Exercise is the wonder weapon in the type 2 diabetes fight

But one thing has me a little perplexed. In the series so far, and the accompanying editorials there's been a huge emphasis on just half the story. Essentially, it's been one of dietary avoidance.

Don't eat sugar and minimise carbohydrates. Fair enough, but for many, if not most of us, the control model is more attractive. We can enjoy vitamin/mineral/fibre-rich carbohydrates and even give our sweet-sensitive taste buds a workout now and then, and still maintain good blood glucose control simply by adopting a physically active lifestyle.

Regular deployment of our large muscle groups as in easy walking has a remarkable effect. Our DNA has kindly arranged that simply contracting a muscle improves muscle insulin sensitivity, permitting a physically active person to better manage sugars as they enter the bloodstream. I look forward to future The Canberra Times articles explaining why and how physical activity is our inherited, but not so secret weapon against type 2 diabetes.

"Diet and exercise" did get finally a mention on December 7 but the independent protective power of physical activity should have been better explained right up front. Exercise itself is medicine.

The opinion piece by Dr Orr ("Regret on Eve of WW3", canberratimes.com.au, December 8) is illogical and inconsistent. The first obvious error is to attempt to link Russia's ambitions in Ukraine and Chinese aggression against Taiwan with Morrison's comments on COVID19.

Both Putin and Xi have made their goals of annexing Ukraine and Taiwan obvious for years - long before COVID-19 and I suspect long before they even knew who the PM of Australia was.

In terms of inconsistency, Dr Orr criticises Morrison for daring to question the origins of COVID-19 but then immediately suggests Australia should always put principles first.

Another glaring error is to claim AUKUS commits Australia to joining a war for Taiwan.

It does no such thing and is nothing like NATO as he incorrectly asserts. NATO imposes mutual defence obligations; AUKUS is merely a technology exchange agreement and commits Australia to nothing. Even ANZUS only commits us to "consult".

Dr Orr then abruptly suggests that in the event of conflict, China would move on Darwin in order to secure access to its coal needs. Perhaps he is unaware Darwin is not the source of their coal supplies. Did he perhaps mean Gladstone or Newcastle? Neither is very likely.

He incorrectly states that our defence policy is "entirely drawn up by an officer corps" - surprisingly unaware that policy is not a matter for the military but for the public service (and a lot of academics like Dr Orr).

And finally, Dr Orr suggests that submarines would be unable to stop an invasion armada but that three small carriers with a few F-35s would be able to.

This shows an amazing lack of understanding of naval warfare.

Those carriers would be sunk by PLAN navy missiles before the F-35s even came into range, whereas even our current Collins submarines are stealthy enough to avoid detection and sink surface combatants approaching Australia. Overall, a disappointing article and most unworthy of such a recognised commentator.

Well done ACAT for protecting the right of Canberra apartment buyers to expect not to have bought a lemon over that of developers - evidently as they see it - to build as they see fit and ruinously cost shift all defects to Owners Corporations.

Still, what an amazing performance by the developer of Manhattan On the Park, to claim, as no doubt all his peers would have, too, that he was only responsible for project oversight and not the actual defective work delivered and sold to buyers. My head is still spinning at this argumentative skidding on ice. The predictable playing of responsibilities-footsies is a classic strategy to evade accountability, in Canberra and elsewhere.

Of course, we now also hear that the Chase Building Group entered liquidation in 2017.

Whether all these proceedings now are therefore of academic interest only, with nobody to face any remunerative music anyway, remains to be seen.

The still as ever legal phoenixing of companies is another major loophole no Australian government seems to be willing to try to address.

All cars pollute and the further they are driven the more they pollute. Distance charges are a good idea and should be applied to all vehicle registrations whether EV or fossil-fuelled ("EV distance charges 'inevitable' in ACT", December 7, p3). EVs still shed rubber from their tyres and brake pad dust from their brakes, so let's not kid ourselves about clean machines, and all vehicles wear out the roads on which they drive.

"Is this trip really necessary?" originated in wartime austerity then resurfaced during the 1970s energy crisis. The question is still very relevant today and applying a distance charge to all registered vehicles would create an incentive to drive less.

The AFP claims it needs to introduce online reporting of crimes in order to reallocate resources.

If they cannot do the job for the money they've been assigned, the ACT government should put it out to tender to the police forces of the other states and territory.

