Often when I listen to Radio National, I’ll learn something I didn’t know before. In this case, I was listening to Saturday Extra last week. Cutting power consumption? One item talking about electricity efficiency noted that enormous amounts of money are being invested in distribution networks, instead of being spent on measures to cut consumption ... [More]
Category: News and events
News and current affairs
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Lord Jesus Christ hit by a car
No, really. ‘Lord Jesus Christ’ struck by car in Northampton … Police responded at around 3:40 p.m. on Tuesday to investigate an incident where a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle while he was in a Main Street crosswalk, Savino said. The man was hurt, but conscious, and handed police his identification, Savino said. âHe ... [More]
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What was yesterday?
Yesterday was the 5th of April. It was Easter Monday, a public holiday in Victoria. Most businesses were closed. When it comes to the shops, it looked like a Sunday: most smaller ones closed, most bigger ones open. (Not like Good Friday and Easter Sunday when everything’s closed.) Schools were all closed, but they’re in ... [More]
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112 warm days in a row
The other week it was noted that we’d gone 100 days of Melbourne’s maximum temperature being over 20 degrees. That was the first time in 150 years of recorded weather observations that it had happened. By my count, we’re now at day 112. The last day of less than 20 degrees was 17.8 on the ... [More]
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The storm
It just took almost two and a half hours to drive from Glen Huntly to Footscray. Here’s why. Glen Huntly. The hail was bouncing off the cars. …and the gutters quickly flooded… …but that was nothing to Caulfield North… …and St Kilda Road. Kingsway wasn’t pretty — much under water, traffic lights out, and lots ... [More]
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The Age’s new home page
This is what appeared on The Age’s home page this morning (with my additions). They explained that thereâs a new video tab, which youâll see when the lead story is best told in video. Eh? How is Ultimate Fighting in any way to be regarded as the lead story? Unless Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott ... [More]
My view, as I’ve expressed before, is that healthy debate is important, but it relies on the participants sticking to the facts, and not just making things up. Otherwise you get stuff like this, which concerns a Bacchus Marsh resident who apparently misinterpreted what he read and contacted Leader (newspapers) with concerns about seniors ticket ... [More]
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TV news
Superb! Charlie Brooker on what makes a generic TV news report: (via Mumbrella)
Nothing says Happy Valentine’s Day like Hot Cross Buns.
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The heat in the house
I spent the day working at home yesterday rather than venture out into the world of 43 degree temperatures and train heat troubles, though admittedly I also missed out on comfy air-conditioning at work. My house doesn’t have air-conditioning. It does have internal blinds in most rooms, the exceptions being the kitchen and the bathroom, ... [More]
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Happy new year
Happy new year. 2010. It sounds so futuristic. At least, for a day or two. Resolutions? I’ve got a number of goals, but the underlying theme is to get myself organised, stop being distracted by every little thing in the always-online worl… (ooh, did you see that Tweet??) and get stuff done. Hope 2010 brings ... [More]
It’s not hard to see why some of the Footscray and Maribyrnong residents nearby to Flemington aren’t that keen on the big race days. These pictures are from Derby Day: Sorry, I missed the pic of the drunk guys walking up the middle of the road, goading motorists, and the couple arguing in the back ... [More]
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NASA to prove Herge right?
Tintin and friends landed on the moon in 1952, some 17 years before Apollo 11 got there. While writing the story, Herge and his team researched what the moon would look like on the surface, and as anybody who’s read the book would know, it’s uncannily accurate. After Apollo 11 made it to the Moon, ... [More]
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Someone broke The Age
Either someone broke The Age’s web site, or there’s just no news worth reporting. Or maybe it’s a Fairfax cut-back? (Oh, it’s back now.)
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Woke up this morning
Woke up this morning to the sound of a helicopter hovering nearby. It quickly became apparent something serious was going on: just before 2am a car travelling at high speed along Centre Road (the main road nearest to me) had smashed into several shops, killing the driver. From the pictures from the scene the shops ... [More]
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A buncha brief things
Some brief thoughts and half-arsed things that I can’t be bothered developing into fully-fledged blog posts: Luz Station in Sao Paulo. Looks externally very similar to Melbourne’s Flinders Street Station, well if you don’t look too closely. Coincidence, or is one modelled on the other? Probably the former. I haven’t seen anything that suggests Luz ... [More]