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keith
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Re: Australia

#101

Post by keith »

RTH10260 wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 10:59 pm
Azastan wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 10:37 pm 2.6 percent vaccinated is barely worth mentioning. How embarrassing :oopsy: .
Considering that Australia has been able to contain and localize covid outbreaks with quarantine measures I can understand that vaccination efforts were kept minimal.As a result they were not the first to queue up for vaccines at the few producers. Though I would say, technology wise Australia would be predestinated to produce locally with the option to supply outside, like N.Zealand the South Pacific region.
Yes, at the beginning, 'we' were comfortable with the fact that we were down the urgency list. We were fortunate that we had the control measures under control and could wait. But eventually we have to get it going.

The original plan, and it was a good one at the time, was to invest in producing an Australian vaccine. The government dumped loads of money into a vaccine being developed in Queensland and early trials looked really good, it would have been one of the best available. Problem was, the technology used some HIV virus proteins and the vaccine MIGHT show up as a FALSE positive in SOME HIV test procedures. The 'optics' of that were just way to unpalatable for anybody to approve further trials, so they had to pivot to Plan B.

The only vaccine that was available in quantity was the Astra-Zeneca, and we had plants that could be adapted to make the AZ fairly quickly - so its all good.

Except that the distribution plan, with the priorities about who gets it first, started out just fine, then got totally ignored. So they went on to Priority 2 before Priority 1a or 1b were close to complete - and they still aren't. The roll out has been completely botched by the Feds, who have no interest in taking responsibility for their duties, only in keeping 'on message'. The PM's background is in Public Relations/Marketing and he was lousy at his job. He did learn about the importance of 'keeping on message', but he clearly never learned about changing the message when the facts change or the message falls flat.

Then the blood clot reports in AZ side effects robbed people of confidence in vaccines. So we've had to shift to Phizer, which may not be as effective against Delta or other developing mutations.

The further irony is, of course, that the Aussie researchers successfully swapped out the HIV virus proteins it was using for something more benign with in a couple of months. Too late now, that horse has bolted.
Has everybody heard about the bird?
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Azastan
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Re: Australia

#102

Post by Azastan »

RTH10260 wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 10:59 pm
Azastan wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 10:37 pm 2.6 percent vaccinated is barely worth mentioning. How embarrassing :oopsy: .
Considering that Australia has been able to contain and localize covid outbreaks with quarantine measures I can understand that vaccination efforts were kept minimal.As a result they were not the first to queue up for vaccines at the few producers. Though I would say, technology wise Australia would be predestinated to produce locally with the option to supply outside, like N.Zealand the South Pacific region.
It's still embarrassing that vaccination rates are still low. You can't truly open up your country until you've gotten that herd immunity going, and you still have a lot of vulnerable populations (such as the indigenous peoples).
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RTH10260
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Re: Australia

#103

Post by RTH10260 »

Azastan wrote: Sun Jul 11, 2021 7:56 am
RTH10260 wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 10:59 pm
Azastan wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 10:37 pm 2.6 percent vaccinated is barely worth mentioning. How embarrassing :oopsy: .
Considering that Australia has been able to contain and localize covid outbreaks with quarantine measures I can understand that vaccination efforts were kept minimal.As a result they were not the first to queue up for vaccines at the few producers. Though I would say, technology wise Australia would be predestinated to produce locally with the option to supply outside, like N.Zealand the South Pacific region.
It's still embarrassing that vaccination rates are still low. You can't truly open up your country until you've gotten that herd immunity going, and you still have a lot of vulnerable populations (such as the indigenous peoples).
I understand that Australia is happy with them being a bubble, and have joined other bubbles like n.Zealand for tourism purpose. Also Australians will be able to travel to other low risk areas within South East Asia.
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Azastan
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Re: Australia

#104

Post by Azastan »

RTH10260 wrote: Sun Jul 11, 2021 8:00 am
Azastan wrote: Sun Jul 11, 2021 7:56 am
RTH10260 wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 10:59 pm

Considering that Australia has been able to contain and localize covid outbreaks with quarantine measures I can understand that vaccination efforts were kept minimal.As a result they were not the first to queue up for vaccines at the few producers. Though I would say, technology wise Australia would be predestinated to produce locally with the option to supply outside, like N.Zealand the South Pacific region.
It's still embarrassing that vaccination rates are still low. You can't truly open up your country until you've gotten that herd immunity going, and you still have a lot of vulnerable populations (such as the indigenous peoples).
I understand that Australia is happy with them being a bubble, and have joined other bubbles like n.Zealand for tourism purpose. Also Australians will be able to travel to other low risk areas within South East Asia.
Eh, that's up to them, then, isn't it?
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Re: Australia

#105

Post by Dave from down under »

Corrupt, Corrupter and Conspirator.....


https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-22/ ... /100313762

Former NSW ministers Ian Macdonald and Eddie Obeid and Obeid's son could try to leave Australia illegally ahead of their sentencing, a court has heard.

