21
Questions for discussion E. coli 1. About how many Australians every year are affected by food poisoning? 2. Which European country is thought to be the source of the E. coli outbreak? 3. It is thought that the E. coli infection was caused by eating a. Undercooked meat b. Some vegetables c. Dairy products 4. When can E. coli cause serious health problems? 5. What is a serious E. coli infection often linked to? 6. What are the symptoms of an infection? 7. Which organ can be affected by a serious E. coli infection? 8. What can be done to prevent being infected with E. coli? 9. Heat can kill E. coli. True or false? 10. What changes will you make to the way you handle food since watching this story? Test your knowledge in the online E. coli quiz. Go to the BtN website and follow the links. Cloud computing 1. What was the main point of the story? 2. Using words or pictures, explain what cloud computing is. 3. Why do we need cloud computing? 4. What sort of information can be stored in `the cloud’? 5. Why don’t you need a fast computer or big hard drive when using cloud computing? 6. Cloud computing allows people to use any computer, anywhere. True or false? 7. Where is the information in `the cloud’ stored? 8. Why is security an important aspect of cloud computing? 9. How is the information protected? 10. What do you understand more clearly since watching this story? Post a message about this story on the BtN guestbook http://abc.net.au/btn/guestbook.html Abstract art 1. Before you watch the Abstract art story, record what you think abstract art is. 2. Complete the following sentence: `Abstract art represents things you can’t see like…’ 3. Abstract art is always created using paint. True or false? 4. Name a famous abstract artist. EPISODE 16 14 TH JUNE 2011

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Questions for discussion

E. coli 1. About how many Australians every year are affected by food poisoning? 2. Which European country is thought to be the source of the E. coli outbreak? 3. It is thought that the E. coli infection was caused by eating

a. Undercooked meat b. Some vegetables c. Dairy products

4. When can E. coli cause serious health problems? 5. What is a serious E. coli infection often linked to? 6. What are the symptoms of an infection? 7. Which organ can be affected by a serious E. coli infection? 8. What can be done to prevent being infected with E. coli? 9. Heat can kill E. coli. True or false? 10. What changes will you make to the way you handle food since watching this

story?

Test your knowledge in the online E. coli quiz. Go to the BtN website and follow the links.

Cloud computing

1. What was the main point of the story? 2. Using words or pictures, explain what cloud computing is. 3. Why do we need cloud computing? 4. What sort of information can be stored in `the cloud’? 5. Why don’t you need a fast computer or big hard drive when using cloud

computing? 6. Cloud computing allows people to use any computer, anywhere. True or

false? 7. Where is the information in `the cloud’ stored? 8. Why is security an important aspect of cloud computing? 9. How is the information protected? 10. What do you understand more clearly since watching this story?

Post a message about this story on the BtN guestbook

http://abc.net.au/btn/guestbook.html

Abstract art

1. Before you watch the Abstract art story, record what you think abstract art is. 2. Complete the following sentence: `Abstract art represents things you can’t

see like…’ 3. Abstract art is always created using paint. True or false? 4. Name a famous abstract artist.

EPISODE 16

14TH

JUNE 2011

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5. Where is Aelita Andre’s exhibition being held? 6. How much did one of her artworks sell for? 7. In the BtN story, Kirsty’s artwork was done in the style of which famous

artist? 8. What do you think makes a good piece of abstract art? 9. Does an artwork need to make sense to everyone who looks at it? Explain

your answer. 10. How has your thinking changed about abstract art since watching the BtN

story?

View abstract artworks created by famous painters such as Kandinsky, Mondrian and Pollock at http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/ What do you like or dislike about the artwork? Why?

Good manners 1. Briefly summarise the Good manners story. 2. What did a recent survey about manners find? 3. How have expectations about manners changed over the years? 4. What are Carolyn’s views about manners? 5. What should you do with your knife and fork once you have finished your

meal? 6. What reasons are being given for manners not being taught as much? 7. Give examples of manners that are not relevant today? 8. Which manners do you think are important and should be taught? 9. Who should take responsibility for teaching manners? Why? 10. Has this story changed the way you think about manners? Why or why not?

`Are manners less important today?’ Vote in the BtN online poll http://www.abc.net.au/btn/.

