Questions for discussion

Burma cyclone 1] What is the name of the cyclone that has devastated Burma? 2] Where is Burma located? 3] Why was the cyclone particularly devastating? EPISODE 11 4] Even if people survive the cyclone, they are faced with other challenges. What are some of these challenges? 13TH MAY 2008 5] What is the first thing your body needs to survive? Why is it a huge problem for people in Burma? 6] What are aid agencies? 7] How does the way the Burmese Government operates affect international aid getting into the country? 8] What impact do the delays of aid have on Burmese people? 9] How has the Australian Government responded to the situation? 10] What do you think needs to happen next?

Tell us what you think about this story on the BtN Guestbook

Federal Budget 1] Who is the Federal Treasurer? 2] Where does the Government get money from? 3] What areas does the Government spend money on? 4] Why do you think the budget is kept a secret until budget night? 5] It’s predicted there will be a big surplus this year. What does this mean? 6] Do you think the Government should spend money that is left over? Explain your answer. 7] What is a deficit? 8] If you were the Treasurer, what would you spend money on and why? 9] Does your family have a budget? What changes would you make to it? 10] What do you now know about the Federal Budget that you didn’t know before?

How does the Federal budget affect you? Create an artwork to illustrate your response.

Zoo Theme Park 1] Retell the story in your own words. 2] Why do we have zoos? 3] Where in is the theme park going to be built? 4] What is a company planning to do at Werribee Zoo? 5] What are some people saying are the advantages of a theme park being built at the zoo? 6] Describe how operates. 7] What are some of the concerns of people against the proposed development? 8] Who makes the decision about whether the theme park will be built at the zoo? 9] What do you think about the idea? Explain your answer. 10] Do you think compromise is possible in this situation? Explain your answer.

`Is it OK to turn zoos into theme parks?’ Vote in the online poll.

World Youth Day 1] Describe in your own words what World Youth Day is about. 2] How many people are the organisers hoping will attend World Youth Day? 3] Who is the leader of the Catholic Church?

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4] Over 5 million people in Australia call themselves Catholic. What percentage go to church regularly? 5] What is a big issue facing the Church at the moment? 6] Why do you think the Catholic Church is concerned about this? 7] What are the organisers hoping World Youth Day will do for the Catholic Church? 8] What other things could the Catholic Church do to attract young people? 9] Why are churches like Shirelive popular with young people? 10] Describe how the young people involved in Shirelive feel about being part of the church.

Go to the World Youth Day official website http://www.wyd2008.org/index.php/en and collect five facts about the event that you didn’t know.

Lauren Jackson 1] Why did Lauren Jackson choose to play basketball in Russia? 2] How have Russian people reacted to Lauren playing in Russia? 3] How long has she been playing professional basketball? 4] Summarise Lauren Jackson’s basketball career. 5] Why was the offer to play in Russia hard for Lauren to refuse? 6] Why is height an advantage in basketball? 7] Describe Lauren’s training and playing schedule. 8] How does Lauren feel about being away from Australia? 9] What upcoming event is Lauren Jackson excited about? 10] Describe Lauren Jackson’s contribution to women’s basketball.

Test your knowledge in the online quiz.

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Burma Cyclone

Cyclone Nargis has devastated Burma, killing tens of thousands of people with millions more without food, shelter or clean water. The Burmese Government doesn’t like other countries getting involved in its business so it has been difficult getting aid in to where it’s needed.

EPISODE 11 Focus Questions 13TH MAY 2008

1] What is the name of the cyclone that has devastated Burma? 2] Where is Burma located? Learning Area 3] Why was the cyclone particularly devastating? Society and Environment 4] Even if people survive the cyclone, they are faced with other challenges. What are some of these challenges? 5] What is the first thing your body needs to survive? Why is it a huge problem for people in Burma? Key learning 6] What are aid agencies? 7] How does the way the Burmese Government operates affect international aid Students will develop an getting into the country? understanding of the 8] What impact do the delays of aid have on Burmese people? issues facing Burma at the 9] How has the Australian Government responded to the situation? 10] What do you think needs to happen next? moment and how international aid agencies What is aid? operate Student’s will be exploring what international aid is and developing a profile of an international aid agency. Begin with a class brainstorm to establish what students know about aid and aid agencies. Students choose an aid agency such as Oxfam, Save the Children Fund, Red Cross or World Vision. Ask them to research the following information:

Use the agencies official website (website links at the end of this activity sheet) to find the vision/mission statement. List the key words from this statement.

