#Rain Broke Records in Australia

[entegrasignaturestructures]

What You Need to Know About  Rain Broke Records in Australia?

Australia experienced rain broke records in Australia that caused flooding and landslides. Some areas received their highest rainfall in over 50 years. The flooding of kati thanda-lake eyre was another result of the Australian spring flooding in 2022. Read this entire article to learn everything about the record rainfall in australia.

#Rain Broke Records in Australia #Record rainfall in Australia #flooding in Australia #Entegra Signature Structures

[foxes-that-run]

2015 Haylor Timeline

Timeline Tag, or years […] 2014, [...], 2016, […] and 2024.

2 January - Harry arrives in LA 3 weeks before the rest of 1D, starts writing with Johan Carlsson (If I could fly). Neither Harry or Taylor seen on the 3rd or 4th On the 5th Harry was seen in an LA carpark.

6 January - Taylor posted clear blue water (Lyrics from This Love)  to instagram. Harry in Malibu and around LA. A year later Harry posted the rain on a window 6 January 2016 and on 7 January 2017 recorded the leak 'Lately'. This may have been their break up. Harry was pictured with a fan wearing the shirt from Band-Aid.

7 January - Harry pictured with fans at Cafe Habana for lunch and dinner. There are three recording studios within 10 minutes, (including Shangri-La) so he was likely working.

10 January - Reports Harry driving with Nadine Leopold. Tweets from 8 till late. He got Froyo. Both HS/TS Golden Globes parties

11 January - Harry tweets he had a "I Had a Good Morning :D Hard Work.... 'Yikes' !!". Kendall and Khloe post "Forget You "I see you driving 'round town/With the boy I love and I'm like/Forget you."

15 January - lily Aldridge's birthday, Harry posts serendipity, his watch is in a photo talking to Taylor, TMZ posts awkward footage of them in the lobby, they go for food in a group after and are friendly. (WOTW: Yesterday I went out to celebrate the birthday of a friend / But as we raised our glasses up to make a toast / I realised you were missing) Niall said they wrote Made in the AM in January and February.  Matty Healy said dating Taylor was all fake, it didn’t really happen. He also talked about Harry as “there’s no one I know less in the world than Harry styles” video interview

16 January - Harry tweets "Cake?"

17 January - Taylor shares photo of her kitchen with framed Temper Trap lyrics on her stove. Again they broke up before his birthday. :( Harry tweets that "This bucket hat might be the best purchase we've made in years." Cara and Kendall retweet that and the Cake? Rumour they bought a hat. H played golf the next day.

22 January - Harry went for yogurt, Nadine Leopold in his car

20-23 January Taylor goes to Hawaii with Haim sisters and her mum. She also posts that it’s been a year since she wrote I Know places and capitalized “and we RUN” Harry seen with Jeff

24 January - Harry tweets "Cake-gate"

1 February - Harry’s 21st birthday party, everyone is fabulous with Gigi, Kendall, Cara there Harry Styles turns 21 with the A-list No mention of Taylor or Lily Aldridge, although Harry had been at Lily’s birthday 2 weeks earlier. (Is this the birthday he made her cry in Hunger?) WITW written in Japan in February. Taylor posts video of giving Olivia treats. Xander also posted and photo box photo of Harry with Nadine Leopold

2 February - the next day KK, lily Aldridge and Taylor are in Nashville. (1 year would have been turning into 2 of that was written for his debut.)

4 February - Harry leaves LA for One Direction On the Road Again Tour 7 February – 31 October

7 February - for #1D2D take over of Teen Party on Spotify, Harry chooses riptide by Vance Joy as his 7th song.

8 February - Ariana performed Just a little piece of your heart in front of Taylor at the Grammys. Taylor’s iconic response of hanging out with friends and “going home to the cats” is at 0:23 - 0:39. 1D was Australia, (was he the intended audience for the cat’s comment?)

13 February - Style Music Video released. Inspiration for Two Ghosts

20 February - During Happily in Perth Liam asked Harry "Are you OK?" (1:01), it was song 7 for 8 shows, then never played again. Harry posted a photo of a crosswalk B&W stripes caption 'chains around my feet'. His feet have 'never gonna dance again' tattooed on them, George Michael lyric about being faithful

24 February - Taylor met Calvin. The shows in Australia were a bit flat. Earlier in the day Ed and Taylor are on Nick Grimshaw, Nick asks TS "Haim Holiday," 'he and his friends' were talking about why so many photos, then played Style.

25 February - Happily was replaced with Stockholm Syndrome as song 7 on the OTRA tour, (after a few shows as encore.)

27 February - Harry posted the overgrown “my winding wheel” instagram post.

3 March - Oscar Gorres became a father, he said So it Goes was written soon after. At that point "Taylor already had the lyrics". Calvin breaks up with his girlfriend 11 March Taylor walks backward to avoid papa

18 March - Zayn's last performance with One Direction in Hong Kong

20 March - KK/TS vogue photoshoot posted

25 March - Zayn leaving announced

27 March - Taylor at whole foods with Calvin in matching outfits

9 April - Taylor shared that Andrea’s cancer diagnosis.

12 April - Matty Healy says Harry and 1D stole his sound and refers to Change your ticket. 1D's reps say ''It seems a bit unfair to rant at Harry, especially if it's because of the song 'Change Your Ticket'. Harry had nothing to do with that song - that was all Niall and Zayn's work.'' (the whole band is credited, but H did seem to try to smooth it over by going to his concert with Taylor in December.

28 April - media that CH felt threatened and  asked Taylor to stop talking to Harry as they had been hooking up recently.

5 May - 12 December - 1989 world tour.  85 dates in 221 days, the majority of time Taylor dated Calvin. Blind KK was only allowed one hour to move out of TS apartment. TS had everything boxed and labeled with contents inventoried that the model had to sign for

8 May - Elle interview where she talked about texts and that true love is disappointing.

15 May - Taylor rock in rio set, plays wonderland for the first time (1 of 6 total plays) and has Ed out for Tenerife sea. It’s early in the tour and a festival, reviews were not great.

17 May - The train wreck 2015 BBMs showed Haylor was raw AF, his smile (at 0:24) when she arrived looked like it wasn’t over to Harry... until he started accepting awards (at 0:57) with CH & TS in the front row.

20 May - Taylors clean speech on Haylor anniversary included "maybe you lost a person you never thought you would lose, maybe you lost yourself. You know, I think that we all go through things like this. We all have questions about where we’re going or where we been or where we should have been at that time." Taylor played wonderland

22 May - Taylor played wonderland.

23 May - Taylor telegraph interview she says she’s single and references Perfect:  “But ask her what the tape looks like if you fast-forward five years and she seems less certain. ‘I’ll be 30,’ she gasps. ‘I’ll probably still be single, let’s be honest. No one’s going to sign up for this and everything that goes with it. Like, “Hi, nice to meet you, want a date? Do you love camera flashes? I hope you do!” I don’t know what’s going to happen if I’m ever content in a relationship – no idea how that’s going to work,’ she continues, still smiling. ‘I don’t even know if that’s possible with the life I have.” Harry in London. Fan posts a photo of Harry wearing the st Laurent coat with lipstick stain and says it’s their lipstick. They aren’t wearing lipstick.

26 May - Calvin at Vegas pool party and photographed leaving with a woman

4 June - Taylor walks backwards on hike in LA to avoid paparazzi. Harry in London with Grimmy. Ryan Seacrest interview.

6 June Taylor played wonderland. (Harry colour IG post on 3rd in LA. Blind Calvin cheating.

5 - 27 June OTRA Europe dates

11 June - Harry has 2 days off and fly's to NYC alone and is pictured with Xander and a model. Taylor posts photo on a swan with Calvin LA

12 June - "One Direction will stay together or but pursue solo careers" E weekly.

13-19 June Taylor tour break then London

13 June - in Brussels 18 and No Control added and One Thing removed from OTRA setlist.

19 June - 1D Oslo show, Harry called out school friend who stole his GF. 4 days off .

20 June - last time Wonderland played till rep, in Germany. Harry in London.

21 June - Taylor’s letter to Apple, Germany

22 June - Harry posts a color scrabble board to IG. Tweets “I have missed you” to Sweden 

23 June Taylor fly’s to Glasgow, introducing New Romantics she says it was written when her ex went to Japan. Harry in Sweden, 3 days off. Tweet s “Felt great to be back in Sweden. Thanks for coming.”

24 June Taylor Manchester then 3 days off. Clean speech mentions “treacherous”, hints at Slut and at this is me trying.  Harry with one direction at London nightclub, libertine

25 June - Harry London, looks tired leaving hotel in daytime. Taylor replies to a fan on Tumblr that Breathe in, Breathe out is her favorite song on Hillary Duff's album. She later uses a line from it in Getaway Car and uses the melody in Paper Rings.

26 June - Taylor out with Elle Goulding in London

27 June - Taylor London show w/Kendall, Gigi, Serena, KK, Martha, Cara. 1D in Helsinki.

28 June - Calvin arrives in London. Boat on Thames with Taylor, Karlie, Gigi, Joe, Andrea, and Scott. This clean speech

30 June - holy ground surprise song in Dublin. Clean speech “Those things that haunt them. Those things that scare them, or confuse them. Memories you wish you didn’t have. Memories you wish you could forget. “

4 July - CH at Taylors 4th July Party bikini photos. Ed invited Cherry ❤️.

4-7 July Harry photographed in Malibu with Xander 4th July breakfast, driving, dinner

9 July - Harry falls over on stage in San Diego, Ellen plays on TV. Xander and Jeff at show

26 July - Xander at Minnesota 1D show

4 August Harry and Xander leave Lottie’s birthday in NY

5 August - Xander st met life, Harry mimes lacrosse (Xander is a lacrosse player

18 August - Harry says "Taylor? Like Swift?" signing a hat

19 August Calvin twitter fight with Zayn, Calvin shades one direction and Louis gets involved.  media that Calvin is a “douchebag” citing that he cheated on his GF with Taylor, and racist and fat shaming tweets

24 August - One Direction announce a hiatus at start of 2016. Niall told Ryan Seacrest Made in the AM was finished in August (20 November).

