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Australia Fire Destroys Almost 40 Homes

Dec 312009

And Australia fire destroys almost 40 homes! The major bushfire ini the western Australian outback has destroyed almost forty 40 homes. On Wednesday, December 30, 2009, firefighters have been fighting the wild-fires for almost three months. The bush-fires have raged across the country.

Australia Fire Destroys Almost 40 Homes

Fire officials have said that the western Australian outback brush-fires have been one of the worst bush-fires across the Australian outback. The fires have raged over Australia throughout their summer. There have been a series of catastrophic warnings as at leas three fires have raged through at least three Australian states.

The brush-fires were especially horrific last February (2009), when the fires claimed the lives of 173 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the southern Victoria state. The ‘Black Saturday’ fires resulted in Australian officials adopting the ‘catastrophic’ warnings to advice residents to evacuate homes when the bush-fires posed a serious threat to life and property. Until this week, the Western Australia fires had not claimed significant property and had not claimed lives. Sadly the fires claimed 3,00 hectares (7,400 acres) and three firefighters and a woman from the wheat-belt town of Toodyay suffered minor injuries.

Redgum: I Was Only 19 (Video and Lyrics)

Austrailia, Vietnam 15 Responses »

Oct 292008

Australian folk music group does this musical tribute to Australian Soldiers who fought in Vietnam. I’ve included the music video and lyrics below.

Redgum

Redgum is described as a folk and political group. I’m not sure what a ‘political’ music group does, except obvious write and perform songs of a political nature. Many groups turn their songs into political and/or social statements. Music is, after all, poetry put to music.

I did run across this song that I thought was particularly poignant by the group. It was their first break through song. The Australian group formed in 1975. I Was Only 19 was released in 1983, performed by Hugh McDonald and John Schumann of Redgum.

Video and Lyrics

Wounded Australian SAS Soldier Fights On

Austrailia, Battle of Afghanistan 1 Response »

Oct 282008

A wounded Australian Special Air Service (SAS) soldier fights on in Afghanistan, even after being shot several times and having to tie himself into his vehicle. Read about below, see photos and a video.

Australian SAS

Blackfive is reporting an amazing story about a wounded Australian SAS fighter who exhibited extraordinary courage under fire in Afghanistan.

Of course, its no huge surprise. Aussies are known to be tough. This guy took tough and multiplied it by ten. It seems he was seriously wounded after taking two shots to his upper chest. He struggled back to his vehicle and lashed himself to the front end of the vehicle so that he wouldn’t be left behind should he pass out from too much blood loss.

Once he was secured he kept on fighting …. tied to the front of his Long Range Patrol Vehicle (LRPV).

Lashed to vehicle in Afghanistan, wounded SAS soldier fought on
By Ian McPhedran
October 23, 2008 12:20am
Article from: The Courier-Mail

DESPITE being shot twice during an ambush in Afghanistan, an SAS soldier lashed himself to the front of his patrol vehicle so he wouldn’t be left behind if he passed out from loss of blood and kept on fighting.

The Digger is expected to be recommended for a high level bravery award.

Suffering from serious upper body wounds, the soldier struggled on to the front of his SAS long range patrol vehicle (LRPV) and, under heavy fire, used a rope to attach himself firmly between the vehicle’s bull bar and radiator.

Once he was secured, and there was no chance that he would fall off if he fainted, he picked up his rifle and resumed firing at the enemy during a two-hour fighting withdrawal.

SAS troops and their special forces comrades from the Commando Regiment are well aware of the slow and painful death that awaits them if they are captured by the Taliban.

The Digger, who cannot be identified, faded in and out of consciousness, emptying several magazines as volleys of enemy rounds and rocket propelled grenades, rained down around him.

He was finally evacuated from the battle field at high speed still lashed to the front of the LRPV…

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…A source told The Courier-Mail the Digger was now “up and about” and would recover fully from his serious gunshot wounds. His heroic deeds will be recognised when he is recommended for a high level bravery award.

Several others engaged in the do-or-die battle on September 2 are also in line for top honours…

Check out Beccy Cole‘s tribute to Diggers.

Australian SAS LRPV – Photo

Tribute to Australian Soldiers in Afghanistan – Video

Photo: Department of Defense, Australia (via Blackfive)

Bali Bombing October 12, 2002 (Photos Video)

Austrailia, War on Terror 7 Responses »

Oct 122008

Today is the sixth anniversary of the Bali Bombing. The attack on Westerners by Islamic Extremists, connected to al-Qaeda’s global jihad, killed 202 people, mostly Australians. Read about it below and see photos and videos about the bombing.

Bali Bombing
6th Anniversary Memorial Service

Today, relatives of the victims of the 2002 Bali Bombings gathered at the monument erected in their memory in the Kuta district of Denpasar, Indonesia. The islamic extremists who bombed a nightclub in an entertainment district on Bali were part of the al-Qaeda network of global jihad.

The islamic militants killed citizens of 20 countries, hardest hit were citizens of Australia who often vacation on Bali.

“Six years ago, 88 Australians lost their lives and many more were injured in the bombings in Bali. Today we honor their memory,” Australia’s ambassador to Indonesia, Bill Farmer, said in a speech read on behalf of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

“We pause also to remember the 38 Indonesians and 76 people from other countries who were killed in that dreadful attack.”

As can be expected, there are conspiracy theorists who attempt to minimize the significance of the Bali bombing in the same way they do the attacks of 9/11. I’ve read reports from these conspiracy theorists that it as a US/Israeli attack to keep people on a war footing against the Middle East. It’s my belief that these people are so afraid of the islamic radicals that they have to blame the benign powers in order to make themselves feel safer.