Draw the agencies logo and describe its meaning.

Summarise what the organisation is doing for the Burma (Myanmar) cyclone relief.

How does the organisation provide/distribute relief for those in need?

Ask students to present their profile of the aid agency to the class using one of the following formats:

. Powerpoint presentation . Video . Written or oral report

Further investigations

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Think of ways your class or school can help Burmese people affected by the cyclone.

Search online for information about location, physical features, the Government and economic situation in Burma.

 Related Research Links

ABC News – Thousands killed in Burma cyclone http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/06/2236190.htm

ABC News - UN ready to send help to Burma http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/05/2235364.htm

ABC News – Australia pledges $3m for Burma http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/07/2237524.htm

World Food Program official website http://www.wfp.org/english/

Children’s BBC website – information about cyclone in Burma http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7390000/newsid_7394600/7394684.stm

Red Cross official website http://www.redcross.org.au/ourservices_aroundtheworld_emergencyrelief_MyanmarCycloneNargis.htm

Oxfam official website http://www.oxfam.org.au/about/

Save the Children fund official website http://www.savethechildren.org.au/index.html

World Vision official website http://www.worldvision.com.au/index.asp

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Zoo theme park

A controversial theme park is being planned at Werribee open range zoo near . Some people are saying that it will bring more people to the zoo and create jobs. Other people say that a theme park and animals don’t mix.

EPISODE 11 Focus Questions 13TH MAY 2008

1] Retell the story in your own words. Learning Area 2] Why do we have zoos? 3] Where in Australia is the theme park planned to be built? English 4] What is a company planning to do at Werribee Zoo? 5] What are some people saying are the advantages of a theme park being built at the zoo? 6] Describe how Werribee open range zoo operates. 7] What are some of the concerns of people against the proposed development? Key learning 8] Who makes the decision about whether the theme park will be built at the zoo? Students will plan, write 9] What do you think about the idea? Explain your answer. 10] Do you think compromise is possible in this situation? Explain your answer. and present a debate.

Mini debate – Should a theme park be built at Werribee zoo? Working in pairs, students will be preparing a two-minute speech for a mini debate. One person will be speaking for the affirmative (supporting a theme park being built at the zoo) and the other will be speaking for the negative (speaking against a theme park being built). Ask students to list their arguments in point form on paper (without their partner seeing them). When they have done this, ask them to choose the five best points that will form the basis for their debate. Students will write in point form, their debate on cards that fit into the palm of their hand. Their debate needs to have an introduction (introducing the topic), middle (five main points) and a conclusion (restating their position) Students practise their speech and then present the mini debate to another pair.

Reflection Ask students to think about how difficult it was to think of arguments to support their case. Do they think they could have created a stronger argument if they were speaking for the opposing view?

Further investigations

Create an artists impression of what you imagine will look like.

Respond to the following question: `Zoos – palaces or prisons?’

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Find out more about the history and roles of zoos. Go to http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/zoo/

 Related Research Links

ABC News – Theme park proposed for Werribee zoo http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/06/2209007.htm

ABC 730 Report – zoo may become theme park transcript and video http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2007/s2233066.htm

Werribee open range zoo http://www.zoo.org.au/WerribeeOpenRangeZoo

History and roles of zoos - Government website http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/zoo/

Kids Planet website – animal quiz http://www.kidsplanet.org/games/quiz/

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13th May, 2008

STORY TRANSCRIPTS:

1. BURMA CYCLONE Reporter, Sarah Larsen

INTRO: It's feared that more than 100-thousand people might have died because of a cyclone in a country called Burma. The number is frightening. That's the same amount of people that fill our biggest footy stadiums on grand final day. Lots of others have also lost their homes and are struggling to survive. Sarah's been looking at how countries like Australia are trying to help - but they've run into a problem

SARAH LARSEN, REPORTER: It was the worst storm most people had ever seen. Cyclone Nargis ripped up trees, tore through buildings and left behind this. Whole towns were wiped out. Tens of thousands of people were killed. And there's at least a million more, cut off, without food, shelter or clean water.

It happened not that far from Australia in Burma. It's here in South East Asia, between China and Thailand. It's a country smaller than New South Wales but more than 50 million people live there - twice the population of Australia. Burma is one of the poorest countries in the world. Many people are farmers and live around rivers or near the sea. That's partly why the cyclone was so devastating. These satellite photos show how those areas were flooded when the storm hit. Many people were drowned. If that's not bad enough, everyone's really worried about what's going to happen now.

