Fires in Oz

[Rustyoznail]

For some bizarre reason the Australian Open is continuing with outside play even though the EPA has warned that physical exertion outside is dangerous in today's smoke.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/tennis...stralian-open-qualifiers-20200114-p53rei.html

Can’t upset the TV rights holders. The tennis management had to be dragged kicking and screaming to implement an extreme heat policy.

Meanwhile, NASA reckons the smoke from the east coast will circle the world and hit Western Australia.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Rain here the last few days has been a relief, although there are concerns about all the crud that's going to be washed into reservoirs etc. The air is clean enough to open my windows again, until the wind changes again.

Meanwhile, not fire related, but while cleaning up in the bathroom I noticed a shock hazard in our bathroom. Glad I spotted this before trying to switch off this water fountain.

 

[Rustyoznail]

Rain here the last few days has been a relief, although there are concerns about all the crud that's going to be washed into reservoirs etc. The air is clean enough to open my windows again, until the wind changes again.

Meanwhile, not fire related, but while cleaning up in the bathroom I noticed a shock hazard in our bathroom. Glad I spotted this before trying to switch off this water fountain.

Awww. A baby striped fang tooth.

Almost as cute as baby Yoda.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Some updates on the extent of the damage so far: 80% of Blue Mountains and 50% of Gondwana rainforests burned.

I used to live in the Blue Mountains. Fire was a fact of life, but not at this severity. Beautiful place and it hurts to think what's happened to it.

 

[ElectricBlue]

And here's our national broadcaster spreading a futile argument that drop bears aren't real.

You know they are, people... and if you think they might be urban myth, can you take the risk?

Come prepared .

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-18/where-did-the-drop-bear-myth-originate/11874020

 

[ElectricBlue]

And here's where the ecologists say, "You know what, sometimes fires have a nett positive effect":

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01...st-koalas-on-kangaroo-island-a-no-go/11885552

(Until now KI had regular culls to control koala numbers).

 

[Bramblethorn]

And here's where the ecologists say, "You know what, sometimes fires have a nett positive effect":

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01...st-koalas-on-kangaroo-island-a-no-go/11885552

The fires at Kangaroo Island killed two people and may well have wiped out several species found nowhere else, so it'd be a very brave ecologist to describe that as a net positive.

(Until now KI had regular culls to control koala numbers).

er... no, they didn't? It's been discussed more than once, but as of six months ago it still wasn't happening, possibly because nobody wanted to take the PR hit that would ensue.

https://www.theguardian.com/austral...-cull-rejected-by-south-australian-government
https://www.theguardian.com/environ...ing-considered-as-numbers-become-overabundant

 

[ElectricBlue]

er... no, they didn't? It's been discussed more than once, but as of six months ago it still wasn't happening, possibly because nobody wanted to take the PR hit that would ensue.

I'll stand partially corrected - my memory goes back a few decades before the current policies, which are 2009, 2016. I recall several culls in previous decades. Now, though, it's birth control and sterilisation:

https://www.naturalresources.sa.gov...s-and-animals/native-animals/koala-management

 

[colddiesel]

Stinking hot day again down in NSW, 41 celsius+ blustery winds, fires have sprung up again, especially in the Snowy Mountains.

And when it couldn't get worse it did. A C130(I think) leased water bomber crashed this afternoon near Cooma killing the crew of 3, all of whom were Americans.

And still 2 months of the fire season ahead of us.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Stinking hot day again down in NSW, 41 celsius+ blustery winds, fires have sprung up again, especially in the Snowy Mountains.

And when it couldn't get worse it did. A C130(I think) leased water bomber crashed this afternoon near Cooma killing the crew of 3, all of whom were Americans.

Yeah, so sad :-( Poor bastards came all this way to help out.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Despite the heavy rain at my place, a bad weekend for fires elsewhere in Oz: https://www.theguardian.com/austral...near-me-latest-news-saturday?CMP=share_btn_tw

 

[ElectricBlue]

Despite the heavy rain at my place, a bad weekend for fires elsewhere in Oz: https://www.theguardian.com/austral...near-me-latest-news-saturday?CMP=share_btn_tw

Yes, that Canberra one is a nasty. It's coming up valleys that were a regular Sunday drive, way back when I lived there. My memory is the wind chill coming in over the Brindabellas in winter, not bloody fires .

