Yahoo!7 Answers Australia

One of the best thing about living in Australia is how diverse the opportunity for travel is… it is just as amazing to experience the tropical rainforests of Northern Queensland as it is to stand in the sandy surroundings of Alice Springs or to drive through the Karri tree forests on the south coast of Western Australia. Being from WA originally but having family in Sydney I spent much of my childhood in the car as we made the economically sensible journey from Perth to Sydney for the Christmas holidays. Perhaps at the time I didn’t appreciate it but now I look back fondly on all the memories and vivid images that are etched in my mind. I remember getting out of the car at the Great Australian Bight, I remember watching the sun set over the Nullabor Plain and I remember the thrill of seeing kangaroos, wombats, emus and even camels by the side of the road.

Holidaying “at home” is as popular as ever, especially because the list of places to visit is just endless. With this in mind, Yahoo!7 has relaunched its My Australia travel site, with new and up to date information to help you plan your next trip – whether you’re simply getting out of town for two days or you’re heading of for a month road trip along the Great Ocean Road.

Some of Channel 7’s best loved and most well travelled celebrities are on board to support the new travel site… and they are looking forward to getting in touch with the Answers community to hear about other Australians’ experiences in this wide brown land.

You’ll notice that The Great Outdoors’ Shelley Craft is currently featuring on the Yahoo!7 Answers homepage with her question to you… and keep an eye out over the coming months for questions from her friends at Channel 7!

Clea

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Earlier in the month we featured the Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who joined Yahoo!7 Answers to ask you what question you would put to him if you had the opportunity. There were hundreds of responses from people who wanted to know things as diverse as how often Mr Howard buys his own milk or what his plans are to promote economic growth within the country.

It was impossible for the Prime Minister to respond to each and every one of the replies he received, so in the end he chose five and recorded a video response for each. The questions were as follows -

- When does the government plan to make solar power more affordable for those planning to install it? The current rebates are really not that high. Is there a chance the government will bring something in? Kimmy

- What is your government planning to do with increasing poverty, the rising cost of living but no rise in wages. The health system is so poor. We need dental bulk billed again? What are you going to do to fix the problem? sweetlip_au

- I am very concerned that we are headed in the same direction as the US. How can you guarantee that your workplace changes will have positive results for those in lower income brackets in the workforce in Australia? Sun Sun

- What is the real reason you sent our troops to Iraq? Coracao

- I can’t afford the high level of health cover I need anymore. I don’t know where I fit in and I wonder why you spent so much money subsidising private health care when so many of us rely on Medicare. knockonwooddesign

Congratulations to those users who had their answers to the Prime Minister responded to and thanks to everyone else who participated! In the end the answer that was chosen as best was the question relating to Iraq – because it had the most thumbs up from community members.

Keep an eye out for more politicians coming to you for information on Yahoo!7 Answers.

Clea

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It has been another big week for news both at home and away. On the home front an outbreak of equine flu means that it is highly possible the spring racing season will be called off across Australia. This is devastating news for so many business people, including trainers, bookies, and even milliners who are normally kept busy at this time of year supplying the racing crowd with fancy hats to wear.

Although the equine flu is not deadly, it has arisen in horses all over the country and is very difficult to vaccinate against, hence the concern and need for quarantine. Even the police horses won’t be seen controlling any crowds that show up to protest during the APEC meeting that will be held next week because of the outbreak.

Speaking of APEC, as the world leader conference draws near Sydney-siders are generally expressing their confusion over how they will be affected during the event as there will be road closures, traffic delays and many areas with restricted public access. Police and Government officials are so worried about APEC security that a public holiday has been declared for the Sydney metro area on Friday September 7th, however this itself has many people perplexed – they are wondering where “Sydney metro” begins and ends!

Another hot topic on Yahoo!7 Answers this week is the hospitalization of actor Owen Wilson for what is being called a suspected suicide attempt, with a number of questions relating to the incident springing up since the news was announced on Monday. It has come as a surprise to many users as the star of so many popular films has never been in the celebrity gossip columns for outrageous antics or manic behaviour. Pretty much everyone is shocked by what has happened and wishes the well known comic all the best.

Finally – don’t forget to point your eye to the sky if you’re on the east coast tonight – the moon will turn red as part of a rare total lunar eclipse. If you’re trying to decide which TV ad break to duck out for… check Answers!

Clea

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I recently attended my partner’s family reunion – a three day get together that involved booking out an entire park of cabins, a giant vat of pancake mix, many heartfelt speeches and a ton of laughs. It was amazing to see so many people come together from all over the world because of the connection that they have through their blood and genes and because of the respect they have for the elder generation who instigated the event.

There’s just something about family that makes you forgive, makes you go the extra mile and makes you dial their number first in times of trouble or triumph. It’s a shame that this modern world drives us to remote corners, taking us far from the people we know and love the most.

Watching Channel 7’s Morning Show the other day we noticed that they have started a “Make Time” campaign, encouraging people to reconnect with the ones they love. What a great idea! It really does only take a quick phone call or email to remind the people you care about that you are thinking of them.

We’d like to hear from you – How do you make time for friends and family? What are the small things that you do to stay in touch and keep your favourite people close – even if they are on the other side of the country, or on the other side of the world?

Have a great weekend!

