The smoke has covered 12.000 km, crossed the Pacific Ocean and now is above Buenos Aires. It gives the sky a reddish look at down and sunset. It's very high in altitude so it doesn't affect us or those with respirtory issues.

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PJW’s take on Australia’s bushfires and the politics surrounding them.

quote:

Originally posted by wcb6092:
Nasa simulation from satellite data

That's an artist rendering basically. It's not a NASA photo nor was it created by NASA. It does not represent reality at all. You shouldn't share this photo with people and let them think it's what Australia looks like right now.

^^^ Yeah, that image is complete horseshit.

500 million animals killed including 30% of the Koala population, according to news reports. Australia needs to bring the hammer down on arsonists, and re-recognize the importance of cool season fire breaks yesterday.

quote:

Originally posted by jigray3:
500 million animals killed including 30% of the Koala population, according to news reports.

500 million?

Half a billion?

I'm skeptical. Not that the news would put out incorrect information...

It's unfortunate that animals die, and people lose their property and lives, but the Earth has been burning literally forever. It's as natural as rain. Except for when we prevent it from happening and let too much fuel build up for too many years.

I really don't meant to sound like an asshole. But it's no different than earthquakes. They only way to prevent huge forest fires, is to create smaller, controlled, forest fires.

Either way, it's going to burn eventually.

I have a friend from Australia. He says that the country is not burning. Australia is a big place.

It is sort of like San Francisco after the 1989 Loma Prieta quake. Watching the news, you'd think the entire City was in ruins. Wasn't like that, even in the Marina District where most of the structural damage occurred.

(Actually heard a story of two chaps who purchased a brand new SUV for a visit to the stricken town, thinking they'd need the 4WD to drive through the rubble.)

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:

quote:

Originally posted by jigray3:
500 million animals killed including 30% of the Koala population, according to news reports.

500 million?

Half a billion?

I'm skeptical. Not that the news would put out incorrect information...

Well, I'm skeptical as well. I recall reading about the 1988 fire in Yellowstone that scorched nearly 800,000 acres of the park. In the end, the number of large mammals dead totalled something like 300. That's three hundred. Not thousand.

So 500 million sounds crazy.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:

quote:

Originally posted by jigray3:
500 million animals killed including 30% of the Koala population, according to news reports.

500 million?

Half a billion?

I'm skeptical. Not that the news would put out incorrect information...

Well, I'm skeptical as well. I recall reading about the 1988 fire in Yellowstone that scorched nearly 800,000 acres of the park. In the end, the number of large mammals dead totalled something like 300. That's three hundred. Not thousand.

So 500 million sounds crazy.

Tucker Carlson talked to a current, or former, FOX News reporter in Australia tonight about the bushfires and their impact on animals. She used the 500,000,000 figure while the bottom of the screen said 1 billion animals! Hyperbole times 2 at minimum.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
Well, I'm skeptical as well. I recall reading about the 1988 fire in Yellowstone that scorched nearly 800,000 acres of the park. In the end, the number of large mammals dead totalled something like 300. That's three hundred. Not thousand.

So 500 million sounds crazy.

Considering Australia is home to the majority of the world's marsupials, a branch of mammals that didn't survive the old world (Europe, Africa & most of Asia)...remains to be seen what the aftermath will look like.

quote:

Originally posted by TMats:

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:

quote:

Originally posted by jigray3:
500 million animals killed including 30% of the Koala population, according to news reports.

500 million?

Half a billion?

I'm skeptical. Not that the news would put out incorrect information...

Well, I'm skeptical as well. I recall reading about the 1988 fire in Yellowstone that scorched nearly 800,000 acres of the park. In the end, the number of large mammals dead totalled something like 300. That's three hundred. Not thousand.

So 500 million sounds crazy.

Tucker Carlson talked to a current, or former, FOX News reporter in Australia tonight about the bushfires and their impact on animals. She used the 500,000,000 figure while the bottom of the screen said 1 billion animals! Hyperbole times 2 at minimum.

Well, if you include all of the ants it's probably a billion. Only about 500 large animals, but roughly a billion ants.

I live in Melbourne.
Altona, west side of Port Philip Bay.
Lots of grasslands around here.

For as long as I have been watching my sand in the hourglass drain, I've known bushfires.

1994 was a bad year, waking up at oh too early, fighting fires on Sydney's northern beaches.

I learned at an early age, it takes a village when there's a bushfire. Looking at fire trails, breaks and undergrowth, as well as an eye for lightning and fire outbreaks, was a common discussion at the pub from mid December to March.

I'm city now, but you can't take the bush out of the boy.

Backburning creates the fire breaks. Controlled burns clears away the hazardous fuel. Not enough controlled burns the past few years.

