Boy on a Whale

Fourteeen year old Sam Matheson from Western Australia is a typical teenager. He swam out to a 14m whale, stroked it and then climbed on its back. Now the teenager says he just wanted a closer look but admits that he made a mistake. He didn't realize just how passionate people are about whales.

"I was down at the beach with my mate Shayden. The whale was right there, only 15m from the rocks. I wanted to take a closer look. I swam out to it and put my arms around it, sort of laid against it for about 30 seconds, I was out of the water from the waist up. It had a leather texture, really soft and it didn't even notice me until I laid on it, then it lifted up its tail and went under and pulled me down a bit, but I was fine and swam back to the rocks."

The problem started when someone on the beach saw Sam on the whale's back, took a photo and went to the authorities. Since then, some of the people in town are furious with Sam and want to make a example of him. His mother came to his rescue. "He's grown up around the ocean, he loves surfing, fishing and diving. Sam would never even keep an undersize fish let alone harm a whale. He's been taught to care for the ocean.

Officers interviewed Sam who was remorseful and he was let off with a warning. Harrassing protected species is an offence and the exclusion zone around whales is 100m for boats, surfers and people in kayaks.

Highest IQ in the World

Kim Ung-Yong was born on the 8th March 1962 in South Korea and has the higest IQ in the world, estimated at around 210. Shortly after birth, he displayed remarkable intellectual ability - he began speaking at 4 months, could talk fluently at 6 months, and by is second birthday, could read Japanese, German and English. At the age of 4 he solved a calculus problem on Japanese television. In early childhood, he began writing poetry and was a brilliant painter.

Kim was a guest student of physics at Hanyang University auditing courses from the age of 4 until he was 7. In 1970 at the age of 8 he was invited to the US by NASA and received a Ph.D in physics at Colorado University. In 1974 during his university studies, he began his research work at NASA and continued this work until he returned to Korea in 1978.

When he got home to Korea, he decided to switch from physics to civil engineering and eventually received a doctorate in that field. He has published about 90 papers on hydraulics in scientific journals and he also serves as adjunct faculty at Chungbuk National University.

But it hasn't all been plain sailing for this intelligent man. The 48 year old was hurt when the Korean media denounced him as a "failed genius" because he chose an "ordinary" job - in the business and planning department at Chungbuk Development Corporation. "People expected me to become a high-ranking government official or CEO of a big company, but my life is not a failure and I am happy."

While working in America with NASA he describes his life there as "the lonely years". He said "At that time, I lived my life like a machine, I woke up, solved the daily assigned equation, ate, slept, etc. I really didn't know what I was doing and I had no friends".

When he came home to Korea, the media wouldn't leave him alone. "I was sick and tired of being the centre of attention, like a monkey in the zoo". But he didn't have the required qualifications to get a job, he needed elementary, middle and high school diplomas. "Since I had no official diploma, I had to start over again from scratch". It took him about a year to get his elementary and middle school diplomas and the high school diploma the following year. Then he chose to attend a university with students his own age but somewhere out of Seoul where he would be less conspicuous.

Kim says that people attach too much importance on IQ. "Some people believe that those with a high IQ are omnipotent but it's not true. Look at me, I don't have musical talent and don't excel at sports. If there is a long spectrum of categories with many different talents, I would only be part of that spectrum. I'm just good at concentrating on one thing, and there are many others who have different talents". He added "Everyone has different learning levels, hopes, talents and dreams."

And he also has the added talent of humility.

Zahra Baker - Little Girl Lost in America

Little Australian girl Zahra Baker is missing in America. The nine year old suffers hearing loss and had a lower leg amputated after a bout of cancer. She was born in Australia but moved to America after her father Adam Baker met a woman on the internet two years ago.

Last Friday in North Carolina, police found a mattress in a garbage dump they believe belonged to Zahra and are hoping DNA testing will provide crucial evidence in the case. Zahra's parents disposed of the mattress a few days before they reported her missing.

Now police have found a prosthetic leg but because it was fitted in Australia, it will take time to confirm whether it belongs to Zahra. Police need the model and serial number for identification. Eliza Baker, Zahra's stepmother, has been helping police since last Sunday and joined the search near a home she lived in three years ago. According to local media, the leg was found near that area.

Zarah's stepmother has been charged with obstructing justice after she admitted writing a fake $1 million ransom note. She is also under investigation amid claims that she abused the little girl. Search teams are back at the family home in Hickory looking for more evidence and are using dogs, backhoes and shovels. DNA testing is still being performed on the mattress.

Zahra's father Adam Baker, a former Queensland sugar mill worker was arrested on Monday for writing worthless cheques, two counts of communicating threats and one count of assault with a deadly weapon. However these charges are not connected to Zahra's disappearance.

In cases like this, it makes you aware of just how vulnerable little children are regarding their parents' love interests. They have no choice but to tag along with whoever their parent decides to shack up with. There now appears to be little hope that Sahra will be found alive.

Edit 23 August 2013:  In September 2011, the victim's stepmother Elisa Baker pleaded guilty to murdering Zahra and was sentenced to 18 years.  In 2013, she was given an additional 10 years for drug related charges.

