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Reading Magazine 2011 Year 9 © Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2011.

Torrential rain and muddy roads are not  enough to deter a young Kununurra man  in his bid to run in one of the world’s most  famous footraces, the New York Marathon. Joseph Davies, who fi nished Year 12 at  Kununurra District High School last year,  has just returned home from selection trials  in Alice Springs, where he was coached  by Australian running legend Robert de  Castella, a four-time Olympian and two-time  Commonwealth Games gold medallist. Davies, 18, was one of 12 hand-picked  Indigenous hopefuls who attended the Alice  Springs selection trials. If selected in the fi nal six-person squad,  he will travel to the Australian Institute of  Sport in Canberra for more training before fl ying to the US to compete in the marathon  in November. De Castella said the squad , the brainchild of  his not-for-profi t organisation, SmartStart,  was the fi rst step in establishing a program  to develop Indigenous long-distance runners  in Australia. Davies, who is training daily, even in wet  season downpours, said he understood  training for the marathon would not be easy,  but it was a challenge he was ready for. ‘I know it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity  and I really hope I get selected,’ he said. The northern hemisphere cold will drive him  to ‘just run faster’. Nathan Dyer The West Australian 15 January 2010 In May 2009, scientists unexpectedly fi lmed an eruption of the deepest submarine volcano yet discovered. This volcano, West Mata, lies south-west of Samoa in the Pacifi c Ocean. Scientists had found volcanic debris in water samples close to West Mata in November 2008. This meant that the volcano was active and might erupt again at any time. During the 2009 mission, a submersible robot (Jason) was lowered about 1200 metres to West Mata’s summit. Jason was carrying cameras to fi lm the volcano, when suddenly the volcano erupted. Through Jason’s ‘eyes’, the scientists were able to witness a submarine eruption close-up for the fi rst time. Fiery bubbles of molten lava shot up into the ocean – a spectacle described by the scientists as ‘underwater fi reworks’. Figure 1 A cloud of sulfur and molten lava erupts from West Mata. On land, a robot like Jason could not have moved so close to an eruption. The force and the heat of the lava would have destroyed the robot and its cameras. The high water pressure in the deep sea reduced the violence of West Mata’s explosion. The icy seawater quickly cooled down the exploding lava bubbles, turning them to black rock that sank to the ocean fl oor. Scientists hope that the detailed images Jason took will give further insight into the formation of submarine volcanoes. Figure 2 Jason’s robotic arm collects samples during the eruption. Underwater fireworks 2

Torrential rain and muddy roads are not  enough to deter a young Kununurra man  in his bid to run in one of the world’s most  famous footraces, the New York Marathon. Joseph Davies, who fi nished Year 12 at  Kununurra District High School last year,  has just returned home from selection trials  in Alice Springs, where he was coached  by Australian running legend Robert de  Castella, a four-time Olympian and two-time  Commonwealth Games gold medallist. Davies, 18, was one of 12 hand-picked  Indigenous hopefuls who attended the Alice  Springs selection trials. If selected in the fi nal six-person squad,  he will travel to the Australian Institute of  Sport in Canberra for more training before fl ying to the US to compete in the marathon  in November. De Castella said the squad , the brainchild of  his not-for-profi t organisation, SmartStart,  was the fi rst step in establishing a program  to develop Indigenous long-distance runners  in Australia. Davies, who is training daily, even in wet  season downpours, said he understood  training for the marathon would not be easy,  but it was a challenge he was ready for. ‘I know it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity  and I really hope I get selected,’ he said. The northern hemisphere cold will drive him  to ‘just run faster’. Nathan Dyer The West Australian 15 January 2010 In May 2009, scientists unexpectedly fi lmed an eruption of the deepest submarine volcano yet discovered. This volcano, West Mata, lies south-west of Samoa in the Pacifi c Ocean. Scientists had found volcanic debris in water samples close to West Mata in November 2008. This meant that the volcano was active and might erupt again at any time. During the 2009 mission, a submersible robot (Jason) was lowered about 1200 