25 August - Taylor mouths I love you to Calvin on stage at the end of her concert in LA

27 August - xanders birthday Harry posts cake

28 August - Harry posted a van gough in colour from the Chicago art institute. Xander Ritz also posted a photo of an empty gallery and liked Harry’s. Flew from Cleveland and back in day

29 August - Detroit 1D Harry backstage with Xander

31 August - Harry ate at this restaurant and they have the receipt pinned up 9 years later. It was at university in Philadelphia. Seen with Xander getting ice cream

1 September 1D show in Phili, Xander attended then Xander Harry and Jeff dinner NY

21 September - Harry posts a photo of a girl in a flooded room, very clean/falling coded

17 September - Xander, Jeff and Harry La dinner

26 September - 1D London O2 during “Don't Forget Where You Belong” Harry kissed the heart for the first time since Tayvin went public. (3:55)

28 September - Harry talks about anniversaries on stage (London). Taylors clean speech (st Louis) she talked about being heartbroken being vulnerable for love then "one day, whether it’s a year later, or 3 months later, [...] you wake up, and you look in the mirror, and you don’t see “heartbreak” written all over your face anymore.” 'You belong with me' surprise song. It had been 3 months since Harry's colour scrabble board and Sweden tweets.

29 September - Taylor buys Samuel Goldwyn’s estate in LA.

10 October - fan sign “I’m here for Xander ritz” Harry points at himself and says me too

13 October - Kendall and Cara seen dancing at a One Direction concert. Harry has breaks his foot playing football In the Zane interview he talked about the the Dublin show being a lesson and taped it for the rest of the shows. (22 mins). ABC News that Calvin might sue over tabloids saying he cheated, Taylor likes his tweet.

16 October - Perfect added to OTRA setlist, replacing Diana

28 October - 1975 Love Me video released where Matty Healy makes out with a Take me Home era Harry cut out. In the BTS he said "I just wanted to make a video that was about some kind of sexually confused rockstar type that who buys into his own nonsense really"

31 October - Final one direction concert in Sheffield. Xander and Jeff there

2 November - Jeff, his now wife Glenne and Xander attend MITS awards with Harry

10 November - Harry tweeted "I told her that I loved her, I'm not sure if she heard. :'( and End of the day Made in AM 1D lyric, which HS doesn’t have a writing credit I’m on.

12 November - One Direction in the BBC Live Lounge. Harry struggled in Story of My Life, he turned around twice and didn't finish the last line. He kissed his heart tattoo also.

13 November - One Direction releases Made in the AM. There is the last push of 1D promo when the band knew it was over. They are wrecked emotionally and exhausted, but watching them look over the precipice of 1D is fascinating, plus this adorable Olivia video.

31 October - Final one direction concert in Sheffield.

10 November - Harry tweeted "I told her that I loved her, I'm not sure if she heard. :'( and End of the day Made in AM 1D lyric, which HS doesn’t have a writing credit I’m on.

12 November - One Direction in the BBC Live Lounge. Harry struggled in Story of My Life, he turned around twice and didn't finish the last line. He kissed his heart tattoo also.

13 November - One Direction releases Made in the AM. There is the last push of 1D promo when the band knew it was over. They are wrecked emotionally and exhausted, but watching them look over the precipice of 1D is fascinating, plus this adorable Olivia video.

14 November - Taylor Vogue Australia cover, wearing infinity ring in the video. Foreshadows Rep with: "Then I’ll feel like I’ll need to give people a breather from me because at a certain point they’re going to get a little sick of hearing about me, so I’ll need to go away for a while then, depending on my gauge on how sick of me they are, I’ll decide when to put out the next album.” One direction London seasons for MITAM. Filmed for Apple Music where story of my life was, with James Corden. The video with James asking about perfect with 1989 song titles. Julian’s Bunetta joins them and Harry jokes the albums not finished because Olivia doesn’t have trumpets. Performance of Perfect where harry says “if you think it’s so funny you sing it” rather than the break up songs line of the bridge. 

15 November - Harry so quiet on x-Factor it's on the news. He barely spoke, they perform Perfect, looks sad and kicks his feet in the bridge

20 November, in the London secret session for made in the AM Harry avoided singing the “break up songs” line in the Perfect Bridge, rather than sing it he said to the crowd "if you think it's so funny you can sing it".

21 November - 1D Spotify ping pong Harry says his MITAM lyric is summertime and butterflies all belong to your creation. Really sweet video, Harry’s foot in moon boot. Also that H brushes his teeth before the stage.

22 November - Taylor is a no show at the AMAs but nominated for 6 awards, Lots of speculation. She was shooting OOTW in NZ. 1989 won best pop/rock album. One direction performed perfect and Harry looks upset, rolls his eyes and glared at Louis in the bridge.

27 November - One Direction play the Telehit Awards in Mexico and Harry tweets James Taylor (Begin Again) Mexico Lyrics "The sun's so hot I forgot to go home."  1D Press conference.

28 November - 1989 world tour filmed in Sydney, you are in love (28 times that tour). Rumour Harry with Kendall at golf club.

13 December - final 1D x-factor performance, 5 years from first signing. On her birthday Taylor's pre-recorded interview with Zane Lowe is released, she's made up with Apple.

29 December - Yachtgate starts, later a blind that Calvin sending nudes to other women

30 December  - Harry cover of 'things I can' with Eagle Tattoo seen

31 December - actual last 1D performance Dick Clark's Rockin New Years TV Special, their performance was pretaped. The Out of the Woods music video premiered on the same show.

Continue to 2016

#haylor #Youtube #haylor timeline #2015

[swldx]

BBC 0418 6 Apr 2024

12095Khz 0358 6 APR 2024 - BBC (UNITED KINGDOM) in ENGLISH from TALATA VOLONONDRY. SINPO = 55445. English, dead carrier s/on @0358z then ID@0359z pips and newsroom preview. @0401z World News anchored by David Harper. US Representative Nancy Pelosi, former House speaker and a key ally of Joe Biden, signed a letter on Friday from 40 congressional Democrats to the president and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, urging a halt to weapons transfers to Israel. A former general accused of ordering the murder of more than 1,200 indigenous Ixil Maya people during Guatemala's civil war has gone on trial. Benedicto Lucas Garcia, 91, has been indicted for genocide, crimes against humanity, including widespread rape, and forced disappearances. Survivors from one village say Garcia's troops killed children, babies and the elderly. He denies the charges. The governor of Russia's far northern Murmansk region has been taken to intensive care after being stabbed by a man on Thursday evening, local authorities said. Andrey Chibis, 45, was knifed in the stomach outside a cultural centre in the town of Apatity, where he had been holding a meeting with local residents. A pro-Western career diplomat and a close ally of Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico are facing each other in a presidential runoff on Saturday to determine who will be the next head of state. Former Foreign Minister Ivan Korčok is up against Peter Pellegrini, who heads a coalition party in Fico’s government, in the vote for the largely ceremonial post as president of the nation of 5.4 million. Mexico has granted political asylum to former Ecuadorean Vice President Jorge Glas, the foreign ministry said on Friday, a day after Ecuador's government made Mexico's ambassador persona non grata amid growing tensions between the two countries. Glas, convicted twice for corruption, has been holed up in Mexico's embassy in Quito since seeking political asylum in December, arguing he is being persecuted by the attorney general's office. Senegal has a new government with 25 ministers and five junior ministers, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said on Friday, following the president's landslide election victory in March. The cabinet, including 4 women, was approved by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, 44, who was inaugurated on Tuesday and appointed Sonko, a key backer, as prime minister. Outgoing President Macky Sall was defeated in a wave of discontent after holding power for 12 years. Sydney may have woken up to blue skies on Saturday, but flood levels were continuing to rise across parts of New South Wales with evacuation orders issued after an overnight deluge broke rainfall records. Suburbs on the city fringes were facing the threat of significant flooding after copping more than a month’s worth of rain while a major landslip in the Blue Mountains left one community cut off. The United States, Australia, Japan and the Philippines will hold joint naval and air drills in the disputed South China Sea on Sunday, their defence chiefs said in a statement, as they deepen ties to counter China's growing assertiveness in the region. The exercise will take place in the disputed waterway, which Beijing claims almost entirely, days before US President Joe Biden is due to hold the first trilateral summit with the leaders of the Philippines and Japan. @0406z "The Newsroom" begins. Backyard fence antenna w/MFJ-1020C active antenna (used as a preamplifier/preselector), Etón e1XM. 250kW, beamAz 315°, bearing 63°. Received at Plymouth, United States, 15359KM from transmitter at Talata Volonondry. Local time: 2258.

[kp777]

By David Stanway

Reuters

June 30, 2023

SINGAPORE, June 30 (Reuters) - The target of keeping long-term global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) is moving out of reach, climate experts say, with nations failing to set more ambitious goals despite months of record-breaking heat on land and sea.

As envoys gathered in Bonn in early June to prepare for this year's annual climate talks in November, average global surface air temperatures were more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels for several days, the EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said.

Though mean temperatures had temporarily breached the 1.5C threshold before, this was the first time they had done so in the northern hemisphere summer that starts on June 1. Sea temperatures also broke April and May records.

"We've run out of time because change takes time," said Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, a climatologist at Australia's University of New South Wales.

As climate envoys from the two biggest greenhouse gas emitters prepare to meet next month, temperatures broke June records in the Chinese capital Beijing, and extreme heatwaves have hit the United States.

Parts of North America were some 10C above the seasonal average this month, and smoke from forest fires blanketed Canada and the U.S. East Coast in hazardous haze, with carbon emissions estimated at a record 160 million metric tons.

In India, one of the most climate vulnerable regions, deaths were reported to have spiked as a result of sustained high temperatures, and extreme heat has been recorded in Spain, Iran and Vietnam, raising fears that last year's deadly summer could become routine.

Countries agreed in Paris in 2015 to try to keep long-term average temperature rises within 1.5C, but there is now a 66% likelihood the annual mean will cross the 1.5C threshold for at least one whole year between now and 2027, the World Meteorological Organization predicted in May.

'QUADRUPLE WHAMMY'

High land temperatures have been matched by those on the sea, with warming intensified by an El Nino event and other factors.

Global average sea surface temperatures hit 21C in late March and have remained at record levels for the time of year throughout April and May. Australia's weather agency warned that Pacific and Indian ocean sea temperatures could be 3C warmer than normal by October.

Global warming is the major factor, said Piers Forster, professor of climate physics at the University of Leeds, but El Nino, the decline in Saharan dust blowing over the ocean and the use of low-sulphur shipping fuels were also to blame.

"So in all, oceans are being hit by a quadruple whammy," he said. "It's a sign of things to come."

Thousands of dead fish have been washing up on Texan beaches and heat-induced algal blooms have also been blamed for killing sea lions and dolphins in California.

Warmer seas could also mean less wind and rain, creating a vicious circle that leads to even more heat, said Annalisa Bracco, a climatologist at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Though this year's high sea temperatures are caused by a "perfect combination" of circumstances, the ecological impact could endure, she said.

