On This Week's Behind the News s4

BtN: Episode 04 Transcript 6/3/12

On this week's Behind the News.

 Our dental system gets a check-up but will the results make you smile?

 Flying spy cameras why you might be seeing more of these around.

 And why rich countries could be getting an unfair advantage at the Paralympics.

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

Also on the show today we meet one of Australia's best beatboxers as he teaches kids how to make some amazing sounds. But before we get into all that, let's get a quick wrap up of some of the main stories that have been hitting the news this week. Here's Alfie with the Wire. The Wire

Major floods have hit large parts of New South Wales and parts of Victoria and South-East Queensland.

Thousands of people have had to leave their homes. Some patients have been evacuated from hospitals. The army has been working hard to get people out of the flood zone.

`Hooray!’

Around seventy percent of New South Wales has been affected by floods or is in danger of being flooded.

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Prime Minister Julia Gillard has made some changes to her team after Kevin Rudd's failed attempt to take her job last week.

Kevin's old job Foreign Minister has been given to Bob Carr. It was a bit of a surprise because he'd been out of politics for a while. He's well known in New South Wales because he used to be Premier there.

************** The oil company BP has agreed to pay around 7 billion dollars to people affected by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010.

1 The payout will go to people who lost money because of the disaster, like fishermen.

Despite the agreement BP may have to pay billions more in fines from the U.S. government.

Dental Check-up Reporter: Sarah Larsen

INTRO: There's been a big report about how we look after our teeth. It found that too many Aussies have bad teeth especially people living in poor areas. And about a third of US don't go to the dentist because of the cost. So what can be done about the problem? Sarah looks into it.

SARAH LARSEN, REPORTER: How good are teeth? You show them off when you're happy or angry, you use them to eat and sing. And we all know that looking after teeth is really important; that's why we do all that brushing and flossing and gargling. But sometimes you need a professional to help take care of your chompers. Dentists know their teeth. They train for years to do what they do but that expertise comes at a price.

REPORTER: A trip to the dentists can cost a lot of money and that's putting some people off from getting the care they need.

According to a report which came out last week, about a third of Aussies don't go to the dentist either because they can't afford it or because getting to see one is too hard and that means millions of teeth are suffering. It's not a new problem. In the old days dental work was often reserved for the well-off. Young people would sometimes have teeth removed because it was cheaper than fixing problems and being old usually meant being toothless.

Over the years there's been a lot of work done on improving Aussie teeth, like education; teaching kids about how to care for their mouths.

The state governments set up places like this; school dentists where kids can get treated for free or for a small fee.

Teenagers can also get vouchers which let them go to the dentist for free. And pensioners and people who don't earn much can go to special public dentists for free.

But according to last week’s report these are all just fillings and there's some decay in the dental health system.

2 What some are calling for is a system like what goes on here; in hospitals and doctors surgeries.

Every Australian has access to cheaper medical care thanks to a system called Medicare.

The idea's pretty simple, really. Everyone pays tax based on what they earn. The government uses some of that to pay for doctors and nurses and hospitals and high tech gadgets to treat people. So, in theory, no-one misses out on getting the medical care they need.

Except Medicare doesn't cover dental and some say it should.

RICHARD DI NATALE, Victorian Senator: We need to work towards universal dental care so going to the dentist is just like going to the doctor.

This guy's a politician in the Greens party, and they've been asking the government to spend more money on dental care for a while now.

And they're pretty happy because last week's report backed them up.

Except the report also said a dental system like Medicare would probably cost more than the government could spend.

So it recommended focussing on the most important issues first.

That's you guys.

SHANE FRYER, Australian Dental Association (ADA) President: If we can solve children's dental health that's what's going to hold us in good stead when we become adults.

They want to spend more on school dentists and make sure every kid can access them and they want to help people who can't afford dental care. It's still going to cost a lot of money ; the report said about 10 billion over four years, and with the government determined to save money this year we'll have to wait and see if anything changes. But, hopefully, this is one issue that won't be brushed away.

