Yes today 40 years ago, my parents Paul and Pauline opened the doors to the their beloved flower shop.
Congratulations mum and Dad in heaven.
What a milestone and to add to the celebrations during the week we won the 2013 Canterbury Small Business Awards!
Thanks to all our valued customers for voting and their ongoing support and our amazing staff for their dedication and hard work!
Source: News
A map which is offensive to every single country in the world. Picture via Target Map Source: Supplied
IF YOU want to know which girls around the world are the easiest to “bang”, don’t worry, some creepy pick-up artists on the internet have got you covered.
Daryush Valizadeh – better known as Roosh V – is no stranger to controversy.
His travel guide e-books – including Bang Ukraine, Don’t Bang Latvia, Bang Poland and Don’t Bang Denmark – have been described as “rape guides” and have offended every country he’s written about, Gawker reports .
This week a member of his pick-up artist army on the Roosh V Forum has been bragging that a map he made which shows “how easy girls are by their country” has “gone viral”, receiving 570,000 hits.
The map has five ratings, “Very easy to bang”, “Easy to bang”, “Normal difficulty to bang”, “Hard to bang” and “Very hard to bang”.
Australia is ranked as “normal difficulty to bang”.
Roosh V’s controversial ‘Bang’ e-books. Source: Supplied
Middle Eastern countries including Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia we ranked as most difficult. African countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia and South American countries Bolivia and Peru were rated “easiest to bang”.
Just in case you are still unsure about the type of guy Roosh V is, on his website he states his community beliefs, including:
“Women are sl**s if they sleep around, but men are not. This fact is due to the biological differences between men and women.”
“A woman’s value is mainly determined by her fertility and beauty. A man’s value is mainly determined by his resources, intellect, and character.”
Oh dear.
Source: Cancerqld
Cancer Council Queensland has commended the Queensland Government for announcing a full ban on commercial solariums.
The ban will take effect on December 31, 2014.
Cancer Council Queensland CEO Professor Jeff Dunn welcomed the decision in response to the Cancer Council’s call for a total ban.
“This is an important law to protect Queenslanders against melanoma and other potentially fatal skin cancers,” Prof Dunn said.
“The evidence is clear, sunbeds can be lethal.
“We congratulate Health Minister Lawrence Springborg for his leadership on this issue.”
Prof Dunn said young people who used solariums were more vulnerable to risks of skin cancer.
“A systematic review of the research on the link between skin cancer and solarium use concluded that the risk of skin cancer from any sunbed use was 20% which rose to 59% if exposure was before 35 years of age.
“This risk increases with number of sunbed sessions, with a 1.8% increase in risk for each additional sunbed session per year.
“Furthermore, increased melanoma risk associated with sunbed use is found in all Caucasian populations, irrespective of the individual skin type.”
Cancer Council Queensland also applauded the Health Minister for his action earlier this year to discontinue issuing new solarium licenses.
“The Minister’s decision to cease granting new solarium licenses has helped to minimise the number of business owners who will be impacted by this ban.
“By the time the ban comes into effect, only 11 solarium licenses will be current in Queensland.
“There is no such thing as a safe way to use solariums – unprotected exposure to UV radiation is extremely dangerous.
“Tanning has taken a tragic toll on Queensland lives.
“This law reinforces the fact that UV radiation is not safe and will help to deter young people from the dangerous practice of tanning.”
Call the Cancer Council Helpline on 13 11 20 or go to http://www.cancerqld.org.au for more information about skin cancer, cancer prevention, and risk factors.
ENDS
For more information or interviews, please contact:
Katie Clift, Executive Manager, Media and Spokesperson, Cancer Council Queensland
Ph: (07) 3634 5372 or 0409 001 171
The Sydney Opera House – a masterpiece of modern architecture and an icon of Australia – is celebrating its 40th birthday.
Take a look at the controversy and celebrations that have made the building part of the nation’s psyche:
1954
‘We need an opera’
Eugene Goossens, conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the director of the NSW Conservatorium for Music, is introduced to then NSW premier Joseph Cahill and the two men agree that Australia needs an opera house.
