Poke! Smoking ban started in QSM; 12-year-old-boy got tased; synthetic burger meal (1st September 2011)

Queen Street Mall now banned smoking, Cancer Council praises [Quest | Courier Mail]

Having so many smokers gathered around the cross area in Queen Street Mall, I usually walk quicker than I need just to get past them. Now on 1st September, Brisbane City Council has initiated the smoking ban across Queen Street Mall, and from now on, there will be no second-hand smoke that considered harmful to human bodies flying around. Good news for Cancer Council as they advocates on helping people to quit smoking, and Anne Savage, chief communications officer for Cancer Council Queensland, believe this demonstrates Brisbane is one of the most progressive cities in the world. Well, in this case, I think the next step would be allowing gay-marriage. Wouldn't it be amazing if the state government really pass this law one day?

In Ipswich, police tased 12-year-old boy armed with a meat cleaver [Courier Mail]

The boy went on a rampage at his Ipswich home.
Credit: Brisbane Times (Twitter Link)

A little back story should be explained before parents ranted and despised by what the police has done to this kid. Apparently, this boy is suffering from Aspergers Syndrome, but manifested itself into severe paranoia, causing him to wield with a meat cleavers, an axe and knives. Without having any heavily armed weapon, the only way police can deal with this situation is to forcefully tase the boy onto his knees. I totally stand on the side of the police this time, as they have used a relatively safe way in order to prevent anyone from injuries and even death. But in the same time, I felt pity for this boy as he is suffering the mental disorder and he couldn't simply help himself. The boy was then taken to the Royal Brisbane Hospital for medical treatment.

Researchers close to creating synthetic meat from stem cells [News.com.au]

A controversial topic for meat lovers and animal activists alike. Using stem cells to create meat seemed to be a viable alternative to the traditional method of killing cattle and poultry. The main concern is possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars will be needed to clump together a single test-tube burger slice, as well as the time needed to grow it into full shape. They predicted the first ever synthetic sausage could be just six months away. Well, it won't be anyone from the street who could afford a thousand-dollar hot dog, I assume.

D.