Showing posts with label Four Corners. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Four Corners. Show all posts

Thursday, August 11, 2022

Tinder: Investigation Reveals the Dark Side of the Dating App | Four Corners

Oct 12, 2020 Tinder has been downloaded more than 100 million times worldwide. It’s reinvented the way we meet people.

Billed as 'the largest, hottest community of singles in the world', Tinder urges users, 'when in doubt, give a Swipe Right. Trust us, the more options you have, the better-looking life becomes.'

The app generates enormous revenue for its parent company Match Group, but there's alarming evidence that Tinder is putting users at great risk.

In a joint investigation, Four Corners and triple j Hack reveal that the dating app has become a playground for sex offenders.



This documentary is definitely NOT suitable for children. – Mark

Monday, July 04, 2022

Vape Haze – The Thriving Black Market of Vaping | Four Corners | ABC News

Jun 28, 2022 | Vaping was hailed as a new way to quit smoking. But now there are serious concerns it’s hooking a new generation on nicotine. An investigation by Four Corners has found there is a thriving black market, fueled by rising demand among young people and a failure to police the rules. We delve into the fierce battle about the harms of vaping, in what’s become a multi-billion-dollar global industry. Vaping advocates claim any harms caused by e-cigarettes pale in comparison to the dangers of smoking - and that vaping can be an effective quit tool. But public health experts say there’s limited evidence they help to quit smoking, and warn that vaping poses a significant long-term public health risk.

What a surprise! Vaping has become a problem in Australia, especially for young people. Well I never!

Politicians of every stripe, but particularly left-wing politicians, are engaged in social engineering; they are trying to change people’s preferences and habits, and in so doing are causing distortions in the marketplace and are engaging in social engineering. Sometimes things are better left alone. the vowel of your choice—leave things alone?

First of all, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a conventional cigarette as long as one’s smoking is kept within limits and it is done in moderation. I have smoked for most of my adult life; though I have given up now. (With ease, I hasten to add.) Smoking is not an addiction; rather, it is a habit.

They try and say that nicotine is “the most addictive substance known to man”. TOSH! POPPYCOCK! NONSENSE! Nicotine is hardly addictive at all! It is only addictive if you let it be so. I smoked twenty cigarettes a day for most of my adult life and when I gave up, I suffered no withdrawal symptoms whatsoever. Not one! Nor have I had any cravings since giving up. (It will be three months on July 10th since giving up.)

Smoking has become the bête noire of our day; but it is actually a very pleasurable habit. The secret is not letting it control you. Many things can become addictive if you allow them to become so: chocolate, alcohol, sugary foods, gambling, and many other things besides. Self-control and self-discipline are called for.

Governments have been pushing vaping as an alternative to smoking for several years. I find this totally and utterly irresponsible, because we do not know the long-term effects of the habit. Fact is, too, they are very appealing to young people, because they are often high-tech, and because they can be purchased in all sorts of weird and wonderful flavours. So these young people are becoming dependent on them and they are convincing themselves that they are addicted to nicotine. Young people are young are often impressionable, weak-willed, and lacking in discipline.

What needs to be done is for governments to put pressure on the cigarette manufacturers to take the crap out of real cigarettes. Make them take out all those nasty chemicals, make them manufacture safer real cigarettes; and governments should bring the price of real cigarettes right down by taking all that excessive tax off them.

Don’t get me wrong. I am all for bringing down the incidence of smoking; but it should be done by education and gentle persuasion. Social engineering is not only wrong; it is also very dangerous. Because people will get their kicks in life, one way or another. Take one pleasure away from them and they will find another pleasure to replace the one taken away. Moreover, that pleasure denied to people may well turn out in the long-run to be far less injurious to health than the new-fangled habit used to replace it.

Further, while we are on the subjects of smoking and vaping. Smoking a cigarette can look extremely sexy when done by an attractive person. That’s why they have been used to good effect in movies/films over the decades to make handsome actors and beautiful actresses look sexy. Vaping will never be used to replace cigarettes for this purpose. It just doesn’t have that allure. There is hardly anything about vaping which increases one’s sex appeal. Forget it! When I have seen people vaping, cloud-chasing, they look as though there’s a locomotive ahead! Furthermore, putting a hard piece of plastic onto one’s lips is hardly a sensual experience. – © Mark Alexander

Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Crypto Mania: Behind the Hype of Cryptocurrencies | Four Corners

May 30, 2022 • Cryptocurrency is the hottest financial product in the world.

The hype is everywhere, with forms of the digital currency endorsed and advertised by celebrities daring you to invest in this brave new world.

Not everyone is convinced by the glossy ads and bold claims.

Four Corners investigates what lies behind the slick marketing and big promises to examine if it's a fad, a fraud or the future.


