Dear Mr Morrison

[Someone Out There]

On 1/22/2020 at 10:03 AM, Ozlsn said:

Anyway, speaking of climate and changes - in the last week we have had RAIN!!  Across most of the major fire areas, thank God. We have also had giant hailstones and a major dust storm. As one of my friends said, this is starting to feel Biblical.  What's next, locusts and frogs? ... can we centre them on Parliament House in Canberra perhaps?

I think the Locust and Frog plagues would both need significant rain... (not sure on how we would get a frog plague, but the locusts require a bumper harvest which require plenty of rain).  Personally I think it was a pity that it wasn't a sitting session this week for our "beloved" federal politicians that the rest of the country keep sending this way...

But yes, Monday here it was hail, Wednesday it was fire and a dust storm... The smoke so far seems to have generally disappeared in the parts I am and we have been seeing blue sky again...

Edited to add: From what I can see insect numbers are down this year.  I usually have something crashing into my backyard flyscreen wanting to come towards the light at night but those noises have been largely absent lately.

Edited January 24, 2020 by Someone Out There

[fraurosena]

Oh, my heart! 

 

[fraurosena]

1 hour ago, fraurosena said:

Oh, my heart! 

 

Apparently the tweet is a dud. Sorry.

[Ozlsn]

For @fraurosena - this one is legitimate.

Soldiers feeding koalas.

[Katzchen24]

Another heatwave on the way for south-eastern Australia

I could cry. But I'm sure #ScottyfromMarketing will look after us. ?

 

 

[Smee]

On 1/25/2020 at 9:43 AM, Someone Out There said:

I think the Locust and Frog plagues would both need significant rain... (not sure on how we would get a frog plague, but the locusts require a bumper harvest which require plenty of rain).  Personally I think it was a pity that it wasn't a sitting session this week for our "beloved" federal politicians that the rest of the country keep sending this way...

But yes, Monday here it was hail, Wednesday it was fire and a dust storm... The smoke so far seems to have generally disappeared in the parts I am and we have been seeing blue sky again...

Edited to add: From what I can see insect numbers are down this year.  I usually have something crashing into my backyard flyscreen wanting to come towards the light at night but those noises have been largely absent lately.

The locusts are in Kenya.

“One especially large swarm in northeastern Kenya measured 60km long by 40km wide.”

Causing plenty of devastation, eating through 35 000 people worth of food EACH DAY, but not in the western world so not all over our news or prompting  large celebrity-organised fundraising campaigns. It’s awful to say, but one positive (?) thing to come out of the Australia fires is the world’s attention. Climate change has been hitting and hurting the global south and poorer countries in extreme ways for a long time now, but it’s not until a rich country is so drastically impacted that the discussion gets real for a lot of people.

But for those playing disaster movie bingo, Australia gets fires (including some that are now burning underground in coal seams, where they will stay for months), thunderstorms (with some lightning starting new fires), floods, toxic ash rain, giant hail, and, of course, spiders... https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-22/sydney-funnel-web-spiders-on-the-move/11888750?pfmredir=sm

[Ozlsn]

Twitter of a photojournalist near the fires.

Watching the fires in ACT and Vic via app. It is really not looking good.  Stay safe everyone. Hoping the predicted changes come through sooner than projected.

Edited February 1, 2020 by Ozlsn

[Ozlsn]

Back in December when I replied to @Smash! with "come to Australia, it'll probably be flooding by Feb" I was half joking. I should really not do that.

Anyway, @Smash! if you're out here hope you're having a great time and if you want to do coffee PM me. 

Interesting times, sheesh.

[Smash!]

Back in December when I replied to [mention=23517]Smash![/mention] with "come to Australia, it'll probably be flooding by Feb" I was half joking. I should really not do that.

Anyway, [mention=23517]Smash![/mention] if you're out here hope you're having a great time and if you want to do coffee PM me. 
Interesting times, sheesh.

I decided against Australia and I’m currently traveling Central America with lots of Australians! [emoji2]

Picture shows the Maya ruins of Tikal, Guatemala [emoji4]

[Ozlsn]

I am so jealous - I would love to go there but not feasible right now! Have fun!