"The ocean is going to have a very slow response as it accumulates (heat) slowly but also keeps it for very long."

THE ROAD TO DUBAI

Climate experts say the extent and frequency of extreme weather is increasing, and this year has also seen punishing droughts across the world, as well as a rare and deadly cyclone in Africa.

The Worldwide Fund for Nature, however, warned of a "worrying lack of momentum" during climate talks in Bonn this month, with little progress made on key issues like fossil fuels and finance ahead of November's COP28 climate talks in Dubai.

"It was very detached from what was going on outside of the building in Bonn - I was very disappointed by that," said Li Shuo, Greenpeace's senior climate adviser in Beijing.

"We are really getting to the moment of truth ... I am hoping that the sheer reality will help us change people's moves and change the politics."

Talks between the United States and China could resume next week with U.S. climate envoy John Kerry set to visit Beijing, though few expect it to add momentum to climate negotiations.

"This is more a trust-building exercise," Li said. "I don't think either side will be able to push the other side to say much more than they are willing to do - the politics won't allow that."

Reporting by David Stanway; Additional reporting by Ali Withers in Copenhagen and Gloria Dickie in London; Editing by Jamie Freed

[f1]

Former F1 race director Michael Masi leaves FIA governing body confirms

Michael Masi, the former Formula One race director who was at the centre of Lewis Hamilton’s failed bid to win a record eighth world championship, has quit the FIA. The Australian was sacked as race director in February following his mishandling of last season’s contentious season decider in Abu Dhabi, which provided Max Verstappen with the chance to beat Hamilton in a final-lap shootout. In February, the new FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem said Masi had been offered a new role within the organisation. But the 44-year-old’s departure from F1’s governing body was announced on Tuesday – exactly seven months after the title decider which cost him his job. “The FIA confirms that Michael Masi has decided to leave the FIA and relocate to Australia to be closer to his family and take on new challenges,” an FIA statement said. “[Michael] oversaw a three-year period as FIA Formula One race director and safety delegate following the sudden passing of Charlie Whiting in 2019, carrying out the numerous functions he was tasked with in a professional and dedicated manner. The FIA thanks him for his commitment and wishes him the best for the future.” Masi was replaced as race director after he broke the rules when he allowed a number of drivers between Hamilton and Verstappen to unlap themselves following a late safety car period in Abu Dhabi. Red Bull’s Verstappen, who was on fresher tyres, passed Hamilton to take the drivers’ title on the final lap. Eduardo Freitas (left) and Niels Wittich have both attracted criticism since taking over as F1 race directors. Photograph: Florent Gooden/DPPI/Shutterstock After reviewing the incident, the FIA said Masi “acted in good faith and to the best of his knowledge” but conceded he performed a “human error”. Hamilton’s Mercedes team lodged an appeal against the result, which was dropped amid reports of an agreement that Masi would be removed – an accusation that Mercedes have strenuously denied. Before his sacking, Masi received the backing of a number of drivers – including the four-time world champion, Sebastian Vettel, and the British McLaren driver Lando Norris. Verstappen later accused the FIA of “throwing Masi under the bus” after he was stood down. Masi was replaced by Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas, who currently alternate as race director – but their appointments have not been met with universal approval. Freitas was criticised after the Monaco Grand Prix was delayed by rain in May. The double world champion, Fernando Alonso, questioned Wittich’s knowledge of the job at the Spanish Grand Prix in May. Vettel was handed a suspended £21,000 fine by the FIA after he walked out of a drivers’ briefing conducted by Wittich at the recent Austrian Grand Prix. via Formula One | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/sport/formulaone

#F1 #Former F1 race director Michael Masi leaves FIA #governing body confirms #Formula 1

[luckys-holyground--13]

LUCKY A LOT OF 3 ASKS

4. 3 topics you’d love to learn more about

9. 3 things you do on a rainy day

10. 3 things you like eating with coffee

12. 3 apps you use the most (Tumblr has to be one them ik lol)

13. 3 classes you used to hate in middle school

14. 3 animals you'd love to take care of

20. 3 adjectives you will use to describe yourself

21. 3 things you are most passionate about

26. 3 countries you'll love to visit (1 is usa right???)

27. Three things you wish you did more often

30. Three moments you could never forget

VIOLETTT THANK YOU, ILY

4. 3 topics you’d love to learn more about

cooking, art, and self-care

9. 3 things you do on a rainy day

record the sound of rain, listen to Taylor Swift and write my diary

10. 3 things you like eating with coffee

I don't drink coffee 🤠

12. 3 apps you use the most (Tumblr has to be one them ik lol)

Tumblr(of course), Pinterest, and Whatsapp

13. 3 classes, you used to hate in middle school

2nd Language, maths and science

14. 3 animals you'd love to take care of

tigress, koala, and zebra

20. 3 adjectives you will use to describe yourself

creative, meticulous, and hyper

21. 3 things you are most passionate about

my future, art, understanding, and getting to know people

26. 3 countries you'll love to visit (1 is USA right???)

(yess you're right)USA, UK and Australia

27. Three things you wish you did more often

sleep, run and draw

30. Three moments you could never forget

the day I drew my first portrait

when I got my first diary

when i broke a boy's nose

[diaryofanangryasianguy]

04/06/21

Indonesia, East Timor flood death toll surges past 160

Rescuers were searching for dozens of people still missing yesterday after floods and landslides swept away villages in Indonesia and East Timor, killing more than 160 people and leaving thousands more homeless. Torrential rains from Tropical Cyclone Seroja turned small communities into wastelands of mud, uprooted trees and sent around 10,000 people fleeing to shelters across the neighboring Southeast Asian nations.

Authorities in both nations were scrambling to shelter evacuees while trying to prevent any spread of COVID-19. Yesterday, East Timor recorded its first virus death-a 44-year-old woman-since the pandemic broke out last year. The tiny half-island nation of 1.3 million sandwiched between Indonesia and Australia, officially known as Timor-Leste, quickly shut down its borders to avoid a widespread outbreak that threatened to overwhelm its creaky health care system.

#asia #environment #indonesia #international #news #tw sensitive material

[doesitsaysassonmyuniform]

So like. I know Australia is kind of known for bushfires - it barely ranks on a global scale, like how California was when it was burning - but as it is this is some of the worst fires we’ve seen. The entire east coast, from about two hours up from Sydney, until Brisbane, is spotted with wild bushfires. Several people have died, and more are unaccounted for. Over 150 homes have been lost so far, and that’s not even taking into account the animals, both native and domestic, that would have lost their lives.

The weather is going to be worse on Tuesday, and our fire service is so overburdened that they had to announce that on Tuesday, as it grows worse, people will have to rely on themselves as best as they can because odds are, help won’t be coming. With too many fires there’s just no possible way of controlling all of them. This weekend it broke the record for the number of emergency level fires at a single time -52 in NSW alone.

Rainforests are burning in northern NSW and Queensland, and I can’t imagine the amount of heritage sites being lost in this catastrophic event.

I’m not even saying all this for anything. It’s just really scary, and as someone that lives in a high risk area - 36 acres (a lot basically) of forest - this kind of shit is terrifying.

Yes, Australia faces bushfires. But never this bad. The weather is changing, it’s getting hotter and hotter. Climate scientists have linked the late end on the monsoon season in India (October, where it usually ends in September) to the severe lack of rain in Australia at this time of year. With the drought, the land is so dry that there was almost no chance of the fire not spreading once it began.

It’s not even summer yet.

Climate change is real, and it’s happening, whether we like it or not. And our government would much rather still invest in coal than try and make a difference. Fuck you Scott Morrison - hope all that coal keeps you fucking warm.

#australia #nsw #qld #bushfires #politics #personal #im just real mad okay #this stuff is scary shit #awareness is important

[heartbreakgrill]

That Smile; Luke Hemmings, Pt. 4

description: in which songwriting is over, but there’s still lyrics left to be written.

a/n: FINISHED SERIES

You glared at the wall across from you, fist clenched in your lap, teeth grinding together. The bass bounced from wall to wall in the studio, in tune with your fast-beating heart. You resisted the urge to scream, to curse the world, to quit your job and move to western France with all ties cut to anyone you ever knew.

Especially him. His stupid face was grinning at the carpet, skinny jeaned legs crossed over one another boot clad foot bouncing in the air. His hair was ruffled, messy from running his hands through it time and again, pushed behind his ears by a pen on his left side. Those stupidly gorgeous blue eyes were trained on the floor, too, almost nervous to meet anyone’s eyes.

They wrote a song without you- well, Luke wrote it, he even composed all of the instruments. Then, while you were working with another client for a grudging week, they recorded it. Now, they were playing it for you with proud shoulders, like, “Look! We can do it without you!”

This was your last week together. After a little over six months of bonding, partying, drinking, falling, and, yes, songwriting, it was coming to an end. You had never grown so close to a set of clients before, and you were terrified at how much it was going to hurt, saying goodbye. You hadn’t spoken to Luke since the week prior to your absence. You texted in the group chat about a few ideas, spoke to Calum both on the phone and in real life, and had even gone on a double date with Michael, Crystal, and a god-awful redhead. Ashtons girlfriend had taken friendly to you after a few mores parties, so youd even seen her for lunch and shopping with Crystal a few times.

But, he just wouldn’t speak to you.

You didn’t know why. You racked your brain for reasons and answers, afraid to even ask the questions. He averted his gaze when you looked his way, shrugged off your compliments on his outfit or lyrics, hadnt even liked your latest Instagram post. You were craving for his attention, pushing up at the universe which was destroying your year.

Two heartbreaks, and it had only been six fucking months.

Calum, who was sitting next to you- of course- tapped his fingers against your wrist to get your attention. You looked away from Luke, who looked back at you. He was disappointed to see you staring at Calum, a small smile lifting the corner of your lips. You murmured something, Calum smiled, and you looked back to Luke.

He went to look away, but simply couldn’t. He was avoiding your pretty face because he wanted to get detached before he had to say goodbye entirely. He knew you guys could hang out, and you were planning to come to Ash’s next weekend, but it wouldn’t be like it had been weeks before he got your confession. Plus, he was going home to Australia for a month or two, before the album was released, tour started, so his heart could mend.

He loved you, and you loved somebody else.

“So?” Ashton spun around in the studio’s chair, cheeks pudgy with a smile, “What do you think?”

You looked away from Luke, “Oh, it was really good. Really...good. What’re you gonna call it?”

