Obesity
OUR bodies cannot digest fibre. It fills up, but has no nutritional value.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
We have an obesity crisis in Australia because people eat too much factory food and not enough (fibre rich) fruit and vegetables.
Leon Cooper, St Leonards.
Gender Diversity
ACROSS the world, and here in Tasmania, there is a growing understanding that gender and sex are, and always have been, broader than just “male” and “female”.
Some people identify with the gender other than the one they were born to. Some people are born with both male and female sex characteristics.
Some people identify as neither male nor female. This is neither whim, nor sin. It is who we are at the deepest level.
The recognition of gender and sex diversity does not mean “eradicating gender” as some people fear.
It simply means removing gender from documents that don’t require it, as has already occurred with passports at a federal level and drivers licences in Tasmania.
It also doesn’t mean prohibiting the use of gendered titles or pronouns.
It simply means giving people the choice to be addressed, for example, as “them” rather than “him” or “her”, as we already do when we are not sure of someone’s sex or gender.
Transgender, gender diverse and intersex people are your family members, friends and work colleagues.
I believe the overwhelming majority of Tasmanians accept that we should have the same legal rights, respect and opportunities as everyone else.
Charlie Burton, Sandy Bay.
Grassroots Politics
LOCAL government is commonly known as “grassroots politics” where campaign advertising expenditure for the forthcoming October 2018 elections is restricted to $8000 per candidate.
While this may be a small amount for candidates with surplus discretionary expenditure, or backed by vested interests, a true grassroots campaign must not be based on the concept that our “democracy can be the best money can buy.”
Kenneth Gregson, Swansea.
All for sale
ONE of my cousins has had great difficulty getting fodder for their drought-stricken cattle property on the mainland, and only through a connection, able to secure a semi-trailer load.
Imagine the surprise when it turned up and it had been earmarked for a consignment to China, all labelled and ready to go.
The politicians were right when they said the country was open for sale, even the grass it would seem.
Peter Taylor, Midway Point.
Sunday Columns
I JUST love the Perspective article published in the The Sunday Examiner (August 12) by Danielle Blewett.
The article on Australia Post, Tortoise or Hare is absolutely hilarious. Laugh out loud material. God, she is clever.
I truly enjoy my Sunday morning read. She always brightens my day. She is obviously the beneficiary of a super duper regular life. Jo Palmer's articles I also read with interest. Two talented local journalists, thank you.
Helen Smialek. Latrobe.
Cable Car
JUST as the wattles begin to bloom gold and hope for spring is in the air again, there comes another cable car proposal as regular (and about as popular) as tax time.
How predictable.
The proposal is like a clarion call for the faithful, a time to renew our vows to the mountain, a time to remind the community that Tasmania’s connection and love for kunanyi is not for sale, not at any price.
A cable car up Mt Wellington?
What a mistake that would be.
The cables and pylons would be a daily reminder that we had sold our soul to feed the insatiable appetite of the tourism industry.
For the mountain is part of Tasmania’s soul - kunanyi gives Hobart a unique silent poise and sense of place that should not be taken for granted.
The cable car would destroy the serenity of the mountain’s face; it would disrupt the dramatic stillness that is such a familiar backdrop to the bustling city.
Do we really want base stations, access roads, cables and pylons defining our capital city’s backyard?
The reason tourists come to Tasmania is to appreciate our natural beauty, our fresh air, to come to a place that is not frantic with big city life.
We should tell the proponents, politely, that we do not want this tourism industry proposal, not yesterday, not today nor tomorrow.
The wattles are blooming, it is time to celebrate the season and wave another cable car proposal goodbye.
Don Defenderfer, Launceston.
Waste in HMAS scuttle
SCUTTLING HMAS Darwin will benefit a select few with a brief encounter with a rusted barnacled steel wreck.
I suggest an alternative.
It could be anchored close off-shore with a connected walkway landing from an existing jetty or pier.
The general public, including children, the aged, and physically impaired, would have the chance to observe on board or from a short distance a reminder of the history of Australia's involvement in battles never to be forgotten.
A cold stark reminder of the cramped living conditions the crew had to endure, the battle stations of a missile frigate, would attract more tourists, locals than any out-of-sight underwater wreck.
The waste controversy is exemplified by the thought of scuttling a ready-made opportunity to put waste to good use.
Hugh Boyd, Prospect Vale.