Presenter: OK, how much do you know about your gnashers? Let's have a quiz. Quiz 1

The question is:

3 How many permanent adult teeth do humans have?

Answer: 32 ] You get 28 permanent teeth usually followed by an extra 4 wisdom teeth.

Super Tuesday Reporter: Nathan Bazley

INTRO: We're going to talk about a story next that you might have seen in the news recently or even today! It's about a big vote which could affect who becomes the next President of America. But you won't see Barack Obama taking part so what's this vote all about? Let's find out.

NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: America - it's the land of bright lights and the big apple. Burger joints and big trucks. Long highways and flags scattered everywhere. But it's also lesser known as the land that chooses its own political leaders. Let's see how.

At the end of this year, President Barack Obama's term in office will end and he'll have to face the people, to ask if he can stay on for a second. But to do that, he'll have to beat the competition from the other side of politics there. And there are quite a few of them that want to stop him.

Welcome to the Republican Primaries, or as it should be called, the Amazing Republican Race! The contestants on this year's show are these gentlemen and their job is to race around the country, winning challenges in each state. The challenges generally take the form of a speech, then some more speeches, a few more speeches then a vote; no doubt followed by another speech. And then, they're off to the next state and the next challenge.

The race course is a long one. It kicks off here, before heading here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here okay you get the idea! And at each stop anyone who's a member of the Republican Party can have their say, after a few speeches of course.

4 At the end of it all, the person who wins the most challenges, or votes, across the country wins. And what do they win? The chance to do it all over again, this time against Barack Obama for the presidency! Talk about an exhausting year!

So that's how Americans get to have their say on exactly who they want leading their party and their country. In contrast, our system sounds nearly opposite.

We vote for candidates, the party with the most candidates wins the election and the winning party can choose which leader they want to run the country. But after the result of the recent leadership fight where the public seemed to want one person, but the party wanted another, you might be left thinking the US have the right idea. There is one big downside though.

Elections are expensive, and in America they take elections to the extreme. Because the process is so long, millions and millions of dollars are spent in this first race just to try to be chosen by your own party. After that, you could go on to spend close to a billion trying to become president. So if you have heaps of money you have a pretty big advantage, which isn't really fair!

All of that money is spent on huge rallies, where all those speeches happen, campaign posters and leaflets and of course, big budget attack ads.

As you can see, the American system really encourages candidates from the same party to attack each other to get ahead.

KEVIN RUDD: Wow, and avalanche of attacks!

Oh maybe our systems aren't that different after all

Quiz 2

Well the politicians will have to tour a lot of states before being declared winner.

That gives me an idea for a quiz.

The question is:

How many states are there in the USA?

5 Answer: 50

The next question is: can you name them all? Nah not really. Drone Dilemma Reporter: Sarah Larsen

INTRO: A few years ago the idea of a flying drone being sent to spy on someone from thousands of kilometres away would have been the stuff of science fiction. Not any-more. Remote controlled aircraft are getting better and better. They're being used by the military to fight wars and now they're being used by journalists to get another angle on stories. But how far should this technology be allowed to go? Here's Sarah.

SARAH LARSEN, Reporter: Imagine you were being watched: Stalked by machines in the sky that could follow your every move.

ISOBEL: Orley, Stop it!

A few years ago a flying camera like this would have seemed pretty high tech. Now it's a toy!

The internet is full of videos taken from remote controlled, camera fitted flying machines, or drones as they're sometimes called, ranging from the amateur to the spectacular. But they're not just being used for fun.

This is a protest in Poland. Filming something like this on the ground could dangerous for a news crew. But the remote controlled helicopter saw exactly what was going on. Now journalists are starting to see the value of drones for news gathering.

This video was taken by an ABC journalist who was road-testing new camera drones bought by the news department.

JUSTIN GONG, Jus Media : I think in the beginning it will take over emergency news helicopters like bushfire and flood

There's also the potential to send in drones when cameras are forced out.