Luke felt brave energy on the tip of his tongue. “Why wont you love you,” he said, directly into your gaze.

You furrowed your brows, your head tilting involuntarily. “Wh-“

“Yeah, we think were done now. That was the last song were gonna have on the record.” Michael interrupted without even meaning to.

“So today is your last day?” Your breath hitched, eyes already bleary with goodbyes.

Calum slung an arm around your shoulder and pulled you into his side, “Yeah. It is.”

You leaned into him without even meaning to, but Luke noticed. His bravery turned to venom, dripping off his frowning lips when he stood, headed for the door, and said, “Better get to confessing, Y/N.”

You stared at his empty seat, cheeks pink with embarrassment and sadness. Calum’s eyes screwed up with confusion, “What?”

Ashton and Michael looked towards you as you bent at the waist, cradled your torso. Calum got a better hold on you, hugging you as you began to cry. Ashton joined him on the other side, sitting on the arm of the couch. He rubbed your back, pushing hair out of your face.

Michael spoke, “What does he mean by confessing?”

“God,” you wiped at your cheeks, “God, I’m sorry.”

“What?” Ashton inquired.

You sat up a little bit because your chest hurt so badly, “I lied to Luke and told him I was in love with Calum because I love Luke and I didn’t want to make things weird. It was after my boyfriend broke up with me, so I was scared, and tired and my heart hurt so bad. And now Ill never see him again because he’s going back to Australia. And he didn’t even tell me that! He told Calum! Calum told me, and I feel stupid.”

Calum chuckled, sharing a knowing look with Michael, “Y/N, you dont have to apologize for defending yourself. You deserve the right to.”

“Yeah, its just human nature. Plus, I’m not sure it would make things weird,” Michael pursed his lips with quirked brows.

You looked up, “What?”

“Y/N, are you still scared?” Ashton playfully pinched your arm, smiling down at you when your eyes flickered to his.

“Tired?” Calum squeezed you in his arm.

“N-no, I’m just sad,” you admitted and pushed your hair back behind your ears.

Calum helped pull you from the couch, Michael gathered your things into your bag, and Ashton handed you Luke’s abandoned hoodie. Calum spoke as it happened, “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to freak you out or scare you, but his plane leaves in six hours. Ill send you his address-“

“I did you one better; Its in your Google maps,” Michael grinned like a child when your head popped out of Luke’s sweater, which Calum had pulled over your head.

You looked to Calum, confused, “Its raining, dont want you to be cold.”

“Get to his place, Y/N, drive safely, but drive quickly. Get there and tell him before its too late,” Ashton hugged you tightly.

Michael did, too, and, finally, Calum squeezed you in his arms. “Go, on, then.”

You hesitantly stepped towards the door, a small smile meeting your eyes, “Yeah?”

They nodded before you turned on your heel, taking off like a bat out of hell.

As you drove, it all began to make sense. The song he wrote, the way he looked you in the eyes and told you what it was called. The way he held you after you got sick, the way he looked at you when you were with Calum. The longing in his eyes when he saw you leaving the studio, at parties when you were dancing. He’d dance with a few times, but when youd get too close, he would linger away, deflated, defeated, and alone.

The way he smiled at you.

-

When you arrived, the rain slowed to a drizzle. Your name was still on the guards checklist, and he pointed you towards Luke’s house with ease. You quickly texted Calum you were there before turning off the car and abandoning your phone on the passenger seat. You jogged to his front door, stopped with your fisted hand against it.

Your eyes shut, rain falling from your eyelashes and hairline like tears. With three rasps on the door with your knuckles, you stepped back. The door hesitantly opened- he must have seen you in the peep hole. His eyes racked your body, almost smiling when he saw his damp hoodie clinging to your frame, before he met your eyes.

“Y/N, I’m sorr-“

“No, okay?” You stopped him with your hands and voice, “Just, no. Don’t speak, just let me get this out, okay? Luke, I am sorry for lying to you. I dont love Calum, unless you count as a friend. He is an amazing guy, but, Luke, he’s not you.”

Lukes eyes widened, their familiar blue color shining down at you.

“I have denied my feelings for so long because I am so afraid of you. You are tall, and so sweet, and insanely talented. And you look like fucking Aphrodite. You’ve been with so many pretty girls, so many talented, pretty girls who just- I dont look like them. Plus, I was scared because I was broken up with and, even though I’d lost feelings, it just hurts knowing someone doesnt want you anymore. I-I, dont know, I think I was just holding myself back because. There’s no reason, just because. I know I’m not a size 0 and I know I’m crazy loud and I get drunk sometimes and I can be kinda annoying, but, Luke, I never want you to sing Why Won’t You Love Me? and think of me. I want you to sing Valentine and Better Man and just think of me.”

Luke stepped forward, enveloped your hips in his hands. You pressed yourself against his chest before he responded, “Those size 0 girls just aren’t you, either, Y/N. They’re not loud or crazy or, yeah, even annoying. They dont make my heart leap when they sing or my fucking head spin when they laugh or look at me. You make me smile so much more than they could. Fuck fear, Y/N, just let go and give into it. There’s nothing to be worried about because I will be there to catch you, okay? I cant just think about when singing those songs, though. Y/N, you are in my head all damn day, it’s fucking grueling because I just want to hold you in my arms and kiss you all the damn time.”

“Then do it.”

When he pulled away from you, eyes screwed shut in overwhelming joy and satisfaction, that damn smile was grazing his lips. You kissed it off of him, clutching at his shoulders before your hands moved around to the buttons on his shirt.

“Gonna invite me in?” You whispered against his lips, squealing when he lifted you in the air and pulled you inside.

TAG LIST: @oopsiedoopsie23 @pixiiiiee @kingxnichole

#luke hemmings fluff #luke hemmings x you #luke hemmings x reader #luke hemmings x y/n #luke hemmings imagine #5sos blurb #luke hemmings blurb #5sos x reader #5sos x you #5sos imgaines

[iwillhaveamoonbase]

Replay ch. 3

Chapter is rated M

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

Rayla got up at seven, eyes heavy from the lack of sleep last night.  “Noooo.  UGH.” She turned to angrily glare at her alarm that had interrupted her rain noises.  Aberdeen wasn’t the rainiest place in the world, but the sound of a rain storm always helped put her to sleep.  Her mum and da always joked she was named ‘Rayla’ because she was born right when the moon shone through a stormy night.  

Rayla went through her emails quickly, making a note in her phone to call both sets of her parents this weekend.  She missed the days in Scotland when Runaan would speak French with her and talk cheese or helping Ethari in his jewelry business.  Runaan ran the books while Ethari ran the artistic side, his work with metal and jewel placement both tasteful and modern while taking classic elements from Celtic art.  

Her parents had yet to retire from being bodyguards, but they regaled her with stories of Africa and Asia and Australia, how kind people were, the different foods and cultures. Sometimes, she wished she could have grown up going with them.  Other times, she knew they had made the right choice leaving her with Runaan and Ethari. They wouldn’t have had much time for her anyways.

Sighing, she rolled out of bed.  She had a breakfast date with Corvus before she had to be at the office.  God.  She hated those pricks sometimes; a lot of old money lived in that office.  She had thought she was leaving classism behind when she did her study abroad in the States for her law degree.  Apparently, America just hid their classism really well instead of openly displaying it like they did back in the UK.  

She lived well, was paid well, did better than anyone had expected her to do, probably.  She had been more focused on athletics as a kid, leading Runaan to force her into ballet (‘you already know some French. It’s perfect!’), Ethari insisting on Irish step dance (‘Lain’s mother was Irish.  It’s a world wide sensation, Rayla!’), and her own parents signing her up for kickboxing when she was in high school during their vacation from work. Her teachers had been frustrated that she was smart but didn’t ‘apply herself’ whatever that meant.  She got good grades, did better in college, got into law school in another country, and passed the bar.  She could apply herself just fine.  She just liked to be active.

Rayla sighed as she stepped into the hot water of her shower.  She had made a good choice buying this shower head.  Slowly, she felt the burn that had started last night begin to build back up again.  Green eyes entered her mind again, as well as a voice that she would love to hear calling her name out while she rode him.  ‘Calm down, Rayla.’  She couldn’t meet Corvus horny.  Rayla sighed, putting her forehead against the shower wall before starting to massage her breast.  She tried to imagine it was Callum’s hand stroking her, dipping down to touch between her thighs where she ached.

Would his hands be soft or rough?  There hadn’t been any obvious calluses when she had shaken his hand at the cheese shop. She moaned, dipping her fingers into her wet heat.  Her thighs rubbed together as she tried to chase that elusive release.  She didn’t have time for this.  The more she tried to speed up, the more it just wasn’t happening. Growling in frustration, she tried to play with her clit, breathing deeply as she finally found a rhythm that was working.  Rayla bit her bottom lip and sighed as she came, inwardly crowing with satisfaction. There was no worse start to a day than being unable to cum after a wet dream or being too horny to function.  

She washed and dried off, stretching her muscles before dressing.  The green pantsuit and black top showed off her toned figure without drawing too much attention to any one place.  Her heels made her even taller and, hopefully, a little intimidating to jerky clients or coworkers.  She grabbed her purse and went out the door.  When she finally made it to her car, she leaned her head on the steering wheel. Had she really started her day off by masturbating to a guy she met YESERDAY?  

She shook her head, driving off until she made it to the little café she and Corvus frequented. Corvus also worked in the same building, but for a different law office, specifically divorce.  Rayla had no idea how he did it, but someone had to.  She saw Corvus at their usual table, smiling at something on his phone.  “Your boyfriend sent you a naughty text?”

Corvus smirked back up at her.  “Nope. Just something about one of my latest clients.  Well, their soon-to-be-ex.”

“Good news or bad news?”

“Well, considering it’s a custody case, it’s good for my client.”

“Abuse?” Rayla frowned.

“I would not be smirking if that was the case.  No.  Apparently, the ex has been mismanaging the children’s money.  Lying about putting it in a back account for them and spending it on gambling debts.”

“You don’t call that abuse?” Rayla smiled up at the waiter who came over, ordering an earl grey, a coffee to go, and an omelet.

“Thank you,” Corvus nodded to the waiter.  “I do, personally, but everyone views that differently.  The children were never struck, no record of emotional, mental, or oral abuse.  It seemed like it was going to go 50-50 custody, which tends to be the ideal situation, but my client was concerned about the gambling problem.”

“So best case scenario, gambler’s anonymous and supervised visits eventually leading to 50-50 custody?”

“Best case scenario. Probably won’t happen, but we can all hope.”

