BtN: Episode 15 Transcripts 09/06/09

On this week's Behind the News:

Solving the mystery of a missing airliner Becoming pop stars to recover from the bushfires And learning to love a very cool cat.

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

Also on the show today, how would you feel about your parents monitoring everything you do on your phone? It could soon be a reality.

We'll get to those items later, but first to our top story.

Plane Disaster Reporter: Sarah Larsen

INTRO: Planes are a pretty safe way to travel. Millions of dollars are spent to keep passengers safe.

But every so often something goes wrong and last week a flight carrying more than 200 people disappeared over the middle of the ocean.

Some wreckage has been found and some bodies, but it doesn't look like there were any survivors.

So what happened? Sarah has a look at the mystery of flight 447.

SARAH LARSEN, REPORTER: Every day more than 3 million people around the world catch a commercial plane flight. It can be for business, holidays, or to meet friends or family.

Planes keep people connected so when something goes wrong everyone gets worried and that's what happened last week. Air France Flight 447 left Rio De Janeiro in Brazil on its way to Paris in France but it the middle of the night it disappeared. As ships and planes began searching, friends and family were told to expect the worst. The plane had probably crashed into the ocean, leaving no survivors.

Now they want answers. Piecing together a plane crash is a detective job as big as any you'd see on TV. Specialist investigators go to the crash site as soon as they can. What looks like wreckage to us is important evidence to a trained eye; a scratch here, a burn mark there, maybe traces of explosives. Every piece of the plane is collected and put back together like a jigsaw puzzle.

But perhaps the best piece of evidence is this; the black box flight recorder. There are two of these in most large planes; one recording flight data and the other recording the pilots' voices. Together they tell a detailed story of the plane's last moments.

REPORTER: Probably the first thing you'll notice is it's not black it's orange, which makes it easier to find after a crash. But the most important thing is how it's built. These babies are super strong. They can survive impacts more than 3000 times their own weight, they can survive in a fire for about an hour and they're water proof.

They're even designed to be found in water with something called a pinger beacon. It emits a pulse of sound once it hits the water that can be picked up by receivers if they get close enough.

Ships and mini submarines have made their way to the crash zone looking for signs of flight 447's black box but getting it back could be tricky. The ocean in the area is more than 3 Ks deep and currents are strong. Unless more wreckage is found, solving this case could be difficult.

There are other clues to look at, like the weather. The plane was flying over the equator where winds from the northeast and southeast meet, creating big storms. It's thought the plane passed through one of these. It's possible lighting could have damaged the plane or its electrical equipment although some experts say that's unlikely.

Planes are regularly hit by lightning but it doesn't normally cause damage. They're specially built so the lightning bolt travels across the plane without damaging anything inside. Planes are built to survive bad weather. Some are now suggesting a device that measures its speed wasn't working on flight 447. That could have been disastrous because to fly, you need to go fast.

We may never know for sure what brought down flight 447 but investigators will keep analysing evidence and looking for new clues in the hope they can stop something like this from ever happening again.

Presenter: And we'll let you know as soon as investigators find out more.

The Wire

Now here's Catherine with an update on swine flu.

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Swine flu is continuing to spread across the country, with over 1000 cases now reported.

Victoria is by far the worst hit, recording more than 870 cases, which is the highest rate for the size of its population in the world.

Many schools have been shut down and lots of kids are in quarantine.

The swine flu has also hit the NRL.

Queensland Origin forward Ben Hannant has come down with the illness, after playing in the opening game in Melbourne.

He has been quarantined from the rest of his Bulldogs teammates, but shouldn't be contagious by the next game on Friday.

And it's not just elite sport being affected; kids sport is also being shut down to try to stop the spread.

At least four teams pulled out of a junior basketball comp in Melbourne on the weekend, and many local comps have been suspended.

PRESENTER: And if your school has shut down let us know what it's like by leaving a comment on our website.

Overseas Students Reporter: Nathan Bazley

INTRO: Education was also part of another big story last week.