In December 1955, Mr Cahill announces an international design competition for an opera house, with Sydney’s Bennelong Point approved as the site for the project.
The main requirement of the competition is a design for two performance halls – one for opera and the other for symphony concerts. The guidelines also request a restaurant and two public meeting rooms.
The competition closes in December 1956 after 222 entries have been submitted from 28 countries.
Organising judge Harry Ingham Ashworth, government architect Cobden Parkes and the head of architecture at Cambridge University, Sir Leslie Martin, begin the judging process.
The fourth judge, American architect Eero Saarinen, arrives in Sydney late and finds his colleagues have already narrowed their choices.
January 29, 1957
Winner announced
Danish architect Jørn Utzon is announced the winner of the competition.
There is no clear record of how Mr Utzon was chosen but popular belief is that judge Eero Saarinen looked through the rejected entries and stopped at Mr Utzon’s design to declare it a clear winner.
Sir Leslie also backed Mr Utzon’s design, leaving Harry Ingham Ashworth and Cobden Parkes content to agree with their more experienced colleagues.
Mr Utzon is awarded 5,000 pounds for his work.
In July 1957, the NSW Parliament votes in favour of building Mr Utzon’s design and allocates 3,500,000 Australian pounds of public funds to the project.
The same month, Mr Utzon makes his first trip to Sydney.
Although he designed the Sydney Opera House he never saw the site in person, relying on photographs and first hand accounts of the area.
Once in Sydney, Mr Utzon is required to pass an examination by the NSW Board of Architects and is coached by local architects.
1959
Construction
Construction of the Opera House becomes as controversial as the design itself, with the building work taking more than a decade.
It took more than three years just to complete the design for the glazed ceramic tiles that make up each of the house’s shells.
Following this, it took eight years to build the shell structure – one of the most difficult engineering tasks ever to be attempted.
In October 1959, premier Joseph Cahill dies from gastric ulcer complications and is succeeded by Robert James Heffron.
Mr Cahill makes his minister for public works, Norman Ryan, promise not to allow the Opera House to fail.
1966
Utzon resigns
In mid-1965 a new state Liberal government is elected and problems arise between Mr Utzon and the new works minister, Davis Hughes.
Sir Davis questions Mr Utzon’s designs and costings – which have blown out significantly – and eventually takes financial control of the project.
In 1966 Mr Utzon quits the project, telling Sir Davis in a letter: “You do not respect me as an architect. I have therefore today given my staff notice of my dismissal.”
Sir Davis announced the resignation on March 1, stating: “The government will complete the Opera House.”
Mr Utzon leaves the country, never getting the chance to realise his design vision for the interior of the building and never to return again to see his masterpiece.
His resignation prompts street protests with many calling for him to be reinstated.
A panel of Australian architects, Peter Hall, DS Littlemore and Lionel Todd, are appointed to finish Mr Utzon’s vision.
The Opera House is formally completed in 1973 having cost $102 million. The original completion date was January 26, 1963 and the original cost estimate was about $7 million.
October 20, 1973
The opening
After a number of test performances, a production of Sergei Prokofiev’s War and Peace is given in the Opera Theatre on September 28, 1973 – the first public performance in the Sydney Opera House.
The following night, the Concert Hall is inaugurated with a performance of an all-Wagner program by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
The house is formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II on October 20 in the ceremony complete with fireworks and a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No 9.
Thousands of boats crowd the harbour along with thousands on the shore to get a view of the proceedings, which are also broadcast to around 3 million television viewers around the world.
Mr Utzon was not invited to the opening ceremony, nor was his name mentioned.
1978 – 1996
Australia’s world stage
In October 1978, Irish rockers Thin Lizzy play a free concert on the steps of the Sydney Opera House to an estimated crowd of 100,000 people.
Countless major performances follow over the years, including a Royal variety performance in 1980 which Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh attend.
The all-Australian concert features performances from Julie Anthony, Roger Woodward, Paul Hogan, Olivia Newton-John and Peter Allen.
In 1987 Pope John Paul II visits Australia gives a speech in the Concert Hall.
In 1990, Mandela-mania hits Sydney following Nelson Mandela’s release from prison in South Africa.
