Yahoo!7 Answers Australia

Fine dining at it’s best – just don’t come starving!

There’s nothing worse than going to a restaurant because it looks nice from the outside and then realising that the atmosphere is dark and dingy, the service is terrible and the food is barely edible. Which is why it helps to do a bit of research before you head out to eat!

You may decide it would be nice to down a fiery tandoori after a stroll along Oxford Street in Sydney… perhaps you’re in Perth and wouldn’t mind a burrito or fajita after some shopping on Hay Street, or maybe you’re a European expat in Adelaide with a hankering for some good ol’ German sauerkraut. Where better to look for free recommendations than the Dining Out category of Yahoo!7 Answers? You can find out where you’re most likely to be dining alongside pollies in Canberra or if there’s anywhere on Lygon Street in Melbourne you can get a Japanese teppanyaki rather than a big bowl of Italian pasta. You can even plans your meals before you pack up the campervan and head off for a tour of Tassie, or prepare yourself to dine on crocodile up in the northern most capital city of the county.

The other thing that the dining out category is handy for is brushing up on some old fashioned manners. There are still plenty of restaurants that expect the standard of their patrons to match the classy décor and silver cutlery – so you’ll be expected to know which hand the fork is actually supposed to go in. And then there’s the age old question – should your serviette go in your lap or be tucked into your collar? This is already answered for you – just click and take a look!

Sometimes the most memorable dining experiences involve spectacular cuisine and views, but often the best times that you look back on simply involve a bunch of good friends, a cool drink and some traditional Aussie pub grub!

Are you hungry now? I am!

Clea

We have already heard from several of the Yahoo!7 Answers / Be a Better Planet competition judges over the past couple of weeks, who have given us the lowdown on their own personal involvement in environmental issues.

This week we’d like to introduce another important figure who will be taking part in the decision making process, sorting through hundreds of answers to the question How would you spend $50,000 to create a more sustainable environment in Australia until a winner is chosen – the Co-founder and Chief of Yahoo! David Filo.

David cares so much about the environment that he is the driving force behind the push for Yahoo! offices all over the world to go carbon neutral, and is even asking for your thoughts on how to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

Here are some of David’s own thoughts and tips on ‘green’ living -

What do you do in your own daily life to reduce carbon emissions?
I’ve done simple things like changing out my light bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs, buying green power through my local utility, recycling and owning a hybrid car, but mostly it’s just being mindful of the choices I can make every day.

How can companies make their offices more environmentally friendly?
By examining their facilities to determine the most practical actions for reducing energy consumption. Options might include installing motion sensors to turn of lights in unused offices or conference rooms, recycling aggressively, investing in renewable energy programs, installing window films to reduce the need for climate control, upgrading appliances and mechanical systems with energy-efficient products and encouraging employees to pursue alternative commute options. Little changes can go a long way.

What is one really simple thing people can start doing right now to reduce global warming?
Think differently about everything. Whether replacing incandescent lights with more energy-efficient CFL light bulbs, turning off computers at night, or choosing public transport over driving, if people consider the environment before they act, we could see a dramatic impact.

Is there enough awareness in the community about the deteriorating state of the planet?
Awareness is definitely growing — efforts like “An Inconvenient Truth” and recent global media coverage have been very effective in making the issue top of mind. However, I think people still feel overwhelmed by the problem and they aren’t convinced that their individual actions can change anything. That’s the mindset we need to start changing. Millions of actions contributed to our problem and millions of actions can reduce it.

The big question still needs answers! There’s plenty of time to register and make your own suggestion on how 50,000 big ones could be best spent to improve the environment in Australia – each entry will be considered by David and his presitgious panel of fellow judges, including Better Homes and Gardens’ Jason Hodges, New Idea Editor Robyn Foyster, Planet Ark Founder Jon Dee, University of Technology Sydney Professor of Environmental Science Derek Eamus, All Saints actor Virginia Gay and Yahoo!7 CEO Ian Smith.

Yahoo!7 Answers Team

Whales – still under threat

Residents in the far north of Western Australia will not be taking advantage of unseasonably warm weather being experienced by the whole nation this week – as a 3 metre long crocodile has been spotted lurking about Cable Beach –the area’s most popular tourist spot. Wildlife officers fear they will have to shoot the reptile – not an ideal solution – they are hoping it will tire of waiting for an unsuspecting traveller to wade into the ocean and take off in search of other potential food sources.

Killing a crocodile would cause some upset from animal conservationists, but not nearly as much as the idea of killing whales does. There is certainly a lot of discussion on Yahoo!7 Answers about countries such as Japan moving to lift a ban on commercial whaling. For now the ban is upheld – as the International Whaling Commission has been convinced that the world is at risk of wiping out these majestic mammals permanently, however Japan has not ruled out going against orders and continuing whaling it it’s own economic zone.

In other news – you may have noticed a lack of coverage in this blog of the recent exploits of the starlets Miss LL and Miss PH. It was recently decided over muffins and coffee by the Yahoo!7 Answers Team that these particular partying and scandal causing young celebrities shall not be mentioned by name or deed as they are completely overexposed on a global level. Henceforth no rehab stints or prison stays will be mentioned in this blog – despite the fact that it is very tempting and easy to poke fun at particular incidents of airheaded behaviour.

Even mentioning certain people’s initials is almost breaking the newly created guidelines so I will stop here and say have a good weekend and don’t forget to add your contribution to the Yahoo!7 Answers/ Be a Better Planet $50,000 question if you haven’t already!

Clea