’s not do it by ‘taxing up to the eyeballs’ the working class – who can least afford it.
The CEO of the Commonwealth Bank (on his 6 million/year salary) shouldn’t even blink at paying 900% more for his electricity – but for the average Australian worker; disastrous.
Coal is currently responsible for generating 85% of Australia’s power:
Keith De Lacy (chairman of Macarthur Coal) in his Courier Mail article; July 6, 2009 wrote: “I support the community in its endeavors to reduce carbon emissions and pollution generally. Any responsible community should do that.
My plea is: Know what you are doing and know the consequences. Don’t destroy the Australian economy, increase unemployment and impose great hardship on ordinary people only to find you have made no real impact on the sum total of global emissions.
Don’t forget we are only responsible for 1.5% of all global emissions, and China increases emissions by this much every year.”
To start replacing coal generated electricity now – with renewable is smart. To tax big companies (read: “ordinary working people”) in Australia, who have no alternative but to use the ‘dirty’ power – smacks of something more sinister.
It is true that currently there is no viable alternative to coal. Wind is fine when the wind blows, solar is great when the sun shines, but these renew-ables do all have to be backed up by a reliable power source such as coal. Don’t think nuclear just yet either – unless you want all that deadly waste in your own back yard. The Chinese are currently working on a nuclear solution that does produce far less waste – but perfection of this new technology is still about 10 years off. Some way also needs to be found to make nuclear power plants less susceptible to natural disasters (like we have just witnessed in Japan).
But isn’t it true that the burning of fossil fuel is causing climate change?
Of course climate change is real. The weather of our world has always been in a state of continual flux: it was much warmer thousands of years ago – and also much colder. What is debatable is whether the current small increase in temperature is due primarily to the burning of fossil fuel – or not. Bear in mind that if we totally removed fossil fuel from the equation right now: all the industrialized civilizations of the world would collapse.
Despite the obvious greed and inequity in this world, I do have faith in the ingenuity of man to solve all problems as they arise, so this world can continue to sustain a reasonable increase in human population, AND all other life.
If you subscribe to the belief that we are created beings (and not the result of chance mutation from some swamp amoeba), this means that as human beings we do have – almost limitless creative potential. “God created man in his own image” – extrapolated means: “with some of his creative ability”.
There’s a great debate going on over at the CEC website between Dick Smith (who wants a smaller Australia) and Craig Isherwood who believes we can handle more population growth. Read it here
Anyway; we can all do our bit right now for the planet by not cutting down so many trees!
Washing your ass with water not only gets you cleaner, but is MUCH more comfortable than dry paper – and very ‘green’ to boot!
And just so we are seen to be doing our bit; we are offering a 5% discount on the Non-Electric Toto ‘Eco Washer’ until 31st October (sorry-subscribers only)
What do you think?
Should we have a new tax on C02?
More importantly; do you believe the money raised by this tax will actually be spent on research into viable renewable energy sources – and not just more wasteful eco-bling: rebates for insulation, solar panels and windmills that can NEVER replace coal generated electricity anyway?
A tax on carbon dioxide will certainly give the present government a lot more of our money to waste (around $70 billion to be exact) – but please remember; ANY price on carbon in Australia is the thin edge of a huge expense – that will seriously impact on our national ability to produce anything competitively, and ultimately degrade our present standard of living – whilst at the same time having zilch impact on the total global output of C02.
The term "big polluters" (biggest users of energy) of course really means: "big producers" (of national gross product – and ultimately of course – our nation’s wealth). To tax profit (the way revenue is normally collected) is one thing, to tax production (before profit) is nothing short of economic vandalism.
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The iPhenomenon
The latest Apple ‘i’ rage began quite a few years back now, when Apple first knocked Sony off their perch as No.1 in personal media players – and hey, I’ve still got a perfectly good Sony Walkman from 1999 -
But this turf now belongs very solidly to Apple. Sony should’ve created the iPod, and not somebody else, especially not a computer company. How Sony missed this golden opportunity, after having pioneered portable music devices early in the late 1970s, is a genuine mystery that is now the subject of a new book: MediaPost Publications
I personally believe Apple learnt a valuable, albeit very expensive lesson with it’s failure to match Microsoft’s aggressive marketing campaign when PCs first appeared. Apple is a superior operating system to Windows, but most people would never know; simply because their first introduction to computers was via the Windows Platform, and now they just don’t want to change.