The AFP can then focus on the Solomon Islands and war crimes and residents can get the services they demand.

At the very least, the government will learn whether it is getting value for money from the AFP.

While I can see where Paul Pollard (Letters, December 10) is coming from with his hypothetical about the US becoming our climate enemy and China becoming our climate friend in the event of a Republican victory in the 2024 presidential election I don't believe the alliance is at risk.

After all, the Australia-US relationship did manage to survive the turbulent four years of the Trump presidency and, on occasion, appeared to be strengthened.

Every year hundreds of people die on Australian roads due to drunk-driving. That's why we attach substantial penalties to drunk-driving a car.

It was with some surprise then that I discovered the ACT government is looking at imposing a fine of 20 penalty units ($3200) for riding an e-scooter while intoxicated. By comparison, a first-time offence while driving under the influence starts at five units. The scooter fine equals the maximum possible fine for repeat drunk-driver offences with the heaviest level of intoxication.

Drunk scooter riders are a nuisance, but they're mostly a danger to themselves. Drunk scooter riding causing a serious injury or fatality to other persons is incredibly rare. Drunk drivers in cars killing pedestrians and bystanders happens in Australia weekly.

They are not equivalent and should not be treated as such.

The people most likely to be paying this fine are young and poor uni students, to whom a $3200 fine may put them in serious financial hardship. There should still be a fine - we have public healthcare system where drunk scooter riders who end up in hospital receive care on the public dollar - but it should be in line with similar offences, like failing to wear a helmet on a bike. A $200 dollar fine is far more appropriate, and a far less regressive way to deal with the problem.

Dr Ross Hudson claims "the Labor Party at least believes in climate change and, if it wins government, could be expected to be more ambitious in the future" (Letters, December 8). But just how seriously does Labor take this crisis? Federal Labor has declared an unambitious 43 per cent emissions reductions target. At the same time, it is approving funding for new fossil fuel projects, such as drilling for gas in the Beetaloo basin.

The latest IPCC report has clearly stated the need for more ambitious targets and the head of the International Energy Agency has warned against any new investments in coal and gas, if we are to keep emissions below dangerous levels. If we reach a "tipping point", with the potential of large quantities of dangerous gases being emitted as the Arctic permafrost thaws, this will be irreversible.

It is fortunate that the Greens and Independents have the intelligence to push for higher targets.

The PM is trying to raise the unfounded prospect that if Labor gets in they will be beholden to the Greens. Is he trying to draw attention away from the fact that if he gets back he will be, as now, a slave to the Nats?

Could The Canberra Times's traditional daily scoreboard please be reinstated for the Ashes matches, including the score at resumption? An incomplete summary of highlights doesn't suffice as a recapitulation of the day's events and a jumping off point for the next day's play.

So the Prime Minister has decided that human rights matter in China. I wonder if he will decide that human rights matter on Manus Island? If only I believed in miracles.

Because of the presentation to Alex Carey of his baggy green cap we are reminded that Adam Gilchrist is a class act. He shares the values of Sir Donald Bradman which are prominently displayed at the Bradman Museum. That is what sport should be about.

I'm astonished Australia Post's Christmas stamps show a cartoon of a frolicking Santa on Christmas Island. How offensive. Detainees won't enjoy much Christmas fun.

The ALP has announced its long-awaited policy on reducing emissions. It appears they are incapable of original thinking. Their policy, to all intents and purposes, follows the guidelines set up by Greg Hunt when he was environment minister.

I recently had someone "reach out to me to have a conversation about a range of issues". I took it to mean they wanted to "contact me to discuss something".

The Americans are defending the Muslims of China and the Muslim countries are cooperating more with China.

While isolating in the US the Deputy PM could write up his report on what he learned in the UK about the Conservatives' COVID-19 management given case numbers there have risen to 51,000 a day.

Two people nearly lost their lives last week while eating Weet-Bix and reading The Canberra Times (Letters, December 10). Let's ban Weet-Bix altogether. Or maybe just try a different cereal?

AC Garnet (Letters, December 9) bags the ACT ALP/Greens for their actions in government. But I ask, apart from the tram; the poor state of emergency and elective surgery wait times; the cave-in to developers; the disastrous state of public housing; the lack of action on weeds, pest animals and graffiti, what have they done (or not done) that is so bad?