During a visit to Australia, the anti-apartheid hero addresses the nation from the steps of the Opera House on October 24, 1990.
Mr Mandela thanks Australia for its support of the African National Congress and asks then prime minister Bob Hawke to maintain economic and sporting sanctions against South Africa.
The next year, Australia’s opera darling Dame Joan Sutherland, affectionately known as La Stupenda, gives her final performance in a gala production of Les Huguenots at the Opera House.
In 1996, Melbourne-based band Crowded House give their Farewell to the World concert on the Opera House steps.
More than 100,000 people attended the concert. Some estimates put attendance at 250,000.
1999
Utzon re-engaged by Opera House
After a series of conversations and meetings with the Opera House Trust and the New South Wales government, Jorn Utzon agrees to be re-engaged as a design consultant for future work on his masterpiece.
Over the next few years, he develops a set of design principles as a basis for all future changes to the building.
Mr Utzon said his renewed contact with Sydney felt like a “wonderful welcome back to Australia, a hand extended in the spirit of reconciliation, a hand I shake with warmth and gratitude.”
2000
Olympic centrepiece
The Olympics opening ceremony focuses on the Opera House, with swimmer Samantha Riley standing on top of one of the Concert Hall’s shells with the Olympic Torch to send the flame on its final journey to light the cauldron at Stadium Australia.
The Opera House is also a focal point for triathlon events during the Games, with the circuit taking in the Opera House grounds and Botanic Gardens.
2003
Pritzker Prize for Utzon
Jørn Utzon is awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the most prestigious architectural award in the world.
The judges recognise Sydney Opera House as a masterpiece of the 20th Century.
2003
Canvas for protest
On March 18, Briton Will Saunders and NSW Central Coast man David Burgess climb one of the Opera House sails and paint the slogan “NO WAR” in protest of the Iraq War.
The men are eventually talked down by police but the stunt lands them in jail for about nine months.
The protest prompts the Opera House to put security guards on duty 24 hours, seven days a week.
2004
Utzon honoured
On September 16, the newly refurbished Reception Hall – the first interior space rebuilt to an Utzon design – is renamed the Utzon Room in the Dane’s honour.
Mr Utzon describes it as the greatest honour he could ever achieve.
2007
World Heritage site
The United Nations adds the Sydney Opera House to the World Heritage list of culturally significant sites.
The harbour-side landmark wins the approval of around 800 delegates at a World Heritage committee meeting in Christchurch, New Zealand.
It takes its place on the register among more than 800 sites of outstanding cultural and natural significance, including China’s Great Wall and India’s Taj Mahal.
In 2005 the Opera House was added to the National Heritage List.
November 29, 2008
Jørn Utzon dies aged 90
Mr Utzon dies peacefully in his sleep in his hometown of Copenhagen on November 29, 2008.
His legacy lives on in a number of architectural projects in various countries but his masterpiece remains the Sydney Opera House, though he never got to see the completed work in person.
Mr Utzon is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.
2009
Lighting of the sails
The first Vivid light festival takes place, illuminating the sails of the Opera House in an array of colours, shapes and images.
The festival, billed as the biggest sound and light show in the Southern Hemisphere, attracts around 200,000 people to The Rocks and Circular Quay.
The opening night is streamed live to a worldwide audience.
March 2010
The Opera House stripped bare
Around 5,200 people strip off in the name of art to transform the Opera House forecourt into a sea of naked flesh.
Entitled The Base, it is the latest installation by US photographer Spencer Tunick who has made a name for himself by snapping mass nudity at iconic locations across the globe.
December 2010
Stunt gone wrong
Hugh Jackman makes international headlines with a spectacular entrance-gone-wrong at an Oprah Winfrey television special at the Opera House.
The actor swoops in on a 100-metre flying fox strung between the building’s sails and a stage set up in the forecourt but applies the brakes too late.
He crashes into a piece of lighting equipment, sustaining an eye injury and temporarily halting the show.
October 20, 2013
Sydney Opera House celebrates 40th birthday
Hailed as one of the 20th Century’s greatest buildings and an icon of modern Australia, the Sydney Opera House today attracts over 8.2 million visitors every year.