It's a really important part of our lives, and to make sure they get the best education, some kids travel a fair way to go to a good school. But what about travelling to another country?

That's what hundreds of thousands of kids from overseas do every year leaving their families to come to Australia for study.

It's actually one of our biggest industries, but a few violent attacks have put it in jeopardy.

NATHAN BAZLEY REPORTER: Australia is marketed around the world as a spectacular tourist destination.

It's not just tourists coming here though. More than 400,000 students choose to come here each year to study.

But there are about three thousand of them that aren't happy here right now.

This protest by Indian students happened in the middle of Melbourne last week and lasted all night.

DEMONSTRATOR: We like Australia, but Australians don't like us. That's what it comes down to.

Over the last few months, these protestors say lots of Indian students have been attacked; in the streets, on trains and in their homes.

The latest was a 25 year old uni student who was stabbed during a party.

REPORTER: This is how it was reported in India.

INDIAN REPORTER: It seems that there has been another racist attack, or at least a hate crime perpetrated against another Indian.

And this is how the victim's friend feels about Australia now.

JAYASANKER BAGIEPALLI, FRIEND: Many people, many Indians are being attacked. That's what happens here. So if this country, you know, people from India really stop coming here.

REPORTER: Do you want to go home?

JAYASANKER: Yes, I am going. I'm going on 17th of this month. My parents doesn't (sic) want me to stay here. They're really concerned about me.

And that is the last thing most people in Australia want. Because if more people decide not to come here to study, it could cost our economy millions.

Why? Well you might not realise it, but education is BIG business!

This is our biggest export industry, coal. And this is our second, iron ore.

But what is our third biggest? You guessed it, it's education!

Money made from education, like students enrolling here from all over the world, adds about 15.5 billion dollars to our economy. That's huge!

NATHAN BAZLEY: Students come here for lots of different reasons. For some it's a lifestyle thing, for others it's to learn English. But for most it's the advantages they can get by studying in our high quality unis and schools.

The most international study-bugs come from China, second is India, then Korea.

So reports in India saying that students aren't safe here is a bad thing for the economy and Australia's reputation.

Unfortunately, some students in India are already thinking twice about travelling here.

INDIAN STUDENT: No, I don't think I'll go to Australia after this. I would prefer going to New Zealand or America.

And if many more students follow this lead it could be disastrous for the education industry.

The government and police are trying to work out what they can do to stop the attacks as soon as possible.

But for these protestors who realise it's only a few bad apples carrying out these attacks, all they want is help from the rest of us to stop them.

PRESENTER: Hope they catch those responsible quickly.

Quiz

Right, we mentioned a few other countries in that story, so let’s do a geography quiz.

Which country as the largest population?

1. India 2. China 3. United States

Answer: China

China has the largest population in the world - 1.3 billion. India is next with 1.1, then the United States which is a long way behind with just over 300 million.

Bushfire Song Reporter: Catherine Ellis

INTRO: Having your own CD and launching it in front of a crowd is what tons of young musicians dream about, but imagine achieving that while you're still at primary school!

There's a group of kids in country Victoria who have achieved that and it's all for a very good cause.

After the devastation of the Black Saturday bushfires four months ago, they've been using music therapy to help them heal.

Here's Catherine with their story.

CATHERINE ELLIS, REPORTER: It was sad enough for us to see the pictures and hear their stories, but for the kids who were actually there during the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria, it was devastating.

Many were lucky to escape with their lives. Some lost loved ones, their homes and everything they'd owned.

The horrible memories stick and many are still getting help from counsellors.

But one group of kids is using a very different therapy.

Music therapy!

The students in the communities of Marysville, Strathewen and Kinglake have been working with a singer songwriter to produce 'Lest We Forget'.

DYLAN: I think it's a beautiful song because it was made for us and we all like singing it.

HAYLEY: Like we lost so, so much and so many friends, and I'm glad we got something that we, like have and we can take and tell people "Oh, we've done this" and something that we own.

