Yahoo!7 Answers Blog Australia

I’ve been quite overwhelmed by the response from a recent sponsored question we featured about charity. Specifically, ‘What is the one thing you see in the world that leaves you so saddened you want to do something about it?’ We got well over 400 responses ranging from being saddened by poverty in third world countries to animal cruelty to genocide.
One of them was MADDIE, who had an interesting point:

I think it’s ridiculous that there are obscenely rich people in the world trying to venture into space when half the population didn’t eat anything today.

While Edxr641 was more concerned about people at home:

What saddens me the most is when I look around my own country, and my own suburb, and see people addicted to drugs, living on the streets, stealing to survive, etc and we, as a country send more money off shore than we do to help the poor in our own country.

With so many of us who have expressed our sadness about various things that go on in the world, it makes me realise how much compassion is out there.

Although it would be lovely to wait until we win lotto to make that huge donation, the fact is most of our numbers won’t come up (although I’ll still be buying the tickets just in case )

Some of us have already decided to make a difference, such as Quiet.Buck, who said:

People die every day so my SUV gets gas, so my butt gets moved from point A to point B for my own selfish reasons. In turn… I have closed down my automotive company, I have given up my Porsche, condo and 90% of my material items so far (still selling). And I am looking to now move into the woods and live as one with nature…

|S| had a great idea about incorporating giving charity while having a fun evening with her friends.

Last week, I decided to donate money to the next charity I saw. It just so happened to be Daffodil Day, the major fundraiser of the Cancer Council. I bought a few bouquets of gorgeous blooms, then gave them to a friend who was feeling a bit down. Talk about hitting two birds with one stone!

With all the sadness in the world, I think we all need to make sure we do things that will make a little difference to someone’s life. It might be donating to a favourite charity, or carrying an elderly neighbour’s heavy shopping bags home from the bus stop. Whatever it is, it’ll make this hectic, frazzled world of ours a better place. What charitable thing are you going to do this week?

Caitlin
Community Manager

After a wet and woolly couple of weeks in Sydney I was starting to think we must be one of the rainiest parts of the world! Of course the fact that our dams still aren’t 60% full is an indicator that we’re not, so I did a bit of digging to find out which people on Earth truly live in a constant carwash.

While Australia does have many claims to fame, being the largest island technically isn’t one of them – since we’re actually considered to be a continent and you just can’t have it both ways. Despite being the world’s largest exporter of coal we can’t claim the deepest mine, and we don’t have world’s longest bridge . . . but fortunately we’re not on the list of the world’s officially poorest countries either!

I had a look around Answers and came up with questions about the world’s smallest country, where you can find the smallest tree and even the location of the world’s largest national park. I also found out which nation drinks the most tea (which I could have guessed) and which population of people eat the most cheese per head each year (which I never would have guessed!)

As you can see by the picture I’ve included with this blog, perhaps Australia’s most interesting “world’s biggest” is that 17 metre tall sheep in Goulburn!

Clea

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The feeling of walking out of that final exam and knowing that high school is behind you forever is definitely memorable. Twelve long years finally over, and now the rest of your life sits in front of you – with endless possibilities.

But first things first – time to celebrate. Australian teenagers do it in… ahem… “style”, by heading to several key destinations around the country, including Western Australia’s Rottnest Island, Byron Bay and most significantly to the Gold Coast, to live it up. There are loads of questions on Answers around this time of year about the topic of schoolies – some users just wondering what it’s like, others wondering if they dare send their child off to party unsupervised for an entire week! The hazards of this massive annual event are numerous – police have their hands full to stop the fighting, predatory “toolies” abound and for those who have just come of legal drinking age – well it can get messy. Plus all that sun can result in nasty burns, ruining the week for some. Girls get bitchy, boys brawl and not everyone is lucky in love.