metres to West Mata’s summit. Jason was carrying cameras to fi lm the volcano, when suddenly the volcano erupted. Through Jason’s ‘eyes’, the scientists were able to witness a submarine eruption close-up for the fi rst time. Fiery bubbles of molten lava shot up into the ocean – a spectacle described by the scientists as ‘underwater fi reworks’. Figure 1 A cloud of sulfur and molten lava erupts from West Mata. On land, a robot like Jason could not have moved so close to an eruption. The force and the heat of the lava would have destroyed the robot and its cameras. The high water pressure in the deep sea reduced the violence of West Mata’s explosion. The icy seawater quickly cooled down the exploding lava bubbles, turning them to black rock that sank to the ocean fl oor. Scientists hope that the detailed images Jason took will give further insight into the formation of submarine volcanoes. Figure 2 Jason’s robotic arm collects samples during the eruption. Underwater fireworks 3

Salinity is one of Australia’s greatest environmental problems. It occurs when too much salt rises from under the ground to the surface and ruins the soil. In 2000, there were 2.5 million hectares of salt-affected land in Australia. This may increase to 17 million hectares by 2050. Rising watertable Land clearing is the major cause of Australia’s dryland salinity problem. Trees act as pumps, removing water from the soil and keeping the water level in the ground well below the surface. This level is called the watertable. Water absorbed by the roots travels through the trunk and out through the leaves into the air. In a day, over 700 litres of water may pass through the leaves of a fully grown river red gum. Beneath the ground across much of Australia there are large deposits of salt laid down by ancient seas. The salt is harmless underground, but when it comes to the surface it does damage. When trees are removed the watertable rises, bringing the salt with it. Costs The cost of salinity to Australia’s farming production is over $250 million a year, and the cost is increasing. The CSIRO estimates that salinity will cause the extinction of 1000 species of Australian plants and animals. Salinity also damages water pipes, roads, houses and parks. In the city of Wagga Wagga, this type of damage costs over $3 million each year. The level of salt in the Murray River is also increasing, and by 2020 the water in Adelaide piped from the Murray may be too salty to drink. Halting the salt Replanting native trees is a very effective method of lowering the watertable. Native grasses have long roots that prevent water from rising to the surface, unlike many introduced grasses that have shallow roots. Slow change For many years, the practices that led to today’s salinity problems went on without anyone knowing the consequences. This was because the effects of land clearing on watertables were not immediately obvious. Similarly, the effects of changing these practices will not become noticeable for decades, because it will take that long for seedlings planted now to become trees and restore watertables to their natural levels. Trees draw water from the soil keeping the watertable low. watertable R ain soaks into the soil. W ater transpires (is emitted as water vapour) through leaves. Figure 1 Uncleared landscape A rising watertable brings salt towards the surface, killing many plants. L and clearing means more water seeps through to thewatertable. watertable rises R ain and irrigation water soaks into the soil. The watertable rises. s alt Figure 2 Cleared landscape Salinity – an environmental emergency The f irst day On his fi rst day at a new school, Michael has been sent to the Principal’s offi ce. ‘I’m Michael. I’m new here.’ I gave her my best shallow smile and hoped  she’d take the offer. She had to have better things to be doing with her time. ‘I know who you are,  Michael, and I know why you’ re here.’ In other words  shut up and let me do the talking. Fair enough too. I took the advice. S\he  didn’ t look all that angry though. If anything she almost seemed amused by  me and her tone was friendly. I tried to remind myself who she was,  in case  it was some sort of trap. She took a deep breath,  like I was a small part in a  big battle she’ d long since stopped trying to win,  and smiled at me. ‘Yo u ’re hardly the fi  rst person to change schools, Michael, and you’re  certainly not the fi  rst to try to make an impression. And just between you  and me, you’re not the fi  rst to be sent here by Mr Jensen.’ She stopped, so I  gave a little nod and mumbled my agreement, which seemed to please her.  ‘Quite. So what do you think we should do about this?’ ‘Maybe we could just chalk it up to experience,’  I tried, heartened by her  apparent good humour. She acted as if she hadn’t heard me. ‘Were you pleased your family decided to move here, Michael?’ ‘Um, not pleased exactly,’  I admitted. ‘And how have you found us?’ It was bizarre. She was beginning to sound  like some old auntie stuck for conversation during a Christmas visit. ‘All right, I suppose.’ ‘Ye s , we are.’ She smiled at something I couldn’t even guess at. ‘And you  think we should just leave this here do you?’  It had to be a trap. I nodded,  not trusting myself to say anything useful. ‘Let me just tell you this then. You don’t want to cross me, Michael. You’ll  fi  nd me a very loyal person to my staff. Do you understand that?’ Again I  nodded. ‘Of course I’ll have to ring home, to let them know things haven’t  started too well for you, but apart from that I think you should just get back  to class and concentrate on keeping a low profi  le, don ’t you?’ It didn’t feel right. She was being reasonable, no doubt about that, but I  couldn’t quite trust her. There was something about the way she looked at  me when she spoke, like she had some private joke going I would never  understand. And she was an adult. There had to be something in it for her. 4

Salinity is one of Australia’s greatest environmental problems. It occurs when too much salt rises from under the ground to the surface and ruins the soil. In 2000, there were 2.5 million hectares of salt-affected land in Australia. This may increase to 17 million hectares by 2050. Rising watertable Land clearing is the major cause of Australia’s dryland salinity problem. Trees act as pumps, removing water from the soil and keeping the water level in the ground well below the surface. This level is called the watertable. Water absorbed by the roots travels through the trunk and out through the leaves into the air. In a day, over 700 litres of water may pass through the leaves of a fully grown river red gum. Beneath the ground across much of Australia there are large deposits of salt laid down by ancient seas. The salt is harmless underground, but when it comes to the surface it does damage. When trees are removed the watertable rises, bringing the salt with it. Costs The cost of salinity to Australia’s farming production is over $250 million a year, and the cost is increasing. The CSIRO estimates that salinity will cause the extinction of 1000 species of Australian plants and animals. Salinity also damages water pipes, roads, houses and parks. In the city of Wagga Wagga, this type of damage costs over $3 million each year. The level of salt in the Murray River is also increasing, and by 2020 the water in Adelaide piped from the Murray may be too salty to drink. Halting the salt Replanting native trees is a very effective method of lowering the watertable. Native grasses have long roots that prevent water from rising to the surface, unlike many introduced grasses that have shallow roots. Slow change For many years, the practices that led to today’s salinity problems went on without anyone knowing the consequences. This was because the effects of land clearing on watertables were not immediately obvious. Similarly, the effects of changing these practices will not become noticeable for decades, because it will take that long for seedlings planted now to become trees and restore watertables to their natural levels. Trees draw water from the soil keeping the watertable low. watertable Rain soaks into the soil. W ater transpires (is emitted as water vapour) through leaves. Figure 1 Uncleared landscape A rising watertable brings salt towards the surface, killing many plants. Land clearing means more water seeps through to thewatertable. w atertable rises R ain and irrigation water soaks into the soil. The watertable rises. s alt Figure 2 Cleared landscape Salinity – an environmental emergency The f irst day On his fi rst day at a new school, Michael has been sent to the Principal’s offi ce. ‘I’m Michael. I’m new here.’ I gave her my best shallow smile and hoped  she’d take the offer. She had to have better things to be doing with her time. ‘I know who you are,  Michael, and I know why you’ re here.’ In other words  shut up and let me do the talking. Fair enough too. I took the advice. S\he  didn’ t look all that angry though. If anything she almost seemed amused by  me and her tone was friendly. I tried to remind myself who she was,  in case  it was some sort of trap. She took a deep breath,  like I was a small part in a  big battle she’ d long since stopped trying to win,  and smiled at me. ‘Yo u ’re hardly the fi  rst person to change schools, Michael, and you’re  certainly not the fi  rst to try to make an impression. And just between you  and me, you’re not the fi  rst to be sent here by Mr Jensen.’ She stopped, so I  gave a little nod and mumbled my agreement, which seemed to please her.  ‘Quite. So what do you think we should do about this?’ ‘Maybe we could just chalk it up to experience,’  I tried, heartened by her  apparent good humour. She acted as if she hadn’t heard me. ‘Were you pleased your family decided to move here, Michael?’ ‘Um, not pleased exactly,’  I admitted. ‘And how have you found us?’ It was bizarre. She was beginning to sound  like some old auntie stuck for conversation during a Christmas visit. ‘All right, I suppose.’ ‘Ye s , we are.’ She smiled at something I couldn’t even guess at. ‘And you  think we should just leave this here do you?’  It had to be a trap. I nodded,  not trusting myself to say anything useful. ‘Let me just tell you this then. You don’t want to cross me, Michael. You’ll  fi  nd me a very loyal person to my staff. Do you understand that?’ Again I  nodded. ‘Of course I’ll have to ring home, to let them know things haven’t  started too well for you, but apart from that I think you should just get back  to class and concentrate on keeping a low profi  le, don ’t you?’ It didn’t feel right. She was being reasonable, no doubt about that, but I  couldn’t quite trust her. There was something about the way she looked at  me when she spoke, like she had some private joke going I would never  understand. And she was an adult. There had to be something in it for her. 5

Mort is cooking a meal of fi sh for the Ranger. Mort’s dog Blue is close by, as  usual. The Ranger grinned. ‘Don’t trust me, do you?’     ‘Trusts you more than most,’ Mort declared, turning the fi  sh. ‘A man’d  think he knew every word you said.’     ‘Course he does,’  said the Ranger roundly. ‘Most of  ’em, anyhow. He  knows a lot more of what you say than you know of what he says, mate.’     ‘Why don’t you shift that paper off the table and make a bit of room?  Instead of telling a man about his own dog?’     ‘All right, all right,’  said the Ranger, bundling the newspaper off the  table, ‘but most people don’t have a clue how an animal’s talking to them,  and understanding them. Body language, it’s called. You talk the same  way and don’t know you’re doing it, but Blue can read it all right.’     ‘That,’  said Mort, dismissing body language and setting up the fi  sh.  ‘Yeah, I’ve heard about that. Only I’m a poor ignorant coot, and I just talk  words. Pull up a chair, will you, before this fi  sh gets cold.’     ‘Words too,’  said the Ranger, sitting down. ‘Man, this smells good to  a hungry bloke. You’re a life-saver.’ He broke off the tail of the fi  sh and  passed it to Blue, who took it neatly and thumped his own thick brush on  the fl  oor again. ‘How many words do you reckon your dog knows?’     Mort considered, settling into a chair by the stove. ‘More than a man  realises, I reckon,’  he admitted. ‘There’s “sit”, of course. And “stay”. And  “lie down and shut up”. There is “wait” and “come here”. He’s not a  working dog, of course, or there’d be more.’     ‘All right,’  said the Ranger argumentatively. ‘That’ll do. Now, how did  you teach him those words, eh?’     ‘The way anyone does, I reckon.’     ‘How?’ insisted the Ranger between mouthfuls of fi  sh. ‘Did you belt  them into him?’     ‘Eh? No, I didn’t.’     ‘How, then? Did you go through some routine like breaking in a horse?’     ‘No, you drongo, I didn’t have to. A man just says them often enough.’     ‘Right!’ shouted the Ranger, triumphant. ‘You just said them and he  learnt them! So why should he learn the words you want him to learn and  not any of the others? Hm? He’s only got to hear ’em often enough, you  just said. Is he supposed to say to himself, “I’m not supposed to learn that  word, so I won’t.” Hm?’ Mort’s dog Blue Where on Earth are you? Twenty years ago the Global Positioning System (GPS) was for the use of military personnel only, a network of orbiting satellites designed to guide missiles and pilotless drones anywhere on the planet to the accuracy of a metre. Today, it’s on car dashboards, virtually all new mobile phones and personal computers. Nearly a million satellite navigation devices have been sold in Australia alone. In 2000, United States President Bill Clinton switched off the system’s “selective” control by the military, releasing it for commercial purposes. However, it took some time for the wider potential of GPS to be realised. Now it’s popping up on so many devices that privacy concerns are being raised. Some mobile phones can show