"Australia blaze stretches 190 miles" Associated Press, October 21, 2013
CANBERRA, Australia — Firefighters battling some of the most destructive wildfires to ever strike Australia’s most populous state were focusing on a major blaze Sunday near the town of Lithgow that stretched along a 190-mile front.
Are you sure it is a wildfire?
Authorities warned that high temperatures and winds were likely to maintain heightened fire danger for days in New South Wales state.
The fires have killed one man, destroyed 208 homes, and damaged another 122 since Thursday, the Rural Fire Service said.
Firefighters have taken advantage of milder conditions in recent days to reduce the number of fires threatening towns around Sydney from more than 100 on Thursday night to 61 on Sunday, fire service spokesman Matt Sun said.
Fifteen of these fires continued to burn out of control, including the blaze near Lithgow, west of Sydney, which was given the highest danger ranking by the fire service. Authorities expect that blaze will continue to burn for days and have advised several nearby communities to consider evacuating.
Sun said temperatures in the fire zone on Sunday exceeded 77 degrees, with winds reaching 12 miles per hour and humidity dropping to 30 percent. Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said the weather was forecast to deteriorate further over Monday and Tuesday.
‘‘It’s not as dire as it could be, but it’s certainly challenging work for firefighters and expected to get worse,’’ Sun said.
The Defense Department, meanwhile, said it was investigating whether there was any link between the Lithgow fire, which started Wednesday, and military exercises using explosives at a nearby training range on the same day.
Oh, fuck, are these candies hot!
Sun said the cause of the fire was also under investigation by fire authorities.
Arson investigators are examining the origins of several of more than 100 fires surrounding Sydney in recent days.
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Related:
"Australia’s most populous state declared a wildfire emergency as rising temperatures and strengthening winds intensified flames that have destroyed more than 200 properties across New South Wales. Firefighters are bracing for more wild weather across the state. Australia’s bush-fire season has started early after the warmest September on record, and the intensified warnings reflect receding chances of rain to douse flames."
Related: The New York Times Foul Fart Mist
Can smell it all the way over in Australia.
"WILDFIRES IN AUSTRALIA -- Tegan Mobbs inspected the remains of her home in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Tuesday after a wildfire that tore through the area had moved on. Smoke from three wildfires in New South Wales has also reached Sydney, more than 70 miles away. Australian authorities are advising people to stay indoors (Boston Globe October 23 2013)."
Globe coverage then went out.
I hope you are weathering this post okay.
Better get some water on that fire:
"Sailors capture 9 suspected pirates in the Indian Ocean" Associated Press, October 21, 2013
MANAMA, Bahrain — An Australian naval team in the Indian Ocean captured nine suspected pirates sought after attacks on a supertanker and a fishing vessel last week, a global antipiracy group said Sunday.
The Bahrain-based Combined Task Force 151 said the suspected pirate skiffs were spotted about 500 nautical miles off Somalia. A team from the Australian guided missile frigate HMAS Melbourne boarded the boats Oct. 15 and took nine suspects into custody.
The pirates are believed to have carried out attacks on a supertanker and Spanish fishing vessels.
Pirate attacks have dropped in recent years off the Horn of Africa with the increase of surveillance and protection from a 29-nation naval force, which includes the US Navy and Coast Guard and ships from the European Union.
Why is the Coast Guard way the hell over there?
Several task forces are operating in the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean region, including Combined Task Force 151.
Despite the presence of international monitors, Somali pirates have attacked hundreds of vessels off the Somali coast, although successful hijackings are few. There have been a string of such attacks in recent weeks.
I sometimes think the monitors are there to protect the pirates.
Related(?): Globe Promotes Captain Phillips
Hadn't seen anything about them for a long time until then.
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"Injured kangaroo finds treatment in airport pharmacy" by Gerry Mullany | New York Times, October 17, 2013
An injured kangaroo managed to make its way into Melbourne Airport in Australia on Wednesday, ending up, fittingly, in a pharmacy.
Astonished travelers watched as the kangaroo stumbled around the aisles, only to be captured by a dark-clad woman and a man, who can be seen on video casting a cloth over the ailing animal and then gently tackling it. It was placed under the care of a veterinarian.
The airport is ringed partly by bushland that is apparently frequented by kangaroos. This one chose to end up at a Qantas terminal, an apt destination since the airline’s symbol is the kangaroo and it is known among Australians as the “Flying Kangaroo.”
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the animal had been hit by a vehicle outside the terminal.
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Naturally, the episode was fodder for social media. An Australian comedian, Julia Morris, who happened to be at the airport when the kangaroo came by, was reduced to clever hashtags to try to top the reality of the situation.
“Ok, so I’m at Melbourne airport & a KANGAROO has just jumped into the chemist,’’ she wrote on Twitter, adding, “#notajoke #soundslikeajoke #mustneedaprescriptionfilled.”
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"Australian slain in Oklahoma buried in hometown" Associated Press, August 29, 2013
CANBERRA, Australia — The 22-year-old Australian baseball player killed in a drive-by shooting in Oklahoma was buried in his hometown of Melbourne on Wednesday after a funeral attended by more than 500 mourners at St. Therese’s Church.
Chris Lane died Aug. 16 in the town of Duncan while jogging near his girlfriend’s home. Duncan police say three teenagers targeted him at random to break up the monotony of an Oklahoma summer.
Television footage of the funeral service was broadcast in evening news bulletins across Australia, where the tragedy has become a major media story as guns and where drive-by shootings are far less prevalent than in the United States.
Chancey Allen Luna, 16, and James Francis Edwards Jr., 15, both of Duncan, have been charged as adults with first-degree murder. Michael Dewayne Jones, 17, also of Duncan, was charged with using a vehicle in the discharge of a weapon and with accessory to first-degree murder. He is considered a youthful offender but will be tried in adult court.
Lane moved to Oklahoma to play baseball. He would have been a senior at East Central University and hoped to enter the real estate business.
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Aussie candy left me with a bad taste in my mouth.
Also see: Exposed: Australia's Asia spy network
They are helping the U.S.
"Australian slain in Oklahoma buried in hometown" Associated Press, August 29, 2013
CANBERRA, Australia — The 22-year-old Australian baseball player killed in a drive-by shooting in Oklahoma was buried in his hometown of Melbourne on Wednesday after a funeral attended by more than 500 mourners at St. Therese’s Church.
Chris Lane died Aug. 16 in the town of Duncan while jogging near his girlfriend’s home. Duncan police say three teenagers targeted him at random to break up the monotony of an Oklahoma summer.
Television footage of the funeral service was broadcast in evening news bulletins across Australia, where the tragedy has become a major media story as guns and where drive-by shootings are far less prevalent than in the United States.
Chancey Allen Luna, 16, and James Francis Edwards Jr., 15, both of Duncan, have been charged as adults with first-degree murder. Michael Dewayne Jones, 17, also of Duncan, was charged with using a vehicle in the discharge of a weapon and with accessory to first-degree murder. He is considered a youthful offender but will be tried in adult court.
Lane moved to Oklahoma to play baseball. He would have been a senior at East Central University and hoped to enter the real estate business.
--more--"
Aussie candy left me with a bad taste in my mouth.
Also see: Exposed: Australia's Asia spy network
They are helping the U.S.