Rayla shook her head. “I don’t know how you do it.  I didn’t do criminal law or divorce law because I wasn’t sure I could handle seeing evidence of child abuse all day.”

“It’s a lot.  We try to spread those cases around as much as we can, because it gets to be too much when it’s all you see.  When police reports come into play, it’s even worse.” Rayla nodded.  “While you work for old money.  Tell me, how’s Kasef doing?”

“Hitting on me, again. Got upset when I told him off for glaring at a guy in a cheese shop for asking me a question.”

“He comes down to our office on his breaks and hits on half the women there.”

“Believe me, I know.  His father gets really upset about it.”

“How is Mr. Ahling?”

“Still insisting we call him ‘Mr. Ahling’ and not the proper ‘Mr. Patel.’  His health is starting to go downhill, so we’re hoping his daughter graduates soon and can start to learn how to take over the office.”

Corvus shook his head, smiling at the waiter with her when they brought their food.  “Thank you.  I’m telling you, join our office.  You could be really good at gathering information.”

“Thank you, but, no thanks. I grew up believing in true love with both sets of my parents.  I’d like to continue believing in it.”

“You still believe in love. I love my boyfriend so much we’re moving in together.”

“Well, congratulations to you both.  You moving in to his apartment or is he moving into your’s?”

“Mine’s bigger and closer to both our jobs.”

They talked work for a few more minutes, keeping an eye on the time.  Rayla sighed as she looked at Corvus.  “I’ve got a favor to ask.”

“My hairdresser would love to do your hair.  Those layers are cute, but maybe you need a new look.”

“Ha ha.  My hair’s fine, thanks.  You remember me mentioning a guy in the cheese shop?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, he asked to draw me. He said it’s cool that I brought a friend and I would like to bring you.  I don’t really have any other friends in the city.”  She finished her tea, opening the lid of her coffee to put some cream in.

“He seem legit?”

“I saw his art.  He also runs a YouTube channel with his friends and little brother?”

“What’s his name?”

“Callum Evans.”

“Katolis Squad!”  Corvus smiled, clapping his hands together.

“You know them?”

“Of course.  They do a lot of food stuff.  I found this café because of one of their videos.  Also, my boyfriend’s a baker, remember?  Ezran and Claudia do a series on baking and sweets and he likes to watch them.  Callum Evans is also kind of known in the art scene in town and I’ve met his aunt a few times.  Lovely lady, so’s her wife.”

“Huh.  Apparently, I’m out of it.”

“You just arrived in Katolis last year.  I grew up here.  You remember my boyfriend’s beignets you liked so much?”

“Those were delicious.”

“Ezran’s recipe.  His grandmother’s friend was from Louisiana and she taught him how to make them like it’s done in the French-Quarter.”

“Huh.  So, you’ll come with me?”

“Sure.  Callum Evans seems harmless, but since he already approved it, might as well take advantage.”

“Agreed.  I can take care of myself, but, you never know.”

“Where’s it going to be?”

“At his house.  He said he has an art studio there.  At least, that’s what he implied.  I’m waiting for a text from him to iron out the details.”

“Maybe he’ll ask to draw you nude?”  Rayla flushed red at that, looking down at her almost finished breakfast.  “Oh?  Something you want to share with the class?  A reason you were distracted during kickboxing last night, perhaps?”

Rayla glared up at him, taking a few harsh bites of her omelet.  She swallowed, keeping eye contact with him.  “He’s cute, I’m single, that’s it.”

“He’s single.”  Rayla paused.  “He broke-up with his last girlfriend months ago.  She made a big Instagram post about it, saying they wanted to focus on their careers.  Which was weird because no one even knew they were in a relationship.”

“So, he’s probably used to people trying to use him for fame.”

“Most likely.  He keeps to himself.”

“I saw that when I went digging online.  His step-father’s the governor and his mother was in the military for a few years, rising through the ranks very quickly.”

“Yeah.  They try to keep their channel separate from all that, though.  People are always asking them questions about it and they’ll either ignore it or say they aren’t a mouthpiece for Harrow Williams.”

“Fair.  I’ll text you the details.  I’ve got my coffee, gotta go.”  Rayla put a $20 on the table and waved good-bye to Corvus, leaving to head to the office.  Well, this just got even more interesting, didn’t it?

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

Callum rubbed his eyes as he looked up at the ceiling.  All night, he had dreamed of Rayla.  Her white hair down and around bare shoulders, purple eyes starting deep into his. ‘Come on, Callum.  Make me feel good.’  He tossed and turned in his bed, suddenly thankful for the fact he lived alone.  His cock was at attention and it was not going to be going down any time soon.  Rolling out of bed, he took his sleep clothes off as he made his was to his shower.  He winced at the cold water, but sighing in relief as his erection went down. He had no time to rub one out.  He was already running late for his meeting with Ezran, Soren, and Claudia.  They had to go over whether or not to actually hire a crew now that their channel had six million subscribers.  

It would be a smart move. Claudia’s home-made beauty series was getting a lot of attention, as were her and Ez’s baking series.  Soren and Ezran’s sub channel and Twitch channel was getting a lot of attention in the video game community for their let’s plays and commentary.  Even Callum’s art sub channel was getting more and more attention.  He was just worried about going bigger because, if they did, what if drama followed?  It had been a PR nightmare when his ex-girlfriend had posted on Instagram about going their separate ways for their careers.  Callum had asked her to keep it between them because he wanted to keep his personal life and his YouTube life separate.  She had apparently felt that, after they broke-up, what he wanted didn’t matter.

As he quickly ate breakfast, he couldn’t get the idea of Rayla from his dreams or of her in a forest out of his head.  Those eyes haunted his every though.  ‘She’s a freaking fae.  That must be it.’  Callum rubbed his eyes again, sighing.  He sent a quick text to Rayla asking if she would be alright with her modeling for him in the woods outside of town.  She would probably say ‘no’, but Callum needed to get this image out of his head and out of his system.  He had just met her and she was distracting him already.  Still, Callum wasn’t so sure he could ever get someone like her out of his system.  Even if they had sex a week straight, he would probably still crave her.  ‘Stop getting ahead of yourself, Callum.  She’s probably in a relationship, you just want to draw her, and you have other things to focus on right now.’  

All day, as the group discussed the benefits to do YouTube full-time, barring Ezran because he was still in college, a Scottish accent and a pair of soft eyes stayed in the back of his mind.  Beckoning him to find her and take her under a waterfall in the forest.  Would she scratch and like it rough or did she like to go soft and slow, like a wave?  

Ezran snapped his fingers in his face.  “Callum, focus.”

“Right.  So, I think taking a step forward is a good idea….” He didn’t have time to be thinking about faeries in suits from Scotland.  

#rayllum #rayllum fanfic #tdp #the dragon prince #au #replay #moonbase fanfics

[entegrasignaturestructures]

In the spring of 2022, australia was hit by torrential rains that caused billions of dollars in damage. Rain broke records in australia in some places, and many areas of southeast australia saw a spike in flood-related callouts that required thousands of flood rescues to be carried out. Visit the full article to learn more.

#Rain Broke Records in Australia #Record rainfall in Australia #flooding in Australia #Entegra Signature Structures

[larkandkatydid]

It rains in the Amazon because the trees want it to. There is plenty of moisture in the oceans that surround the continent, but there is also a hidden reservoir on the land feeding an invisible river that flows upward to the sky. The water held in the soil is lifted up by the bodies of the trees and lost through the surfaces of their leaves to the atmosphere. The local sky plumps with moisture, primed for the arrival of the seasonal rains driven by the annual back-and-forth march of the sun’s rays. As climate scientist Alex Hall puts it, the trees are co-conspiring with the sky to attract an earlier monsoon.

This is the decade we knew we were right. It began with the warmest year on record; it then broke that record at least five times. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached levels unprecedented since humans were hominins. There were droughts and floods and brutal heat waves. Coral reefs turned white and gave up. Australia is in drought. The Amazon is on fire.

Nothing is eternal and nothing is infinite. There were once forests in the Sahara—if not quite the Amazon, still lush and tropical, clustered around the largest freshwater lake on the planet. In geologic time, this was practically yesterday: less than ten thousand years ago. The lake is mostly gone now, vanished in the span of a few hundred years. In its place there is nothing but dust.

The changes now are different. We expected most of them, and they are occurring with a terrifying rapidity that is no more reassuring because it is easily understood. We have known that carbon dioxide traps heat for over a hundred years. We have known that we are changing the planet for decades now. There is no consolation in being right.

The climate always changes. It is dry in the Sahara because the planet wobbled slightly in its orbit, weakening the monsoon rains in the west of Africa. The plants sucked the moisture from the soil; it was not replaced. They died, and no more moisture entered the atmosphere: a vicious cycle of dying and drying that led to the dusty, depopulated desert we know today. This was climate change; it was likely not the fault of humans. But the existence of past climate change does not mean we are not responsible for it this time. There have always been gentle and natural deaths. This does not make murder impossible.

The decade began with lies and ended with evasions. Hackers, probably Russian, stole the emails of a few scientists and offered single sentences, taken wildly out of context, to an eager and credulous media. We heard both sides: the truth, and the not-truth, and were encouraged to draw our own conclusions. The temperature rose; physics was not watching the debate. We learned nothing from the experience.

The winds over the Sahara come from the East, dense, sinking forced sideways as the Earth rotates away underneath it. The dust is carried across the Atlantic, enlarging the beaches of the Caribbean, scattering low-angle sunlight into brilliant purple-orange sunsets, and landing gently on the forests of the Amazon. But the air over the Sahara has arrived from the tropics, rising and shedding its moisture on a journey toward the poles. When it can go no further, it cools and sinks. There are no deserts without the tropics.

Everything is connected. Children were murdered in their schools, and were angry about it. Children saw their futures bargained away for short-term profit, and were angry about it. Children saw the changing world, and were angry about it. The streets swelled with angry children and heartbroken parents, a chorus of hurt that would have echoed through the halls of power had they been able to hear. Nothing was done, and the anger grew louder. This was the decade we saw that history was renewable. We promised to make more of it.

If you want to see the future of the Amazon, you must use physics and assumptions and know that you are almost certainly wrong. All models are wrong, but all climate models strive to be useful, to show a plausible future that may still be avoidable. If the future atmosphere is larded with even more carbon dioxide, the plants of the Amazon will not need to open the pores on their leaves quite so much to take in the gases they need. They will expel less water from these shrunken pores into the atmosphere. The trees will lose their ability to summon the monsoon. There will be fire and drought. Where there was once forest will be only dust.