Clea

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It was a surprise to me that Australian actress Naomi Watts recently gave her baby the very traditional name of Alexander. Usually celebrities err on the side of outrageous when they are choosing monikers for their offspring – take the recent examples of Suri, Shiloh, Moses and Princess Tiaammii. Baby names are always a good talking point, as people are always very divided on the topic and have strong opinions on whether it is better to choose something unusual that will mean your child will never have any friends with the same name, or to stick with something that is well known and familiar, which everyone will know how to spell!

People often look to their ethnic backgrounds when choosing names, wanting their children to reflect their heritage, however often the meaning of these names can be lost along the way. Thank heavens the internet exists to make finding such things out so much easier! No matter what the name, there is always someone out there who can provide you with some background information as to its origin.

The Yahoo!7 Answers Baby Names category is always busy with people looking for unique baby name ideas, or with people wanting to gauge from the online population whether their choice is a good one. People are always quick to be honest on the internet so if you’re leaning towards a real stinker you’ll soon know about it!

Clea

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Anyone who has met me a few times will know that I am a huge cat fan. My first cat was a stray kitten – all black with white paws, belly and a diamond shape on her forehead. She was a nervous cat her whole life, but after the first year she settled a lot.

As I grew more and more attached to my cat, I found out about the whole word of cat fanatics! While I wouldn’t say I fit into this sub-culture, it is definitely fun to see what they are into. On Answers you can also find all manner of interesting cat facts – Have you ever wondered how a cat can squeeze through seemingly impossible passages?

Six years ago I bought 2 bengal cats (not to be confused with the bengal tiger!), which are very exotic looking cats that look like little leopards. They will keep you entertained – and occasionally without sleep – with all their crazy antics, but each cat is different with a different personality. One of my cats recently went missing and I have been trying to find her, to no avail. It has been a month, which seems like too long to still have hope, however I recently read that cats can go walkabout for many months and then return – that gives me some hope.

Whatever type of pet you are into, at Yahoo!7 Answers you can find the answer to your question.

Alana

As the Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment, Heritage and the Arts, Peter Garrett would like to ensure that your concerns about the environment are looked at and has turned to Yahoo!7 Answers to get the low-down from Australians like you.

While he is well known for his time as an Aussie rocker, these days Peter burns the midnight oil (excuse the pun!) coming up with environment policies and new ways to tackle climate change.

Peter will be choosing a Best Answer to his question and respond via a video which he will link to in his question, so share your ideas with Peter, the Labor Party and your fellow Australians…

What do you think the Australian Labor Government should do to tackle climate change?

Alana

If you are an old skool Yahoo!7 Answers community member, you will remember me from day one, but might not have known that I was still around. I have been working behind the scenes on all sorts of exciting things over the past year and half. Well… it’s good to be back on the blog!

Speaking of ‘old skool‘, as a Gen X – Gen Y cusper, I grew up with much of popular culture’s old skool classics. To me, old skool means ‘old is kool’ and is all about the 80s and 90s when rap artists started making use of the term.

Before game consoles, there were hand-held gaming devices. My favourite one was a 2-layer, orange ‘game and watch’ from the 80s called Donkey Kong. Have you ever wondered why the game Donkey Kong doesn’t have a donkey in it?

Growing up, I used to call a 0055 number to find out where an underground rave was a few hours before it started – I loved the music and the culture, especially the happy vibes from the other ravers. The other day when browsing Answers, I found a great list of songs that I used to listen to and found it quite nostalgic! Did you know which old skool track was used in the movie, The Shining?

Old skool even describes basketball and Ferraris, anime and parenting to name just a few.

Let us know your fondest old skool moments from your life!

Alana

As the Federal Election starts to hot up, Yahoo!7 Answers gives you the opportunity to have your burning questions answered by Australia’s politicians. To kick things off, we are giving you access to Prime Minister John Howard who will choose a number of questions (from your answers) to respond to, personally, via video.

(Like all participation on Yahoo!7 Answers, please refer to the Community Guidelines).

Over the coming weeks, right up to the election, Answers will be the place to communicate with Australian politicians, from both the Government and the Opposition.

I will be posting video replies on the blog, so check back next week to see the response to your questions and find out who will be the next Australian politician to choose Yahoo!7 Answers as the place to connect with you, the Australian public.

Return to Yahoo!7 Answers to ask John Howard your question.

Alana

Watch out for moose! Photo by evildannee

You won’t see me much on the blog over the next couple of weeks because I’m taking some leave and heading up to Canada for a holiday.

While it is generally one of the colder parts of the world Canada does get its fair share of sunshine, and there are plenty of activities to do around this time of year, including hiking, swimming and cycling. Canada is an incredible place to do some wildlife spotting, with amazing native animals living not far from civilised areas. You don’t have to go far in many parts of the country to see a moose or a wild deer, and for many people the risk of encountering bears is very real. I know it’s silly but I am always excited to see squirrels running about the streets, because we don’t have them at home. However I did learn on my last visit not to get too excited when you encounter a skunk!

Canada is also home of the clamato caesar, a unique and surprisingly tasty beverage made from tomato and clam juice. The summer months are fantastic too for the surplus of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and delicious stone fruit that can be found growing in the wild and can also be bought very cheaply at the market.

Now don’t start worrying while I’m away… I’m not the only Yamster around the place so Yahoo!7 Answers won’t be abandoned and left to its own devices! Keep an eye on the blog and the homepage over the coming days as some very special guests will be joining the site with some really exciting questions.

See you soon!

Clea

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