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14566 messages, Last post on Nov 30, 2009 at 3:59 PM
You are in the Subaru Crew Forum. Your Host is kcram
Your Community Leaders are ateixeira and rsholland.
This is the place for Crew members to kick back, relax, and talk about...whatever!
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Replying to: grahampeters (Feb 09, 2009 2:53 am) Condolences to everyone who lost loved ones or property. -Frank |
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Replying to: p0926 (Feb 09, 2009 3:45 pm) The fires were very fast moving but the key problem has been people living in the bush but not being prepared for the hazard. I cannot help feeling that many people are unable to take responsibility for their own actions. My sister has just come from a community meeting where the usual complainers bitched that no-oine had warned them. This was despite three or four days of constant blanket coverage that this would be the all time worst fire danger ever seen in Victoria and unavoidable media coverage on the day. The complainants expected that the Fire Brigade would pop around and say 'Hi, time to go!' The fire front can move at 60mph under these conditions. In the midst of the crisis, one of mum's neighbours assured her that they could not get a bushfire. Having lived through a few, mum was sceptical. Folks are strange! My sister found a decent sized generator not far from home and they delivered to the roadblocks where my brother in law could pick it up. In another day or so, Police may permit access to all. Not so cheers Graham |
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Replying to: grahampeters (Feb 09, 2009 11:57 pm)
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Replying to: volkov (Feb 10, 2009 11:46 am) The unfortunate reality for many wildfires around the world is that they are set by arsonists. In the case of the fire that affected my sister, that is almost certainly the case and the police are closing in on the likely arsonist. The same applies for several other incidents on the same day. As fatalities occurred, the charge will likely be "Causing Death by Arson" which caries a maximum sentence of 25 years in Victoria. However, given the community attitude to arson in a high fire risk country, any person finding themselves in jail for it, would likely suffer an interesting life. Professionally, I have investigated quite a few arson cases, but remain mystified by the thought process that triggers the action. By and large, arsonists are male (not universally) between the ages of 13 and 50. There is a supposed correlation with bed wetting and sexual abuse as children. There is also supposedly a higher occurrence amongst fire-fighters mirroring the anecdotal experience of higher theft risk amongst security guards, which I also cannot explain. All round, investigation of these incidents is very depressing. In one of the fires, fire fighters saw an arsonist relighting fires they had just extinguished and provided an excellent description of the vehicle used. This was widely advertised by the police. Not terribly common, this is likely to be a significant lead and the press today are saying that a photo fit image will be released shortly Not so cheers Graham |
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Replying to: grahampeters (Feb 09, 2009 11:57 pm) Graham- I'm a little surprised by that. It's a bit disconcerting to discover that Australians aren't that different from Americans. My impression had always been that the blokes from Down Under were the proudly self-reliant and independent sort(certainly you seem to embody those qualities). Maybe I've watched too many Crocodile Dundee movies  -Frank
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Replying to: p0926 (Feb 11, 2009 8:28 am) Preparedness for hazards is an interesting question. For those Australians who have grown up in the bush, the hazard of fire is real and constant, as they will likely have had a near miss at some time in their past. They will certainly have seen the effect of fire from small scale events. I guess it's a case of adapting to environment. The first time someone offered to knife me (in San Francisco at midday) came as a complete surprise. A very naive foreign traveller, I had no idea what to do. I rapidly adapted to a different set of personal safety standards, looking less like a dumb Aussie tourist. Many Australians have chosen to move from urban areas to bush blocks, the geography around many major population centres making it feasible to commute. The skill set to live in that environment is not always present. The astute learn quickly but many see living in the bush as a cheap or lifestyle alternative to city living. In the absence of actual experience of fires, there is a presumption that the hazard does not exist or that the protective measures available in the city (a fire hydrant within 100 metres and a paid professional fire brigade in the same suburb) also apply. In the bush, you are primarily responsible for your own well being. My sister commented that, for her, the most traumatic part of this experience has not been the fire itself, or consoling friends or neighbours who have lost all physical possessions. Rather, it was attended the community briefing session to outline the continuing hazard from the fire and hearing the large number of "ugly citizens" abusing the volunteer (but highly professional) fire fighting operation for manifold supposed failures. Prime amongst these was the supposed failure to notify of the threat, despite the blanket coverage in the days leading up to Saturday. With a fire front bearing down at 80mph, it is not feasible for a man in a red truck to pop around to every isolated bush block and say "Time to go!". The tendency to try and blame others for our own failures is a common human failing. There is an argument that the export of American values (by which Australia is heavily influenced, compliments of film and television) carries both benefits and hazards. Prime amongst the hazards is the blame culture which so often sees odd law suits in the USA. We get them too, but our legal system, whilst heavily consumer focussed, tends to moderate the weirder claims. There are very many people who have survived this disaster through careful planning and implementation of those plans. Thats not universal as some perished despite acting responsibly. I mourn those but wonder at the idiocy of many. Not so cheers Graham |
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http://www.autoobserver.com/2009/02/sirius-xm-may-face-possible-bankruptcy.html
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Replying to: rsholland (Feb 12, 2009 6:24 am) Stern's paycheck is gonna bounce!
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Replying to: ateixeira (Feb 12, 2009 8:28 am) |
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http://editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=826313 probably written up elsewhere, and even linked here before ... the link said "a surprising sedan" ... then went here ... lol |
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