you the nearest supermarket, hotel or dry cleaner. Some Internet services act like a beacon, showing friends – and potentially anyone else using the application – where you are at a particular time. Some retailers offer smart-phone applications that can tell users the location of their nearest store, wherever they might be at that time. But that’s just the fi rst step. Marketers are particularly excited about being able to target advertisements at particular consumers based on their geographic location. Imagine fi nding an advertisement on your phone from a retailer offering $10 off your favourite brand of T-shirt as you’re walking past their store. A handy service? Probably – but privacy advocates worry that location-based services are ripe for abuse by companies. And then there are the risks for personal security. A robber could know precisely when a person is withdrawing money from a bank or a burglar could work out when to break into people’s homes. Those scenarios may seem far-fetched, but the epidemic of identity theft and security breaches in recent years should raise some concerns about how well marketers will protect location information. 6

Mort is cooking a meal of fi sh for the Ranger. Mort’s dog Blue is close by, as  usual. The Ranger grinned. ‘Don’t trust me, do you?’     ‘Trusts you more than most,’ Mort declared, turning the fi  sh. ‘A man’d  think he knew every word you said.’     ‘Course he does,’  said the Ranger roundly. ‘Most of  ’em, anyhow. He  knows a lot more of what you say than you know of what he says, mate.’     ‘Why don’t you shift that paper off the table and make a bit of room?  Instead of telling a man about his own dog?’     ‘All right, all right,’  said the Ranger, bundling the newspaper off the  table, ‘but most people don’t have a clue how an animal’s talking to them,  and understanding them. Body language, it’s called. You talk the same  way and don’t know you’re doing it, but Blue can read it all right.’     ‘That,’  said Mort, dismissing body language and setting up the fi  sh.  ‘Yeah, I’ve heard about that. Only I’m a poor ignorant coot, and I just talk  words. Pull up a chair, will you, before this fi  sh gets cold.’     ‘Words too,’  said the Ranger, sitting down. ‘Man, this smells good to  a hungry bloke. You’re a life-saver.’ He broke off the tail of the fi  sh and  passed it to Blue, who took it neatly and thumped his own thick brush on  the fl  oor again. ‘How many words do you reckon your dog knows?’     Mort considered, settling into a chair by the stove. ‘More than a man  realises, I reckon,’  he admitted. ‘There’s “sit”, of course. And “stay”. And  “lie down and shut up”. There is “wait” and “come here”. He’s not a  working dog, of course, or there’d be more.’     ‘All right,’  said the Ranger argumentatively. ‘That’ll do. Now, how did  you teach him those words, eh?’     ‘The way anyone does, I reckon.’     ‘How?’ insisted the Ranger between mouthfuls of fi  sh. ‘Did you belt  them into him?’     ‘Eh? No, I didn’t.’     ‘How, then? Did you go through some routine like breaking in a horse?’     ‘No, you drongo, I didn’t have to. A man just says them often enough.’     ‘Right!’ shouted the Ranger, triumphant. ‘You just said them and he  learnt them! So why should he learn the words you want him to learn and  not any of the others? Hm? He’s only got to hear ’em often enough, you  just said. Is he supposed to say to himself, “I’m not supposed to learn that  word, so I won’t.” Hm?’ Mort’s dog Blue Where on Earth are you? Twenty years ago the Global Positioning System (GPS) was for the use of military personnel only, a network of orbiting satellites designed to guide missiles and pilotless drones anywhere on the planet to the accuracy of a metre. Today, it’s on car dashboards, virtually all new mobile phones and personal computers. Nearly a million satellite navigation devices have been sold in Australia alone. In 2000, United States President Bill Clinton switched off the system’s “selective” control by the military, releasing it for commercial purposes. However, it took some time for the wider potential of GPS to be realised. Now it’s popping up on so many devices that privacy concerns are being raised. Some mobile phones can show you the nearest supermarket, hotel or dry cleaner. Some Internet services act like a beacon, showing friends – and potentially anyone else using the application – where you are at a particular time. Some retailers offer smart-phone applications that can tell users the location of their nearest store, wherever they might be at that time. But that’s just the fi rst step. Marketers are particularly excited about being able to target