Blank Page No.20

As we head home for the weekend, we leave you in the very capable hands of Andrew in Australia and Abdi in Kenya…..over to you……

On air: Will America still be America if whites are the minority?

Whites will become an ethnic minority in the United States in a generation as Hispanic and Asian populations transform the make up of the leader of the western world. The US Census Bureau projects that whites, now 66 per cent of the population, will make up less than half the total in 2042 – eight years sooner than previously predicted.

On air: Is Michael Phelps the greatest ever olympian?

He’s won six gold medals already and could bag another two over the weekend. So far the 23 year old American swimmer has won a record equalling 12 career Olympic gold medals.

Is the internet making us stupid?

Well is it? When was the last time you read a long book or had the time to think deeply about some aspect of your life or the world around you?

Do you find it hard to concentrate on things? Is your attention constantly scattered by the demands of emails or the temptation to hopscotch from link to link?

If so, you might be suffering from what some think are the effects of using the internet. Effects that may include re-shaping the neural networks in our brain.

So are we suffering from a threat to our ability to read deeply and think seriously or is this yet another example of fear of the new?

Talking Points 15 August

Goodmorning, it’s Karnie…sorry about the delay..my computer’s been playing up!!

Thanks Mike, Brett, Steve and Will for stepping in at the last minute to moderate the blog..

By 2042 whites in the United States will be outnumbered by other racial groups due to significantly higher birth rates among immigrants. Several states, including California and Texas, have already reached the point where members of minorities are in the majority. The change will have far-reaching consequences for politics in the United States, pushing immigration and social reform to the top of the agenda.

Taxi for Sandell…

From Mark…

There are two Olympic Games going on here. There’s the smiley, “Ni Hao”, “Welcome to Beijing”, Bird’s Nest games and then there’s the other , slightly sinister, rumour-laden, you- are- being- watched, sanitised Games.