With its gleaming white sails set against against the blue water of the Sydney Harbour, it is one of the most photographed sites in the world.
Through a combination of tourism, travel, hospitality and other activities, the Opera House is estimated to contribute more than $1 billion to the Australian economy.
Marbles Reunited has written a report on the event held in Brussels earlier this week, and Tom Flynn has also posted a transcript of his talk.
The report that follows is based on my notes taken during the event. I have not tried to capture everything, just the key points. I am hoping that my comments do not mis-represent what the speakers were saying – some it was from the live translation there, and some of it was from the responses to questions afterwards, rather than from the original speeches.
After introductions & a brief video, Tom Flynn was the first speaker, and pointed out, that when considering the acquisition of obviously looted artefacts “Most museums now know better”.
The thing is of course, how to get museums to act retrosepctively – to apply the rules that they would use now to actions that they made well before their current rules and guidelines came into force.
He also added, that “Nowadays, the social network acts as a critical filter to the acquisition of disputed artefacts”. This is a good point, as museums nowadays have a far greater interaction with the public than perhaps ever before.
Peoples opinions mean more to them than they ever used to, and as a result, it is important to let museums know if what you think they are doing is morally unacceptable.
German MEP Jo Leinen had a simple message – drawing on the words of another German politician, he quoted Willie Brandt “we have to unite what belongs together”.
The Spanish MEP, Miguel Angel Martínez Martínez took a slightly different viewpoint from some of the other speakers, looking at this action by Britain, in the context of other actions that occur within Europe. He felt that it was particularly important that the countries of northern Europe, in some way recognise that although they might be economically the powerhouses of Europe today, they still owe so much culturally to the Mediterranean countries in the South of Europe.
He stressed a message that Campaigns such as Marbles Reunited have also long emphasised, that “It is not about sending the Parthenon Marbles back to Athens, but about reuniting them”.
Bernard Tschumi, the architect of the New Acropolis Museum was not able to attend the event in person, but provided a pre-recorded video. He pointed out the importance of the Parthenon Frieze itself, noting that “The Parthenon frieze is not just a sculpture, but an astonishing piece of narrative”. He explained that the design of the new museum had “reconstituted the continuity of the frieze”.
Another important point that he made, was that “No photograph can ever reconstitute the emotions of standing in the Parthenon Gallery at the Acropolis Museum” I have often thought the same thing myself, although this is not the only location that this applies to – the Acropolis itself is an even better example.
For this reason, I feel that any who feel ambivalent to the case really ought to try to visit Athens & experience both these locations for themselves and understanding the magic of the spaces, before perhaps re-evaluating their feelings on the issue.
Louis Godart explained how the restitution of Italian artefacts from US Museums had been secured, explaining that “In Italy, we approached museums in the US & said that if they did not return artefacts, we would not lend anything to them, but that if they cooperated, then we would make long term loans of other artefacts in return”.
Exchanges of artefacts were one of the proposals put forward by Evangelos Venizelos when he was Greek Culture Minister in 2003, although Greece has always been reluctant to issue any sort of threats to withdraw cooperation – the carrot was presented, but with no stick as an alternative, the donkey wasn’t that interested in it…
Maurice Davies, from the Museums Association in the UK explained that every few years he is asked to speak about the Parthenon Sculptures, and that each time he does this, he looks to see what has changed in the intervening period.
He started off lamenting that things had not happened at the pace he might have hoped for describing how “Some years ago, I wrote that I would like within the next 10 years, to see some of the marbles from the British Museum displayed in Athens, at least temporarily. Unfortunately, this has not yet happened”. He quickly became more upbeat though, as he considered other areas in which progress had been made, pointing out that “Things are improving – ten years ago, there was no proper communication between the Acropolis Museum & the British Museum”.
He called for further “quiet collaboration between museums – based on their common interests, not their differences”. He went on to explain how these things happen slowly “I believe that through this collaboration, the first small step on the journey has now been taken”.
On the ways to approach the issue, he was reluctant to see politicians taking too big a role in the proceedings, as he knows their propensity for creating deadlines based on elections dates, without considering that sometimes tasks take much longer. He pointed out that “Progress is most often achieved if politicians set the context, but then remain in the background”.
