Australians (and John) Only Thread

[Spike]

@Toinho @CaaC (John) @Harry @Devil-Dick Willie

Doing a bit of reading on Aussie history and it is mental the stuff that isn't taught in schools. Absolutely flabergasted that Australia nearly blew up in civil/independance war post-WW1. The British Empire was pressuring Australia to payback loans that were used to purchase military equipment, and the Premier of NSW Jack Lang opposed that on grounds that slavery was banned in the Empire and that paying the loans would cripple Australia to the point of economic flatlining, ergo making the people essentially slaves to the loan repayments. He was backed by the courts but he was pressued by the governor of NSW to resign leading to the police under Lang and the (largely depleted) military under the NSW governor having a tense mexican stand-off. Lang backed down to avoid bloodshed but the responce was that 40% of Sydney's population (400,000 people) marched under protest of his forced resignation. 

Lang at the time was the post powerful politician in Australia being the NSW premier, the first to defy British demands, and the first (sorry Gough) to be *sacked* from his position. The man is considered to have had a personality cult, due to his immense popularity. 

 

[Toinho]

2 hours ago, Spike said:

@Toinho @CaaC (John) @Harry @Devil-Dick Willie

Doing a bit of reading on Aussie history and it is mental the stuff that isn't taught in schools. Absolutely flabergasted that Australia nearly blew up in civil/independance war post-WW1. The British Empire was pressuring Australia to payback loans that were used to purchase military equipment, and the Premier of NSW Jack Lang opposed that on grounds that slavery was banned in the Empire and that paying the loans would cripple Australia to the point of economic flatlining, ergo making the people essentially slaves to the loan repayments. He was backed by the courts but he was pressued by the governor of NSW to resign leading to the police under Lang and the (largely depleted) military under the NSW governor having a tense mexican stand-off. Lang backed down to avoid bloodshed but the responce was that 40% of Sydney's population (400,000 people) marched under protest of his forced resignation. 

Lang at the time was the post powerful politician in Australia being the NSW premier, the first to defy British demands, and the first (sorry Gough) to be *sacked* from his position. The man is considered to have had a personality cult, due to his immense popularity. 

 

Did not know that!

On another note, yesterday was National Sorry Day, and today marks the start of reconciliation week, as I am sure you’re aware. We are doing a lot of educating around this dark part of our history. 

[Spike]

9 minutes ago, Toinho said:

Did not know that!

On another note, yesterday was National Sorry Day, and today marks the start of reconciliation week, as I am sure you’re aware. We are doing a lot of educating around this dark part of our history. 

The UK should apologise as well.

[Toinho]

34 minutes ago, Spike said:

The UK should apologise as well.

 

[Spike]

29 minutes ago, Toinho said:

Square

[Azeem]

My TF365 Australians hierarchy list updated 

1- Harry 

2- Devil Dick Willie, John tied second place

Everybody else

 

[Bluewolf]

8 hours ago, Spike said:

The UK should apologise as well.

Unfortunately the Aussie 'Sorry Day' does clash with our 'No Regrets' day so bit unlucky there me old cobbers… 

[Toinho]

4 hours ago, Azeem said:

My TF365 Australians hierarchy list updated 

1- Harry 

2- Devil Dick Willie, John tied second place

Everybody else

 

All good, I still have no idea who you are.

[Toinho]

3 hours ago, Bluewolf said:

Unfortunately the Aussie 'Sorry Day' does clash with our 'No Regrets' day so bit unlucky there me old cobbers… 

I don’t think you’re completely aware of the atrocities.

[CaaC (John)+]

Norfolk Island morepork owls: Major breakthrough for rare species

On a remote Australian island, two owl chicks have survived to fledgelings, the first to do so in more than a decade.

The Norfolk Island morepork owl has an estimated population of only 45-50, making the pair a huge boost for the future of the species.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-australia-52572967/norfolk-island-morepork-owls-major-breakthrough-for-rare-species

 

[Spike]

4 hours ago, Bluewolf said:

Unfortunately the Aussie 'Sorry Day' does clash with our 'No Regrets' day so bit unlucky there me old cobbers… 

I know you are cracking a joke but the topic is a pretty dry well for humour. 

[Bluewolf]

2 hours ago, Toinho said:

I don’t think you’re completely aware of the atrocities.

 

1 hour ago, Spike said:

I know you are cracking a joke but the topic is a pretty dry well for humour. 