Its important for us to remember these bombings and murders and to remember who is responsible for them. The jihadist have declared war on the West and have no intention of stopping. We ignore it at our own peril.

Today we remember Bali and those who lost their lives and loved ones to al-Qaeda terrorists.

Photos and Videos analyzing the bombings

Search for Australian Ship Discovers the German Vessel that Sank It

Austrailia, Germany, History No Responses »

Mar 162008

There seems to be a run on finding things lost from previous wars. The Australian Naval battle cruiser, HMAS Sydney, was sunk in 1941 by a German raider. There has been a search for the HMAS Sydney without success. However, the German raider was found on Saturday giving renewed hope that the Sydney will also be found.

Both the HMAS Sydney and the German vessel, the DKM Kormoran, sank after a battle off Australia’s western coast on Nov. 19, 1941 during World War II.

None of the 645 men aboard the Sydney survived. But 317 of the Kormoran’s 397 crew rowed to the Australian coast in life boats and were taken prisoner. The 9,500-ton Kormoran had been disguised as a Dutch merchant ship when it opened fire on the Sydney.

“Finding the Kormoran is one big step forward (to finding the Sydney),” said Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

The wreck was found Saturday 500 miles north of the Western Australia state capital Perth, he said.

The government-funded $3.9 million search for the Sydney began two weeks ago and is headed by U.S. shipwreck hunter David Mearns.

Mearns was involved in finding the wrecks of the British battle cruiser the HMS Hood and the DKM Bismarck, the German battle ship that sank her in the North Atlantic in 1941.

The Sydney weighed in at 6,600 metric tons (7,300 U.S. tons), making it the largest vessel from any country to be lost with no survivors during the war.

The fate of the ship and its crew has remained an enduring mystery, though a parliament inquiry into the tragedy in 1999 accepted accounts by Kormoran survivors that they last saw the ship in flames and heading toward Perth.

Australian Muslim Men Are Afraid of Getting Cooties From Girls

Austrailia, Islam 13 Responses »

Feb 252008

Muslim university students in Australia have petitioned the university system there to cater to their needs by changing schedules so they can do their muslim prayers and to segregate the women from the men. They are apparently still scared that girls have cooties.

MUSLIM university students want lectures to be rescheduled to fit in with prayer timetables and separate male and female eating and recreational areas established on Australian campuses.

International Muslim students, predominantly from Saudi Arabia, have asked universities in Melbourne to change class times so they can attend congregational prayers. They also want a female-only area for Muslim students to eat and relax.

But at least one institution has rejected their demands, arguing that the university is secular and it does not want to set a precedent for requests granted in the name of religious beliefs.

La Trobe University International chief officer John Molony said several students had approached the Bundoora institution about rearranging class times to fit in with daily prayers.

Mr Molony said the university was attempting to “meet the needs” of an increasing number of Muslim international students, including doubling the size of the prayer room on campus.

La Trobe University International College director Martin Van Run said that although it was involved in discussions with the Muslim students who had made the requests, the university was not planning to change any timetables.

“That would seriously inconvenience other people at the college and it is not institutionally viable,” he told The Australian. “We are a secular institution … and we need to have a structured timetable.”

Mr Van Run said that Saudi students were fully aware that the university was secular before coming to study there. “They know well in advance the class times,” he said.

Muslim leaders are backing the students’ play preaching to their congregations that the universities should accommodate the needs of the muslim students.

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Jihad Sheilas – Know Thy Enemy (video)

al-Quada, Austrailia, Islam, Jihad, War on Terror 1 Response »

Feb 162008

I found this disturbing video at Something …. and Half of Something. It is part of a documentary that can be viewed in seven segments at The Jawa Report. This documentary follows two Australian women who are converts to islam. Interestingly, they declare that Wahhabi is the form of islam followed by most converts. This is the form of islam that Osama bin-Laden follows. Its the hard-line fundamentalist form of islam that requires its followers to live as mohammad lived in the 7th century.

Watch, learn and know thy enemy.

Ho Ho Ho is a No No No for Santa in Australia

Austrailia, Holidays 1 Response »

Dec 072007

Not laughing now: John Oakes, pictured here as Santa, claims he has been fired for saying ‘ho ho ho’ – which is offensive to women

Life takes another bizarre politically correct twist when Santa in Australia is fired for saying ‘Ho ho ho’.

John Oakes, 70, got his marching orders after the store decreed that women might be offended because ‘ho’ is American slang for a wh*re.

Instead, he was supposed to say Ha-ha-ha.

“They’re are trying to kill the spirit of Christmas,” said Mr Oakes, who has been a Santa for ten years.

He was also found guilty of singing Jingle Bells at the Myer department store in Cairns, Northern Australia.

He said: “The manager told me my services were no longer required.

“When I asked her why, she replied, ‘You said Ho-ho-ho and that’s not appropriate’.

“Not appropriate? How long has Santa been calling Hohoho, for goodness sake?

“She also said I wasn’t supposed to sing.”

A spokesman for the store insisted the elderly Santa was dismissed because of ‘his attitude’ and not for his Ho-hohoing.

“Our Santas are not banned from using the term,” he insisted.

Mr Oakes, who is looking for a new job as Santa, says he is prepared to sing, shout Ho or Ha.

But he draws the line at clambering down chimneys.

Its hard to know with these sorts of things – the guy might have a nasty attitude and uses this as an excuse for being fired. On the other hand, we do have a tendency to go WAY overboard with politically correct nonsense. People are so sensitive these days they can’t deal with being offended and go out of their way to find things to be offended over. I say – get over it. If that’s the worse thing that will ever offend you in your life then you are getting through life pretty easy.

Sheesh!

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