TESSA: I think it has helped everybody because it's put some hope back into us.

ALEXANDRA: Everyone in the community has been helping us so much and it's great to have a song of our own.

CATHERINE: As well as helping the kids deal with their emotions, the purpose of the CD is also to sell lots of copies to help them raise money to rebuild their burnt out schools.

Middle Kinglake Primary has been operating from temporary classrooms next to where their old school once stood and the students are looking forward to rebuilding.

There were weeks of rehearsals to get ready for a big CD launch and live performance.

The idea of using music as a form of therapy has been around for thousands of years.

During World War Two, doctors and nurses found playing music in hospitals helped the sick soldiers feel better.

And since then lots of studies have shown that singing, playing instruments and writing music helps all sorts of people feel less pain, anxiety and depression.

Finally the big night arrived for the kids.

They'd made the trip to Melbourne for the show and first headed out for some pizza to celebrate.

Then, it was off to the venue.

CAM TAPP, SINGER SONG WRITER: So are you guys excited about tonight? Do you remember the words?

KIDS: Yeah!

They welcomed guests at the door and sold tons of CDs.

STUDENT: Buy our CD. The coolest song on earth, also by me and my name's in it twice.

Then finally their chance to perform.

It's been four months since the devastating fires, but helping to produce, sell and perform their very own song, has been one big healing step forward.

PRESENTER: And if you want to hear all of their song there's a link to their MySpace page on our website.

Quiz 2

Time for a music quiz now...

Which Australian won the 2008 ARIA for highest selling single.

1. Gabriella Cilmi 2. Delta Goodrem 3. The Wiggles

Answer: Gabriella Cilmi

And she was 17 when she won that. Delta Goodrem won biggest selling album, the Wiggles got best Childrens' album.

Phone Watch Reporter: Sarah Larsen

INTRO: Latest figures are warning cyber bullying is a major problem that affects lots of kids.

Now there could be some extra help - a device that lets parents check out all the messages and calls made on their kids' phones.

However not everyone is happy because they think it could be an invasion of privacy.

Sarah looks at how the system works and lets you have your say about it.

SARAH LARSEN, REPORTER: What if your parents were in on everything that you did and everything you said to each other?

REPORTER: If your parents could see exactly who you were calling, and what you were sending, would it change the way you use your mobile phone?

Heaps of kids have mobiles. It can be a great way of socialising and for mum and dad there's the security of knowing you're only a phone call away. But all this mobile technology has a nasty side. You probably already know about cyber bullying. That doesn't just happen on the internet. Nasty phone calls and texts can be really hurtful too.

REPORTER: You can kind of see why your parents would be worried and you can also see why the idea of seeing what you're doing with your phone might be appealing, especially if you're paying the bill, right?

DAD: Too right!

In a few months that might be possible. A company is planning to sell software that will let parents check on their kids' mobiles. It works like this. Your parents install the software on your phone then they program a bunch of numbers that you're likely to call all the time - it might be them or your closest friends or your school or whatever. If you call someone who's not on the list or they call you, your parents get an email or a text message letting them know.

But wait, there's more. They can not only go online to get a list of all your calls and texts they can find out exactly what those texts said. Now before you get too scared they can't spy on you without you knowing. Every time you turn on a phone with the program installed you get a reminder that your calls are being watched. You have to agree to it before you use the phone.

One criticism of the program is that older kids will just refuse and get another mobile. Some say the program would be a huge invasion of kids' privacy a bit like Big Brother, parent-style. But others see it as a way of keeping kids safe. What do you reckon?

Online Poll

You can also tell us what you think by voting in our poll.

The question is ‘Is it OK for parents to monitor their kids' phones?’

If you want to vote, just go to our website.

And if you're worried about bullying there's advice there as well.

The Score

Time for some sports news with Catherine.

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The Socceroos have become one of the first nations to qualify for the 2010 World Cup after a nil-all draw with Qatar on Sunday.

The draw gave them one point and confirmed their position at the top of the table with two home games against Bahrain and Japan still remaining.