No humour intended... I am well aware of the many atrocities that have been carried out in the name of the British Empire over the years but if even one member of our Government can't even apologise for taking a road trip during lockdown then you have zero chance of getting anything else for far worse... 

[Spike]

4 hours ago, Bluewolf said:

 

No humour intended... I am well aware of the many atrocities that have been carried out in the name of the British Empire over the years but if even one member of our Government can't even apologise for taking a road trip during lockdown then you have zero chance of getting anything else for far worse... 

Easy to misunderstand text, no worries. Also apologise for Gallipoli. 

Edited May 27, 2020 by Spike

[Bluewolf]

1 minute ago, Spike said:

Also apologise for Gallipoli. 

You know, in all seriousness that was horrendous but I can't think of any war or any battle anywhere in the world that was ever a 'good war'

[Spike]

1 minute ago, Bluewolf said:

You know, in all seriousness that was horrendous but I can't think of any war or any battle anywhere in the world that was ever a 'good war'

Unfortunately the results are sometimes necessary; though who am I to say if the ends justify the means? What a pointless war WW1; at least there is some justification for WW2 with Japanese and German imperialism and ethno-facism. 

[CaaC (John)+]

A report reveals Rio Tinto knew the significance of 46,000-year-old rock caves six years before it blasted them

Mining giant Rio Tinto was alerted six years ago that at least one of the caves it blasted in Western Australia's Pilbara region last month was of "the highest archaeological significance in Australia".

The cave sites were among the oldest in Australia, with evidence of continuous human habitation going back 46,000 years.

The advice delivered to Rio Tinto and the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) Indigenous people of the region six years ago was never publicly released.

The ABC has been given a summary of the contents of the report, as well as earlier archaeological survey work and excavations at the sites dating back to 2004.

The documentation of the 2014 report by archaeologist Dr Michael Slack confirmed one of the sites that were blasted, the Juukan-2 (Brock-21) cave, was rare in Australia and unique in the Pilbara.

"The site was found to contain a cultural sequence spanning over 40,000 years, with a high frequency of flaked stone artefacts, a rare abundance of faunal remains, unique stone tools, preserved human hair and with sediment containing a pollen record charting thousands of years of environmental changes," Dr Slack wrote.

"In many of these respects, the site is the only one in the Pilbara to contain such aspects of material culture and provide a likely strong connection through DNA analysis to the contemporary traditional owners of such old Pleistocene antiquity."

FULL REPORT

 

[Toinho]

13 hours ago, CaaC (John) said:

A report reveals Rio Tinto knew the significance of 46,000-year-old rock caves six years before it blasted them

Mining giant Rio Tinto was alerted six years ago that at least one of the caves it blasted in Western Australia's Pilbara region last month was of "the highest archaeological significance in Australia".

The cave sites were among the oldest in Australia, with evidence of continuous human habitation going back 46,000 years.

The advice delivered to Rio Tinto and the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) Indigenous people of the region six years ago was never publicly released.

The ABC has been given a summary of the contents of the report, as well as earlier archaeological survey work and excavations at the sites dating back to 2004.

The documentation of the 2014 report by archaeologist Dr Michael Slack confirmed one of the sites that were blasted, the Juukan-2 (Brock-21) cave, was rare in Australia and unique in the Pilbara.

"The site was found to contain a cultural sequence spanning over 40,000 years, with a high frequency of flaked stone artefacts, a rare abundance of faunal remains, unique stone tools, preserved human hair and with sediment containing a pollen record charting thousands of years of environmental changes," Dr Slack wrote.

"In many of these respects, the site is the only one in the Pilbara to contain such aspects of material culture and provide a likely strong connection through DNA analysis to the contemporary traditional owners of such old Pleistocene antiquity."

FULL REPORT

 

Yep absolutely terrible 

[CaaC (John)+]

Spectacular drone footage captures thousands of turtles nesting

(CNN) Researchers have captured beautiful aerial footage of thousands of green turtles congregating on the edge of Australia's Great Barrier Reef during the nesting season.

Scientists from Queensland Government's Department of Environment and Science (DES) captured the footage using a drone at the world's largest green turtle rookery at Raine Island, a vegetated coral cay approximately 620 kilometres (385 miles) northwest of Cairns.

The creatures nest at Raine Island, a vegetated coral cay.