Tassie devils

1. Describe the reputation of the Tassie devil. 2. The Tasmanian devil population has been reduced by more than

a. 20% b. 50% c. 80%

3. Where in Australian is the only place you can find Tassie devils in the wild? 4. What is the disease that is threatening their survival? 5. How is the disease spread? 6. How big is the Tassie devil joey when it’s born? 7. What is the aim of the Tassie devil breeding program? 8. Why is breeding in captivity difficult? 9. Do you think it is important to protect the Tasmanian devil? Why? 10. What else do you think could be done to protect the Tassie devil from

becoming extinct?

Compile a list of frequently asked questions about the Tasmanian devil.

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Abstract art Focus Questions

1. Before you watch the Abstract art story, record what you think abstract art is. 2. Complete the following sentence: `Abstract art represents things you can’t

see like…’ 3. Abstract art is always created using paint. True or false? 4. Name a famous abstract artist. 5. Where is Aelita Andre’s exhibition being held? 6. How much did one of her artworks sell for? 7. In the BtN story, Kirsty’s artwork was done in the style of which famous

artist? 8. What do you think makes a good piece of abstract art? 9. Does an artwork need to make sense to everyone who looks at it? Explain

your answer. 10. How has your thinking changed about abstract art since watching the BtN

story?

Abstract art Students will explore what abstract art is and create an artwork in the style of a well known abstract artist such as Kandinsky, Pollock or Mondrian. Begin by asking students what they know about abstract art and what they would like to find out. Record their responses on a large sheet of paper. Students will then use the Internet to research the topic. Some possible questions to consider are:

What is abstract art?

Who were some well known abstract artists and what influenced their work?

What are some elements of abstract art?

Students can view examples of abstract art at the following websites:

Piet Mondrian http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/mondrian/

Wassily Kandinsky http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/kandinsky/

Jackson Pollock http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/pollock/

Students choose an abstract artwork to respond to using the following questions to guide their response:

What do I like or dislike about the artwork? Why?

What emotions does the work evoke/ how does it make me feel?

What colours are used? What does this communicate?

What materials are used? Why might the artist choose these materials?

What does the title of the artwork tell you about the meaning?

EPISODE 16

14TH

JUNE 2011

Learning Area

Arts

Key learning

Students will investigate what abstract art is, respond to the work of a famous abstract artist and create their own piece in the style of that artist.

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Students will then create their own artwork in the style of a famous abstract artist. They need to give their artwork a title and invite students from other classes to respond to it. Some ideas for creating artwork include:

Mondrian used masking tape to create the straight edged line of his paintings. Create a large scale Mondrian style artwork in your classroom or space in the school using black or coloured masking tape and coloured paper.

Create an abstract artwork online using Brushter

http://www.nga.gov/kids/zone/index.htm#brushster and display it in the

classroom or space in the school.

Jackson Pollock was an abstract artist who dripped, poured, and splattered paint to

create his artworks. Create an artwork in the style of Pollock using either tempera

paint dipped in marbles or paint in plastic sauce bottles (or both).

Reflection

What do you like about your artwork? What would you do differently next time? How do you feel about abstract art?

Related Research Links ABC News – Four-year-old Melbourne artists shows in NY http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/06/06/3236939.htm?section=justin Kids.net.au – Abstract art http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/ab/Abstract_art National Gallery of Art – Kids Zone http://www.nga.gov/kids/kids.htm The Artists Toolkit – Visual elements and principles http://www.artsconnected.org/toolkit/encyclopedia.html

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Tassie Devils Focus Questions

1. Describe the reputation of the Tassie devil. 2. The Tasmanian devil population has been reduced by more than

a. 20% b. 50% c. 80%

3. Where in Australian is the only place you can find Tassie devils in the wild? 4. What is the disease that is threatening their survival? 5. How is the disease spread? 6. How big is the Tassie devil joey when it’s born? 7. What is the aim of the Tassie devil breeding program? 8. Why is breeding in captivity difficult? 9. Do you think it is important to protect the Tasmanian devil? Why? 10. What else do you think could be done to protect the Tassie devil from

becoming extinct?

Tassie devils Negotiate with students how many activities they will need to complete from each section.

Remember and understand

What do you think the following words mean: endangered, habitat, native,

species, captivity and extinct. Check your meanings with the dictionary

definitions.

Recall as many facts as you can in the BtN Tassie devils story and write a

true or false quiz.

Compile a list of frequently asked questions about the Tasmanian devil.

Apply and Analyse

Research the following information about the Tasmanian devil; Scientific

name, appearance, diet, habitat, predators, threats to their survival,

importance to biodiversity. Present the information using power point or

publishing software.