Key points:
The three men remain on bail but must adhere to strict conditions
The judge questioned how the men could leave the country without valid passports
The trio face possible jail time for misconduct in public office
Macdonald, Obeid, and Moses Obeid, will face a sentencing hearing in September for conspiring over a coal licence when Macdonald was resources minister in 2008.

The licence was granted over the Obeid family farm in the Bylong Valley and resulted in a $30 million windfall for the Obeids.

Today in the NSW Supreme Court, prosecutors argued the men's bail should be revoked because they might not show up for the sentence hearing and could try to leave Australia.

The court heard Obeid owns property overseas and has overseas family connections.
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Re: Australia

#106

Post by Dave from down under »

Victorians have the opportunity for a historic election!!!!!

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-18/ ... /100377548

Alright Victorians, while we are all either stuck in lockdown or limited by restrictions, the time is ripe for us to get together (virtually), peer back millions of years and answer an important question.

Which fossil should we choose to represent our state?

New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia already have fossil emblems, but Victoria does not. It's time.

Museums Victoria has opened up voting for a shortlist of eight fossils selected by paleontologists, geologists and other scientists, all of which were found in Victoria and are housed in the museum's collection.

The winning specimen will join our other lauded state emblems like the Leadbeater's possum (our state animal), weedy seadragon (our state marine animal) and gold (our state mineral).

You've got until October 4 to read up on some of the weird, wonderful and sometimes mysterious animals and plants that used to roam, or grow, in this part of the world.

Learn more about the (sometimes tiny) fossil remnants they left behind that reveal their stories, then cast your vote.
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Azastan
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Re: Australia

#107

Post by Azastan »

Tough choices there. This non-Victorian would cast a vote for the marsupial, though.
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Re: Australia

#108

Post by Dave from down under »

Azastan wrote: Tue Aug 17, 2021 8:01 pm Tough choices there. This non-Victorian would cast a vote for the marsupial, though.
I can't vote...

but as a New South Welshman I think that the one that best represents Victorians is....
-------------------
Museums Victoria's vertebrate paleontology collections manager Tim Ziegler said koolasuchus cleelandi lived alongside dinosaurs.

"To picture koolasuchus, you need to start with something like a salamander, make it scaly, like a fish," he said.

"Make it about three or four metres long, like a car, give it tusks two inches long coming out of the roof of its mouth and sit it in the bottom of a river waiting for whatever swum along to come by as food."

Mr Ziegler said it may seem ancient, but in fact, the relative youth of koolasuchus to its ancestors is what sets it apart.

"Even when it was alive 125 million years ago, koolasuchus was already a relic," he said.

"Its closest ancestors went extinct more than 50 million years before that."
--------------------
;P
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Re: Australia

#109

Post by Foggy »

Nobody can vote unless they were born on Victorian soil to two Victorian citizens! :fingerwag:
Out from under. :thumbsup:
Dave from down under
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Re: Australia

#110

Post by Dave from down under »

Foggy wrote: Tue Aug 17, 2021 9:35 pm Nobody can vote unless they were born on Victorian soil to two Victorian citizens! :fingerwag:
Yeahhhhh....... nup.....
---------------------------
One vote per person.

Open to Victorian voters only. Non-Victorian postcodes will be excluded in the final count.

https://museumsvictoria.com.au/melbourn ... il-emblem/


---------------------

somehow I don't think that they will be checking the voter rolls if I was to claim a 3xxx postcode...
such as....

11 Nicholson Street Carlton, Victoria, 3053

:twisted:
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Re: Australia

#111

Post by Foggy »

The Melbourne Museum.

It's closed.
Out from under. :thumbsup:
Dave from down under
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Re: Australia

#112

Post by Dave from down under »

Foggy wrote: Tue Aug 17, 2021 10:07 pm The Melbourne Museum.

It's closed.
Lock down...

again...

ah well... :oldman:
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Azastan
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Re: Australia

#113

Post by Azastan »

Eh, I would still go with the marsupial, personally.
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Lani
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Re: Australia

#114

Post by Lani »

Azastan wrote: Tue Aug 17, 2021 11:50 pm Eh, I would still go with the marsupial, personally.
:yeahthat:
Image You can't wait until life isn't hard anymore before you decide to be happy.
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Suranis
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Re: Australia

#115

Post by Suranis »

How about a much overlooked fossil - the "Mighty Mouse"? :daydreaming:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/3-million- ... akthrough/
3-million-year-old "Mighty Mouse" fossil had red fur, researchers determine in scientific breakthrough

By Caitlin O'Kane

May 21, 2019 / 12:13 PM / CBS News

Researchers studying the fossils of an extinct 3-million-year-old mouse made what they called "a major scientific breakthrough" in determining the animal's fur color. The international team, led by researchers from the University of Manchester, found chemical traces of red pigment in a fossil for the first time ever.