Green turtles, named after the colour of their cartilage and fat, are found mostly in tropical and subtropical waters and migrate long distances between feeding grounds and the beaches where they emerged as hatchlings, some 35 years after they were born.

Sea turtles are thriving as coronavirus lockdown empties Florida beaches

The creatures are endangered and are under threat due to hunting, overharvesting of their eggs, loss of beach-nesting sites and becoming trapped in fishing apparatus.

Raine Island is the biggest remaining turtle rookery in the world, but despite attracting a "massive aggregation" of the creatures, scientists noticed that they were not reproducing as expected due to nests flooding and inhospitable terrain.

"We sort of became aware that although there are these massive aggregations, the actual reproduction isn't working so well," Dr Andrew Dunstan, from the DES, told CNN Tuesday, explaining that his team noticed turtles were falling off cliffs, becoming trapped in the heat and suffering flooding in their nests.

After implementing a series of interventions to help the struggling turtles, scientists then sought to track the population.

In research conducted in December and published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE on Thursday, they found that using drones -- or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) -- was the most accurate way of documenting the endangered sea creatures.

Green turtles are endangered because of hunting, harvesting of their eggs, loss of nesting habitat and becoming trapped in fishing equipment.

In order to count the creatures, researchers had initially painted the turtles' shells with a white stripe of non-toxic paint while they gathered on the beach and then waited for them to return to the water.

Plastic bags may smell like food to hungry sea turtles, a new study says

When they tried to count the turtles from the boat, they found that they came away with biased results. For accuracy and ease, scientists deployed drones to film the creatures.

"Trying to accurately count thousands of painted and unpainted turtles from a small boat in rough weather was difficult. Using a drone is easier, safer, much more accurate, and the data can be immediately and permanently stored," Dunstan, senior research scientist and lead author of the paper, said in a statement.

Using drones, the team revealed up to 64,000 turtles swimming around the island waiting to come ashore to lay their eggs.

"We were underestimating that a lot. We're finding 1.73 times as many turtles with the drone and as we do when we directly compare with the observer counts," Dunstan told CNN, adding that the team can now go back and adjust historic population estimates.

Researchers plan to use the results to understand and manage the turtle population and hope that in the future they will be able to automate the counts from video footage using artificial intelligence.

CNN

Edited June 11, 2020 by CaaC (John)

[Toinho]

Pity Queensland has a lot of idiots who seem happy to let the reef disappear. Waiting for Spike to be triggered haha 

Edited June 11, 2020 by Toinho

[CaaC (John)+]

Mining firm BHP halts plan to disturb Aboriginal sites after outcry

Miners desecrated Aboriginal site

The mining giant BHP has halted plans to expand a mine in Western Australia because of concerns it could destroy dozens of indigenous heritage sites.

It follows a public outcry over the destruction of a 46,000-year-old site by another firm, Rio Tinto, last month.

BHP had been granted approval to work on up to 40 sites in the remote Pilbara region as part of its expansion of an iron ore mine.

But on Thursday, it said it would consult further with Aboriginal groups.

"We will not disturb the sites identified without further extensive consultation with the Banjima people," a statement said.

"That consultation will be based on our commitment to understanding the cultural significance of the region," it added. "This will include further scientific study and discussion on mitigation and preservation."

It is not clear how the delay will affect the development of the AUD$3.6bn (USD$2.5bn; £2bn) South Flank mine, which is near the town of Newman.

It is due to start producing iron ore next year, local media report.

Earlier this week, Western Australia's Aboriginal Affairs Minister Ben Wyatt said he had approved BHP's application to "impact" 40 heritage sites in the iron-ore rich region.

"No objections were filed and I approved the notice on 29 May," he said in a statement.

Mr Wyatt, who is Aboriginal, added that the area covered by the application was subject to a 2015 land-use agreement that limited the Banjima people's ability to contest government approval, but promised co-operation from the mining company.

The chairman of the Banjima Native Title Aboriginal Corporation, Maitland Parker, said in a statement: "As a matter of lore and culture... the Banjima people do not support the destruction of sites of cultural significance."

The decision to halt the expansion of the mine comes shortly after Rio Tinto destroyed two indigenous caves in the Juukan Gorge, about 1,075 km (667 miles) north of Perth.

The company later apologised for blowing up the caves, which date back to the last Ice Age, saying it was "sorry for the distress we have caused".