What is biodiversity and why is it important? Create a poster that explains

biodiversity.

Do you think it is important to save endangered animals? Why? What are

your ideas to help preserve species that are in danger of disappearing

from the Earth?

EPISODE 16

14TH

JUNE 2011

Learning Area

Society and Environment

Key learning

Students will develop a deeper understanding of the Tasmanian devil and the threats to its survival.

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Evaluate and create

Design an enclosure for a Tasmanian devil. Consider the animal’s natural

habitat. Construct a model of the enclosure using recycled materials.

Create a board game to teach people about the Tasmanian devil or

another Australian endangered animal.

Create a `Species of the day’ display about a threatened or endangered

Australian animal. Include the following information in a display:

Name of species

Classification (vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered)

Habitat

Where it lives

Population

What is being done to protect the species

The following website has more information about threatened Australian

animals http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-

bin/sprat/public/publicthreatenedlist.pl?wanted=fauna

Related Research Links ABC Behind the News – Tassie Devils http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s2584983.htm ABC News – New approach to saving Tasmanian Devils http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/04/29/3204051.htm ABC Can We Help – Tasmanian Devils http://www.abc.net.au/tv/canwehelp/txt/s3234870.htm Devils under threat http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/WebPages/EKOE-6FM9UZ?open Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania – Tasmanian Devils http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=387

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BtN: Episode 16 Transcript

14/06/11

On this week's Behind the News

We explore why the future of computing could be found in the

clouds.

As a 4 year old makes a splash in the art world we ask what is it

that makes something art?

And being polite and proper should manners matter as much

in the modern world?

Also on the show why a zoo's breeding program could be really

important for the future of the Tasmanian devil but first today.

E. coli

Reporter: Natasha Thiele

INTRO: You might've heard in the news recently about an outbreak

of something called E. coli. Hundreds of people across Europe and

America have become really sick and some people have even died. So

what is E. coli and how does it start? Tash found out.

NATASHA THIELE, REPORTER: Having a feast like this with your

friends looks like fun. But, in a few hours time they might not be

looking and feeling so good. Stomach aches, vomiting and diarrhoea,

they could even end up in hospital. All because of food poisoning,

which affects around 5-million Australians every year!

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Recently in Europe, food poisoning has been a problem after an

outbreak of something called E. coli. More than 30 people have died

and around 2,000 others have become sick, mostly in Germany. The

outbreak hasn't just affected people in Europe though; it's gone as far

at the US. It's unlikely to reach Australia because we don't import

fresh veggies from Europe, but doctors have been told to be on the

look-out for symptoms just in case. But where the bacteria came from

has so far had scientists baffled! From cucumbers to bean sprouts,

lots of different theories have already been put forward.

So what exactly is E. coli? Well, its proper name is Escherichia Coli

and it's actually not something to be scared of. It's a common

bacterium that normally lives inside your intestines, where it does no

harm. But some strains of E. coli can be harmful if they produce a

dangerous toxin that can get into the bloodstream. I wanted to find

out a bit more about it, so I went to see a bacteria expert!

REPORTER: So what does E coli look like?

JAMES PATON, ADELAIDE UNIVERSITY: Well here we have some

growing on a culture plate. These, you can see those little tiny round

dots are in fact colonies of bacteria and each one of those dots

probably has perhaps 10 to 100 million individual bacteria in it.

E. coli is so tiny you can't see it without a microscope. To give you an

idea, if you lined up about a thousand E coli, it would be about the

diameter of a pin head! E. coli can be passed from person to person,

but a serious E. coli infection is more often linked to food containing

the bacteria. The person eats the contaminated food and gets sick. It

can be undercooked meat, contaminated drinking water or it can even

come from working with animals. Symptoms are often stomach

cramps and diarrhoea. In serious cases it can cause kidney problems

and it can even be fatal.

There are things you can do to prevent being infected. One thing you

can do is always wash your hands with soap before handling food.

When cutting up raw meat, use a different chopping board for

vegetables. Any frozen meats should be defrosted in the fridge or

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microwave. Salad should be washed and other food should be cooked

well, because heat can kill E. coli.

So as long as we remember to be careful when it comes to food, we

should be able to enjoy our parties without the sickness!

Presenter: Let's take a look at some more of this week's news stories.

Here's Matt with the Wire.

The Wire

Flights in Australia have been thrown into disarray by a volcano all

the way over in Chile. Last week, three and a half thousand residents

in Chile were forced to abandon their homes following the eruption.

