From Prescription to Addiction
by Leanna Burnard
Prescription pill Stilnox is the drug of choice for many of those with sleeping problems or avid partygoers, but it is highly addictive with adverse side effects. Following the decision to upgrade its warning on the packet this week, Leanna Burnard investigates whether we should be blaming the drug itself, or looking at the cracks in its regulation and distribution.
Local
NightWatch
The City of Sydney council and Glebe Youth Service initiative "After Dark" has encouraged them to participate in sports on Friday and Saturday nights and kept Glebe's troubled youth off the street. Now, as Kasey Trombley reports, the GYS are looking at expanding the successful program.
Hardy Aussies in Space Test
The wattle or waratah may hold the secret of our survival, Tanaya Das reports.
Rural Doctors: A Dying Breed
Rural health services in Australia are on the brink of collapsing with patients forced to visit other towns to get their medical needs addressed. Some are even prophesising a gloomy end for remote health services and the doctors that work within them. Alexandra Beech reports.
Environment & Science
From Prescription to Addiction
Prescription pill Stilnox is the drug of choice for many of those with sleeping problems or avid partygoers, but it is highly addictive with adverse side effects. Following the decision to upgrade its warning on the packet this week, Leanna Burnard investigates whether we should be blaming the drug itself, or looking at the cracks in its regulation and distribution.
No Silver Lining for Silver Beach
Despite Sydney's water crisis easing, the controversial two billion dollar desalination plant is still being built in Kurnell. And as predicted, this plant is a nightmare for its residents with constant noise and air pollution that has severely diminished their standard of living. Brendan Wong reports from Kurnell.
Too Young for the Driver's Seat
Getting your P-plates at seventeen is somewhat of a rite of passage for teenagers. However, disturbing statistics have made the safety of young drivers a major concern today. Current driving restrictions are aimed at reducing teenage road deaths but some evidence suggests that they are not enough. Emma Kemp reports.
Media
Google and the Media: Friend or Foe?
Google's General Manager Karim Temsamani assured a sceptical audience that Google is not a threat to the Australian media industry, at the Future of Journalism summit on 1-2 May. Vicky Stojanovska reports from the summit.
'Time' to Embrace the Online Era
Time International's editor Michael Elliott delivered the keynote speech at the Future of Journalism summit on 1-2 May. He dismissed theories that going online will make print media obsolete. As Dheepthi Namasivayam reports, Mr Elliott believes Time's recent relaunch into cyberspace, has been a wild success.
The Rise of Citizen Journalism
Citizen Journalism is starting to seep through all forms of media reporting whereby members of the public are called upon as key researchers in reporting stories. Vicky Stojanovska reports from the Future of Journalism summit on 1-2 May where a panel of journalists discussed this ever-growing phenomenon.
Arts & Entertainment
The Art of Dialogue with a Stranger
If a piece of art is a dialogue between the artist and the audience, why not just have a conversation? Ross Gibson tested this theory at the Sydney Biennale 2008 with a project called Conversations II where he had 45-minute conversation with random members of the public. Andrew Newman , who was one of them, reports on the experience.
Take the Lead
With a surge of films and reality TV shows focusing on the trials and tribulations of learning everything from samba to the waltz, people of all ages and backgrounds are grabbing their dancing shoes and heading for the studios. Kasey Trombley investigates the phenomenon and some of its benefits.
Skating on Thin Ice
Skate parks are not only places for skillful tricks and hanging out with mates –they are grounds for territorial rivalry and counter-culture politics. Akito Hirata reveals what lies under the surface at some of Sydney’s best-known parks.