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Roger Federer has equalled Pete Sampras’ record for the most Grand Slam wins by a man in Tennis by taking out his first ever French Open title.

The straight sets win over Robin Soderling is Federer's 14th Grand Slam title, making him one of only six men to have ever won all four Grand Slam events.

Of course the men are still a long way behind the women when it comes to the record for the most Grand Slam titles, Aussie Margaret Smith Court won a whopping 24.

And while we're talking about the girls, Svetlana Kuznetsova easily accounted for Dinara Safina to take out the women's French title.

*******

Great effort from the Fed express.

Quiz 3

Alright time for another quiz... this one is about cats.

What is the largest species of wild cat?

1. Lion 2. Tiger 3. Leopard

Answer: Tiger

The Siberian tiger is largest, lions come second. Leopards are about 4th largest, and we'll be looking at leopards in our next story.

Snow Leopards Reporter: Nathan Bazley

INTRO: In Australia we have started to realise the value of conserving the native animals we have, but overseas many countries haven't quite caught on.

In India, an animal called a snow leopard is facing just that problem.

Locals see the animal as a dangerous pest and its numbers have quickly been dropping.

But now a new push is underway, to teach them the value of these amazing animals that share their home.

NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: These mountains are some of the most hostile in the world.

The winters are long and many degrees below zero. The summers only just long enough to grow some basic crops to store for the cold months ahead.

Only a few small villages survive out here but they share this high-altitude desert with a big cat that locals call 'the queen of the mountains.'

This is the habitat of the Snow Leopard - the Himalayan Mountains, north west of Australia in India.

They live right across this huge mountain range, from Afghanistan to Mongolia.

But despite their huge territory, the only place you'll easily see snow leopards these days is in a zoo.

Researchers believe the number of these beautiful cats still living in the wild has dropped to between 7,000 and 4,000.

And humans are mostly to blame.

Poachers hunt them for their pelts, and their body parts which are used in Chinese medicines.

But a big problem is that locals are completely terrified of them. Any that are found are often killed to protect their livestock.

In one place though, things are starting to work a little differently.

ABC journalist Eric travelled to a village called Rumbuk where a man called Jigmet is working hard to protect the snow leopard.

He's become quite the expert at tracking them.

JIGMET DADUL: Yeah, yeah it is a snow leopard and also this is the pee you know? You can smell it.

He spends all his days finding snow leopards and he hopes to stop the villagers seeing them as pests.

The first challenge was making all their livestock pens leopard proof.

And that turned out not to be much of a challenge at all. All they needed was a bit or wire and some poles!

ERIC CAMPBELL, ABC REPORTER: Incredibly simple idea, how come it's never been done before?

TSERING ANGMO: Yeah they didn't…

ERIC: Didn't think of it.

The second challenge was helping villagers see protecting the snow leopards as a way to make money.

And they did that through tourism!

TSERING ANGMO: [To German tourists] Here's your home stay room. Put your bag inside this room and come for dinner inside the kitchen.

GERMAN TOURIST: Thank you very much. Beautiful room. It's very, very beautiful.

Villagers here have opened their homes to tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of the incredibly shy Snow Leopard.

GERMAN TOURIST: [Loving the food Tsering has cooked] 'I think we'll stay for awhile!'

Kids have also been involved. Conservation workers run classes here to teach the students about the snow leopard.

TSERING ANGMO: Why should we save the snow leopard, and what's their importance?

BOY (TRANSLATION): A lot of tourists come to see the snow leopard. If there's no snow leopard, so many deer would come to graze on our land. So there are good and bad things.

They may not be totally convinced but the results speak for themselves.

Remote cameras have caught heaps more shots of the snow leopards in the wild lately, so hopefully these guys will be able to call these mountains their home for a long time to come.

Closer

That's it for another show. Don't forget you can watch any of those stories again on our website and leave a comment about them as well. You can also tune in every Monday to Friday at 5 to 6 for BTN Daily. Catch you later.