The researchers detected the red pigmentation in the fossils of Apodemus atavus, an extinct species related to the field mice that exist on Earth today. The team nicknamed the fossil "Mighty Mouse" both because of its impressiveness and because "the X-ray images were simply mind-boggling," Professor Roy Wogelius, co-author of the study, told CBS News via email.

Color plays an important role in evolution, researchers noted. The fossil X-rays allowed them to uncover pheomelanin, the chemical residue of the red animal pigment — something that has never been done before. The study was published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.
Hic sunt dracones
Dave from down under
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Re: Australia

#116

Post by Dave from down under »

Happy news story....

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-19/ ... /100080190

A baby pale-headed snake thought to have hitched a ride from Queensland to Sydney in a bag of lettuce has returned home after a 2,000-kilometre round trip.

Key points:
The snake was apparently found in a bag of supermarket lettuce in Sydney
A wildlife team drove the reptile home to Queensland
Aldi is still investigating the report of the snake in its product
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Re: Australia

#117

Post by Dave from down under »

Not happy news - except that there may be consequences...

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-25/ ... /100346002

What war crimes did Australian soldiers commit in Afghanistan and will anyone go to jail?

Justice Brereton said he received enough information to say 19 Australian soldiers had illegally killed 39 people and "cruelly treated" another two.

Under the law "cruel treatment" is an offence when someone "inflicts severe physical or mental pain or suffering" upon someone who isn't taking part in active hostilities or isn't a member of an organised armed group.

The report said a total of 25 current or former ADF personnel were involved, including people who were "accessories" to the incidents.

Of that 25, it said some were involved on a single occasion "and a few" on multiple occasions.

The soldiers who committed these alleged crimes were elite operators in the SAS and commando units.

The deaths were either covered up or excuses were made that soldiers thought the people were moving to a position to attack them.

:snippity:

Is anyone going to jail?
Potentially, but if they do it won't be for a long while yet.

The purpose of this inquiry was to look into persistent rumours and allegations that were swirling about the behaviour of special forces soldiers, not to gather evidence that could be used in a criminal trial.

The idea was to see what evidence, if any, there was of these crimes before pursuing any further action.

But after the report was handed to General Campbell and the Federal Government, the decision was made to create a specific new office to collect evidence and prosecute people for war crimes.

:snippity:
Dave from down under
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Re: Australia

#118

Post by Dave from down under »

Spring is almost here…

My wife lifted a 5’ scared red belly black snake out of the chook house…
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Re: Australia

#119

Post by Foggy »

I am afraid to ask, but ... what is a chook house? :cantlook:

:whisper: My autocorrect, which has never defeated me in bodily combat, is desperately trying to change that to cook house.
Out from under. :thumbsup:
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Re: Australia

#120

Post by Estiveo »

Foggy wrote: Wed Aug 25, 2021 7:47 am I am afraid to ask, but ... what is a chook house? :cantlook:

:whisper: My autocorrect, which has never defeated me in bodily combat, is desperately trying to change that to cook house.
Chicken coop.
Image Image Image Image
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Re: Australia

#121

Post by keith »

Foggy wrote: Wed Aug 25, 2021 7:47 am I am afraid to ask, but ... what is a chook house? :cantlook:

:whisper: My autocorrect, which has never defeated me in bodily combat, is desperately trying to change that to cook house.
Chook = relatives of Foghorn Leghorn
Has everybody heard about the bird?
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Re: Australia

#122

Post by Foggy »

OK, that's even worser than I imagined. :eek:
Out from under. :thumbsup:
Dave from down under
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Re: Australia

#123

Post by Dave from down under »

From chook house to cook house is just some feathers and gizzards.. ;)

Odds on snek was snacking on the mice that had been steeling the hens feed.
That or given the girth - looking for somewhere to lay her eggs - he/she weighted about 4 pounds…
Once outside he/she headed down to the creek, hopefully not to return.
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Re: Australia

#124

Post by keith »

Foggy wrote: Wed Aug 25, 2021 9:16 am OK, that's even worser than I imagined. :eek:
But wait, there's more.

You haven't learned about Kentucky Crook Chook yet.
Has everybody heard about the bird?
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Re: Australia

#125

Post by scirreeve »

keith wrote: Wed Aug 25, 2021 8:52 pm
Foggy wrote: Wed Aug 25, 2021 9:16 am OK, that's even worser than I imagined. :eek:
But wait, there's more.

You haven't learned about Kentucky Crook Chook yet.
My favorite chook peeps were these folks. I love the words Bundy Bum Nuts. Sadly they had to change their name.
https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/que ... 049d26e7e0
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