Many have called over the years for the mass congregation of excited teenagers to be banned, saying it puts them all at risk and ruins the holidays of anyone else who has foolishly booked their annual vacation on the same week. But if you look on the bright side it’s a massive boost for local businesses… and who doesn’t look back on their own action packed schoolies experience and laugh? It’s a once in a life time opportunity that precedes life in the real world – and wouldn’t we all go back to that best summer holiday ever if we had the chance?

Clea

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They say chivalry is dead… but to many people knowing the right things to say and way to behave is still very important. Thus the Etiquette category within Yahoo!7 Answers is always full of diverse and interest questions from people wary of making a social faux pas.

The tried and true questions that have confused people through the ages relate to proper dinner table manners – which knife, spoon or fork to use when eating and what is considered acceptable practice. Etiquette questions extend to relationship matters aswell, and whether or not it is rude to offer back an expensive piece of jewellery offered by a former love. Office etiquette is another popular point of discussion – on issues such as how to get along with your co-workers, how to tactfully resign and when to offer your notice.

Moving into the modern age the tricky ground of appropriate SMS behaviour can be very confusing for newcomers to the “art” and when it comes to the subject of money there’s always a risk of offending someone, whether you refuse to split the bill when dining out or if your child’s friend’s parent doesn’t offer money to cover the cost of an outing to the zoo.

What a minefield! Luckily, if you’re wondering if you can get away with wearing white to a wedding or have any other questions based on manners and etiquette just put it to the community and you’ll soon know the answer!

Clea

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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

After the barrage of questions relating to the Easter Bunny and the origins of the season last week I found myself spending some time in the Mythology and Folklore category of Yahoo!7 Answers, which is highly entertaining to browse through – if you’re not easily scared!

There are some particularly creepy tales of supernatural experiences and some accounts from users who claim to have regressed into their past lives after being hypnotised. Whether you believe it or not – you can’t help but feel the hair on the back of your neck stand up when you look through some of the answers to questions seeking stories of ghostly encounters.

The category also allows for users to ask for explanations about superstitions such as the discomfort involving Friday the 13th, or to get some advice on how to further their knowledge of tarot cards and their meanings. It is also interesting to read through and have a look at the questions concerning other cultures, their deities and the customs and beliefsthat have been passed through generations.

If you’re intrigued by things that go bump in the night, or in the background of various folk stories and old wives tales it’s a great category to have a look at – just make sure your nightlight is plugged in!

Clea

One of Australia’s cute native animals – the quokka

I was fortunate enough over the Easter break to do a little bit of travelling and to appreciate some spectacular parts of what this wide brown land has to offer. I really enjoy holidaying within Australia – I love the breathtaking sights, the smell of native wildflowers and getting up close to the beautiful animals that are unique to this country.

Being such a passionate Aussie, I am often surprised by how little outsiders know about our country, especially since we only have a short history to learn about. Perhaps it is the mystery of ‘Terra Australis’ that attracts so many travellers Down Under each year… travellers who are often inspired by their experiences to change their whole lives and to move here for good. Often immigrants who haven’t had the opportunity to check out Australia first will post a few questions on Yahoo!7 Answers to address any concerns they may have about safety or the environment and to help them make a decision on which part of the nation they are going to settle in.

Life in Australia does take a bit of getting used to, but other than missing a few of the comforts of home (recently a North American friend of mine nearly went mad trying to track down a supply of peanut butter chocolate!) it is more often than not a change for the better.

Clea

If a politician’s role is to listen to and act on the views of the people then the President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam is on the right track – he recently posted a question on Answers asking the whole world what they think would be a solution to the terrible problem of terrorism.

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam is one of the most distinguished scientists in India, having written several books and received honorary doctorates from 30 universities and institutions. His focus is on igniting young minds for national development and transforming India into a developed nation by 2020. His question “What should we do to free our planet from terrorism?”has already been answered by hundreds of users, including several other Indian luminaries.

This is an amazing opportunity to have your opinion viewed by a world leader. Coming up with solutions to free the planet from terrorism isn’t an easy task, but if you answer Dr Kalam’s questions perhaps your answer could inspire a turning point towards world peace!

Clea