Btn: Episode 7 Transcripts 30/03/10
BtN: Episode 7 Transcripts 30/03/10
On this week's Behind the News:
- Barack Obama wins the fight over health care...
- How floods are changing life in the outback...
- And from this...to this...the latest in space wear...
Hi I'm Nathan Bazley welcome to Behind the News.
Obama Health
Reporter: Nathan Bazley
INTRO: First up: There's been a big news story in the United States over who should pay doctors to treat people when they're sick or injured.
Should it be sick people themselves...or should the money come from the Government?
In Australia it can happen both ways but in the U.S. there's really only one place the cash comes from, the patient's wallet!
Now the American President Barack Obama has convinced politicians to change all that and let the Government pay for most medical treatments.
But not everyone is happy about it.
NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: It's a pretty simple process in Australia, you get injured, you go to a public hospital and they'll treat you.
Do the same thing over in the United States and you're likely to encounter something more like this.
NATHAN: Why would they ask for cash over there, when in Australia you can get treatment for free?
Well despite the fact that we are very similar countries, our health care systems couldn't be more different!
First let's recap what we've got here in Australia.
Our health system centres on Medicare, a system run by the federal government using taxpayers money that helps pay for the medical treatment of all people living permanently in Australia.
We also have a system of public hospitals which will treat residents without charge.
It might not always be quick, but least you'll get treatment!
Fly over to the U.S. and you'll see a much different story.
This is the largest hospital complex in the world, in Texas, yet only one small section of it is open to anyone - the emergency department.
You have to have pretty serious or life-threatening injuries to be allowed in here.
Anything else and you'll have to pay for every cent of your treatment.
DR JOHN HOLCOMB, DOCTOR: I enjoy trauma because when the patients come in, I don't have to inquire their insurance status. It's irrelevant. And so it's one of the segments of the health care system where we have open access to everybody.
The key in the U.S. is health insurance.
It can cost the average family around 14 thousand dollars a year, although many people are covered by their bosses, and it means their insurance company will pay all medical bills for them and their family.
But for the 50 million people that aren't covered, or the 50 million on top of that that don't have enough insurance, the results can be deadly.
This is Lisa Kelly and she was diagnosed with Leukemia.
But before the hospital there would treat her, she was asked to pay for it upfront.
SAM KELLY, HUSBAND: The doctor even came out and said this could cost you anywhere from a quarter of a million to half a million dollars to get your wife well. I said okay. You know I would give up everything I've got to keep her.
And that's why half of all bankruptcies in America are because of hospital bills.
For those that don't have any money at all, things are even worse.
This is a free clinic set up in a hall for people who can't afford to even see a doctor, dentist or optometrist for a check-up.
Most of these people have been lining up for more than a day.
It's not hard to see why one study found nearly 45 thousand people die in the US each year, just because they can't afford treatment.
And that's why President Barack Obama wants all this to change.
He's just persuaded American politicians to vote for a law that will see their health care system become much more like ours.
It was a huge achievement because there are a lot of people against it.
These protestors believe that everyone should pay their own way and that the government shouldn't increase taxes to help those that can't.
But the decision means people who couldn't afford good health might soon enough have both health and happiness.
Presenter: We'll let you know as the new system is brought in.
Quiz 1
In the meantime, let's tackle a quiz:
Where would you find the smallest bone in the human body?
The ear
The foot
The nose
Answer: The ear
River Floods
Reporter: Sarah Larsen
INTRO: It's known as the stirrup bone and is about three millimetres long.
If you're heading outback in the near future it'd be easy to imagine you've found a mysterious inland sea.
Floods in North Western NSW and Southern Qld have turned normally dusty paddocks into giant lakes.
Sheep and cattle are being rescued by helicopters and some famers are isolated.
But while the floods have caused a lot of damage, they might also be cause for celebration, as Sarah found out.
If you're heading outback in the near future you might be forgiven for thinking you've found the inland sea!
Floods in North Western NSW and Southern Qld have turned normally dry rivers and dusty paddocks into giant pools of water.
Sheep and cattle are being rescued by helicopters and some famers are isolated.
But while the floods have caused a lot of damage they might also be cause for celebration as Sarah found out.
SARAH LARSEN, REPORTER: When the McGrath kids got plastic canoes for Christmas, they didn't realise they'd soon become the only way in and out of their property.