Many are still in shelters. But then ash was sucked up into fast

moving air systems and deposited over New Zealand and Australia.

That's grounded flights and caused chaos as tens of thousands of

people were stranded in airports in Tasmania, Melbourne and New

Zealand.

*******

To England where the Queen's official birthday celebrations were held

over the weekend. The annual event is a huge occasion in the UK and

involves fancy parades in full ceremonial dress. The new Duchess of

Cambridge. Princess Catherine took part in it for the first time but

without Prince William, who found his view a little hindered here on

horseback. Despite the birthday celebrations the Queen's real

birthday is actually in April.

*******

And back home. Three hundred and seventy six Aussies have been

recognised in this year's Queen's Birthday Honours list. The honours

list recognises the work of individuals in the community, from

politicians to athletes.

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Cloud Computing

Reporter: Nathan Bazley

INTRO: The internet revolutionised how we use computers. All of a

sudden we had all this information floating around out there that we

could download and use at will. But now a new revolution is coming

and this one will change how we think about computing once again.

It's called the cloud.

NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: This is Jacob and he's got a busy

afternoon ahead of him.

JACOB: Homework!

But imagine being able to get things done by making stuff appear out

of thin air.

JACOB: Music!

It would mean that everything you could ever need or want would be

instantly available to you.

KID: Pics!

Well this might seem like a convenient fairytale, but it's available

right now. Not out of thin air, but out of a cloud. Okay, so these

clouds won't hold your homework or your music. In fact, these clouds

won't hold much more than some heavy rain. What we're talking

about is a technological cloud that can hold every single bit of data

you could ever want or need. But why do we need it?

NATHAN: Right now we have so many different devices in our lives

from laptops, to smart-phones, mp3 players and even tablet PC's. All

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of them need their own separate copies of your personal files like

music, photos and documents. But instead of having a copy on each,

what if we merged their storage into one place, that was available to

every device all the time?

That's why it's called cloud computing, because it's like everything you

need is floating right above you, ready to be pulled down when

needed. But we're not just talking files. Whole programs like word

processing, presentations and photo editing can be run entirely out of

the cloud; meaning your computer doesn't need to be very fast or

need a big hard drive anymore. It also means that if you lose your

laptop, you don't lose your information with it. And you can use any

computer anywhere at all, and it's just like using your own, with all

your personal files on hand. But if everything is up in a cloud, does

that mean anyone can take a peek?

Well to answer that, we need to see where 'the cloud' actually floats.

And that's in very un-cloud-like places called data centres.

These places are like huge warehouses, that hold row after row of

servers. And their whole job is just to store information and keep it

safe. This is one of Google’s' data centres, and the surprising thing you

might notice here is that the place has more security than a bank!

Important data can be as valuable as gold, so just like a bank, data

centres need to have heaps of security.

Then there is the security you can't see. All info saved here is

protected behind electronic walls, and it's copied so it can't ever be

lost. It's also encrypted, which means it's stored in a language that

people can't read. And lastly, when drives get worn out, they are

wiped, destroyed and then destroyed again!

So that's where cloud computing comes from, and you've probably

already experienced a lot of it. If you've ever streamed a video or used

web-based email, then you have used different forms of cloud

computing.

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But in the future, experts predict that it'll go much further, and most

of our storage and computing needs will be done in these big data

centres. Then all we need is to tap into the cloud.

NATHAN: Cloud!

And everything is at our fingertips. So the forecast for the future of

computing looks like cloudy skies ahead.

Presenter: That's an interesting subject. Let's have a quiz about it.

Quiz 1

The question is:

How many hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute?

6

24

48

Answer: 48

YouTube says it gets three billion views per day.

Abstract Art

Reporter: Kirsty Bennett

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INTRO: When you think of famous artists you might think of old

dead guys like Picasso or Leonardo da Vinci. Well that might not be

the case anymore. A four year old from Melbourne is getting rave

reviews for her artwork at the moment and she's just been given her

first solo exhibition in New York. For some she's the next Picasso. But

for others her work looks just like any other young kid's. Kirsty takes

a look.

KIRSTY BENNETT, REPORTER: Colour and creativity, expression

and emotion. When it comes to art, one person's masterpiece can be

another person's mess. So how can we tell if it really is art?

This is what most people think of when it comes to art, beautiful

paintings from artists a long time ago. Or even grand sculptures.

Many of these can be seen in huge galleries and are often worth

millions of dollars. Today's art isn't just paintings or sculptures!