Australian Soldiers Returning Home from Afghanistan

Bill Shorten

Bill Shorten, Assistant Treasurer, is well connected, he's the son-in-law of the Governor General, Ms Quentin Bryce. Yesterday during the parliamentary debate on the Afghanistan war, he made the point that the Defence Force must be prepared for diggers returning home with psychological disorders.

He said there is much high-blown rhetoric about support for our troops and the troops believe it. While funerals for diggers killed in action are receiving high profile attention, soldiers returning with wounds require special care and that includes those suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.

He said "So far, 156 of our best and bravest have been physically wounded in Afghanistan but this figure doesn't include psyschological wounds".

"We need to look after them and their family. On a daily, unrelenting basis, the trauma, pain and adjustment for family and friends of an IED (roadside bomb) amputee is huge" he added. Let's hope that high-blown rhetoric about support really counts for something when these soldiers need it most.

When The Rains Came

Craig Johnston from West Wyalong is a happy man. With the worst dry spell on record, farmers will now be able to harvest a bumper crop and country towns will share the wealth. This year 750mm of rain has fallen on his parched land which was a dust bowl - 350mm above the average. "The last nine years have been tough but this year is looking great, the only thing is we are not there yet" he said. "If we get money in the bank, then this will be the best season I've ever had.

The rains have brought record prices for spring lambs - $230 in the salesyards - because there is more feed for stock. In the tiny community of West Wyalong, more than nine industries will be boosted by Craig Johnston's crop and sheep sales. Everyone from Landmark - who Craig employs to sell his stock - through to the auto-electrician who will benefit indirectly from the truck driver who carts the stock.

But all this good news depends on whether he can harvest his crop and there is no guarantee that he will. There is currently a locust plague - the worst in thirty years - a mice plague, and the threat of wet weather could all ruin his crop. Anxious farmers across NSW are holding their breath waiting to harvest a $2.85 billion winter crop.

GM Scott Abottoirs Cootamundra CEO Len Jones said the national sheep crop had dropped from 170 million to 60 million in the past 7 years due to the drought. "For people on the land, it's been disastrous, so it's important to get our industry and agriculture back on track" he said.

Due to the positive outlook the abottoir will spend $7 million on an upgrade which means more employment opportunities. Dan Tulloch, the transport operator employed by Landmark to cart livestock to abottoirs said his work would pick up dramatically as farmers rebuilt animal numbers. That meant he would have money to spend on truck upgrades at businesses like the local auto-electrician.

It's not just agriculture or machinery businesses that benefit. Diane Kearins from Pat Kearins Menswear said she was expecting the best Christmas for 10 years. "When the farmers have money, so do their wives, who spend it in town" she said.

Who in their right mind would be a farmer? It must be in the blood. They deserve a medal.

How To Be Happy

Shawn Achor

Harvard University Lecturer Shawn Achor has written a book called "The Happiness Advantage". He says positive thinkers have a biological advantage over people who are neutral or negative. Here are some tips from his book.

Metitate - Research shows that regular meditation can permanently rewire the brain to raise levels of happiness, lower stress and even improve immune function.

Find something to look forward to - maybe a night out or weekend away or plan a holiday for the future. Anticipating future rewards can actually light up the pleasure centres in your brain.

Be kind - research shows that giving to others decreases stress and contributes to enhanced mental health.

Pictures - surround yourself with photos of people you love both at home and work.

Exercise - is not just a powerful mood lifter but also a long lasting one. Run, walk, ride, play, stretch, skip, jump, it doesn't matter, as long as you get moving.

Spending money - not on useless "stuff" but worthwhile experiences like a night out with friends or a concert or a live show. Spending money on friends and family also makes us happy.

Exercise your strengths - to learn what your top strengths are, take the test on http://www.viasurvey.org/. Pick one of your strengths and use it in a different way every day. Studies show that the more you use your signature strengths in daily life, the happier you will become.

I have done the survey and can recommend it - it not only makes you aware of how you think, it's good to see what your positive strengths are, something we all possess.

The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor is published by Virgin Books and out in November.

The Australian Greens

The Greens are emerging as a real alternative political party in Australia, instead of two major parties we now have three. It was the Greens who decided to have a debate about the Afghanistan war, they say the majority of Australians are against the war and I believe it. We want to be consulted before our government jumps in and commits our country to fight people we have no issue with, just because America thinks it's a good idea at the time. The same goes for euthanasia, both parties are afraid to touch the subject but the Greens want it put on the table. Then there's the banks who have been ripping us off for years and announcing bigger and bigger profits - the Greens want to put the hard word on them, something Labor and the Coalaition refuse to do. So you can't blame people for thinking that this party is a better alternative.

But there are Green policies I don't agree with, one being to let all asylum seekers in, give them immediate visas and sign them up for Centrelink benefits. So I will never vote for them.

In today's Herald Nielson poll, Labor's primary vote is down a considerable 4 percentage points, from 38 to 34 percent. It means Labor has lost the votes of about half a million people in two months since the election. Of those, half appear to have gone to the Greens. If it persists, it will destroy Labor permanently as a party able to govern in its own right and force it into permanent dependency - or perhaps a coalition - with the Greens.

I get the feeling Labor is struggling to survive and Tony Abbott has said the Coalition must be ready to govern at short notice. Will Labor merge with the Greens and form a Coalition? Interesting times in Canberra.