That's what happened last year. Channel nine wanted to film inside an immigration detention centre but they weren't allowed

So they sent in the drone.

6 REPORTER: The possibilities for this sort of technology are huge and not just for journalists. Drones could be used by everyone from film makers to search and rescue workers to farmers who need to survey their land. If you can imagine it, pretty soon a drone will be able to do it.

There's another area where drones have been used for a while. These definitely aren't toys. They're part of the US military's multi-billion dollar drone program.

Some are just flying cameras, seeking out suspicious activity. Others like this are kitted out with laser guided missiles.

They can be sent to places like Afghanistan while operators stay here in the U.S guiding drones from computers that look like video games.

DRONE PILOT: I have the opportunity to go work, fly a mission no matter where it is, do the job, then I put on a different hat and come home to my wife and my kids.

But on the other end of the battle drones are deadly and they have made mistakes.

There's a big ethical debate about whether it's right to use drones. Some say the operators and the public become detached from the horror of war if they only see it on a computer screen

And, while it's a long way from a war zone, there are also questions about whether journalists should be allowed to record from a tiny machine in the sky.

Kathryn Bowd teaches journalism and she says drones could be used to invade people's privacy.

DR KATHRYN BOWD; Uni SA Journalism Director : If you were a celebrity having a nice beach side holiday not realising there was a chance of the media being there a drone could come across the top of you and you'd never even realise it was there.

REPORTER: Do you think that we'll have to have laws controlling them if these become more popular?

DR KATHRYN BOWD: I think if they're very widely used they'd have to be because otherwise they could be used anywhere anytime for just about anything.

But as technology gets better and better we might have to get used to the idea of flying cameras.

7 Paralympics Technology Reporter: Nathan Bazley

INTRO: The fight against performance-enhancing drugs in sport is never far from the headlines. The whole point behind it is to try to remove any unfair advantage athletes on drugs might have. Well now another fight has started over advantages in other sporting arenas and this one is all focused on the upcoming Paralympics.

NATHAN BAZLEY: Last year, we brought you the story of Kelly. A girl who, after having one leg amputated, turned to running to get her life back on track.

KELLY CARTWRIGHT, ATHLETE: When I was 15 I was worried about how I looked makeup, boyfriends, in year ten at school partying with my friends and yeah as soon as I got told that I had cancer my world turned upside down and my life changed I think my whole family's life changed and then also to hear that you were going to lose your leg as well was heartbreaking.

In the year since then, Kelly's running has hit top gear. She won sprint gold at the World Championships and broke a world record in long jump as well.

KELLY CARTWRIGHT, ATHLETE: Oh my god I don't have any words to explain what I feel like right now!

And since then, she's been hard at work training for the main event, the 2012 Paralympics!

But not all of that work happens out on the track. Here in this workshop in Sydney is where the other part of Kelly's preparations all takes place. None of this looks like training, but it's just as important. Because this is where they make all the prosthetic limbs for the nation's top paralympians.

Kelly has come in today to get some final checks done on her new racing leg. She's one of just two athletes in the world trying a new and very technologically advanced knee joint.

KELLY CARTWRIGHT, PARALYMPIC ATHLETE: It's an amazing piece of technology, and I think that it's going to be really great for the future, and it's just basically a whole different ballpark for me to run on it.

This amazing technology helps athletes like Kelly achieve faster times. And that's got some people questioning if technology might be leaving the paralympic playing field a little uneven.

8 Blades like the ones used by this champion paralympic runner can cost thousands and thousands of dollars.

NATHAN: But out of the 148 countries that participated in the Paralympics last time, how many do you think could afford them for their athletes? Some of these countries are tiny, some are war-torn and some have trouble just feeding the people that live there.

Here at the free prosthetic repair clinic in Beijing during the last games, technicians saw this disadvantage first hand. Some of the people that arrived here had parts in such bad shape they were just thrown out. This man from South Africa was even wearing a left leg prosthetic on the right side, just to make do!