Here is one thing worth remembering in the dark days of the northern mid-latitude winter. The rainforest is so lush that it cannot fertilize itself. Every nutrient is seized by the greedy vegetation, locked up in the bodies of plants before it can leach into the soil. But the forest is fertilized, given life by the dead lake in the Sahara. There is phosphorus in the lakebed, turned into dust and swept across the Atlantic by the prevailing winds.

From the old comes the new, a fragile phoenix borne upward from the tropics on the rising updrafts of thick convective cloud. The Amazon exists because the Sahara does, the desert is there because the tropics are here. None of this was ever going to stand alone.

[newstfionline]

Saturday, December 19, 2020

Tax cuts for the wealthy aren’t trickling down (CBS News) Do tax cuts for the wealthy really help the overall economy and “trickle down” to everyone else? It’s not a trickle question. David Hope of the London School of Economics and Julian Limberg of King’s College London examined 18 developed countries and did the math. “Per capita gross domestic product and unemployment rates were nearly identical after five years in countries that slashed taxes on the rich and in those that didn’t, the study found. But the analysis discovered one major change: The incomes of the rich grew much faster in countries where tax rates were lowered. Instead of trickling down to the middle class, tax cuts for the rich may not accomplish much more than help the rich keep more of their riches and exacerbate income inequality.” 50 years of tax cuts for the rich failed to trickle down.

Suspected Russian Cyberattack Strikes at Heart of U.S. Government (Foreign Policy) As more details are revealed about Russia’s alleged hack of the U.S. government, it’s becoming clear that the breach is much worse than previously thought. On Thursday, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency warned that is “poses a grave risk” to federal, state, and local governments as well as private companies and organizations. There is a growing list of reported victims: the Centers for Disease Control, the Defense Department, State Department, Commerce Department, Department of Homeland Security, Treasury Department, the U.S. Postal Service, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Energy were all affected. “This is, I think, appears to be at this point the most serious cyberattack this country has ever endured,” Sen. Angus King, I-Maine said on NPR. Microsoft, which is helping to respond to the hack, noted that “the attack unfortunately represents a broad and successful espionage-based assault on both the confidential information of the U.S. Government and the tech tools used by firms to protect them … ongoing investigations reveal an attack that is remarkable for its scope, sophistication and impact.”

California hospitals buckle as virus cases surge (AP) Hospitals across California have all but run out of intensive care beds for COVID-19 patients, ambulances are backing up outside emergency rooms, and tents for triaging the sick are going up as the nation’s most populous state emerges as the latest epicenter of the U.S. outbreak. On Thursday, California reported a staggering 52,000 new cases in a single day—equal to what the entire U.S. was averaging in mid-October—and a one-day record of 379 deaths. More than 16,000 people are in the hospital with the coronavirus across the state, more than triple the number a month ago. Patients are being cared for at several overflow locations, including a former NBA arena in Sacramento, a former prison and a college gymnasium.

‘Unbelievable’ snowfall blankets parts of the Northeast (AP) The Northeast’s first whopper snowstorm of the season buried parts of upstate New York under more than 3 feet (1 meter) of snow, broke records in cities and towns across the region, and left plow drivers struggling to clear the roads as snow piled up at more than 4 inches (10 centimeters) per hour. “It was a very difficult, fast storm and it dropped an unbelievable amount of snow,” Tom Coppola, highway superintendent in charge of maintaining 100 miles (160 kilometers) of roads in the Albany suburb of Glenville, said Thursday. “It’s to the point where we’re having trouble pushing it with our plows.” The storm dropped 30 inches (76 centimeters) on Glenville between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. Thursday, leaving a silent scene of snow-clad trees, buried cars and laden roofs when the sun finally peeked through at noon. Much of Pennsylvania saw accumulations in the double digits. Boston had more than 9 inches (23 centimeters) of snow early Thursday morning.

1 in 5 prisoners in the US has had COVID-19, 1,700 have died (AP) One in every five state and federal prisoners in the United States has tested positive for the coronavirus, a rate more than four times as high as the general population. In some states, more than half of prisoners have been infected, according to data collected by The Associated Press and The Marshall Project. As the pandemic enters its 10th month—and as the first Americans begin to receive a long-awaited COVID-19 vaccine—at least 275,000 prisoners have been infected, more than 1,700 have died and the spread of the virus behind bars shows no sign of slowing. New cases in prisons this week reached their highest level since testing began in the spring, far outstripping previous peaks in April and August. As the virus spreads largely unchecked behind bars, prisoners can’t social distance and are dependent on the state for their safety and well-being.

Shut down by corona, Berlin restaurant opens for homeless (AP) The coronavirus pandemic hasn’t made life on the streets of Berlin any easier for Kaspars Breidaks. For three months, the 43-year-old Latvian has faced homeless shelters operating at reduced capacity so that people can be kept at a safe distance from one another. And with fewer Berliners going outdoors, it’s much harder to raise money by panhandling or collecting bottles to sell for recycling. But on a chilly winter morning this week Breidaks found himself with a free hot meal and a place to warm up, after the German capital’s biggest restaurant, the Hofbraeu Berlin—itself closed down due to coronavirus lockdown restrictions—shifted gears to help the homeless. It was a clear win-win proposition, said Hofbraeu manager Bjoern Schwarz. As well as helping out the homeless during tough times the city-funded project also gives needed work to employees—and provides the restaurant with welcome income. In cooperation with the city and two welfare organizations, the restaurant quickly developed a concept to take in up to 150 homeless people in two shifts every day until the end of the winter, and started serving meals on Tuesday.

Japan: Snow traps 1,000 drivers in frozen traffic jam (BBC) Rescuers are trying to free more than 1,000 vehicles which have been stranded on a highway for two days after a heavy snow storm struck Japan. Authorities have distributed food, fuel and blankets to the drivers on the Kanetsu expressway, which connects the capital Tokyo to Niigata, in the north. The snow, which began on Wednesday evening, has caused multiple traffic jams along the road. Officials have been using a combination of heavy machinery and physical labour to dig out the vehicles one by one, but around 1,000 cars were still stranded on the road as of Friday noon.

‘Nightmare’ Australia Housing Lockdown Called Breach of Human Rights (NYT) The sudden lockdown this summer of nine public housing towers in Melbourne that left 3,000 people without adequate food and medication and access to fresh air during the city’s second coronavirus wave breached human rights laws, an investigation found. The report, released on Thursday by the ombudsman in the state of Victoria, of which Melbourne is the capital, said that the residents had been effectively placed under house arrest for 14 days in July without warning. It deprived them of essential supports, as well as access to activities like outdoor exercise, the report said. The lockdown was not “compatible with residents’ human rights, including their right to humane treatment when deprived of liberty,” Deborah Glass, the Victorian ombudsman, wrote. The report recommended the state government apologize publicly to tower residents, as well as improve relationships and procedures at similarly high-risk accommodations in the city so that they might be better prepared for future outbreaks. Though Australia has won global praise for successfully slowing the spread of the coronavirus in the country, the report was a scathing rebuke of state officials’ decision to apply stringent measures to the public housing residents, who said they felt trapped and traumatized and suspected discrimination. Several described it as a “nightmare.”

Fiji says two dead as powerful cyclone tears across Pacific nation (Reuters) A powerful cyclone pounded Fiji, killing two people and leaving a trail of destruction across the Pacific Island nation, authorities said on Friday. Cyclone Yasa, a top category five storm, made landfall over Bua province on the northern island of Vanua Levu on Thursday evening, bringing torrential rain, widespread flooding and winds of up to 285 km per hour (177 miles) across the archipelago. Scores of houses were destroyed, while power was cut to some areas and roads blocked by fallen trees and flash flooding, authorities said. Officials with the Red Cross said authorities were scrambling to help affected communities. Adverse weather has hampered efforts by aid groups to dispatch assistance, with waves of more than 3 metres (10 ft) preventing ships leaving Suva.

Radio stations may be the real “e-learning” revolution (Rest of World) The impact of a student’s socioeconomic status on their access to education during the pandemic is playing out globally, exposing just how closely tied internet access is to educational opportunity. In Sub-Saharan Africa, over 85% of households lack access to the internet at home and 89% of students do not have access to a computer outside of school. On the African continent, expensive and unreliable internet reaches only 40% of the population. Many governments, companies, and NGOs think that throwing millions of dollars behind providing tablets is the best way to improve the quality of education, but this impulse overlooks infrastructural issues like access to the internet, teacher training, and the cost of upkeep that students need to use the tablets in the first place. “Even if we did have a device for every student, they would have nowhere to charge them,” Reshma Patel, the executive director of Impact Network, a nonprofit that provides education for over 6,000 kids in rural Zambia through community schools, told Rest of World. Impact-run schools adapted radio lessons, since a majority of their students live in homes without electricity. Faced with the shutdown of the 43 schools she supervises, Patel relied on the “forgotten stepchild of tech interventions” to reach students: radio. On the continent, radio has long been a window to the external world. Shoeshoe Qhu works as the station manager at Voice of Wits 88.1 FM, a university radio station in Johannesburg, South Africa. She grew up in a mountainous village of 100 homesteads without electricity or running water. While there wasn’t television, there was radio. As long as her family had access to batteries and a receiver, it was free. “If you wanted to hear what was happening everywhere else, you could only get it through the radio,” Qhu said. “I grew up with radio, and it gave me access to the world,” she added. “It meant everything.”

Watch those passwords (NYT) Dutch hacker Victor Gevers claims to have logged in to President Trump’s Twitter account six years ago by guessing the password: “yourefired.” Then he did it again. On Oct. 16, Gevers, 44, made an accurate guess, “maga2020!,” on his fifth try, according to Dutch prosecutors. Hacking is a crime in the Netherlands. But on Wednesday, Dutch officials said they would not press charges because Gevers had met the bar for “responsible disclosure,” demonstrating how easy it could be to gain access to the U.S. president’s handle: @realdonaldtrump.

#headlines #news

[wildflowerhigh]

Second Time Around (c.h.) | Part 6

Read part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 7 | part 8

Summary: Calum messed up. Big time.

Word count: 2.4K

---

Calum woke up with empty arms and a massive headache. He screwed his eyes open a little and gauged his surroundings, which was bathed in morning sunlight, when he remembered he was at Harper’s house. His hungover brain didn’t remember much, but vague memories of the previous night came back to him- the vodka, her questions, their kiss, falling asleep with her in his arms. But she was missing now.