"We are reviewing the plans of all other sites in the Juukan Gorge area," it said in a statement.

Many prehistoric artefacts have been found at the remote heritage site.

The destruction of the caves sparked protests and calls for urgent reform of heritage protection laws in Western Australia.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-53015925

Edited June 13, 2020 by CaaC (John)
Restore photos

[CaaC (John)+]

Giant kookaburra sculpture is bringing joy -- and plenty of laughter -- to one Australian town

Many of us have been flexing our creative muscles in recent months, making the most of the coronavirus lockdown to get stuck into those DIY projects we've been putting off.

But few such efforts have been as ambitious as this one.

An Australian sculptor has built a 13-foot-high electronic kookaburra -- which even makes the same movements and noises as the famous Australian bird.

Farvardin Daliri has taken his 1,600-pound creation on trips around his neighbourhood, towing it from the back of his car -- and he's planning to take it on tour when the lockdown is eased.

"They say why? Why not, you know?" Daliri told CNN affiliate Seven News when asked why he's spent the past six months making the giant kookaburra replica.

"People love it. It is something extraordinary," he added of his work, which has been popular with neighbours in his home town of Moggill, in Queensland, northeastern Australia.

Kookaburras are kingfishers native to Australia, and the call of a laughing kookaburra is intimately associated by many with the Australian bush.

Daliri said on Twitter that he used "steel, fibreglass, bamboo and ply boards" to make his version and that the process "took decades of practice."

The sculptor runs a festival in the Queensland city of Townsville and plans to show off his creation there. "He's having the biggest laugh himself at how much people love this thing! He's stoked!" his daughter Rafaan Daliri wrote on Twitter.

Remarkably, it's not the first time Daliri has created a giant version of a popular Australian creature. Last year, he built a 1,500-pound koala, which he toured around Brisbane.

https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/kookaburra-australia-replica-scli-intl/index.html

Edited June 13, 2020 by CaaC (John)

[Rick]

I was up early for work this morning and had the misfortune of seeing a game of Aussie rules football....do any of you wombats watch this piss?? Fucking shite. 

[CaaC (John)+]

1 hour ago, Rick said:

I was up early for work this morning and had the misfortune of seeing a game of Aussie rules football....do any of you wombats watch this piss?? Fucking shite. 

Yes, and I played it when I was in Aussie land, it might be shite to watch but playing it can be brutal, saying that 'COME ON THE BLUES' that's Carlton, the team I supported and still do. 

Edited June 13, 2020 by CaaC (John)

[Devil-Dick Willie]

5 hours ago, Rick said:

I was up early for work this morning and had the misfortune of seeing a game of Aussie rules football....do any of you wombats watch this piss?? Fucking shite. 

Australia is such a weird country for sports mate. We suck at the international ones so make our own peasant ones up. 

the people who like AFL (not fucking me) reference the free flowing nature and the athleticism. 

However, when the goal of the game is to kick a ball through MASSIVE goalposts, which can be done consistently from 50 meters out, and you even get a point and great field position if you miss, and generally you shoot with no pressure. The game just lacks spectacular moments, and the tackling side is a bit of a clusterfuck, and I played the fucking game. 

[CaaC (John)+]

Prime Minister Scott Morrison apologizes for saying there was 'no slavery' in Australia

(CNN) - Prime Minister Scott Morrison has apologized for saying earlier this week that there was "no slavery" in Australia after his comments provoked outrage and accusations that he was ignoring the country's history of forced labour.

Speaking at a news conference in Canberra Friday, Morrison said he was referring specifically to the fact that the first Australian colony of New South Wales was set up without the widespread use of slave labour.

"My comments were not intended to give offence, and if they did, I deeply regret that and apologize for that," he said, adding that he was a passionate advocate for the rights of Indigenous Australians.

"I was simply trying to make a point that Australia, yes, we have had issues in our history, we have acknowledged them, I have acknowledged them, and we need to address them."

Morrison originally made the remarks during a radio interview on Thursday, in which he was discussing the Black Lives Matter protests in the United States and around the world, and calls to remove statues of British explorer James Cook, whose arrival in Australia paved the way for the first European colony.

"My forefathers and foremothers were on the First and Second Fleets (of convict settlers). It was a pretty brutal place, but there was no slavery in Australia," Morrison said in the interview Thursday.

FULL REPORT