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Australian houses 'world's least affordable'
By Stuart Fagg, ninemsn Money
Australia has the least affordable houses in the world, according to a ranking of international housing markets.
From a total of 23 Australian regions included in Demographia's Sixth International Housing Affordability Survey, 22 were labelled severely unaffordable and Australia scored the worst housing affordability rating in the world, followed by Canada.
Demographia calculated the ratings by diving median house prices by annual median household income and named Vancouver as the least affordable market in the world.
Sydney was ranked second, with the Sunshine Coast, Darwin and the Gold Coast rounding out the top five.
Melbourne and Wollongong also made the top ten, coming in at eigth and tenth respectively.
In Sydney, nearly 57 percent of the average income is needed to pay the mortgage on the average house, compared to just 13.4 percent in Dallas, Texas, one of the most affordable major city housing markets in the world.
The average dwelling price in Sydney rose 11.6 percent last year to $475,000, just above the national average of $439,000, according to RP Data.
Experts said housing affordability is being eroded by a lack of supply.
"Residential land release in Sydney has been reduced from an historic average of 10,000 lots per year to less than 2,000 in 2007," said Dr Tony Recsei in the preface to Demographia’s report.
"In the face of the scarcity resulting from such a miserly allotment it is unsurprising that the land component of the price of a dwelling has increased from 30 percent to 70 percent. The result has been a cost increase of some three times what it was a mere ten years ago."
Demograophia added that land release and planning issues are making the situation worse.
"In Australia, there is consensus in both the government and the private sector that there is a severe housing crisis, with rampant unaffordability and a housing shortage," the report said.
"It takes from 6.25 to 14.5 years to convert urban fringe land into new houses, which compares to less than 1.5 years before urban consolidation, and which remains the case in the 'demand-driven' (more responsive) markets in the United States."
Demographia urged governments to free up land use rules in order to ease affordability problems without causing a housing market crash.
"The restoration of near historic housing affordability in some markets provides an opportunity to repeal more prescriptive land regulation policies, which would not only minimise the potential for future busts, but would also ensure housing affordability for future generations," the report said.
I got this forwarded to me last month from a friend, who got it from a friend, who got this forward from Wales. It's funny!
Tom was short of money and the Vicar offered him a job painting the inside of the church. Tom borrowed £200 off the vicar and bought what he thought would be enough paint to cover the church. But he soon discovered hat he was using more paint than he expected, so he added a bottle of thinner to the paint and that seemed to work. Problem was, Tom was still using more paint than he wanted, so he added yet more thinner to the paint. The paint was a little too thin to cover the church walls well but Tom kept on painting. All of a sudden Tom was surprised was a bolt of lighting and a loud voice from the roof proclaimed: "Repaint and thin no more!"
I already know a bit about the issues that a sedentary lifestyle brings. So when I bumped into the article below a few weeks ago, it served as an ominous reminder. And yeah, I can definitely see problems for myself down the track :P
Long-term health risk tied to computer use
12:30 AEST Wed Dec 9 2009
By Henri Paget, ninemsnWorkers who spent long hours in front of a computer screen over the past decade may suffer serious long-term health problems, experts say.
Weak muscles, sore eyes and depression are just some of the symptoms associated with what has been labelled the "dark age" of computing.
"People have spent a decade chained to their chair, chained to their keyboard, chained to their mouse," Curtin University's Leon Straker said.
"Human bodies weren't meant to be sedentary like that ... people are simply not as active as the older generation."
Professor Straker, who specialises in the effects of computer use on physical health, said some workers will face muscle and bone problems earlier in life than in previous generations due to prolonged computer use.
"Sitting in front of a computer increases stress around the neck and shoulder area," he said.
"In the future it is likely there will be more people with poorer, slumped posture, as well as weaker back muscles and lower bone density."
People who spend long, uninterrupted periods staring at computer screens should also be wary of sore or tired eyes and blurry vision, said visual ergonomics specialist Jennifer Long.
The mental health effects of long-term computer use are not well established, but some studies have linked it to depression.
Research from Sweden in 2007 found that online chatting, SMS use and emailing were related to increased levels of stress and depression.
In Australia, Deakin University PhD student Megan Teychenne has examined links between depression and computer use among women.
Her research shows that women reporting more than 21.5 hours of computer use per week had a higher rate of depression.
"However, we weren't able to determine whether it was because women became depressed using computers or whether women who are already depressed use computers more," she said.
Health experts say workers should take every opportunity to step away from the computer screen, preferably once every half hour.