advertisements at particular consumers based on their geographic location. Imagine fi nding an advertisement on your phone from a retailer offering $10 off your favourite brand of T-shirt as you’re walking past their store. A handy service? Probably – but privacy advocates worry that location-based services are ripe for abuse by companies. And then there are the risks for personal security. A robber could know precisely when a person is withdrawing money from a bank or a burglar could work out when to break into people’s homes. Those scenarios may seem far-fetched, but the epidemic of identity theft and security breaches in recent years should raise some concerns about how well marketers will protect location information. 7

The li v ing nigh t A guide is taking tourists to an isolated Australian beach where turtles are laying their eggs. The party of twelve stood around murmuring solemnly and casting shadows. The  sky amazed them. A woman exclaimed at a shooting star. They were in awe of  constellations and geography, impressed by the blazing night and the encircling  silence. The tourists were pleased with themselves just being in this yawning  nightscape, especially knowing that where they presently stood would soon be deep  ocean.   It was almost eleven o’clock but the moon on the white sand, the absence of  any interfering artifi  cial light – nothing along the silent breadth of land or sea or in  the air – gave the night a stark clarity. Stars fi  zzed like fi  reworks. The sky was bright  enough to read by. Grace could make out individual ghost crabs now resurfacing  and regrouping, as well as their whorling sand patterns, as ordered and ornamental  as Maori facial tattoos.   Several turtle species chose to lay their eggs on this slope of coast. G\reen  turtles, loggerheads, olive ridleys, leatherbacks, hawksbills, fl  atbacks. The beach  was sheltered and gently shelving, with few outcrops and obstacles to hamper the  females’ laboured passage up from the sea.  ‘Okay,’  she called out. ‘ We’re looking for semicircular marks in the sand.’   Almost immediately they saw tracks – the intuitive dragging scrape of\ the  fl  ippers.  The imperative haul of the body. She handed out torches. ‘Use these if you  need to. I’d prefer not to use the headlights. We don’t want to make the old girl’s  big night even more uncomfortable.’   The green turtle sprawled and gasped beside a pile of sandy, pulpy-looking  eggs.  Its straining face was eaten by the light of the torches. The front fl  ippers,  as automatic as a wind-up toy’s, constantly fl  icked sand on the eggs. When the  people came nearer, the turtle heaved a phlegmy sigh, as if something important  had suddenly registered, and closed its eyes. It gave another shuddering sigh and  two fi  nal eggs dribbled in quick succession onto the sand. Mechanically the fl\  ippers  fl  icked sand on them.   The onlookers stood reverently by.  In its dazed convalescent state, the turtle  ignored them and their doting cameras.  Neither its pained expression nor the  rhythmic fl  ippers seemed to indicate  suffi  cient resistance to the large sand  goanna that emerged then from the cliffs  and snatched the last egg, still mucoid and  dripping, from under it.   ‘Oh!’ the shocked people shouted, as  one.  ‘No!’ Inventing daylight saving Inventing daylight saving Daylight saving involves putting clocks forward, usually by one hour, in summer. In 1895, the New Zealand naturalist and astronomer, G.V. Hudson, submitted a proposal for daylight saving (which he called ‘seasonal time’). Here, in an address to the Wellington Philosophical Society in 1898, he responds to some criticisms of his idea. Amongst the objections which have been urged against the  adoption of my scheme, I shall only briefl y deal with those of more  serious importance. A number of minor objections have been raised,  which have simply arisen through the objectors not having taken the  trouble to make themselves conversant with the subject. For instance, it  has been urged that this scheme, if carried out, would deprive people of  their long winter evenings, those raising this objection evidently having  overlooked the fact that, during the seven months of the year which  include the winter, the time would remain precisely as it is at present. A more reasonable objection is that regarding the alteration of  the clocks, some contending that it would be better for us to alter our  habits during the summer, and leave the clocks alone. The reply to this  is that such an alteration in habits would be wholly impracticable, as it  would involve endless adjustment throughout the whole of the society,  which