Australia

[arthwollipot]

Australia's population has almost doubled in the last 50 years.

[Prometheus]

Originally Posted by arthwollipot

Australia's population has almost doubled in the last 50 years.

*******.

Edited by Agatha:

Whilst I admire the joke, rule 10 is in play in HLA.

[arthwollipot]

‘Terrorising us’: bluebottles wash up on Australian beaches in ‘gobsmacking numbers’

Quote:

There’s still much to learn about these ‘strange alien creatures’, but climate change likely to create ideal breeding conditions, expert says


Armadas of alien-like sea creatures have been washing up on Australian beaches thanks to the warm weather but experts warn people should look but not touch.

Jellyfish expert Dr Lisa-ann Gershwin said bluebottles had been washing up on beaches across New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania in “gobsmacking numbers” over the last few months thanks to the warmer weather.

“They’re having a really fun time this year and they’re definitely terrorising us this year,” Gershwin said. “They’re really strange alien creatures. There’s no two ways about it.

“It doesn’t have any equal to people, or animals, or corals, or things we understand intuitively. It’s just their own brand of weirdness in such a cool way.”

...

If someone finds a bluebottle washed up on the beach, Gershwin encouraged people to look but warned they should not touch, poke or stomp on the animals as even in death they can sting.

“These things bloody hurt,” she said.

I can personally attest to that last bit. The beach where my family regularly spent our Christmas/New Year break was riddled with the buggers, and I was stung many times. It's not pleasant, and I stopped going to that beach as soon as I was old enough to be left home alone.

[lionking]

Originally Posted by arthwollipot

‘Terrorising us’: bluebottles wash up on Australian beaches in ‘gobsmacking numbers’

I can personally attest to that last bit. The beach where my family regularly spent our Christmas/New Year break was riddled with the buggers, and I was stung many times. It's not pleasant, and I stopped going to that beach as soon as I was old enough to be left home alone.

The really scary buggers are the Irukandji stingers. They are moving south and they kill, and you die in great pain.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irukandji_jellyfish

When I was a surf lifesaver on bluebottle days, we used to rub sand on the parts stung (which actually removed the stings sticking to the body) and put laundry blue on (which did nothing other than generate a placebo effect).

[arthwollipot]

Originally Posted by lionking

The really scary buggers are the Irukandji stingers. They are moving south and they kill, and you die in great pain.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irukandji_jellyfish

When I was a surf lifesaver on bluebottle days, we used to rub sand on the parts stung (which actually removed the stings sticking to the body) and put laundry blue on (which did nothing other than generate a placebo effect).

The current recommendation is vinegar. We used a commercial preparation trademarked Stingose. It... kind of worked. It was better than nothing.

[lionking]

Unsurprisingly the Wiggles win the Hottest 100.

I usually listen to the countdown, but since it was moved from Australia Day I haven’t.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-...eber/100775192

[Orphia Nay]

I listened to most of the 100 yesterday, and listening to the rest on Spotify now. A good playlist.

[arthwollipot]

Shipwreck found in US confirmed as Captain Cook's Endeavour after 22-year search, museum says

Quote:

Maritime experts are convinced they have confirmed the final resting place of Captain James Cook's ship, Endeavour, after 22 years of searching.

The Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) announced a wreck in Newport Harbour, off Rhode Island in the United States, had been confirmed as the ship.

The Endeavour, which was scuttled in the harbour as part of the American War of Independence in 1788, has a prominent place in Australian history.

In 1770 it became the first European vessel to reach the east coast.

[arthwollipot]

But wait!

Quote:

Meanwhile, we may not have found the Endeavour after all.

Kevin Sumption, the chief executive of the Australian National Maritime Museum, announced today the shipwreck of Cook’s vessel had been positively identified.

But the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project has rejected the ANMM’s report, calling it a “breach of contract” with RIMAP, the lead organisation for the study in Newport harbour.

It says there has been “no indisputable data” to prove the site is the Endeavour, though the study is “consistent with what might be expected”:

There are many unanswered questions that could overturn such an identification ... RIMAP’s conclusions will be driven by proper scientific process and not Australian emotions or politics.

source

[Sideroxylon]

Official Saints Facebook group is reporting the passing of Chris Bailey of the Saints. Cofounded the Aussie punk band that was all about the music and not the safety pins and hair that beat the Sex Pistols to putting out a record.