REPORTER: See if you can imagine it. You've survived the cyclone, but what's next? Your home's gone or badly damaged. There's no electricity, no telephone, the shops are empty and the roads are blocked and you don't know how long it's going to be until help arrives.

The first thing you're going to need is water. Your body can go without food for a while but you need water pretty much straight away. There's water everywhere but it’s dirty. People are desperate for clean supplies.

The next most important thing is shelter. You'll need tents or plastic sheets to keep out the weather. If you're injured you'll need medical supplies and doctors. A little injury can be fatal if it's not treated. Plus you'll also want food but to get any of that the roads need to be cleared. Then there's the clean- up. Dead animals contaminate water and disease can kill a lot of people long after the cyclone. There are groups whose job it is to deal with big disasters. They're called aid agencies and they know what people will need and the best way to get it to them. But this time it’s complicated. Burma is different.

People there don't vote for their leaders like in Australia. It's run by the military. It gets criticised a lot for treating its people badly and it hates anyone getting involved in its business. That means it's being really cautious about letting aid agencies bring in help. It's let some planes land but it won't give permission to others and ships that could help have been kept waiting.

Foreign aid workers have also been banned (from handing out food). The pictures you see are from Burma's government TV station and they've been criticised for not showing the true story. Aid agencies say the reality is just a trickle of supplies is getting through. Countries like Australia that have donated millions of dollars for supplies are very angry about the hold ups.

KEVIN RUDD: What we need to be focusing on now is kicking the doors down.

Other governments are also putting pressure on Burma to act faster. Everyone says it’s a desperate situation and it's becoming more desperate every day.

And we'll keep you up to date with that story in BTN Daily which is on every Monday to Friday at 5 to 6. Now here's the newswrap.

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BUDGET TIME Reporter, Catherine Ellis

INTRO: It's a huge event that affects every single Aussie! Thousands of people check it out on TV - some even celebrate. But it's no party - it's Federal Budget night! It's when we find out how the Government is going to spend a heap of money taking care of the country for the next year. Having billions of dollars to spend sounds fun but as Catherine discovered it's not easy keeping everybody happy!

CATHERINE ELLIS, REPORTER: Mmmm, lots of money all to spend on a birthday party for me!

And I've assigned some party helpers.

CATHERINE: Right guys, here's your spending money. Minister for Party Food, Minister for Decorations, Minister for Cake.

I also assigned money to the Minister for Cups and Plates, Minister for Drinks and Minister for Entertainment!

MINISTER CAKE: Um, excuse me. CATHERINE: Yes Minister cake? MINISTER CAKE: What kind of cake do you think I'm going to get with 50 cents! (Catherine hands over another 50 cents) That's still not enough! MINISTER CUPS and PLATES: And I reckon you've probably given me enough money to buy ONE cup! You can't expect everyone at your party to share one cup?! (Six ministers start squabbling)

Wow, assigning all that money was certainly not as easy or fun as I thought it was going to be!

And here's a guy who knows exactly how I feel!

Meet Wayne Swan - he's our Federal Treasurer. He's not having a party, but he's the guy who's in charge of all the Government's money.

You know how the Government collects taxes from people and businesses each year, well the Treasurer is the one who decides how it will all be divided up and spent.

It's called the Federal Budget.

CATHERINE: Okay so maybe his job's a little bit more important than my party - he is after all dealing with billions of dollars and looking after more than 21 million people.

He's got to make sure we're all healthy, safe and educated.

So he very carefully decides how he's going to spend the money on things like; hospitals and medicines, education - like our schools and unis, defence - for example all our troops overseas and new weapons for them, money for the elderly, for roads.

Before the Budget is announced, the Treasurer has lots of groups asking him for money.

And just like me he has lots of ministers asking for money; Minister for education, Minister for housing, Environment, Transport and so on.

But trying to keep millions of aussies happy is a job even the PM admits isn't easy.

KEVIN RUDD, PRIME MINISTER: Some decisions will be unpopular, some decisions will be very unpopular.

The budget is a big document and it's kept secret right up until budget night - but some hints are given away before.

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We've already been told working families will be looked after.

It's also predicted there'll be a big surplus this year, which means there'll be lots of money left over.

The government might choose to keep that for emergencies.