Artists can use different materials or even things that we see in

everyday life. And the pictures don't even have to look like anything!

It can be the colour, lines and texture that make the piece.

This is a style known as abstract art. It's all about representing things

that you can't see like an emotion, sound or experience. Some well

known abstract artists are Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian and

Jackson Pollock. Aussie kid Aelita Andre is also described as an

abstract artist. Last year she sold one of her pictures for $24,000, and

now has her own exhibition in New York. Some people are saying

she's a gifted artist but just as many think that her paintings are

nothing more than a kid messing around. So, even amongst artists

there can be a disagreement about what art really is. Nona paints and

teaches abstract art so has a good eye for it.

NONA: Some people will like a painting and others won't. It's

incredibly personal but what's important is that it puts across an

emotion or idea and I'd question whether a 4 year old would be

capable of that.

KIRSTY: Voila my first abstract art piece!

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Let's see if people can tell the difference between my piece and this by

world famous abstract painter Jackson Pollock.

BOY 1: This one is really just scribbles and someone's gone through it

with an eraser.

GIRL 1: I like them but most people can splat some paint on a canvas.

BOY 2: The blood symbolises red and the gold symbolises heart and

because it's all messed up it means the heart is like broken.

KIRSTY: Now what if I were to say one of these is worth a lot of

money and the other is worthless. Which one would you pick to be the

expensive one? It was my picture that they picked to be the most

expensive! So I might've convinced them but back at Nona's studio I

was getting the real critique.

NONA: You went extremely well I think Kirsty. Doing it quite quickly too I think shows some natural ability here. But my first comment is that you've got complimentary colours here and you don't even probably know what a complimentary colour is.

KIRSTY: No I don't actually!

NONA: So there you are!

So if it's about expressing your feelings and emotions then value can

be found in all art work.

The main thing is that you enjoy it and you never know someone else

might enjoy your creation too.

Quiz 2

Reporter: Sean Maynard

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Time for another quiz! The question is:

What is the highest price paid for a painting?

$24 million

$140 million

$400 million

Answer: $140 million

It's a painting called No. 5 1948 and it was painted by Jackson Pollock

who we mentioned in the story.

Good Manners

Reporter: Natasha Thiele

Intro: In the past, a lot of importance was placed on having good manners. There were even special schools devoted to learning what was polite and proper. So what about today? Are we letting our manners slip? Or have we developed a different idea about what it means to be polite? Tash looks into it.

CHUCK: Oh boy, ham!

MUM: Chuck, could you serve yourself in a less athletic manner?

CHUCK: Is this better?

DAD: Don't talk with your mouth full!

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NATASHA THIELE, REPORTER: For forgetting his manners this badly, Chuck was probably in for a clip behind the ears back when this was filmed in the 1950s. But would a kid get in trouble for this today? Well in most families, maybe not. But is that a good thing or a bad thing? In a survey about manners 3 out of 4 parents thought kids' manners were slipping. So, why the change? And are manners still as important as they used to be? Let's find out.

Life isn't as formal now as it used to be in Chuck's day. So we've developed a different idea about how we should behave. Dinner isn't always served at the table. Doors aren't always held open for others. At some schools, students no longer have to call their teacher Sir or Madam and some teachers even prefer to be called by their first name! But is that such a bad thing?

Well, here is one woman who certainly thinks so. Carolyn is a bit like a modern day butler, although she might not look quite how you'd expect. She works alongside a Governor and knows all about manners.

CAROLYN SLADDEN, AIDE TO THE GOVERNOR OF SA: Manners are very important 'cause it's all about respect, being polite, considerate to others. And it's about saying please and thank you and treating people like you'd like to be treated.

REPORTER: Okay, so in a real formal setting like this, what are the main things I need to know?

CAROLYN SLADDEN, AIDE TO THE GOVERNOR OF SA: Okay, once you sit down and you know your meal is about to arrive, always place you napkin on your lap and when your first course is ready to be served and placed in front of you, you always sit and wait for the host or the guest of honour to start eating and then you can pick up your cutlery and it always starts from the outside in. Once you have finished your meal, you just put your knife and fork together, side by side.

So why are some of these manners not being taught as much? Well, there are a lot of different factors people blame for the change. Some people blame new technology like computers and the internet,

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because we spend a lot of time using them which is time we're not spending around other people. Or we're finding some manners aren't that relevant to our society anymore, some people may even think seating a woman at a table is sexist! And we're even making up our own rules about manners, like not using phones on public transport or not writing emails with the Caps Lock on, because some people think it means they're being shouted at.