Stranded with intros by various artists.

YouTube Video This video is not hosted by the ISF. The ISF can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website.

I AGREE

Know Your Product - just yesterday I was looking at a hand written list by Curt Cobain of his favourite records and saw this one.

YouTube Video This video is not hosted by the ISF. The ISF can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website.

I AGREE

Ghost Ships

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I AGREE

[Orphia Nay]

Thanks for those vids, Sidey. Soundtrack to past days.

[Sideroxylon]

Yes, Orphia. So many memories in those songs.

[arthwollipot]

‘Itchy, yucky, unpleasant’: wet weather brings leech invasion to NSW suburbs

Quote:

Residents tell of close encounters with the blood-sucking creatures which are spreading because of high rain and humidity


Relentless rainfall has sparked a leech invasion in New South Wales, with no reprieve in sight for already damp dwellings.

The blood-sucking creatures have been attracted into suburban areas, where higher than normal rainfall and humidity are providing suitable conditions to feed.

Linda Campbell has been batting off leeches in her Winmalee home in the Blue Mountains for months.

“I’ve lived in this house for seven years, [and] I have never found leeches inside before now,” she said.

“I don’t have a dog. My two cats aren’t allowed outside, so they haven’t hitched a ride on a pet.”

Campbell reckons she has found more than half a dozen leeches on her property since December – bopping up on her body, on the settee, secreted in rugs and on walls.

The worst encounter was when Campbell was sitting on the couch at night, barefoot. She was just about to go to bed when she noticed a leech had been sucking blood out of her foot.

'Straya!

[Sideroxylon]

That’s horrible.

[Orphia Nay]

Ewww.

[Norman Alexander]

Originally Posted by arthwollipot

‘Itchy, yucky, unpleasant’: wet weather brings leech invasion to NSW suburbs

'Straya!

Winmalee is near me. We have the constant dampness too. "Flower Of The Month" winner for the first 6 months of 2022 is Mildew. Runner-up: mold.

Haven't seen any leeches...yet. But I'm getting my leech-gun ready for when they do come...

[arthwollipot]

Note that the forum software is going to mangle the URL. You'll need to fix it by inserting the letters S, H, I and T in the appropriate locations, conveniently indicated by asterisks.

'Australia's S***test Big Things' shortlist a joke to some, but not everyone's laughing

Quote:

Australia is famous for its "big things", and the 230-or-so novelty landmarks can certainly divide opinion.

Back to ruffle some feathers, the satirists from **** Towns of Australia have put it to a vote and compiled a shortlist of what people believe are the most unusual or underwhelming "big things".

Some people reckon the "****test" poll is a bit of fun that helps draw attention to their towns; others take exception to being spoken about in such unflattering terms.

[shemp]

I just clicked the link and it worked.

[arthwollipot]

Originally Posted by shemp

I just clicked the link and it worked.

Struth, serious? Fair suck of the strudel.

[arthwollipot]

'Straya!

Cold conditions drive venomous red-bellied black snake to seek warmth of car engine bay

Quote:

In the engine bay of Alan Bates' Mercedes is a 204 horsepower engine considered to be the peak of German engineering — and a highly venomous red-bellied black snake.

Mr Bates discovered the beady-eyed boarder after lifting the bonnet on Wednesday to check for a different kind of unwanted visitor.

"The other car had some rodent droppings under the bonnet, so I thought I'd better check this one as well," Mr Bates said.

"There he was just sitting on top of the engine."

Both as surprised as each other by the intrusion on their mid-morning activity, Mr Bates and the snake retreated in kind.

The mostly black engine bay of the car, already crowded with serpentine hoses, then provided the perfect hiding place for the snake.

Even when a professional snake handler was called in to remove it, the "elusive" creature continued to thwart Mr Bates' attempts to get done what he needed to.

"We were supposed to use this car to pick up our other car from servicing but unfortunately we couldn't," he said.

"The snake was holding all the cards at that moment."

Find out the exciting conclusion at the link.