The opposite of a surplus is a deficit. That's when the Government spends more than it has been given and it has to borrow extra money.

Well whatever happens the budget will effect all of us - it could mean your school gets new sports equipment, or you have less money to spend at the tuck shop.

Just like my party, Wayne Swan, will be doing his best to keep everybody happy, but there'll always be some people who aren't.

WORLD YOUTH DAY Nathan Bazley, Reporter

INTRO: In less than three months, nearly a quarter of a million kids are expected to be gathering in Sydney for a huge religious festival called World Youth Day. It's a big event but there have been some news stories raising concerns that only half that number of kids have said they're coming. So what is World Youth day and why's it such a big deal?

Like the Olympic torch relay leading to the games in Beijing, this cross is being carried around Australia in the lead up to what these kids expect will be an amazing occasion.

STUDENT: Tonight's fantastic. Like you just walk in here, there's like a really electric vibe.

Tonight it's at Freeman College at Bonnyrigg in Sydney. Here kids will celebrate and pray into the night. But why? Well it's all in the lead up to World Youth Day - a big event organised by the Catholic Church. These are some past Youth Days from around the world. Organisers hope the Sydney one will attract 250 thousand people.

It sounds a lot, but it's not such a tall order. The Catholic Church has more than 1 billion followers worldwide. It's the oldest of the Christian faiths and this is its home - Vatican City in Italy.

KATARINA VUJICA, FREEMAN COLLEGE: So many people are here to celebrate, you know, the journey of the cross and I can only hope that it's going to be like this for World Youth Day.

One thing sure to make it a huge event is the appearance of this man - Pope Benedict the 16th - the leader of the whole Catholic Church. He may not look like a rock star but he certainly gets similar receptions! And come World Youth Day, he'll be making a special appearance in Australia which is a huge deal for Catholics!

Over 5 million people in Australia call themselves Catholic. But only 14 per cent of them regularly go to Church. Falling numbers is a big issue facing traditional Christian churches right now. Fewer people seem to be turning up to services every week. Kids are also less involved. Some local churches are even having to close.

NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: Organisers are hoping World Youth Day might be able to change that among young people, by giving Catholic kids a massive party with a message.

TANI KANAAN, FREEMAN COLLEGE: Church is probably not the most exciting thing to wake up to on a Sunday morning. However, World Youth Day is definitely a more exciting, contemporary sort of way to invite students of today's generation to involve themselves in the religion.

But some other Christian churches aren't having the same problems. This is Shirelive, what's called a Pentecostal church. They've seen the biggest growth amongst all the churches in the last ten years but they usually run their services very differently! Church for these guys is on a Friday night and looks more like a rock gig.

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DIVET ROOS, SHIRELIVE: As soon as I came here, I felt in, like everyone was saying hello to me, everyone was just like, "Do you want to hang out with us" just really feeling a part of the youth.

TENEILLE ALGIE, SHIRELIVE: The moment I walked in I felt a part of something bigger than myself, and I fell in love with it.

And it is this kind of enthusiasm the Catholic Church hopes to capture during World Youth Day. But then it will face another question - whether it can keep the kids involved after the party is over.

And we'll let you know how that goes in July. Time for another quiz.

ZOO THEME PARK Sarah Larsen, Reporter

INTRO: There's a plan to build Australia's largest theme park at a zoo in Victoria. That's right; rollercoasters and rhinos! Those pushing the idea say it will bring in a lot more visitors, but it's made other people pretty angry. Sarah's hunting out the story.

SARAH LARSEN, REPORTER: Is there anything better than a trip to the zoo? Getting in touch with nature, hearing the sounds of animals.

What?

This is probably not what you think of when you think zoo. But that's exactly what a company has in mind for Werribee Open Range Zoo in Victoria. Roller coasters, fake mountains, restaurants, interactive displays; a $200 million dollar theme park called African Safari World. It's the idea of a company called . You might have heard of them, especially if you've been here, or here. That's right. It's the same group which owns Movie World, and Wet and Wild on the Gold Coast. Millions of visitors go to those places each year and Village Roadshow reckons Safari World would be just as successful. It says it would bring a lot more people to the zoo, make lots of money and give jobs to almost 7000 people. The company wants the Victorian government to help pay for the park and the pollies seem excited.

But, hold on, what about these guys? They don't know their home could become a theme park and some of their friends aren't wild about the idea.