Monday, April 25, 2022

The World's Biggest Meat Company Is Built on Corruption and It's Growing in Australia | Four Corners

Apr 25, 2022 • You may not have heard of them, but JBS is the biggest meat company in the world. It controls a lot of the food you buy in the supermarket including beef, pork, lamb and salmon.

You'll even find their meat between your burger buns at McDonald's.

But despite its size and reach, JBS is a company built on corruption and bribery; tainted by charges and accusations of malpractice and environmental crimes.

While some foreign governments are holding the company to account, Australian politicians have given JBS the green light to grow

Why?


Friday, March 18, 2022

Putin’s Patriots: Russian Money and Influence in Australia | Four Corners

Feb 15, 2021 • Vladimir Putin has made it clear that he wants Russia to reclaim its former glory.

In doing so, he expects the support of Russians across the globe, wherever they may live.

Our investigation has uncovered the activities of a cluster of dedicated pro-Russian nationalist groups in Australia.

Some are explicit about their mission — to wage a propaganda war to help further the Kremlin’s global agenda — prompting analysts to warn Australia that it should be paying close attention.

We’ve also uncovered new information linking an alleged Russian money laundering scheme in Australia to a powerful figure in the Putin government, and reveal new details about how a Russian billionaire with an investment here tried to co-opt the Australian government to help lift punitive financial sanctions placed on his company by the United States.

At a time when our federal government is focused on foreign interference, this investigation shines some light on an area some experts describe as a potential emerging threat.


Monday, November 01, 2021

Sex, Lies and Julian Assange (2012) | Four Corners

Jul 27, 2019 • When Julian Assange arrived in Sweden in August 2010 he was greeted like a conquering hero.

But within weeks there was a warrant out for his arrest and he was being investigated for rape and sexual molestation.

Until recently he was taking sanctuary in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, arguing he won't receive justice if he's taken to Sweden and that US authorities are building a case for his extradition.

In this program from 2012, Four Corners reporter Andrew Fowler examines in detail what happened in those crucial weeks while Julian Assange was in Sweden. What was the nature of his relationship with the two women who claim he assaulted them? And what did they tell police that led the authorities to seek his arrest?

Both Assange and his supporters believe the attempt by authorities to force his return to Sweden is simply the first step in a plan to see him extradited to the United States.

Four Corners looks at claims the United States is working hard to unearth evidence that would lead to a charge of "conspiracy to commit espionage" being made against Assange - which in turn would be used in his extradition from Sweden.

The program also documents the harassment experienced by Assange's supporters across the globe - including his Australian lawyer - and the FBI's attempts to convince some to give evidence against him.


Sunday, October 31, 2021

Women Are Trying to Escape Saudi Arabia, But Not All of Them Make It | Four Corners

Feb 4, 2019 • Many Saudi women are wealthy, well-educated and told they have everything, but when they disobey their male guardians, life can be more like a Handmaid’s Tale dystopia.

Watch the documentary here.

Saturday, October 30, 2021

Shocking Practices Exposed in Australia’s Cosmetic Surgery Industry | Four Corners

Oct 25, 2021 • A joint investigation between Four Corners, The Age and Sydney Morning Herald reveals alarming surgical practices at some of Australia’s most popular cosmetic surgery clinics.

Those clinics are owned by dermatologist-turned-cosmetic surgeon, Dr Daniel Lanzer. With millions of followers on social media, he is one of the most popular cosmetic surgeons in the world.

But some patients say that behind the hype, there’s a very different story to be told: one of physical and mental scarring after surgery at Lanzer clinics.

The investigation also reveals how the regulatory system in Australia is failing to protect patients from the devastating consequences of cosmetic surgery gone wrong – all while the industry continues to flourish.



Viewer discretion is strongly advised. This very disturbing report is not suitable for children or for the squeamish. – Mark

Friday, October 29, 2021

Escaping Jehovah's Witnesses: Inside the Dangerous World of a Brutal Religion | Four Corners

Sep 13, 2021 • Former Jehovah's Witnesses are fighting back against a religion that failed them. They know they'll lose their loved ones for doing so.

Few know the extreme nature of the beliefs of the Jehovah's Witnesses, a religious group which boasts eight million followers in multiple nations.

They take a strict interpretation of the Bible and predicted the world would meet its ‘wicked end’ in 1914, 1925 and 1975.

A US-based Governing Body of eight men sits at the pinnacle of the Jehovah’s Witnesses organisation. Witnesses believe these men are anointed as the voice of God on Earth.

Former members reveal the secretive practices used to instil fear and maintain discipline among followers.

With strict rules governing every aspect of their lives, these former Witnesses say the organisation is controlling and dangerous.

They say it's time to hold the Jehovah's Witnesses to account.