[adidas]

On 2/11/2020 at 8:23 AM, Ozlsn said:

Back in December when I replied to @Smash! with "come to Australia, it'll probably be flooding by Feb" I was half joking. I should really not do that.

Anyway, @Smash! if you're out here hope you're having a great time and if you want to do coffee PM me. 

Interesting times, sheesh.

I’m laughing while I’m dancing in the rain. 
 

For the first time since August, all fires in my state are contained. ? 

https://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/nsw-bushfires-contained-after-week-of-rain/news-story/3ad866d86d523f439965b10a3609217b

[adidas]

For the first time since early July 2019, there are currently no active bush or grass fires in my state. They are all out. Farewell to 240 continuous days of fire activity, heartbreak and despair. ? 

[Katzchen24]

Another unsurprising revelation.

Morrison admits asking for Hillsong founder to be invited to the White House.

[Ozlsn]

Meanwhile the Bushfire research CRC only has funding guaranteed until June. I kind of feel that now is not the time to stop funding.

Also Tony Windsor does a good line in burn.

[Katzchen24]

I didn't know where else to throw this, but It's January, and there's fires in South Australia. 

Here's the map of fires that broke out today in the Adelaide Hills. Without doxxing myself too badly, I live not very far from one of the red zones. Close enough that I have my cats packed into their carriers, and the dog and cat food and my travel bag near the front door. I'm actually sure it will be fine, but I'd prefer in this situation to be overly dramatic than tragically understated.

Spoiler

 

This summer hasn't been a really hot one comparatively speaking (although today it hit 42.7C/108F) but it's been really really dry.  

[Becky]

Be safe, @Katzchen24.  I hope this fire season stays under control.  

[Ozlsn]

21 hours ago, Katzchen24 said:

I'm actually sure it will be fine, but I'd prefer in this situation to be overly dramatic than tragically understated.

Agreed - stay safe and hope there's also not too much smoke in your direction. It is weird - it feels like we've had so much rain, but it's still so dry everywhere.

Hope the temperatures have dropped and it's under control soon.

[Katzchen24]

As quoted in an article in The Guardian on 26/04/2021 (link in spoiler below).

“I’ve been in evacuation centres where people thought I was just giving someone a hug and I was praying, and putting my hands on people … laying hands on them and praying in various situations,” he says, referring to a visit to Kalbarri in the Pilbara in the wake of Cyclone Seroja.

I think this highlights the Australian Prime Minister's difficulty in understanding the issues around consent.

 

Spoiler

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/apr/26/scott-morrison-tells-christian-conference-he-was-called-to-do-gods-work-as-prime-minister

 

[fraurosena]

2 hours ago, Katzchen24 said:

I think this highlights the Australian Prime Minister's difficulty in understanding the issues around consent.

Not only that, but it also highlights something rather scary: Morrison can be manipulated by pastors in his church to act in whatever way they want him to, simply by telling him it’s what his god wants him to do. He sees himself as an instrument of his god, and his his faith guides him in everything he does...and he follows the directives of what his pastors tell him.

Which begs the question: who is running the country? Morrison— or his pastors?

 

[Ozlsn]

On 4/28/2021 at 4:07 PM, fraurosena said:

Which begs the question: who is running the country? Morrison— or his pastors?

Neither really, Rupert is.

[Katzchen24]

49 minutes ago, Ozlsn said:

Neither really, Rupert is.

Not sure if I want to laugh or cry in response to this. It's fairly certain he wanted that asshat Abbott back in office.

Spoiler

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/apr/12/turnbull-tells-senate-inquiry-rupert-murdoch-admitted-crazy-agenda-to-restore-abbott-as-leader

 

[Ozlsn]

2 minutes ago, Katzchen24 said:

Not sure if I want to laugh or cry in response to this. It's fairly certain he wanted that asshat Abbott back in office.

  Hide contents

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/apr/12/turnbull-tells-senate-inquiry-rupert-murdoch-admitted-crazy-agenda-to-restore-abbott-as-leader

 

"And it is utterly unaccountable. It is controlled by an American family and their interests are no longer, if they ever were, coextensive with our own"

Yep. And it's basically time for foreign media ownership laws to come back into play, and monopolies to be broken up.