SANDY MCGRATH: All the milk, everything you need has to come on the Kayak
The McGraths live on Wancobra station which is here in North-Western NSW. The floods have turned their house into an island.
SANDY MCGRATH: We're sort of like a doughnut in the middle of a lake at the moment
Now to get out Dale has to paddle for five hours to a car which is parked on the other side of the flood water.
He's the brother of famous Aussie cricketer Glen McGrath but when it comes to rowing he's a bit out of form.
DALE MCGRATH: I thought I was pretty fit but I'm not really.
Out here people are having to be resourceful to cope with what's being called the big wet. Farmers have lost stock and in towns there's been damage to houses, shops, streets. It'll probably cost millions of dollars to repair the damage.
REPORTER: But if you've been watching the news over the past few years you might see why the big wet has a lot of people celebrating.
For years Australia has been in drought - the big dry as it’s been called. People were doing it tough up in southern Queensland and Northern NSW and further south in the Murray-Darling Basin. It's where most of Australia's food is grown so people have been really worried. Now the drought's over in much of Queensland but will all this water help the thirsty Murray?
Let’s have a look.
REPORTER: These are some of the rivers that have been overflowing. And here is the Darling River and down here is the Murray. They're all connected. So water that starts off here will eventually flow down here and out to sea.
But that can take weeks or even months. Except that it's not quite that simple. Not all this water will make it to the Murray. Some of it will evaporate, some goes into dams and wetlands and some is taken out by farmers to water their crops.
Over the last few years there've been restrictions on how much water people can use and now there's more water on the way big decisions will have to be made on how much more they can take. But for now farmers are celebrating this rare sight
DEBBIE: Water's huge. The calming effect it has, the hope it gives you when you see it coming down
And that's something you need when you live on the land.
But another group that regulates the phone companies has decided we need to ask the companies ourselves, if we want these services barred.
Presenter: And we'll keep you updated on the water flow and how it affects our major rivers.
EBooks
Reporter: Sarah Larsen
INTRO: Over the years the way we entertain ourselves has changed heaps.
Think about it, we've gone from silent films to DVDs and from records to CD's and now MP3s.
But through all those changes, one thing's stayed more or less the same; the book.
Sure they look a bit different than they used to but at the end of the day it’s still the same old stack of bound paper which your Grandma and your great grandma would have read.
But all that might be about to change. Here's Sarah.
SARAH LARSEN, REPORTER: Books play a big part in our lives. They teach us, they make us laugh and inspire us.
So can you imagine a world where books started to disappear?
We're on the edge of a book revolution and you may see a time when all the books you see here can be read on a screen.
VOX: E-books are an electronic book which you can read on a computer or on a phone like the iPhone.
It’s not a new idea. Way back in the 70s the Gutenberg project asked volunteers to type up books so they could be read on computers. It's still going and now there are lots more places to get free, legal electronic books.
And you don't have to read them on a computer a lot of phones and gaming consoles can be used for e-books.
Some schools are even getting into them.
VOX: This is a McMillon digital library and sometimes the teacher will use it and she'll flick through it and you can click on words and they'll tell you what they mean.
But one of the biggest changes to the way we read could come from these, they're called e-readers and they're machines specifically designed for reading and storing e-books.
Amazon brought out the Kindle in 2007 and it’s got fans of all ages.
CANDACE GRAY, KINDLE OWNER: I've got a phone which has a camera on it. I forget and I never even use the camera. You know, I don't know how to Skype, I don't know how to blog, and once I found what I could do with this Kindle, then I couldn't put it down.
Another e-reader that's had a lot of attention this year is the Apple iPad.
STEVE JOBS: Tap on it and buy this book, and the book downloads right onto my bookshelf like that.
Newspapers and Magazines have jumped on it coming up with iPad editions.
Book publishers are also getting in on the action although some of them have been a bit worried about e-readers these will do to their business.
There are questions about how much a digital book should cost whether it'll be enough for publishers and authors to make money.
Then there's the threat of internet pirates ripping them off.
As for libraries, some are already getting into digital books.
VALERIA GRYADUNOVA, RANDWICK CITY LIBRARY: This is our digital library website.
Library members can borrow e-books from their home computer and when the loan time's up, it disappears from your screen.