He groaned and pulled himself up onto the couch. It felt like everything in his body cracked as he moved; sleeping on the floor had really screwed up his back. Hearing the guttural noise he made, Harper stepped out of the kitchen. “Oh good, you’re awake,” she said, and stepped back in. She returned with a mug of coffee, and he thanked her as she handed it to him. She seemed more alive than him.

“Are you-”

“Yes, I’m hungover too, I know I don’t look it, I just clean up well,” she clarified, and he nodded, taking a sip of his coffee. He let the warmth (and the caffeine) wash over his body. He glanced up at her between sips- she wrung her hands nervously, shifting from one foot to another as she stared at the ground.

“Uh, Harper, last night, what-”

“Nothing happened last night,” she interrupted for the second time. She looked almost… scared? Calum’s brain was too muddled to make anything of it. “Nothing happened, okay, we got drunk, and we fell asleep. That’s it.” Calum’s eyes drifted to her neck, where a small bruise marked her throat, and their make-out session flashed through his mind again. Harper noticed where he was looking, and her hand quickly covered it up, blushing. “Calum,” she pressed, waiting for a response from him.

“So last night meant nothing, basically?” he asked roughly. She faltered at his straightforwardness, and after the longest pause, she nodded.

“Okay.” He continued to sip his coffee, ignoring her standing awkwardly in front of him. He felt his chest hurt, but he was too damn hungover to process what he was feeling. He finished his drink, and stood up, quickly grabbing his hoodie. He moved past her, not glancing her way; he had a hunch that if he did, his heart might just break. Suddenly, she said his name, and he whipped around to look at her.

Harper hesitated, her mouth open as if to spill her heart. Even in his fazed state, Calum could sense that she was troubled, and he wanted to reach out and take away her distress, even though he was the one causing it. He waited for her to say something, anything to retract her dismissal of the previous night. Instead, she broke out of her trance, and shook her head, and said, “Drink lots of water.”

He was right, his heart did break.

 ----

Calum spent the rest of the day nursing his hangover, ignoring the weight in his chest and the fleeting memories of their kiss in his brain. He had work at the studio, so he went and buried himself in his work. If he didn’t acknowledge his dejection, that meant it wasn’t there, right?

After an afternoon of recording sessions, the four bandmates made their way to Luke’s house, just to chill for a bit. While in the studio, upon realizing that their album was more or less complete, the boys had decided to go back home to Australia for a few weeks, before all the touring started.

It was the evening after that eventful night with Harper, and the whole gang was sat outside in Luke’s backyard, enjoying the cool air.  He was still a bit hungover, so he kept his eyes focused on the grass in front of him, listening quietly to the discussion flowing around him. 

Calum tore his eyes off the grass to see Harper enter through the doorway. She was all smiles, as usual, till she saw Calum- the colour drained from her face. She waved at him nervously, and he nodded briefly at her, before looking away.

She sat on the soft grass far away from Calum, but he didn’t glance at her. Even at a distance, he felt his heart pining to be next to her, to look at her, to talk to her, but he kept his eyes on the ground. He knew if he did, it would mess with his brain. She didn’t try talking to him, instead falling into conversation with Ashton. He could hear everything she was saying. She sounded happy; Calum grit his teeth, attempting to block out her pleasant voice that filtered through the other noises, making his heart ache. However, it wasn’t easy- he could see her and everyone else in his peripheral vision.

“Hey Harper,” Luke piped up from next to him. “We just found out that there’s a high school reunion happening next month, so we’re going to Australia in two weeks!”

She cocked her head. “You just found out? I’ve known about it for months.”

“What? I- I don’t know, but you should come with us,” Luke said, and she shook her head.

“I decided not to go, figured I wouldn’t exactly have anybody to catch up with,” she clarified.

“That’s before we decided to come,” Michael added, and Luke nodded. “Come on, Harper, it’ll be fun!” he whined.

“Well, I haven’t been home in over a year,” she admitted.

“So come! You can take off from work for a few days, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Ashton put in.

“Why are you so into this? It’s not even your high school,” Harper commented.

Ashton shrugged. “I couldn’t care less about the reunion,” he said, making everyone laugh. “I just thought it’d be fun if you came with us to Australia,” 

Harper nodded, amused. “And even work, I mean, I had one big project to complete, and I finished that just yesterday, so-” Harper paused, and Calum looked at her reflexively. In the quickly darkening night, he could make out that she was slightly flushed. She coughed and continued talking. “So yeah, I don’t think work should be a problem.”

“Okay, so you’re coming, then!” Luke exclaimed, and clapped his hands in triumph. “It’ll be just like old times!”

“Hold up, hold up, I never said yes,” she interrupted, and then mischievously smiled. Calum felt his heart rate quicken, but he shook his head and pulled his attention back to the grass, mentally kicking himself for looking up. “Are we flying first class?”

“Of course, we’re flying first class, we’re rich,” Michael joked, and everyone laughed. Even Calum couldn’t help the smile that popped onto his face.

“I’m sold!” Harper declared, throwing her hands in the air, and the others cheered. Crystal even whistled, much to everyone’s amusement. Calum didn’t react, continuing to stare at the grass and play with it, his mind racing. He could feel Harper’s eyes piercing into the back of his head, but he didn’t look up.

---

The two weeks following that eventful night had been jampacked with work- meetings, meetings and more meetings, along with planning and packing for the Australia trip, with a studio session or two thrown in the middle. He was actually happy for the work though; he was worried about what he might find if he did some introspection.

As for Harper, he was more or less avoiding her. They hung out in groups, but never alone, just the two of them. If she talked to him, he talked back to her- just simple hellos and goodbyes and ‘Oh, the weather’s nice today, isn’t it?’. And then he’d pretend he had something else to do and walk away.

He knew he had to have a proper conversation eventually, but he figured if he didn’t talk to her at all, he would never have to have to deal with his problems. Unfortunately, the repercussions of the kiss were inevitable. But for now, he was safe. Or so he thought.

In one meeting, planning details for the tour, Calum was completely zoned out. He was already feeling shitty due to reasons he couldn’t figure out, and hearing the other three talk about bringing their girlfriends along, their voices filled with love and admiration, Calum felt his mood drop lower than ever. Everything felt off. Unfortunately, he knew exactly what was bothering him.

He got up and excused himself from the room, saying he needed to use the restroom. He made a beeline for the terrace. He initially stood close to the railing- the view was beautiful, but also unnerving- before backing away and sitting down, back against some vent. The sky was cloudy; he anticipated it would rain soon, but he didn’t budge, instead taking a deep breath of the cool air.

Calum involuntarily pulled out the pack of his cigarettes that he forgot was in his hoodie. He was about to light it up, when he suddenly realized what he was doing. If he smoked now, he would be breaking his cold turkey streak of 30 days. He stared at the cigarette for a few seconds, then shrugged and lit it up anyway. He needed to clear his head.

Now that he was finally alone, Calum figured that it was time he did some thinking. He played back that night with his Harper in his head. Everything was clear as crystal- he went to her house with pizza, they got drunk and she badgered him with questions, and then they made out, before falling asleep.

When he remembered the kiss, Calum’s knees went weak; he was glad he was sitting down. The memory of her lips against his, his lips on her neck, her hand in his hair, his hand around her waist- he took a long drag of his cigarette to steady himself, coughing from the smoke. He hadn’t smoked in quite a while. He thought back to that morning, when he had woken up.

She clearly wanted to pretend like the previous night had never happened; was she embarrassed of him or something? It didn’t matter- she didn’t want him like that, despite what her lips had said the night before. 

He should be happy, right? He had gotten out of a difficult situation- he didn’t have to deal with all the relationship and love bullshit, and he wasn’t gonna lose Harper as a friend. 

Then why the fuck did it hurt so much?

Maybe he wanted to be in that difficult situation. Maybe he wanted the relationship and love bullshit, especially with Harper. Maybe he didn’t want Harper as just a friend.

As soon as he admitted those feelings to himself, he felt his emotions crescendo in his chest, like they were going to burst out. He immediately took another drag of his cigarette to calm himself down and blew out the smoke, as he considered the implications of his realization.

For so long he had run from the notion of love, but being with Harper that night had flipped a switch in his brain. He liked her- well, with the intensity of emotions he was feeling, it was a little more than just liking. He wanted to be with her again, and he wanted to risk the stupidity that came with love for her. He was tired of running away.

Not that this meant anything, though- she clearly didn’t want anything to do with him romantically. It was crazy how much that night with her meant to him, but meant nothing to her. There were two things he could do- he could let it go and continue being friends with her. Or, he could confess his feelings and get some closure, but risk losing her forever.

Large drops of rain began to fall on his head. Calum let the cigarette fall out of his hand to the floor, stomped on it with his foot and sighed heavily. He pulled himself to his feet, and stood there, his feet somehow rooted to the floor. The rain got heavier, drenching him completely in minutes. He spoke his only thought at the moment out loud, but he could barely hear himself. 

“Fuck.”

---

Calum sniffled slightly as he pushed his suitcase onto a trolley, right next to Ashton’s. His extended time in the rain had given him a cold, and he had spent two days in bed recovering. It was unfortunate timing, considering they were leaving for Australia right then.

They were all flying back to Australia together, as promised, and while waiting at the gate to board the plane, Harper came and sat down next to him. Calum’s heart thumped faster, as it always did when she was around, but he didn’t show it. He flashed a polite smile at her, and looked back at his phone, not making eye contact.

He still wasn’t really back to normal with Harper, not yet. As much as he missed her and their stupid conversations, it also hurt to see her, to remember that she didn’t want him the same way he wanted her. He had decided on keeping his mouth shut and staying friends with her, but with the way things were going (and how hard it was getting to be around her), he didn’t know if that was possible at all.  He didn’t see the trepidation in her eyes when she suddenly spoke up.

“Hey, Calum.”

“Hey,” he replied softly. He was sure he wasn’t ready to talk to her yet; he was worried he would blurt something stupid out.

“How are you? It’s been a while.” Her fingers played with the zip on the backpack on her lap.

“I’m... okay. You?” He was looking at his phone, but he wasn’t absorbing what it said. His mind was entirely focused on her presence next to him, on the missing easiness between that he yearned for. From the corner of his eyes, he could see that she was in a maroon dress, a denim jacket covering her shoulders. Her hair was tied up into a high ponytail, swishing as she moved her head.

“I’m fine.” She paused, looking up at Calum. He felt his whole body tense up from the suspense. 

What was she gonna say? He had a feeling that she was going to bring up that night. He knew what he really wanted her to say, but he also knew it was stupid to bring his hopes up like that. His mind automatically jumped to the worst case scenario. 