So it doesn't necessarily mean kids today are mannerless slobs, but maybe the way you show your good manners has changed to the way Chuck should have 60 years ago.

Presenter: OK let's make manners the subject of our poll this week.

Online Poll

The question is:

Are manners less important today?

To vote, just head to our website.

The Score

OK, let's take a look at some of the best sporting action this week.

Here's the Score.

Aussie Casey Stoner has hit the top of the MotoGP leader board after posting a win in wet conditions at the British Grand Prix.

Stoner had pole position but lost it coming into the first bend before swiftly retaking the lead before lap 2.

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From there it was just a fight to stay on the bike in the rainy conditions a challenge that proved too great for previous championship leader Jorge Lorenzo.

The win is Casey's fourth of the season.

*****

The Dallas Mavericks have taken out the American NBA championship winning the best of seven finals series against the Miami Heat 4 - 2.

Dallas went into the game with a 3-2 lead, knowing a win would tie up the series early.

Dirk Nowitzki was a standout performer throughout the whole series and played a key role in their final victory 105 - 95.

The win is the first time the Mavericks have ever won the top prize.

******

And, if you like dust, danger and high speed then this race is for you.

It's called the Finke Desert race and it involves pushing special buggies or motorbikes at up to 240ks an hour around the Australian outback.

It's labelled one of the toughest races the country has and the list of injuries from the event usually proves that.

Lots of people turn up in the centre of Australia to watch although

some try to get into a bit of racing themselves.

Tassie Devils

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Reporter: Kirsty Bennett

INTRO: A few years ago BtN reported on a disease that was

threatening the future of the Tasmanian devil. Since then zoos have

been hard at work on special breeding programs trying to make

sure the Tassie devils don't die out. As Kirsty found it's a slow

process but it's getting some great results.

KIRSTY BENNETT, REPORTER: They don't look like a friendly

bunch to some but others think they're just misunderstood!

TIFFANY EASTLEY, HEALESVILLE SANCTUARY: How could you

not love a face like this? Everything about them is beautiful. They

even smell beautiful!

KIRSTY: Tasmanian devils might have an image problem but that's

the least of their worries. Their population has been cut by more than

80% and they've made it onto the endangered species list. So what's

behind the Tassie devil's decline? To find out let's go back in time.

It's believed Tassie devils died out across mainland Australia about

400 years ago. Tasmania was, and continues to be, the only place

where you can find them in the wild but when European settlers

arrived there, the animals were hunted because the little devils were

eating people's chickens. Now Tasmanian devils are protected by law.

But since the mid-nineties, they've been up against a different threat.

It's called the Devil Facial Tumour Disease. It's a special type of

cancer because it's contagious. No-one's sure what causes it but it

spreads when devils bite and scratch each other, which happens a lot

over meal time! The tumours build up around the animal's face and

mouth until it can't eat and it starves to death. So once they get it, the

devils usually have about six months to live.

TIFFANY EASTLEY: A lot of the scientists and the specialists in the

field working in Tassie, do believe that extinction is a real possibility.

The hopes really are that the disease will die out before the devil does.

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KIRSTY: So what could be one of the solutions to save this

population?

Tasmanian devil babies! They're called joeys and when they're born

they're no bigger than a grain of rice. Tassie devils give birth to about

30 joeys. But because the mother has only four teats usually only four

of the joeys make it. It really is survival of the fittest.

TIFFANY EASTLEY: It would be such a huge tragedy for the species if

these guys were to go extinct. I can't imagine it, I don't like to think

about it and you feel every day like you're doing something really

important because this might be their last hope, what we are doing,

breeding them and maintaining a healthy population like Audrey here

in captivity.

KIRSTY: Tiffany manages the devil breeding program here and so far

they've raised more than 50 devils.

TIFFANY EASTLEY: Try and learn as much as you can through that

season means I creep in here at night. I stay back as late as possible as

they'll let me.

KIRSTY: But breeding the Tassie devils hasn't been easy. For some

reason, devils born in captivity don't get pregnant as easily. The zoo

keepers aren't sure why just yet but they're looking into it. The aim

here is to breed another big population of Tassie devils in case those

in the wild die out.

As the disease spreads across Tasmania the race is on to find the

cause and a cure, or else one day what we see here in captivity could

be all that's left.

Closer

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And that's it for the show. Don't forget you can go on our website to

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