The 2010 African Nations Cup in Angola is fast becoming a debacle. Togo, one of the competing teams, has decided to pull out after a violent gun attack by some Angolan rebels on the Togo team bus that was traveling through Angola. The attack killed the bus driver, the Togo assistant coach & another Togo team official.The Togo football squad are understandably shaken by these tragic developments. They have decided that their safety is of paramount importance & that the best way of ensuring their safety was to withdraw from the tournament.Such a shame that things have happened the way they did. I can't blame Togo for their decision to withdraw. Hopefully Confederation of African Football will understand Togo's decision & do something to ensure that all participating teams in future African Nations Cup tournaments will have assurances of their safety & protection.
Recent attacks on Indian university students in Melbourne have made news headlines over here. Even more recently, Indian student Nitin Garg has been murdered. In the wake of that killing, the above cartoon was published a couple of days ago in the Delhi Mail Today. It shows a person in a Ku Klux Klan hood wearing a police badge, with the following caption: "We are yet to ascertain the nature of the crime." The cartoon has caused lots of controversy & has been condemned by Australian police & political leaders as being deeply offensive. The view is that it is outrageous & inappropriate to liken the police to KKK.
The cartoonist, R Prasad, had told the media that his cartoon depicted an official acceptance of racism by failing to act against racially-motivated attacks. When asked why his cartoon showed Australian police as KKK members, he said that this was a "terribly wrong interpretation" & cartoons were always exagerrated. Mr Prasad added that cartoons offer "an artist's comment on news". He also then said that "the hood or the cloak of the Ku Klux Klan is a globally known and recognised cultural signifier that represents racism & that "the police badge on the cloak is a symbol of official acceptance of racism by not acting against race attacks".
My view: Hahahahaha!!! Very smart & witty, Mr Prasad. I like the cartoon, & I think it is funny. I'm not offended by it, & I don't see what is so offensive about it. And I don't think criticisms levelled toward the cartoonists are fully justified. Mr Prasad, the cartoonist, is fully entitled to his opinions. As a cartoonist, it his job to, as he said, offer an "artist's comment on news", & often such cartoons depict news/recent happenings in a humorous light. Mr Prasad is not saying all the police force are part of the KKK. He is just offering his view of the recent happenings in Melbourne, & of how thinks the police are handling the investigations. If he doesn't think the police are doing enough, & has some basis to support his viewpoint, then he as a cartoonist is entitied to depict his views creatively/artistically. Some people need to get a grip.....they are so sensitive. It's only a cartoon!!! In any case, there are bound to be some police in Australia & any Western country who are racist & hold white supremacist views. So tell me then, what is so wrong about this cartoon???
I am hearing of a spate of attacks on various churches (Catholic & Protestant) in the Klang Valley area in Malaysia. Apparently, it has something to do with a Malaysian court decision which held that government regulations banning non-Muslim publications from using the word "Allah" to be unconstitutional. I have also read that some Catholic publications have made mention of the word "Allah", & the publication that word did not go down well.
Anyway, the church attacks are appalling & deplorable, absolutely disgraceful! They are nothing more than cowardly displays of intolerance, & deserve all the condemnation they can get. They are so uncalled for - just because there are objections to a particular word being published in a particular publication, does not call for places of worship to be attacked. Those attacks are just the latest display of hostility & persecution against the Lord & His people.
At least we Christians can take comfort in knowing that God's justice will be done one day, that God loves His people, & that God will protect & comfort those affected by the church attacks. Vengeance for these attacks shall be God's.
Don't let your worries get the best of you; remember, Moses started out as a basket case. Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited until you try to sit in their pews. Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisors.
It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one.
The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose, but mosquitoes come close.
When you get to your wit's end, you'll find God lives there.
People are funny; they want the front of the bus, the middle of the road, and the back of the church ...
Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on your front door forever.
Quit griping about your church; if it was perfect, you couldn't belong.
If the church wants a better preacher, it only needs to pray for the one it has.
God Himself does not propose to judge a man until he is dead. So why should you?
Some minds are like concrete -- thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.
Peace starts with a smile.
A lot of church members who are singing 'Standing on the Promises' are just sitting on the premises.
We were called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.
Be ye fishers of men. You catch them -- He'll clean them.
Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.
Don't put a question mark where God put a period.
Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church.
Forbidden fruits create many jams.
God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.
God grades on the cross, not the curve.
God loves everyone, but probably prefers 'fruit of the spirit' over a 'religious nut!'
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.
He who angers you, controls you!
If God is your Co-pilot - swap seats!
Prayer: Don't give God instructions -- just report for duty!
The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.
The Will of God never takes you to where the Grace of God will not protect you.
We don't change the message, the message changes us.
You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him.
The best mathematical equation I have ever seen: 1 cross + 3 nails = 4-given.
IN GOD WE TRUST