Luckily in Australia, we have the money be able to give our athletes the best technology and therefore the best chance of success. And there is nothing in the rules about everyone having to have the same equipment. But for Kelly, while she wishes everyone could have the same opportunities, she says athletic skill will still shine through at the end.

KELLY CARTWRIGHT: I do think about that a lot. I think as well it comes into it is... uh, money and also knowledge as well. But they are expensive, obviously, running legs and prosthetic legs. It may not necessarily mean just because they get a leg they can run as well.

And coming into this year's Paralympic games, running well is the only thing she's thinking about.

Presenter: OK let's make that our poll this week. Online Poll

The question is:

Should Aussie athletes be allowed to use high-tech artificial limbs to gain an advantage at the Paralympics? To vote just head to our website.

And here's what happened in last week's poll. We asked if you thought Julia Gillard could beat Tony Abbott at the next election. 38 per cent thought she could. 62 per cent thought she couldn't.

Thanks for voting. OK, let's get some sports news now. Here's Tash with the Score.

9 The Score

In cricket, Australia has beaten Sri Lanka by 15 runs in the first of three one-day matches. David Warner set the Aussies on their way with an impressive 163 runs! After losing six wickets for 144, the tourists looked unlikely to reach their target of 322. But some big hits from Nuwan Kulasekra brought Sri Lanka just a few runs short of victory.

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And the first V8 car race of the season has taken place in Adelaide. Saturday's race was won by Jamie Whincup, who overtook Will Davison on the last lap. Then Davison hit back with his own win on Sunday. But not everyone was thrilled to hear the roar of the engines!

A world-famous Italian composer had been booked to perform a big outdoor concert for the Adelaide festival at the same time. The music was drowned out by the car noise. Both organisers apologised for the clash of events! Maybe they won't put them on at the same time next year. Beat Box Reporter: Alfie Tieu

INTRO: Oh dear well as those concert-goers would know instruments are an important part of music. But what if you could replace them with just one thing - your voice. Well, many people specialise in doing just that, they're called beatboxers. Alfie caught up with one beatboxer who's teaching his skills.

There's no backing track or DJ playing tunes, everything you're hearing is the voice of this one guy.

He goes by the name Tom Thum, and he's toured the world impressing audiences with his amazing beatboxing.

Beatboxing's been around for a while, but now it's about more than just drum beats, there are also layers of other instrument sounds.

Even song lyrics can be weaved in.

At Tom's show at the Adelaide Fringe, it gets even more complex!

He uses these loop machines to record layers of his voice, and when you mix them all together it's like listening to a full band.

10 Away from the concert, Tom's visiting a school to teach beatboxing techniques to kids.

First up is trying to make the sound of a siren.

TOM THUM, BEATBOXER: So, instead of humming normally like (demonstrates), what you wanna do is put your top lip here on your bottom lip here. So you wanna make a really strange face as well, so you've gotta (demonstrates).

A slight adjustment to your facial expression and you get a trumpet.

Soon the class were getting the hang of it and were ready to be his back up beatboxers!

Once you've got the basics right you can even try making two rhythms at the same time.

But this takes a lot of practice.

TOM THUM, BEATBOXER: There's certain things that would be muscle memory I guess, because I've done them so many times. It's moreso just practicing, so I'd have like a bassline and then I'd put a (demonstrates).

So if you wanna get into beatboxing, what's Tom's advice?

TOM THUM, BEATBOXER: Go to university and get a real job. I think stick at it. I mean there are going to be a lot of people who say, "Wow, that sounds really bad," at the start, but that's what everyone said to me as well and now they're going to my show and saying, "Oh that's fantastic good on ya man good on ya."

Tom says being a good beatboxer means thinking outside the box, and inventing your own ways to use your voice.

That way you can step up to any challenge when it comes to making noise!

Closer

And that's it for the show. You can jump onto our website if you want to get more info on any of the stories. You can send us your comments and don't forget to vote in this week's poll. I'll see you next time.