Umesh asked Chatback a real life question, "Why is English dominating today's world? If such situation will continue then what will be the future of other languages. I had just heard that one of the language of Andman Nicobar Island of India had lost its last speaker. I relly wonder that after 200 or 300 years....what will be the fate of my mother toungue Hindi. Can you please through some light on this?"
Bill and RJ Fee discussed this question on the show last Sunday night. Click the podcasts links below to find out what they said and then let us know if you agree or disagree.
Plus RJ Fee wants to know what language YOU think we will all be speaking 100 years from now ... well not US obviously ... but humankind in general? English, Hindi, Mandarin, Arabic, Twitter speak?
After the Chilean earthquake there was a tsunami warning issued for the Pacific rim and while most countries evacuated and took it seriously ... the majority of Australians did not.
People flocked to the beaches because the sun was out for the first time in days, it was a weekend and people just don't seem to take warings seriously downunder. Surf lifesavers were told to close the beaches and clear the surf but were abused by the public who didn't want to comply and thought it was all unnecessary overkill.
The problem dismayed authorities so much that the government is considering involving police and defense force personal to force people to obey warnings next time.
Hey even I admit I've ignored the warning on medication bottles not to drive or operate heavy machinery when taking it. How about you ... do you take warnings seriously? Chck out the podcasts below from last Sunday's show.
If you missed last night show ... don't worry! I'll upload the podcasts here on my blog page all this week.
One story we had fun with ... as well as a little dessention I might add ... was a story from the Dehli Times about Cheryl and Ashley Cole.
Rick wanted to discuss it on Chatback so we invited George along and had at it! Apparently a 'friend' of Cheryl Cole told the DT that Cheryl reportedly wanted her husband Ashley to take a lie detector test to find out if he really has been cheating on her.
First of all Cherly needs to pick her friends better since they seem to be happy to air her dirty laundry in public and secondly can any marriage, let alone such a public one, possibly survive the perceived need for a lie detector test? Now besides possible cheating, possible lying and obviously hurtful public scrutiny there is the added problem of hurt pride. Some husbands asked to take this kind of test might be well miffed that their word wasn't good enough and say no just on principal even if they were innocent. Click below to hear the podcasts.
Do you know how much modern civilization owes to the space program?
Everything from tennis rackets, helmets, wrist watches, cordless drills and power tools to home insulation, fire fighters suits, bar codes, pacemakers, fire blankets, smoke detectors and medical equipment owe their invention to NASA and space scientists.
Necessity is the mother of invention and if it wasn't for mankind's insatiable desire to explore the heavens our lives would be very different. Can you imagine life without the Internet or television? Well if it wasn't for space exploration and satellites we wouldn't be having this conversation ... well you know what I mean!
So when Chatback received the question, "Should governments be spending so much money on space programs?" I jumped at the chance to share my views along with Ben and Matty.
A chatback listener sent through a real life question asking, "How can I deal with a long term, chronic illness?" We kept it anonymous due to the personal nature of the RLQ but Bill and I still discussed this question at length on Chatback.
Both Bill and I are dealing with family members with chronic illness and so it is a question close to our hearts. It doesn't seem fair, it often leads to depression and despair and family and friends often suffer along with the ill person. So what is the answer? How can we learn to deal? Check out the podcasts from last Sunday's Chatback show to find out.
"What would the world be like without government or transport?" The Chatback team discussed this real life question from Dimphina Periera on the show and now you can catch the conversation with the podcasts below.
Words like chaos and anarchy abounded as George, Paul and RJ fee unpacked this hypothetical and Paul insists that even a bad government is better than no government. What do you think?
It's disappointing if those in authority are corrupt, ineffectual, uncaring or manipulative but surely some order is betterthan none? Or not? Share your perspective on Chatback.
Love, music and mathematics are the three universal languages ... I love this clip from the World Science Festival last year where Bobby McFerrin uses the pentatonic scale to reveal how our brains are wired and what connects all peoples regardless of background, education, status or culture.
Thousands of Vietnamese fishermen are giving a royal send-off to a 15-ton dead whale, gathering at a southern Vietnamese village to pay homage at a funeral for the creature they call "Your Excellency."
Nearly 10,000 people have converged in Bac Lieu province to bid farewell to the 52 foot (16-meter) whale since he was dragged ashore Monday, said coast guard official Do Tien Ha.
They burned incense in his honor and planned to build a temple at the site of his burial, on Tuesday. Nearly 3,000 people attended the whale's last rites, to be held at the mouth of the Cai Cung River.
In Vietnam's fishing culture, whales are considered sacred. They are referred to by the title "ngai," the same honorific used for kings, emperors and other esteemed leaders.
"Whenever whales arrive, dead or alive, local fishermen believe they bring luck and safety," Ha said.
So what do you think? Do whales go to heaven when they die??
Will you?
Hundreds of small white fish fell from the sky in the north of Australia - not once - but twice last week.
Locals said "It rained fish in Lajamanu on Thursday and Friday night . They fell from the sky everywhere. People were picking them up off the footy oval and on the ground everywhere and these fish were alive when they hit the ground."
And it's not the first time either. This weird phenomina happened back in 2004 and 1974 in the same location.
A senior weather forecaster said the geological conditions were ideal to allow the phenomena to occur - but
... "It's a very unusual event. With an updraft, (fish and water picked up) could get up high - up to 60,000 or 70,000 feet."
Reports from all over Asia in the last 30 years report incidents of fish, frogs, eels, newts, toads and birds plummeting from the sky sometimes encased in blocks of ice.
And the reaction from Northern Territory locals ... "Thank God it didn't rain crocodiles."
Sometimes you just gotta laugh at something ... and today this is it! Gotta love the hip movements and I reckon he looks like he's whipping his imaginary camel in near the end :P RJ Fee - Chatback
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Will Hindi die out Pt2