Journalist Henry Porter described how his interest in the case of the Marbles had been inspired by Christopher Hitchens Book: The Parthenon Marbles: The Case for Reunification, where he pointed out that “Hitchens was at his most forensic, analytical & brilliantly polemical”.
He went on to describe his own feelings, that “Visiting the Duveen Gallery is like coming across a beautiful renaissance drawing that you know is stolen in a friend’s apartment – you are struck by its beauty, yet you feel that it is wrong to appreciate it in that context”.
Moving on from this, he looked notices from the British Museum in the Duveen Gallery. He was highly critical of the arrogance of some of the statements made by the museum, but in the end, took the positive approach that “The British Museum is reminding us that there are no strong arguments for the retention of the Marbles. If there were any, they would have written them on their notices”.
Professor Dusan Sidjanski from the Swiss Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles was keen to emphasise a point that he has made to me many times before, that “We should avoid confrontation – this monument [the Parthenon] should not be the subject of litigation or a trial”.
He also lamented the gloomy atmosphere of the British Museum, describing how “I’m saddened whenever I enter the Duveen Gallery at the British Museum – the time has come for the sculptures to see the light of day once more”.
The key messages fromm MEP Rodi Kratsa, who had facilitated the use of the European Parliament as a venue for the event, were about raising awareness.
She talked about it both in the context both of the general public “The first thing that we need to do is raise awareness among members of the public & political decision makers” and then with respect to MEPs, noting that “We should prepare people [in the European Parliament] of action now, ready for the time in the future when the tools to take action become available”.
In the discussions afterwards, a number of further themes developed. In response to discussions of how perhaps European laws might be implemented that could affect the British Museum, Tom Flynn pointed out that “The British Museum would be against any suggestion of intervention from the European Parliament”.
He also noted though that “The British Museum Act of 1963 is currently the great immovable object in the way of negotiations”. Finding solutions that can at least start with potential to circumvent this act is key, as it means that the discussions at least have a chance of starting, without being blocked at the first hurdle.
Miguel Angel Martínez Martínez took the view that legal action might well be the key to break the current deadlock on the Marbles, commenting that “I do not believe that they will return without a legal decision”.
He also hinted though that the place to search for such a decision was not within the UK, as he pointed out that “A legally binding decision that compels the British Museum to return the Marbles will never come from a British court”. Perhaps most importantly (as an encouragement to those who want to get involved in the issue), he pointed out that “We will not succeed without a strong social mobilisation in Britain & in Greece to support the return of the sculptures”.
This is exactly the sort of thing that organisations such as Marbles Reunited try to promote – and if more people join up with such groups, then social mobilisation like he describes becomes easier & more effective.
When asked how Greece could move things forward, Henry Porter suggested that “If I were the Greek government, I’d make friends with the current opposition party in the UK”, suggesting that not only is the Labour Party likely to be more receptive to the return of the sculptures, but that by negotiating with them while they are not in power, it would perhaps be easier to negotiate with them now, while the stakes seem lower, with the hope that agreements can be made on a route forward that is then pursued later once the political situation in the UK changes.
Echoing Tom Flynn’s comments regarding interference from political processes, Maurice Davies pointed out that “Ever since its founding, the British Museum has always been very sensitive to any hints of political interference”. He described how “In the UK, it is almost impossible for a politician to tell a museum what to do”. He then suggested something that pragmatically may well be a step forward, but at the same time might be unacceptable to many restitutionists, that “pragmatically, perhaps it would be easier to start by uniting some pieces together in Athens & others together in London”.
In response to suggestions that a legal approach might be the answer, he countered that “No dispute over cultural property involving museums has ever been [directly] resolved by talking about the legal concepts of ownership”, and suggested that perhaps a better route would be to “Take things one step at a time, with no preconditions over the course that events might take”.