[arthwollipot]

Hey Melbournites, how do you like those sub-zero mornings, hey?

[lionking]

Originally Posted by arthwollipot

Hey Melbournites, how do you like those sub-zero mornings, hey?

One of my daughters lives in the Yarra Valley. It was minus 4 there this morning.

We try not to use the gas heater during the day. Not the last two days though.

[arthwollipot]

I, unfortunately, use my gas heater extensively. Most of the year I use an electric heat pump, but midwinter it just isn't butch enough.

[lionking]

Predicted to be even colder tomorrow. Our closest met station showed minus 3 today.

I’ve been sleeping in a spare bedroom as my wife has had covid. Which doesn’t have an electric blanket. So I have had multiple layers of clothes on in bed. As she is now out quarantine, back in the warm bed.

[Prometheus]

Originally Posted by lionking

Predicted to be even colder tomorrow. Our closest met station showed minus 3 today.

I’ve been sleeping in a spare bedroom as my wife has had covid. Which doesn’t have an electric blanket. So I have had multiple layers of clothes on in bed. As she is now out quarantine, back in the warm bed.

I feel your pain, but in reverse. We're in the middle of a heat-wave here, and I'm currently letting my kids share my bed as it's the only cool room in the house. I'm sweltering through the night in my son's bed, which hasn't gone much below 90F.

[arthwollipot]

Eucalypt found only in Sydney suburbs confirmed as new species

Quote:

An incredibly rare eucalypt found in some of the most densely developed areas of Sydney has been confirmed as a new species.

The yet-to-be formally named species is a shrubby type of eucalypt with cup-shaped fruit and is found in the Hills District in Sydney's north-west.

"It's an unassuming eucalyptus tree," Australian Institute of Botanical Science scientist Trevor Wilson said.

"It's not too tall, it is actually a mallee which means it doesn't have a main trunk system, it looks very shrubby."

It was first spotted in the suburbs in the 1990s, but it is only now that scientists can say with certainty that it is a distinctive new species.

"It's been a long time coming," Dr Wilson said.

"The problem was that it was never known whether or not it was a hybrid, like a cross between two other species, or whether it was a distinct species on its own."

To answer that question, the Australian Institute of Botanical Science used genomic sequencing to identify key differences from other types of eucalypt and understand more about its evolutionary history.

Dr Wilson said the results showed, not only was it not a hybrid of two other species, it was more distantly-related than expected.

"That means we've identified quite a distinct, more unexpected amount of biodiversity, just sitting at the doorstep of Sydneysiders."

[lionking]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

I feel your pain, but in reverse. We're in the middle of a heat-wave here, and I'm currently letting my kids share my bed as it's the only cool room in the house. I'm sweltering through the night in my son's bed, which hasn't gone much below 90F.

I really feel for the people in the UK who never thought they would need air conditioning in their houses. I would love to be an air-con salesman in the UK right now.

Of course in Australia I would guess that almost all houses had air conditioning.

[arthwollipot]

Originally Posted by lionking

I really feel for the people in the UK who never thought they would need air conditioning in their houses. I would love to be an air-con salesman in the UK right now.

Of course in Australia I would guess that almost all houses had air conditioning.

When I moved in, mine did not. For two years I coped with opening doors and windows, and a standard fan. Then I got air conditioning put in.

[Norman Alexander]

Don't need aircon here up the Blue Mountains. Heating, sure. Aircon? Just open the window a bit and let the sub-zero, rain-soaked winter winds blow in a bit.

[arthwollipot]

I love opening the windows when it's raining.

[Lplus]

Originally Posted by lionking

I really feel for the people in the UK who never thought they would need air conditioning in their houses. I would love to be an air-con salesman in the UK right now.

Of course in Australia I would guess that almost all houses had air conditioning.

Still don't need it though it would be nice for the few really hot days we get. I'll wait for a dual heat pump system that pumps heat into the radiators for 6 months of the year and pumps near freezing water into the system on the few days it gets really hot.

[lionking]

Originally Posted by Lplus

Still don't need it though it would be nice for the few really hot days we get. I'll wait for a dual heat pump system that pumps heat into the radiators for 6 months of the year and pumps near freezing water into the system on the few days it gets really hot.

