Australia on fire (again)

Posted by: winkyincanada on 04 January 2015

One of the things I do not miss about the Australian summer. The strong, gusty, hot, dry, smoky nor-westers fanning the flames of seem to be ever more catastrophic fires. They seem to start earlier every year.

 

http://media.smh.com.au/video-...stralia-6136731.html

 

Cool and raining here in Vancouver - I'll take that any day.

Posted on: 04 January 2015 by BigH47

Nature doing what nature has done for millions of years , just we are in the way of it now.

 

Posted on: 04 January 2015 by winkyincanada
Originally Posted by BigH47:

Nature doing what nature has done for millions of years , just we are in the way of it now.

 

Something to be said for that point of view. We measure the significance of the fires by their effect on humans (lives lost or homes destroyed). Transient effects in the scheme of things.

Posted on: 04 January 2015 by joerand

I knew the banning of the thongs would not be a good portent.

Posted on: 05 January 2015 by winkyincanada

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-...20150105-12iee2.html

 

Burning, and now melting - who'd want to live there?

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-30677472

 

It looks like getting worse before it gets better. And then there's next year....

Posted on: 05 January 2015 by Kevin-W
Originally Posted by winkyincanada:

 

 

Burning, and now melting - who'd want to live there?


 

Indeed. Australia was once memorably described by a character in the acclaimed BBC TV satire The Thick of It as: "The world's biggest collection of poisonous things... populated by people dressed in khaki, squinting."