A final closing point that interested me came from the audience. Kelly Agathos, who I had met a few years previously when she was working for EasyCruise in Athens highlighted something that I’m sure many others following the case would agree with, when she pointed out that “In the past, the Greek government had opportunities, but did not grasp them”. There are a number of cases where this has (in my opinion) been the case, although there are of course other factors, such as other issues within Greek politics at the same time, and financial constraints, but it is a shame that the momentum of some events such as the 2004 Olympics & the opening of the New Acropolis Museum have perhaps not been capitalised on as fully as might have been possible.
Overall, it was a good event that was well attended & did a good job of raising awareness of the issue at a European level. From reading the discussions above, it will be clear that although everyone there shared a common aim, there were many different opinions on how to get to that goal. That is not to say any of the routes advocated are right or wrong, or even that any of them should be seen as mutually exclusive to the others. It is a complex cases & there are many different angles from which it might be approached, so it is important to explore & understand all of them, before mobilising in a particular direction.
FIRE has caused millions of dollars worth of damage to the historic Zig Zag railway in the NSW Blue Mountains.
Ten carriages, accommodation carriages, historic sleeping carriages, a meeting room, workshop, office and sleepers were ruined by the fire which tore through the area between Lithgow and the western side of the Blue Mountains over Thursday and Friday.
The cost of the damage is estimated at up to $4 million, Zig Zag Railway board member Alexander Robinson-Mills told AAP.
“We’ve suffered quite a significant amount of damage,” he said.
The tourist attraction has been closed since June last year for safety upgrades and had been “close” to reopening, Mr Robinson Mills said.
It would now be up to a year before it was ready to carry passengers again, he said.
“We have carriages which aren’t so damaged … as soon as we’re right to work in the shed again, when it’s been rebuilt, we’ll be looking at restoring those carriages.”
He said it was a second blow for the railway, which was damaged by heavy rain and landslips over February and March.
Source: ABC
The world’s oldest clipper ship has been renamed City of Adelaide at a ceremony in London overseen by the Duke of Edinburgh.
The City of Adelaide was built in 1864 and carried migrants to South Australia in the late 19th century.
In the 1920s she was renamed HMS Carrick and used as a navy training ship in Scotland, and was left there to rot until a restoration project began.
During the ceremony, Prince Philip bestowed the sailing ship’s original name back upon her.
After a long battle the clipper is now returning to Adelaide via London.
It is hoped it will be back in Australia early next year.
Federal support had been held up since the change of government in Canberra, but now has been finalised.
Source: NewsLimitedNetwork
This diagram shows the orbit of asteroid 2013 TV135 (in blue), which has just a one-in-63,000 chance of impacting Earth in 2032. Picture: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Watch the atmospheric animation of NASA’s new mission: to lasso an asteroid, take samples from it and return them to earth.
A LARGE asteroid has been discovered zipping past Earth that astronomers say is dangerous and will return on August 26, 2032.
“A 400-metre asteroid is threatening to blow up the Earth,” Russian vice-premier Dmitry Rogozin, in charge of his nation’s space research, wrote on his Twitter account.
“Here is a super target for the national cosmonautics.”
The asteroid was discovered by astronomers in the Ukraine on Saturday who promptly named it 2013 TV135.
ASTEROID HEADING TOWARDS NEW YORK? YOU’D BETTER PRAY – NASA
AUSTRALIAN INVENTS ASTEROID WRAP THAT COULD SAVE WORLD
The astronomers said they discovered the asteroid was approaching Earth at a potentially dangerous trajectory, RIA Novosti reported. They calculated the potential collision date – with a force as powerful as two thousand atomic bombs – but acknowledged that the odds of an impact are 1 in 63,000.
NASA said in a statement, named “A reality check”, that it was 99.998 per cent certain that when it heads back around the planet in 2032 it will sail past again.
“This is a relatively new discovery,” said Don Yeomans, manager of NASA’s NEO Program. “With more observations, I fully expect we will be able to significantly reduce, or rule out entirely, any impact probability for the foreseeable future.”
Until further investigation by NASA, the asteroid has a danger rating of 1 out of a possible 10 on the Torino Impact Hazard Scale, the system that gauges the danger of impact destruction by asteroids, CNN reported
The 1 rating means that it poses “no unusual level of danger.”
NASA said the asteroid 2013 TV135 “came within 6.7 million kilometres” of Earth – about 20 times as far away from Earth as the moon.