could never be carried out in all its detail. Meal times, arrivals  and departures of trains, steamers etc, opening of places of business,  theatres etc, would all have to be simultaneously altered, whereas,  by moving the hands of the clock in the middle of the night, all these  adjustments could be effected quite automatically, without disturbing in  any way the existing state of things. It has also been urged that by lengthening the hours of daylight at  the end of the day shopkeepers and others might be tempted to extend  the hours of labour for their employees. This, it may be remarked, is  really a side question which has already been specially dealt with by  legislation, and although there are at present nearly two hours’ daylight  after closing-time in summer, I am not aware that any systematic  attempt has been made to lengthen the hours of labour in summer on  this account. The milkmen, and other persons who have to begin their  work very early in the morning, would undoubtedly suffer under my  scheme, as they would have to start their duties in the dark of early  morning almost the entire year through. As these persons, however,  constitute a very small minority in the social community, it is not to be  expected that their personal comfort or convenience would be allowed  to interfere with the adoption of the scheme if it were found to be  benefi cial to the large majority. 8

The li v ing nigh t A guide is taking tourists to an isolated Australian beach where turtles are laying their eggs. The party of twelve stood around murmuring solemnly and casting shadows. The  sky amazed them. A woman exclaimed at a shooting star. They were in awe of  constellations and geography, impressed by the blazing night and the encircling  silence. The tourists were pleased with themselves just being in this yawning  nightscape, especially knowing that where they presently stood would soon be deep  ocean.   It was almost eleven o’clock but the moon on the white sand, the absence of  any interfering artifi  cial light – nothing along the silent breadth of land or sea or in  the air – gave the night a stark clarity. Stars fi  zzed like fi  reworks. The sky was bright  enough to read by. Grace could make out individual ghost crabs now resurfacing  and regrouping, as well as their whorling sand patterns, as ordered and ornamental  as Maori facial tattoos.   Several turtle species chose to lay their eggs on this slope of coast. G\reen  turtles, loggerheads, olive ridleys, leatherbacks, hawksbills, fl  atbacks. The beach  was sheltered and gently shelving, with few outcrops and obstacles to hamper the  females’ laboured passage up from the sea.  ‘Okay,’  she called out. ‘ We’re looking for semicircular marks in the sand.’   Almost immediately they saw tracks – the intuitive dragging scrape of\ the  fl  ippers.  The imperative haul of the body. She handed out torches. ‘Use these if you  need to. I’d prefer not to use the headlights. We don’t want to make the old girl’s  big night even more uncomfortable.’   The green turtle sprawled and gasped beside a pile of sandy, pulpy-looking  eggs.  Its straining face was eaten by the light of the torches. The front fl  ippers,  as automatic as a wind-up toy’s, constantly fl  icked sand on the eggs. When the  people came nearer, the turtle heaved a phlegmy sigh, as if something important  had suddenly registered, and closed its eyes. It gave another shuddering sigh and  two fi  nal eggs dribbled in quick succession onto the sand. Mechanically the fl\  ippers  fl  icked sand on them.   The onlookers stood reverently by.  In its dazed convalescent state, the turtle  ignored them and their doting cameras.  Neither its pained expression nor the  rhythmic fl  ippers seemed to indicate  suffi  cient resistance to the large sand  goanna that emerged then from the cliffs  and snatched the last egg, still mucoid and  dripping, from under it.   ‘Oh!’ the shocked people shouted, as  one.  ‘No!’ Inventing daylight saving Inventing daylight saving Daylight saving involves putting clocks forward, usually by one hour, in summer. In 1895, the New Zealand naturalist and astronomer, G.V. Hudson, submitted a proposal for daylight saving (which he called ‘seasonal time’). Here, in an address to the Wellington Philosophical Society in 1898, he responds to some criticisms of his idea. Amongst the objections which have been urged against the  adoption of my scheme, I shall only briefl y deal with those of more  serious importance. A number of minor objections have been raised,  which have simply arisen through the objectors not having taken the  trouble to make themselves conversant with the subject. For