CHRISTINA DENNIS, ZOO VOLUNTEER: I can't imagine any animal, even human, getting used to that sort of noise. To have the screams and shrills that you would get from a roller coaster ride, I think would be upsetting for them.

At the moment Werribee is run by Zoos Victoria, which is set up by the state government. It's an open air zoo where people can see animals in an environment that's pretty similar to their home.

KIDS: Oh my God! That's amazing!

There are also research and breeding programs aimed at protecting species. This ex zoo manager is worried that sort of work would suffer if a theme park took over.

DAVID HANCOCKS, FORMER ZOO MANAGER: What the theme park ends up saying is that the animals have no value. They're just walking around oddities that play no central role in the zoo's purpose.

But Village Roadshow says it doesn't want to buy the animals. Instead it'd work with Zoos Victoria to make sure they're cared for. It also says they'd be kept well away from the rides. Plus the company says it has animals at its other parks and they're happy. So what's going to happen? Well, the government is looking at the plans and talking to Zoos Victoria. So it will be a while before a final decision is made, but everyone's keeping a very close eye on what's going on.

LAUREN JACKSON Nathan Bazley, Reporter

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INTRO: Sticking with sport and one of basketball's biggest players - literally. Aussie Lauren Jackson is as famous around the world for her height as she is for her amazing skills on the court. She's going to play a crucial role in the national team trying to win gold at the Olympics later this year but in the lead up she's spending her time in a very surprising place.

It's one of the last places you'd expect to find an Aussie sports star, but here in Russia, in the Northern Hemisphere, is where Australia's best women's basketballer hits the court. And when Lauren Jackson hits it - she makes the world take notice.

NATALYA HEJKOVA, HEAD COACH: I think she's the best one at the moment.

And why Russia? Well it's famous for being one of the toughest and most popular women's basketball comps in the world.

LAUREN JACKSON: The crowds that we get are amazing and the fan bases that we get in Australia and America are nothing like the fan bases that you get in Russia.

ANDREI BOSYAGIN, BASKETBALL FAN (translated): Tell Lauren we love her very much and we want her to play in Russia for as long as possible. We love you, Lauren.

Lauren's been playing professionally for 11 years. She started off beating all comers in Australia, before heading over to Korea and then the United States - where she became a world star. And two years ago, she played for Australia in an amazing win over Russia in the World Championships.

LAUREN JACKSON (2006): We've definitely made our own mark now in history so it's pretty exciting.

It was after that win that Russian teams started chasing the tall Aussie.

LAUREN JACKSON: It's so much better here. I mean, it's way better here. I can earn, I've probably earnt this season maybe, goodness,probably what I could earn in five seasons in America. So or six seasons. So, it's a lot better.

That is big, BIG bucks. But why is she so good? Well part of the reason is her height - 196 centimetres.

NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: This is Cayla Francis. She's one of Australia's most promising young players and she's 192cms tall, 4cm shorter than Lauren Jackson. If I can't get the ball from Cayla, I wouldn't have a hope against Lauren!

CAYLA FANCIS: She can do everything. She's really amazing to watch, she's very exciting.

But while it's great on the court, Cayla says being so tall can have it's problems.

CAYLA FRANCIS: I get stared at a lot just walking through the malls and definately buying clothes you've gotta look a bit harder for the clothes like jeans and the bigger shoes but that's okay I'm used to it so it's fine.

NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: But then as soon as you have a basketball under your arm all of a sudden you're a legend!

CAYLA: Yeah it's alright isn't it!!

To match Lauren won't be easy. Over in Russia she trains twice every day and plays two games a week.

LAUREN JACKSON: My days consist of napping and training, which is, I think that's probably the hardest thing you, know, whereas I'd love to be going do the beach or hanging out at Bondi but it's different over here.

Not that there'll be time to relax this year anyway. She'll be the Aussie's key player at the Beijing Olympics. 11

LAUREN JACKSON: Our chances are as good as anybody else's. I think we've got a lot of great young talent and we've got a lot of just older talent. This will be my third Olympics. But I'm saying we're going for gold.

After that - she only has one dream - to come back and live in Australia.

LAUREN JACKSON: Always, the Australian flag, it comes with me everywhere.

SCOTT BEVAN, REPORTER: Really?

LAUREN JACKSON: Oh yeah, oh my god, I'm completely, I'm getting my tattoo done. Yeah, I'm very proud to be Australian.

And with Bejing only a few months away... we're only too proud to have her.

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