That pales in comparison to the closest shave the Earth has had from an asteroid its size in recorded history.
The small near-Earth asteroid 2012 DA14 passed very close to Earth on Feb. 15, 2013, as NASA’s Near-Earth Object Program Office, Jet Propulsion Laboratory explains
On February 15, asteroid 2012 DA14, which was 50m long and weighed 200,000 tonnes, passed around 27,000 kilometres above the Earth.
Two behemoths will pass by Earth in the next three months at similar distances as 2013 TV135.
In November, an asteroid that NASA believes to be two-to-three kilometres wide, will pass at a distance of 19 million kilometres, and in January, another large one will come as close as 8 million kilometres from the planet.
NASA believes that neither will hit Earth.
Source: DailyTelegraph
LATEST NEWS ON THE NSW BUSHFIRES
THE defence department has launched an investigation into whether a large bushfire at Lithgow on the western side of the NSW Blue Mountains was caused by training activity.
Defence confirmed today that an investigation is underway into the State Mine fire that started on Wednesday, the same day explosive ordnance training was taking place at the Marrangaroo training area.
“Defence is investigating if the two events are linked,” it said in a statement.
“The ongoing investigation… will review both the incident and Defence procedures.”
Meanwhile, firefighters continue to race against time to gain the upper hand on bushfires in the Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Southern Highlands as calmer, cooler weather provides a window of opportunity.
But the danger is far from over, Rural Fire Service Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers says.
Bushfire ravaged Singles Ridge Road, Yellow Rock. Picture: Cameron Richardson
Mr Rogers described today’s conditions as a “pause” but said worsening conditions lay ahead with higher temperatures and increasing winds forecast by Sunday.So far, more than 300 properties in the lower Blue Mountains have been damaged or destroyed by bushfires, the NSW Rural Fire Service says.
After assessing 95 per cent of the fireground in Springwood and Winmalee the RFS has been able to establish that 193 properties have been destroyed and 109 have been damaged.
That number could change following more investigations involving other fire-hit areas.
On Friday the Insurance Council of Australia said there had already been 550 claims totalling $30 million, with the number expected to rise sharply.
At 9am this morning, the RFS reported there were 83 fires burning across the state including 19 uncontained blazes.
“We have more than 500km of fire perimeter at the moment … we’re by no means out of the woods,” Mr Rogers told ABC radio. “It’s just calmed down a little bit and obviously we’re bracing ourselves for these worsening conditions.”
West of the Blue Mountains the RFS is concerned about a fire in Lithgow which is burning over 28,000 hectares and could tear through the mountains if the wind changes direction.
A fire at Winmalee, where 81 houses have so far been confirmed lost and 37 damaged, is also unlikely to be contained ahead of the changing conditions.
A 10,000 hectare fire in Balmoral remained active after crossing multiple roads, Mr Rogers said.
In Wyong, the threat to properties has reduced after a fire at Ruttleys Road burnt more than 2500 hectares and caused the death of a 63-year-old man who suffered a heart attack defending his home.
“What we have is a time for the crews to anticipate the weather coming ahead and try and get as much containment as possible and prevent that fire threatening major population centres when we get worse weather,” Mr Rogers said.
A house completely destroyed on St Georges Parade in Mt Victoria was called “Sunnyside”.
The RFS will also provide revised numbers of homes lost, he said.Prime Minister Tony Abbott and NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell today announced bushfire affected communities will have access to disaster assistance.
Nineteen local council areas can now apply for relief with more expected to be announced in coming days.
“A very high level of threat still continues for many communities around NSW and emergency services and support agencies are working around the clock to contain these threats,” Mr Abbott and Mr O’Farrell said in a joint statement.
“While the extreme weather has eased, the threat for many communities is not yet over.”
Conditions on Sunday are expected to worsen, becoming drier with temperatures in the low 30s but the winds aren’t predicted to pick up.
Meteorologists believe no rain will fall over the weekend but showers could develop along the Victorian border on Monday.
From Wednesday light showers are predicted for the central and southern coasts.
Cloud is expected to form early next week, which would drop temperatures and increase the chance of rain, the BoM spokesman said.
