Hallo all. It's a brand new week!
Adelaide 8.10 am. Cool day, 20 C, light rain predicted in morning (haven't seen any yet). The only Wet Bulbs are those in the garden (not surprising after the rain we had Monday).
Wattle I hope your hayfever survived the duststorm. I don't envy you all that window cleaning.
To others interested, re "red" Sydney. A combination of strong winds & drought means the topsoil in the Outback just blows away. And yes it really is red, as I discovered years ago when daughter's exchange student returned from an outback tour - I shook her clothes and the red dust fell out. We in Adelaide did not have it so bad yesterday - the winds were blowing to the east. One of the reasons I dislike hot north winds is that they bring the dust down here. <cough cough choke> I think yesterday was unusual, I don't recall pics as bad as that.
Annette, while Sydneysiders and Melbournians may think Adelaide is a small country town, we certainly don't think we are "off the beaten track". Adelaide + suburbs spreads about 50 miles north to south, crammed between the sea and Mount Lofty Ranges. Population about 1 million. The Outback starts up beyond the Flinders Ranges. Not that I have been farther north than Blinman & Parachilna. BTW Mount Lofty is not exactly lofty, being 685 metres (2247 feet). And compared to the rest of the world - nay - our papers & TV are full of overseas news. Today, for example, I read about floods in Georgia & Tennessee and Los Angeles residents can only keep 1 rooster. We know what's happening everywhere LOL
Auntie, I like your saying about frogs coming out of one's mouth. My mother had a wonderful collection of sayings. I started making a list once - I wonder where I put it . . .
Hey AQ: We have the same "dusty" winds here - when the wind comes from the Mojave desert and blows down through the canyons to the ocean
Diane/AQ: My mother had some wonderful sayings too. If someone was particularly unhelpful, she would say they were "as much use as a fart in a thunderstorm." It's echoing down through the generations....
Cirrus: We have "cream" here, but I usually put something called "half-and-half" in our coffee (half cream, half milk).
Sandy: When I first got internet connection, my ISP provider (begins with a T and ends with an i) had sold it to me as unlimited. I took them at their word. All fine to start with, then all of a sudden, like you, they informed me I had used my full month's usage and that they were going to charge me more. I saw red, I'm afraid, and let them know that I felt they had mis-sold, mis-informed me and were basically cheating me. I must have sounded a little fierce - I was absolutely and totally convinced I was right! (I think I threatened to go elsewhere .) The long and the short of it is that they completely backed down: they not only gave me total unlimited usage, they ALSO reduced my monthly payment. This was some years ago, I do admit. Since then, I've had no problem - apart from the fact that, as we are at the very end of the telephone line, our max speed is half a meg. (This is in the SE of England, btw)
Well, finally caught video on the news of Sydney's red dust attack. Awful. We don't get anything like that.
My nephew in the UK just switched from the ISP provider that begins with a T and switched to one that begins with S (and ends with Y). Good luck Sandy. Who needs battles like this!
Wattle: If that was a "brief" post, I'd hate to see a long one. :-)
I'm glad that I don't have to rule on the eagle case. The issues are difficult. I will make one observation. The banning of DDT was fiercely resisted by the chemical and agricultural industries. The use of DDT brought many birds of prey to the brink of extinction in the US (including eagles, ospreys, peregrine falcons, and brown pelicans), and the company executives knew about its deadly effects on wildlife AND people. The abuse and exploitation of wildlife (and domestic animals) is rampant in the U.S., for example, "canned hunts". But the federal government doesn't choose to prosecute these wealthy and powerful perpetrators. That's my two cents worth.
Sandy: Now I'm going to have to get out my good eyeglasses and check the very fine print on my ISP contract. You are a victim of pure extortion in my judgment.
Wattle and aquilareen: I saw the video today from Australia. Please take care of your health. You are both brave, tough women, but I know that the ongoing drought has to be worrisome.
Gary: Enjoy the visit with your Mum.
Cirrus: Thanks for your comments to me! By the way, I used to walk home from work in Indianapolis. I had to adjust my route, depending on whether it was light or dark in the evening. You are wise to be careful. Sometimes the walk is worth it, though. One night, it had been snowing and was very dark. Suddenly the clouds cleared and a huge, brilliant full moon appeared. A long, long V of Canadian geese flew right across the moon, honking and calling. Spectacular sight!
Annette: Your Mom's expression made me laugh. My Dad has a lot of those, too, many of them not printable on this site. LOL I really love that simple, light shaker style. So peaceful. Excellent choice for your kitchen. By the way, you could scan that old photo onto your system and then post it. HA!
Diane: Interesting points re the eagle case - and others. I believe California and Indiana have banned canned hunts, but I met two Brits a few months ago who were wearing riding clothes and they said they'd been hunting at a private ranch near the little town of Los Alamos, about 40 miles up the road. I had no idea such a place existed although my granddaughter, who worked at a vet clinic in the valley at that time, knew about the place. Re the Feds disinclination to stop it - is that a "States Rights" issue I wonder?
Annette: From what I have read, you're correct that no federal laws exist to ban canned hunting specifically. The federal Animal Welfare Act does not apply to hunting preserves and canned hunts. The federal Endangered Species Act protects animals listed as endangered or threatened, but it does not prohibit private ownership of these animals and may even allow hunting of "privately owned" endangered species.
BUT:
(1) Since the animals are held captive, canned hunts are not hunting at all and the practice SHOULD be illegal under the federal Humane Slaughter Act.
(2) The people who conduct canned hunts violate federal laws governing the safe transport of animals, so they SHOULD be prosecuted under U.S. health and safety regulations. The exotic animals used for canned hunts can spread diseases to native wildlife, to livestock, and to people. Diseases include TB and chronic wasting disease ("Mad Cow").
(3) The canned hunt ranch owners often violate international laws pertaining to the trafficking of exotic animals.
So the federal government could stop much of it right now, if there was political will to do it.
As you say, hunting is a state issue, but the federal government does have the power to regulate interstate commerce. So they can control the transport, interstate sale, and possession of exotic animals. Congress has introduced legislation that would do that, but they've been unsuccessful so far.
For those who don't know: During a canned hunt, the animal, usually an exotic animal, is kept in a confined space, such as in a fenced-in area. A participant is allowed to shoot the animal and then pay a fee. After the fee is paid, he is often awarded a trophy. It's usually a no kill/no pay arrangement, so the ranchers make sure that the "hunter" bags an animal. Sometimes animals are even staked or caged. Canned hunting is legal in much of the U.S, although some states ban or restrict it.
Morning all! Beautiful september morning(10.50 am) here, quite warm 14C
Aquilareen; You brought a smile to my face saying that it is cool down there in 20C :) Everything is so relative, also about the population : there is about 5 350 000 people in Finland, really the total! What a small nation!
I`m having my coffee (black, no sugar) and watching two Great Tits beeing busy in the yard
my photos in flickr