We have an evaporated cooling air con ducted system as many houses have. It doesn’t require refrigeration just pumps water cooled air throughout the house. Costs almost nothing to run, but even on the hottest 40C+ days, the inside temperature doesn’t get above 25C.

ETA, these systems don’t work well in humid climates like Queensland, but are perfect for our dry heat in Victoria.

[Norman Alexander]

Originally Posted by lionking

We have an evaporated cooling air con ducted system as many houses have. It doesn’t require refrigeration just pumps water cooled air throughout the house. Costs almost nothing to run, but even on the hottest 40C+ days, the inside temperature doesn’t get above 25C.

ETA, these systems don’t work well in humid climates like Queensland, but are perfect for our dry heat in Victoria.

Nor cold humid climates either, like up on the dividing range. Evaporative aircon is very much a dry climate solution.

[lobosrul5]

Originally Posted by lionking

We have an evaporated cooling air con ducted system as many houses have. It doesn’t require refrigeration just pumps water cooled air throughout the house. Costs almost nothing to run, but even on the hottest 40C+ days, the inside temperature doesn’t get above 25C.

ETA, these systems don’t work well in humid climates like Queensland, but are perfect for our dry heat in Victoria.

Thats what I used to have in my house in New Mexico. We call them swamp coolers. On a 100f (38C) day it would get to about 80f (27C) in my house upstairs, that was just about the best they could do. On a rare humid and hot day it would just make things miserable. Then again when I first moved here we might get 3 or 4 100f days a summer, now its 20 or 30 days. Then there's the problem of forest fire smoke. You're choices on a smoky day (and those are getting more common too) with an evap cooler is to roast or choke.

It died 2 years ago and due to it being from a company now out of business that used some weird electrical system it was unrepairable. Now I have these split window units, they're like in a U shape so your window can be almost totally closed which makes them much quieter.

[arthwollipot]

Yeah!

Canberra is the happiest capital of Australia, according to research

Quote:

Study finds city has nation’s highest average income, some of shortest commuting times and good access to services and green spaces


It’s freezing in winter, baking hot in summer and has more roundabouts than just about any city in Australia, but Canberrans seem to like it that way.

New research from the University of Canberra shows the citizens of the nation’s capital are happier than other city dwellers across Australia.

Lead researcher, Prof Jacki Schirmer, said: “Canberra is unique. The wellbeing is pretty high across the city. In Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, there are pockets of really high wellbeing, whereas in others it’s much lower.”

The researchers point to the city having the highest average income nationwide, some of the shortest commuting times, and good access to services and green spaces such as nature reserves.

[Norman Alexander]

Originally Posted by arthwollipot

Yeah!

Canberra is the happiest capital of Australia, according to research

They are mostly politicians, so can afford to stay drunk.

[arthwollipot]

Originally Posted by Norman Alexander

They are mostly politicians, so can afford to stay drunk.

One funny thing about politicians. They have to go home to their electorates most of the time.

[arthwollipot]

This is fascinating. Probing Canberra's north-south divide using statistical analysis of Census data.

Canberra is changing, though census data shows divide between north and south suburbs remains

Quote:

The latest census contained a surprise: Canberra was growing much faster than everyone had realised.

There were almost 22,000 more people in the city than was officially estimated.

However, this growth has been uneven: the city is bulging in the north, but not in the south...

[Norman Alexander]

Originally Posted by arthwollipot

This is fascinating. Probing Canberra's north-south divide using statistical analysis of Census data.

Canberra is changing, though census data shows divide between north and south suburbs remains

Used to be that Hall was a little village way out on the north-west ACT border. Now it's a Canberra suburb. Ditto Eagle Hawk. Belconnen used to be "out in the sticks". Now you can't even see the sticks from there.

[arthwollipot]

Originally Posted by Norman Alexander

Used to be that Hall was a little village way out on the north-west ACT border. Now it's a Canberra suburb. Ditto Eagle Hawk. Belconnen used to be "out in the sticks". Now you can't even see the sticks from there.

When I was a kid we used to go on day trips for picnics on Pine Island, which is now just down the hill from the Tuggeranong Town Centre.