Sooner or later, fires start by nature. Then the arsonist dicks starts them, just because.
They are caught in the act, like tossing a discarded cigarette, some are blabber mouths. One, caught in the act, and chased by an Army Blackhawk. CTV footage tracks others. Consider that most of the time, police arrest about 1%.

We now have more of an arsonist problem than a bushfire problem.

These arsonists destroy homes, sheds, cars, wildlife and in some cases, the loss of human life.

It's saddening to read and hear of the wildlife losses. The koala sanctuaries at Port Macquarie and Kangaroo Island will recover with time. For the koalas, who have, I think, 30 out of 1500 or so species of eucalyptus trees that are called home, mostly the east coast, it's a long road.

As I write this, I am in the PNW. Back to Aus end of the month. February is statistically the worst month. I'll be volunteering somewhere.

Could the Aussie gov't have done more? Nope. They already have and do. The States fund the rural fire services and that funding has been cut back, meaning that it's up to the volunteers.

Climate change? I've always known bushfires.
Social media, climate change outrage and a Prime Minister holidaying in Hawaii with his family, has mostly been more of interest to many.

Thanks for reading and pondering my opinion.

The question, cjevans, is: Is it as bad as the media and some others portray it to be?

My friend lives in the St. George's Basin area and was ferrying supplies for the Wandandian RFB. (It is to that RFB and to WIRES I directed our donations.) She says it's pretty damn bad.

When I inquired of a rescue group regarding the practical and economic feasibility of my building possum boxes and shipping them I found, unsurprisingly, it was neither. One group member over there suggested it would be far cheaper for me to get on a plane and bring my skills. Apparently materials aren't in as short supply as the talent to build the stuff. I actually briefly considered doing that, but I've got somewhat pressing issues of my own at home that need my attention.

That sucks about the animals, but what about the humans? Are they having casualties?

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
The question, cjevans, is: Is it as bad as the media and some others portray it to be?

When you're in the thick of it, or close to the neighborhood, it is Bad for many. All over the country is affected, some pockets worse than others.

The media sensationalize it, the horror movie at 6pm. Further diluting the message and the danger to life and limb.

Stay and fight a fireball with a garden hose?
Nuts to that, you are irreplaceable.

Sort and sieve through the media stories and interviews, and you can come to your own conclusions, that this is unforseen events, with consequences that will be felt, relived and remembered for a generation.

WIREs is my recommendation, via PayPal. They are doing exceptionally well with donations.

Millions are be donating to Bush Fire Appeals, RFS and wildlife charities.

RFS (Rural Fire Service) will get $$ from the respective State govt's.

And yes, there will be a need for the tradies to re-build.

Again, the above are my own opinions. Harsh but there is reflection on the land.

About 5 years ago a local gal who had attended college in Australia, her husband and their 2 kids moved from Perth to Rapid City. Dale and Jessie Fewson opened a roastery with guidance from his father who had a coffee house / roastery operation of note in Perth. Ultimately the father and mother also relocated here instead of yo-yoing every 6 months to direct the operation on site. Great people and great coffee!

Here's a local article from today about their reaction to the fires in their home country.

https://www.kotatv.com/content...rs-cr-566854991.html

Essence of Coffee owners raising funds for Australia fires

Michael Fewson said all the aid raised for the Australian fires will be donated to the Salvation Army in Australia.

(KOTA TV)
By Natalie Morris |
Posted: Thu 3:31 PM, Jan 09, 2020

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA TV) Michael and Lesley Fewson own Essence of Coffee in Downtown Rapid City. https://essenceofcoffee.com



The Fewson's are originally from Australia where their daughter and grandchildren still live. So when a customer asked if they were doing anything to aid the fight against the Australia bush fires, they jumped on the idea and started fundraising.

For every pound of coffee beans they sell, two dollars will go toward aid. Along with accepting donations at the downtown location, the Fewson's opened an account at Black Hills Community Bank specifically for the donations -- so people can drop donations off directly at the bank if they wish.

Fewson's daughter runs the Essence of Coffee in Australia https://essenceofcoffee.com.au/ and told him earlier this week, the shop was unable to get milk because of the fires and the amount of smoke in the air was a concern.

"This morning we got an email from our daughter because there is a fire about five miles from our home. So we're safe from the fire but they're covered with smoke. So our daughter, our little grandchildren are walking around wish masks on because there is no escaping the smoke," said Michael Fewson, the Owner of Essence of Coffee.

Fewson said when he was a teenager a cyclone destroyed the whole city of Darwin where his family lived. The Salvation Army helped his family get food, money and clothing after they lost everything.

Because of the impact the Salvation Army had on his life, Fewson said all the donations raised for fires will go to the organization in Australia.

^^^^^

Excellent read and kudos and thanks to these folks.

We ex-pats still care for our country as well.