“Cloud is good, always good,” he said.
Lucas Magennis, 18, with his father Michael and mother Julie beside their Winmalee home, which was totally destroyed by fire yesterday.
A COMMUNITY IN RUINS – 100 HOMES LOST IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS
TAYLOR AUERBACH in Yellow Rock and BEN MCCLELLAN in Mount Victoria
THE streets reveal a disaster of unimaginable proportions.
Most residents who returned yesterday to the wasteland of burnt trees and the ash-covered shells of vehicles were beyond tears, using words such as “numb” and “shocked” to describe their emotions.
Dozens of prized homes had been replaced by jagged piles of smoking rubble, while in many cases manicured lawns remain untouched out front.
Stephanie Burton, 16, overcome with emotion as she returns to Yellow Rock in the Blue Mountains / Picture: Renee Nowytarger
Tarnie Horner looks where her room once was in Yellow Rock / Picture: Renee Nowytarger
Yellow Rock, near Springwood, was at the epicentre of an inferno that destroyed 1400ha of Blue Mountains bushland. Emergency workers fear more than 100 homes have been lost.
Pat Minney (blue shirt) and son Jake, 15 as they see their home that was destroyed in Winmalee.
But only a 12-year-old cat and Cody the eight-year-old alaskan malamute are missing – presumed dead – somewhere in the desolate animal graveyard of carcasses that line the roads.
Residents feared a similar fate for one elderly man who was missing. On Thursday night police said they were dealing with a fatality and the entire township was turned into an official crime scene.
Anja Minney stands in front of her house that was totaly destroyed at Winmalee.
But Gordon Pendlebury, a well-known Purvines Rd character, was later found safe at Springwood Sports Club.Leanne Burton was at home when the fire struck. The first she knew about the danger was when she got a text message from her son Adam shortly after 2pm to say his school had gone into lockdown.
A burnt out car sits in front of a house destroyed by bushfires in Winmalee / Picture: AFP/Greg WOOD
Within minutes the flames were threatening her building.Suddenly a neighbour’s four-year-old ran screaming towards her door. “I grabbed him, started driving down the street and I honestly thought I was going to die,” she said.
“There were fires all over me. The only way I got out was by following the telegraph poles, I couldn’t see the road.”
Evangeline Love returns to her house destroyed by bushfire in Winmalee with her son Jomei and brother-in-law Ruben Love.
Shane Fitzsimmons, the Commissioner of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service became emotional when talking about the work of firefighters of NSW.
By the time the first warning text message from the NSW Rural Fire Service arrived, at 2.56pm, Mrs Burton had already left – and her house was gone.
Andrew New has lived in the mountains for 51 years.
“This is the worst fire I’ve seen,” he says. “It’s wiped out a whole community. This is devastation – a catastrophe.”
Trees have been replaced by black splinters. Absurdly, the leaves on top of them are still green.
“It didn’t crown,” confirms every local you ask.
About 50km west at Mount Victoria, a van was packed with cages of dead animals; gas continued to burn in the remains of one destroyed home; and a smouldering compost heap emitted heavy smoke a on St Georges Pde.
An aerial picture in the Springwood, Winmalee area showing burnt houses and properties.
It was clear that the firefighters and homeowners never had a chance of overcoming the flames. The fire – under control yesterday afternoon, although it continued to burn north of the town – had ripped through Mount York Rd, St Georges Pde and the Darling Causeway in the rural hamlet, destroying a dozen homes and numerous vehicles.Mick Corrigan, who stayed behind despite threats by firefighters to call the police to remove him, saved his home and his neighbour’s home.
Resident Sean Butler stands in front of his 1958 bus after fighting a fire / Picture: AAP/Dean Lewins
He says a couple up the road was forced to abandon the van full of animals.”They lost all their chickens. They had their cats in the van when it exploded,” he said.
“It (the heat) was intense.
“I feel really burnt, hot, my eyes felt like they’ve got a welding flash out of it.
“I could hardly breathe.”
Those whose houses survived were offering their neighbours food, clothing and a place to sleep.
Fire rages in the Catherine Hill Bay area / Picture Waide Maguire.
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