 

[ChloeTzang]

Yes, that Canberra one is a nasty. It's coming up valleys that were a regular Sunday drive, way back when I lived there. My memory is the wind chill coming in over the Brindabellas, in winter not bloody fires .

Just saw it on a newsclip. On the plus sides, it’s heading for your capital city. So there’s a silver lining.....

 

[Rustyoznail]

Just saw it on a newsclip. On the plus sides, it’s heading for your capital city. So there’s a silver lining.....

Problem is, all the pollies have shot through for their summer holidays so you just have the poor sods that have to live there.

 

[ChloeTzang]

Problem is, all the pollies have shot through for their summer holidays so you just have the poor sods that have to live there.

Crap. That’s a shame. Maybe you could bomb the fire with politicians?

 

[Rustyoznail]

Crap. That’s a shame. Maybe you could bomb the fire with politicians?

Not a bad idea. All the bullshit they spray would probably make a good retardant.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

The BBC is now saying that Canberra dodged the bullet, at least for now. Good news!

 

[Bramblethorn]

Just saw it on a newsclip. On the plus sides, it’s heading for your capital city. So there’s a silver lining.....

I've spent a lot of time in Canberra. It's a lovely town, if a bit quiet for my partner's tastes.

Unfortunately, people from all over Australia elect arseholes, send them to Canberra, and then act like the arseholes are Canberra's fault.

 

[ChloeTzang]

I've spent a lot of time in Canberra. It's a lovely town, if a bit quiet for my partner's tastes.

Unfortunately, people from all over Australia elect arseholes, send them to Canberra, and then act like the arseholes are Canberra's fault.

Yep, international problem. Why can terrorists and natural disasters never get it right! Oh well, coffee time. Sunday morning mass next, a cold snowy day, shopping and then brunch and writing where it’s nice and warm. It’s wet snow too, the worst, soggy and heavy. Yuck!

 

[oggbashan]

I've spent a lot of time in Canberra. It's a lovely town, if a bit quiet for my partner's tastes.

Unfortunately, people from all over Australia elect arseholes, send them to Canberra, and then act like the arseholes are Canberra's fault.

I visited Canberra in 1961. I wasn't impressed. Where Lake Burley Griffin now is - was a swamp. Canberra reminded me of Basingstoke - lots of wide roads leading nowhere except to buildings to be erected sometime in the future.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I visited Canberra in 1961. I wasn't impressed. Where Lake Burley Griffin now is - was a swamp. Canberra reminded me of Basingstoke - lots of wide roads leading nowhere except to buildings to be erected sometime in the future.

The future happened, and the bits planned for got built.

I lived there for ten or so years (university, first job) and loved it. Easy to get around, kangaroos in the carpark, bush twenty minutes away in any direction, the ocean two hours to the east, snow two hours to the south. Canberra features in many of my stories - I call it my "primal city."

 

[ElectricBlue]

Whoa, that's... big

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-06/funnel-web-spider-dubbed-the-rock-handed-in/11936056

 

[yukonnights]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-06/funnel-web-spider-dubbed-the-rock-handed-in/11936056

The instructions on how to catch one of those creatures seems a bit loosey goosey to me. Grab a damp diaper and catch a deadly spider — step right up folks, show your gal you ain't afraid of no spider

EB, this right here is just one more reason for you to finally accept it and move north to Alaska. Thar's bears in d'woods, but at least you kin see 'em coming for ya!

 

[ElectricBlue]

EB, this right here is just one more reason for you to finally accept it and move north to Alaska. Thar's bears in d'woods, but at least you kin see 'em coming for ya!

EB looks closely at Yukon. "How many legs dem critters got?"

 

[colddiesel]

The instructions on how to catch one of those creatures seems a bit loosey goosey to me. Grab a damp diaper and catch a deadly spider — step right up folks, show your gal you ain't afraid of no spider

EB, this right here is just one more reason for you to finally accept it and move north to Alaska. Thar's bears in d'woods, but at least you kin see 'em coming for ya!

Most funnel webs get caught when the males go looking for females, usually in humid warm weather. The commonest way they are caught is when they fall into backyard swimming pools. They appear to be dead (through lack of oxygen) but if you scoop the apparently comatose spiders out of the pool with a jam jar and put them into a dry container, they will, after drying out for an hour or two start scurrying around again.)

One of the very rare species in which the male is more deadly than the female.