Of course since the iPod, there has been a steady progression of Apple products which one-by-one has been decimating the opposition. Nokia was once king of mobile phones – not any more. Apple once again introduced an innovation with their touch-screen iPhone; and Nokia was caught well and truly with their pants down.
Most people are I think, starting to tire just a little bit of this ever-accelerating race in digital technology. Buy the latest digital gadget today, and within 6 months flat, it’s already been replaced with a better version. Most intelligent folks do realize that a lot of this is purposely orchestrated by large companies, to ‘milk’ the consumer to the greatest extent possible. Not surprising, we are starting to see some cynicism appearing with Apple’s latest portable computer offering – the iPad.
Comments that have been appearing recently on Twitter:
@BruinGirl2001: Will the next version of the #ipad come w/wings? 
@bbrikend: use your ipad, or #itampon when you have your #iperiod, girls 
And this! @Neila222: If only the #iTampon had a vibrate feature like the iPhone.
What’s all this got to do with bidets anyway?
This?
No not really – this is just one more Apple caricature from a T Shirt I picked up on our last trip to Bangkok!
But this: ‘Silo Mentality’
According to Wikipedia: An ‘information silo’ is a management system incapable of reciprocal operation with other, related management systems. – - – Derived variants are “silo thinking”, “silo vision”, and “silo mentality” (Sony didn’t think digital media could easily replace their existing analogue technology). Whilst Apple have certainly got a very good handle on this, many people (the same as Sony) refuse to ‘think outside the square’ when it comes to their toilet habits. From the very first day they learned to: ‘clean by themselves’ – until the very day they die, a vast majority of Australians still steadfastly refuse to consider any better alternatives.
The widespread acceptance of bidets has been very much restricted in Western societies by this ‘silo mentality’. Thankfully, with the recent incredible rise in social networking sites like Facebook, the way we relate to each other is now changing for ever – and may I say, mostly for the better.
Ignorance is not necessarily bliss!
This month we are helping our subscribers replace any aging Hand-held bidets, with a higher quality, Hoy handpiece.
Hoy Wash Gun W, Model: SS-01WS
$58.00 *Price excl. GST
20% off our standard price until the 31st October – one per customer only!
Promotion Code: sorry – subscribers only!
Enter this promotion code where indicated during checkout to receive the discount.
BTW, if you haven’t visited out website in a while: we are also offering a $50 discount voucher: for use when purchasing any complete kit, to previous customers who write a bidet review for one of our products: Bidet User Reviews
Till next time – - -
Don’t just be green – be clean!
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An in-delicate problem
This newsletter is all about something many people have, but few wish to discuss:
If you’ve got hemorrhoids – you will know, and if you haven’t got them – you probably won’t want to know!
Sometimes also commonly referred to as ‘Piles’; we are going to dispense some useful information for people already suffering from these annoying lil’ critters, and for those not yet affected – what you can do to help avoid this very common complaint.
The problem
Hemorrhoids are swollen or distended blood vessles; right at at the anus or just inside the lowest section of our colon. When fully developed these can cause considerable discomfort including itching when inproperly cleaned, plus pain and bleeding when trying to clean by conventional dry wiping methods.
Causes
Just as some people can be prone to vericose veins, some people are also more prone to developing hemorrhoids than others. If you frequently pass very dry, large compacted stools, you also have a much higher risk of developing hemorrhoids due to excessive straining during bowel movements. Women who are mothers may also fall into this category because of the obvious pressure exerted on this area during childbirth (only wish this were the sole problem caused by the little tykes!). Another common cause is hurrying the process of performing a ‘#2′. Exerting excessive pressure to get the job done quicker may result in damage to tissue and veins around and inside the anal area. If you have persistant constipation which has not been eased by adding more fibre and fluid intake to your diet (as discussed in last month’s newsletter), see your doctor promptly because prolonged constipation can lead to much more serious diseases than just hemorrhoids.