VALERIA GRYADUNOVA: There are no late fees, there are no overdue books and it's also very convenient for the customers, because digital library's open 24-7.
But not everyone's convinced. Harry Potter author JK Rowling has said she won't be bringing out electronic versions of her books. And for some readers e-books just aren't the same.
VOX: I like Ebooks a lot and they're very useful but the thing is not everyone can use that technology.
VOX: If I had an Ebook I'd always be worried I'd drop it in the bath or something
VOX: I think Ebooks are smart and all that but I do like having something, like a book there.
VOX: I think Ebooks are a pretty good idea but I still like normal books better.
So even though it might get more high-tech, it looks like the school library will be around for a while.
Presenter: Ok, that's an interesting issue so we'll make that this week's poll question
Online Poll
Would you prefer to read a regular book or an Ebook?
To vote just head to our website.
The Score
Ok let's see what's happening in sport with The Score.
A group of determined water skiers has set a new World Record for the largest number of them to be towed by a single boat for one nautical mile.
After seven failed attempts to break the record of 100 people set in Queensland in 1986 the skiers finally made the distance!
A total of 114 water skiers out of 124 managed to hang on till the finish line...leaving skiers and spectators crying tears of joy!
The record still needs to be officially confirmed but the celebrations have already begun!
**********************
And in Melbourne, Englishman Jenson Button has won the Formula One Grand Prix for the second year in a row...with Aussie Mark Webber finishing ninth.
There were a few early casualties. Michael Shumacker who had to replace a nose cone, while more unlucky drivers had to replace their whole car!
Webber was actually coming sixth in the final laps when this happened.
Then it wasn't long before reigning World Champion Button crossed the finish line followed by Robert Kubitsa in second, and Fernando Alonso in third.
Space Suits
Reporter: Sean Maynard
INTRO: If you're an astronaut you won't get very far without a space suit.
It supplies oxygen and protects space travellers from radiation and poisonous gases
But astronauts on very long missions, like to Mars, also need protection from the effects of weightlessness which can damage their bones.
So a new type of spacesuit's been invented and Sean's been checking it out.
SEAN MAYNARD, REPORTER: When I was a kid, there was nothing I wanted to do more when I grew up than to be an astronaut.
But going on a spacewalk isn't exactly a walk in the park. Space Park that is. In fact it's far from it as our catalyst journo found out
From Australian engineer James Waldie, who's been working on making life in space a little more well, liveable for astronauts in those big uncomfortable suits.
Dr Jonica Newby: So James, I've always wanted to know, what would really happen if you didn't have a space suit, I mean did the movies get it right?
Dr James Waldie: No, the movies didn't get it right. What happens simply is that the oxygen is sucked out of your blood at the lung interface and it takes about 10 to
15 seconds for that blood to reach up to your brain. And the last thing you would experience before going unconscious is your saliva boiling off your tongue.
Freaky!
The trouble with going into orbit is there's no air. Space is a vacuum.
And that's why many years ago, NASA invented these space suits. But while they might look cool, wearing one is, well, we'll show you.
Dr James Waldie: So we're evacuating 30% of an atmosphere out of this chamber here.
Dr Jonica Newby: Ok, all fine so far. Oh, gosh, it’s starting to stiffen up. Oh, oh, ahh, that's getting? That's a lot of pressure... Gosh - I can barely move my fingers now.
If you're an avid space-goer, that's hardly living the dream! So Jeffrey's been working on something much more comfortable and slimmer.
Dr Jonica Newby: Is this the look?
This here is the bio-suit.
Unlike the old suits which were pumped full of air from a tank - this new suit is super tight elastic.
But putting it on is the hardest part. The suit's so tight, that it's way worse than squeezing into a tight pair of jeans.
Right now, Jeffrey is trying to perfect the bio-suit for missions to mars
We'll let the guys explain why there's no way astronauts will be wearing the current gear on a future trip to the red planet.
Dr Jeffrey Hoffman: There's all sorts of changes that occur to the human body when you're in the weightless environment of space. For a start, I grow five centimetres, about two inches. The whole body unloads. But without that constant pressure your bones lose calcium,
Dr James Waldie: For a mars mission it would take about two and a half years. So you would come back with the hip bones of a 90 year old.
A 90 year old!
That's because without calcium, bones develop. What's osteoporosis?
They get thinner and weaker inside so they break easily.