instance, it  has been urged that this scheme, if carried out, would deprive people of  their long winter evenings, those raising this objection evidently having  overlooked the fact that, during the seven months of the year which  include the winter, the time would remain precisely as it is at present. A more reasonable objection is that regarding the alteration of  the clocks, some contending that it would be better for us to alter our  habits during the summer, and leave the clocks alone. The reply to this  is that such an alteration in habits would be wholly impracticable, as it  would involve endless adjustment throughout the whole of the society,  which could never be carried out in all its detail. Meal times, arrivals  and departures of trains, steamers etc, opening of places of business,  theatres etc, would all have to be simultaneously altered, whereas,  by moving the hands of the clock in the middle of the night, all these  adjustments could be effected quite automatically, without disturbing in  any way the existing state of things. It has also been urged that by lengthening the hours of daylight at  the end of the day shopkeepers and others might be tempted to extend  the hours of labour for their employees. This, it may be remarked, is  really a side question which has already been specially dealt with by  legislation, and although there are at present nearly two hours’ daylight  after closing-time in summer, I am not aware that any systematic  attempt has been made to lengthen the hours of labour in summer on  this account. The milkmen, and other persons who have to begin their  work very early in the morning, would undoubtedly suffer under my  scheme, as they would have to start their duties in the dark of early  morning almost the entire year through. As these persons, however,  constitute a very small minority in the social community, it is not to be  expected that their personal comfort or convenience would be allowed  to interfere with the adoption of the scheme if it were found to be  benefi cial to the large majority. 9

END OF READING MAGAZINE 10

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Cover Photograph by David Parsons. Marathon man to trade Kununurra for Big Apple Image and adapted extract from ‘Marathon man to trade Kununurra for Big Apple’ by Nathan Dyer, The West Australian, 15 January 2010. Image by Nathan Dyer. Courtesy: The West Australian. Underwater fireworks Images courtesy of the US National Science Foundation and US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The first day Extract from Lester by Bernard Beckett, Longacre Press, 1999. Reproduced with permission of Random House New Zealand. Salinity – an environmental emergency Adapted extract and illustrations from Australia’s Environment: how people have changed the environment by Greg Pyers, Echidna Books, 2002. Reproduced with permission of Pearson Education Australia. Illustrations re-drawn by Yuko Fujita. Mort’s dog Blue Extract from Moon-dark by Patricia Wrightson, Hutchinson Children’s Books, 1987. By arrangement with the Licensor, Patricia Wrightson c/- Curtis Brown (Aus) Pty Ltd. Where on Earth are you? Illustration and adapted extract from article ‘Trend tracker: location, location’, by Greg Callaghan, The Weekend Australian, 5-6 December 2009. © News Limited, extract reproduced with permission of News Limited and Greg Callaghan. The living night Extract from Grace by Robert Drewe, Penguin Books Australia, 2006, reproduced with permission of Penguin Group (Australia). Turtle image © Gert Johannes Jacobus Vrey, 2011. Used under licence from Shutterstock.com Inventing daylight saving Extract from Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand 1868-1961, G.V. Hudson, ‘On Seasonal Time’. Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 8 October 1898. Reproduced with permission of the Royal Society of New Zealand under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand licence which can be viewed and downloaded at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/nz/legalcode Image © Albo003, 2011. Used under licence from Shutterstock.com Snowboarding in Australia Image © Samot, 2011. Used under licence from Shutterstock.com 11

Snowboarding is fast becoming one of the most popular winter sports in Australia. Australian athletes have been amongst the world’s top snowboarders since Zeke Steggall represented Australia in the fi rst Olympic snowboarding event in Japan in 1998. Nathan Johnstone was number two in the world in 2008 and 2009, and Torah Bright won a gold medal in snowboarding at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Snowboarding in Australia 12