I admit part of my response is based on watching NewsCorp's fairly blatant attempts to get certain state premiers out while equally as blatantly ignoring actual issues about other state premiers. But most of it's longer term than that - last year's press conferences just gave us all the chance to see the bulkshit up close.

[Ozlsn]

I am so angry about the Fed Govt's new ban on Australians returning from India.

If this was based on health advice, as claimed, I want the Chief Medical Officer to stand up and own it.

 If, as I strongly suspect, it wasn't then those responsible need to get up and explain why the disparity between India and Every. Other. Nation. The South African variant has been in play for quite some time, ditto the UK variant(s) - no ban there. A woman I know flew to Florida because her mother was having surgery and returned with no issues in November - no ban there. China we required citizens to quarantine on Christmas Island for a period until people pointed out that flights were coming in fine from Italy and the US which at that point also had an increasing burden of cases.

From a government that basically handballed the quarantine to the states ("it's health"), handballed the health response ("it's health") and now appear to be not handling the vaccine rollout very well (apparently this is... not health?) it really, really makes me angry that their pisspoor response is so openly, blatantly racist. I shouldn't be surprised - who am I kidding, I'm only surprised that it's this damn obvious. 

So now we get to have cases against the legislation heard and probably overturning it, and dammit, they have had over a year to work out a consistent and workable quarantine solution, and I have no freaking idea WTAF they have been doing in that time. Well, other than trying to ignore some pretty damn serious allegations, but in response to the pandemic? So. Damn. Angry.

[Katzchen24]

I still don't understand why they couldn't allow (or, heaven forbid, help) all citizens to return, quarantine and then rejoin their families.

2 hours ago, Ozlsn said:

I am so angry about the Fed Govt's new ban on Australians returning from India.

If this was based on health advice, as claimed, I want the Chief Medical Officer to stand up and own it.

 If, as I strongly suspect, it wasn't then those responsible need to get up and explain why the disparity between India and Every. Other. Nation. The South African variant has been in play for quite some time, ditto the UK variant(s) - no ban there. A woman I know flew to Florida because her mother was having surgery and returned with no issues in November - no ban there. China we required citizens to quarantine on Christmas Island for a period until people pointed out that flights were coming in fine from Italy and the US which at that point also had an increasing burden of cases.

From a government that basically handballed the quarantine to the states ("it's health"), handballed the health response ("it's health") and now appear to be not handling the vaccine rollout very well (apparently this is... not health?) it really, really makes me angry that their pisspoor response is so openly, blatantly racist. I shouldn't be surprised - who am I kidding, I'm only surprised that it's this damn obvious. 

So now we get to have cases against the legislation heard and probably overturning it, and dammit, they have had over a year to work out a consistent and workable quarantine solution, and I have no freaking idea WTAF they have been doing in that time. Well, other than trying to ignore some pretty damn serious allegations, but in response to the pandemic? So. Damn. Angry.

I strongly believe it comes down to using racism as a distraction from incompetence. ScoMo has mishandled so much recently that perhaps he's hoping that being horribly racist will appeal to other Australian racists (AKA his constituents). He's awful.

Trump emboldened more than just American white supremacists.

 

Edited May 2, 2021 by Katzchen24

[Ozlsn]

9 hours ago, Katzchen24 said:

still don't understand why they couldn't allow (or, heaven forbid, help) all citizens to return, quarantine and then rejoin their families

You mean like NZ did? Yeah. It pissed me off enormously that people were blaming the guy who returned, quarantined and then tested positive in WA last month - he did everything the government required, got an exemption to travel. His reason fell within the guidelines - and seriously, after the amount of whinging about postponing weddings here last year you might think there would be some sympathy. 

9 hours ago, Katzchen24 said:

strongly believe it comes down to using racism as a distraction from incompetence

 His approval ratings keep going up - thanks Rupert! But yes, this mob are mediocre at best and incompetent at less than best. This, like so much if the rest of their tenure, could have been handled a lot better. At this rate I think Mark McGowan will end up PM - conservative enough for the right, middle enough for the rest, also gives a better impression of competence.