:: In a Small Dark Room ::

:: Monday, January 20, 2003 ::

Well, January 2003 looks like something of a repeat of the bushfires around Christmas 2001. Horrible destruction & fearful scenes in Canberra.
Map 1; Map 2
Over 400 homes lost in one area in one day (& 4 dead people). Every year in Australia we lose about 4,000 homes & 200 lives to non-bush fires.
That's 10% of the annual property loss & 2% of the annual lives lost in one day (less than 0.3% of a year).

Lord knows how many lifestock & wildlife.

The historic & still currently well-used Mount Stromlo Observatory & its workshop where we were building our contribution to the Very Large Telescope.
Links: astsun.astro.virginia.edu/ ~rjp0i/ mso/; skytonight.com/ news/ 3307161.html?page=1&c=y (update at skytonight.com/ news/ 3307536.html?page=1&c=y)

Meanwhile people are blaming the bush & those who care for it, after firstly cutting off resources to properly manage it, & allowing builders to put houses with no defences right in amongst it. Why are so many people so instinctively, thoughtlessly, destructively vicious?

So many people weeping over the loss of their prized life memorials: certificates, keepsakes, family photos. I have been saving my digital photos onto CDs, and want to store them outside the home. Will also have to work on getting some of the older things uploaded. With luck they won't evanesce away in a company breakdown.

No photos yet. But am working on updating 'treebark' with new stuff & adding some other -- happier -- pix soon.

:: Mez 20:05 [+] ::
...

Keep on holding on. Will get there. Am starting back to work after a long illness, & trying to fit lotzastuff in. Energy level still not great. Brain as well as body also slowed down.
Year 2002 has been pretty wretched. Signs not too good for 2003, but there's always hope...

:: Mez 23:23 [+] ::
...