Diagnosis
If you frequently see blood after a bowel movement, this may be an indication that you already have hemorrhoids. However this bleeding can also be simply due to anal fissures (painful cracks around the anal area) which bleed when disturbed. By the way; it is good practice to check your stools every now and then for potential problems. If you have regular bleeding, see your doctor without delay. Apart from the fact that he will be able to help you manage hemorrhoids – and perhaps prevent them from getting any worse – he will also be able to give you an informed opinion about the possibility of any more serious problems such as bowel cancer (one of our most common killers in the Western World). If you see dark red or clotted blood after a bowel movement, this is usually an indication of bleeding further up in the digestive system – and as such should be submitted for professional diagnosis without delay.
Treatment
Hemorrhoids are classified as either internal or external, but for treatment purposes internal hemorrhoids are typically divided into three stages:
- Bleeding from hemorrhoids. No sign yet of blood vessels being swollen or prolapsed.
- Blood vessels prolapsed during bowel movement, but are reduced again in size shortly thereafter.
- Blood vessels are permanently prolapsed and can usually been seen hanging down from the anal opening.
The first and second stage of hemorrhoids is usually treated successfully without surgery. It is important to take action early because the third stage is normally able to be treated only by surgery. Whilst hemorrhoids are rarely life threatening in the early stages; there are some indications which suggest that if left untreated hemorrhoids may lead to more serious diseases such as anemia and cancer.
What to do
Be diligent with your diet so as to avoid constipation. Insufficient fluid intake and too much concentrated food like meat – with insufficient fibre, will slow bowel movement. If you are at risk of developing hemorrhoids due to genetic factors it may be worth taking supplements like Vitamin E which is thought to help strengthen and support the vascular system. Too much sitting or inactivity does not help bowel movement, so make sure to include some physical activity in your daily schedule like a good brisk walk. Gentle exercise on a re-bounder is also great and has the added benefit of stimulating your kidneys and lymphatic system at the same time. If you already have hemorrhoids; avoid sitting on hard surfaces. Use a cushion to spread the load more evenly across your backside. Besides being more comfortable, this will also help reduce pressure on the anal area while sitting.
And if you are a women – don’t have kids! Nah- just kidding, we all love-em don’t we? (At least – until they grow up!) Some medical research does seem to indicate that women who have up to 2 or 3 children can actually enjoy better health later on than women who have had no children. Birth by Cesarean section is not the answer either (unless you have other obvious problems that necessitate the ‘birth by knife’ method).
Hemorrhoids Relief
As we saw in last month’s post; bidet seats with enema function can assist with constipation, as well as enabling effective cleaning inside the anal area. But regardless of the bidet hardware used; any method of cleaning with water will be a huge improvement on just wiping with dry paper – especially when you have hemorrhoids.
Written by Dr Warren L. Smith MD; this explanation and illustration from the Biffy Booklet splendidly illustrates the point:
“Hemorrhoid sufferers love their Biffys. Hemorrhoids are like tender mushrooms that bulge out at the rectum. If you have them you know they are not fun. Getting hemorrhoids clean is almost impossible even if you rub them raw with TP, but hemorrhoids are sitting ducks for the Biffy. When you are on a toilet seat, your cheeks spread and form a wedge shape that funnels and reflects the Biffy spray at every angle all over and around hemorrhoids. Engulfed by the Biffy’s fresh water spray, they are completely clean in seconds. GENTLY.”
There ya have it – all the good goss on hemorrhoids!
Wouldn’t be good if we only told you about the problem – without suggesting some obvious help would it?
If cost is no object, and you want the best health supplement available to help this condition; Anthogenol is the latest (and possibly greatest) product out there. Made from grapeseed extract; this powerful anti-oxidant was originally discovered by French scientist Prof. Jack Masquelier.
And this is the hardware we recommend for making life easier when you have hemorrhoids; check out all the features of this high quality bidet seat here
Aisin “New Cheers” $489.00
Sorry, the promotion discount for this bidet seat has now expired.
Don’t yet receive our newsletters? Why not subscribe now so you are entitled to these regular Promotion Code discounts?
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