“Look, Cal, about that night-”

“Hey, do you guys wanna come with us?” Sierra interrupted, placing her hands on Harper’s shoulders. Harper jumped slightly at the interruption. “We still have some time till boarding, so we’re gonna do a little shopping.”

“No, we’re good, Si, thanks,” he said. Harper nodded silently.

“Harper, you have to come, I saw this cute bag that you’ll LOVE,” Sierra said, not noticing the lingering tension in the air. She dragged Harper out of her seat, ignoring Harper’s protests. “Come on, I want you to see this!”

Harper looked back at him as she was dragged away by their friend, and Calum smiled at her pitifully, before looking away. He exhaled slightly, his muscles relaxing a bit at her leaving. There was a small solace in not knowing what was on her mind- one less thing to break his heart..

He didn’t see her till they boarded the plane. Without making eye contact with her, Calum promptly went to his seat, popped his earphones in, and closed his eyes, hoping the blaring music would push out all thoughts of her from his brain for the time being.

---

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[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Southeastern Australia Turns Green As the 2019–2020 summer brought record heat to Australia, New South Wales appeared to be heading into its third year of severe drought. From January 2017 through October 2019, the southeast Australian state experienced its lowest amount of rainfall in nearly a century. During that time, farmlands were parched, lakes dried up, and millions of fish died. After more than 34 consecutive months of dry conditions, steady and occasionally heavy rain finally arrived in New South Wales. From January to May 2020, southeastern Australia received above-average rainfall and even broke records in Victoria. According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), April and May 2020 was the first period since 2016 with close to average rainfall in New South Wales and the Murray–Darling Basin. The BOM predicts the upcoming winter (June to August) will also be wetter than average for western New South Wales and parts of South Australia. The natural-color images above show the greening of the landscape in southeastern Australia in June 2020 (right) compared to May 2018 (top left). The images were acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite. The map above shows Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) anomalies; NDVI is a measure of the “greenness” of vegetation. The map depicts the health and abundance of vegetation as observed from May 16 to June 14, 2020, compared to the long-term average (2000-2010) for the month. Brown areas show where plants were more stressed than normal, and greens indicate vegetation that was healthier than normal. Victoria also experienced record-breaking rain at the beginning of 2020. From January to April, Melbourne received around 400 millimeters (16 inches) of rain—nearly eight times more rainfall than last year during this time period. This is Melbourne’s wettest start of the year since 1924. The BOM predicts Victoria may experience drier than normal weather for the upcoming winter though. The wet start to 2020 has alleviated short-term water deficiencies in eastern Australia and helped provide a better start to the winter farming season. However, the rainfall has not yet compensated for the effects of the long-term drought, which is still evident in the Murray-Darling Basin. The recent rain has improved water flow in the area, but storage levels are still very low. The BOM stated that it will take several significant rainfall events to erase the long-term rain deficiencies across the region. NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS/LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Story by Kasha Patel.

#space #science #environment #climate change #earth observatory #nasa

[the-reader-to-my-hero]

Of Motorcycles and Mothmen

A/N: this was inspired by @ichor-and-symbiosis ‘s cute Mothman Tomura headcannons but with my own twist. Since yall are thirsty for the mothman here ya go this is a Modern!AU no quirks.

It had been an ordinary evening. Well. As ordinary as it got in this creepy ass part of the woods. But the young mechanic honestly preferred the unseen eyes of whatever-the-hell-was-watching-her over the hundreds of people commuting via the subway.

Olive Jones was not very good with people.

She was just never really able to break out of her socially awkward “phase”. She had a really rough time in high school, so bad that it lead to violent anger issues that ultimately got her suspended on assault charges of other classmates. After that, with a strained relationship with her family, she moved from Australia to Japan to study at a technical school.

Being a foreigner and not knowing anyone really didn’t help Olive’s case but it didn’t exactly hurt it either. She was good at her job, running a small shop for both electronics and motorbikes. Her income was steady so she spent her extra money on videogames and subscription fees.

She preferred to travel to a game store outside the city, using an older road that cut through one of Japan’s large forests. It was a weekly trip. Part of the decision was Olive had scopophobia, which is essentially the fear of being watched or stared at. Her pale freckled skin, short dusty blonde hair, and the eyepatch over her right eye definitely made her something to ogle at. Isn’t like she blamed people.

But the woods...well… that was different. At first it was just a certain part of the woods, especially around dusk, near a creek she could see flowing during the summer months. It was spooky, but being a foreign blonde woman in her early-mid 20’s, Olive wasn’t about to stop and check it out. That’s how you die folks.

Then it all changed when one fateful night, ye ole faithful moped broke down...in the woods… near that one creepy place. Olive kept a heavy metal wrench in one hand the whole time, jumping at every sound, eyes darting around as the hairs on her neck stood up. She cursed up a loud Aussie storm, yelling at her moped like she was cussing someone out, hoping maybe, it would keep away any lurking predators. That and she actually...did that a lot.

She didn’t consider that any would find her act entertaining, especially when the act dropped when her moped tipped over.

“Aw! Bloody fucking hell! You blasted No good, piss-poor broken-backed camel!” that was the most PG one of the insults. The wind had then suddenly picked up, branches rustling as if laughing at her misfortune.

Luckily, she got her ride working, but something had changed. No everytime she went through that forest, she felt like she was being watched the entire time. She told herself it was paranoia cause she broke down, that she's just overthinking it, but that of course, didn't make it go away.

Then finally… Something happened…

It was a dark stormy night, as cliche as it sounds. For the record, the storm came out of nowhere, a sunny day switching to a stormy night in the time Olive was browsing new releases.

It was raining like fucking cats and dogs. Jones was really wishing she had itty bitty windshield wipers on her helmet visor as she whisked through the tunnel of light her moped lamp gave her. The rain sparkled in the light, refracting it, like little gem stones. It would be kind of pretty if the mechanic wasn’t drenched to the bone and trying to ignore the shiver that went down her back.

The wind whistled through the trees, and Olive could glimpse the branches above her swaying in the wind. That feeling got stronger. She swore she heard a flapping sound, a loud one amongst the chaos, like wings.

She isn’t entirely sure what made her look in her rearview mirror, but it would change the course of Olive Jone’s life. In her circular rearview mirror, illuminated by the refracted light off the rain droplets, were two big, glowing red eyes, a mere 10 yards behind her moped.

Olive’s head flew to look behind her as she shouted “WHAT THE FU—“

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

The moped hydroplaned across a big puddle from the flooding creek. Olive lost control, attempting to turn around the sharp bend in the road but she only succeeded in losing balance and sailing off the road toward the steep hill into the ditch. She flew off her moped mid-air, the wheels on the bike still moving, headlight shining up on an approaching figure in the night sky.

Olive could only close her eyes and brace herself.

She landed on her left shoulder, and she swore she heard a rather unpleasant pop! Sound off, but she was already tumbling down the steep incline as her Moped did the same with a bunch of crashes and thuds.

Somehow, her moped’s headlight still worked, shining like a beacon in the rain as it lied on its side. Olive Jones however, was caked in mud and grass and leaves, sprawled out lying on her stomach, in shock. Somewhere along the way, she lost her helmet, which was wedged between two rocks higher up the incline.

Everything hurt. Olive wondered if this was the end for her, and how long it would take people to notice. She was a nobody. Some aussie shut in with a work permit. Was she gonna die out here? How long until her moped’s headlamp died?

There was a sound, a familiar one, like the beating of wings. Olive spotted movement, her single eye scanning the skyline.

And then….

There he was.

He blocked out the moped’s headlamp, a humanoid silhouette. Immediately something was off, mainly the huge pair of paper thin wings folding behind their back.

Olive couldn't move underneath their red eyed gaze, even though she was unable to see it. She laid there, frozen, trying to blink out the cold rain that seeped through her eyelashes. She was dreaming right? She hit her head too hard? This giant...moth….man…. was just a hallucination right?

But the squelch of the mud beneath their strange alien feet as they took a slow step forward couldn’t have been more real. With an overwhelming terror, Olive’s body flew into action, shoving her upper body upright. All at once her left shoulder clenched with a searing pain that she sucked in through her teeth. She nearly fell face first back into the mud, but she forced herself to sit up, falling backward against a stump.

Maybe it was the pain. Making her see loony things Olive bared her teeth like some snarling injured animal, clasping at the shoulder with her good arm, while planting her feet in front of her.

The thing cocked its head to the side abruptly, before leering closer.

“s-S-Stop!!” Olive yelped in English, voice cracking. It blinked its red eyes rapidly, as if it were confused. Oh right. Japan. But did it even understand Japanese? Did it talk? It was uncanny valley how human it looked and how extremely not.

The pain in Ol’s shoulder was nearly unbearable from her own iron grip. She buried her converse hightops into the mud, shrinking away as he came ever closer. With a hard swallow she switched languages. “D-don’t hurt me please. Don't come any closer! I-I-I’ll batter ya!” That was awfully convincing considering she was soaked to the bone from the downpour, covered in mud, and could feel bruises and cuts forming all over her body.

Another step. Olive couldn't press herself any further into the tree.

It crouched, wings draped on either side. It chirped as if in curiosity. Red eyes burned into her, glared at her, and—probably all this time huh? All that time she felt like she was being watched out here in the woods. Had it been watching? Waiting to make the kill?

Olive found herself shrinking beneath its gaze, trying to hide her shivering form.

Something grabbed her jaw. It was hard and smooth like plastic, but solid, not flesh, as it forcefully pulled her forward. She choked on air, unable to look away from those red eyes.

Ol wasn’t quite sure what happened next. She just…kinda went limp, her body folding under her. Maybe it was the shock, the fear, the stress, but she never hit the muddy ground. No, she was caught by what she can only assume are hands, which slowly maneuvered and manipulated her body with surprising care. Whatever it was, it was mindful of her shoulder when she whimpered in pain. She realized she was shivering. Violently. God she'll probably catch one helluva cold.

Warmth.

Olive was pressed up against something warm and soft, like some sort of blanket and if that didn’t take her out instantly, the exhaustion sure did.

#what the actual fuck is this title #its 1 in the morning #do you know where your children are #im losing my mind but I HAD TO DO THIS #shigaraki tomura #bnha oc #boku no hero academia #mha oc #my art #oc x character i guess #mothman!tomura #moth!tomura #mothura #tomothra #black witch moth #mothman #mha shigaraki #shigaraki tomura imagine #shigaraki tomura x reader #shigaraki tomura x oc #olive this girl a lot #olive jones #no quirk au