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08 Dec 2011 10:53

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World: ICYMI: Australian police strip Occupy protester down to underwear

  • Was this necessary? Via Tumblr user eggznrice, who told us, “Please get on this as soon as you can! Craziness!” The Occupy Melbourne protester in this video, a young woman named Sarah, was wrapped in a “tent dress” when police chose to pull it off of her, using knives to cut it off. (The protesters were told that Tents were considered structures that would be removed, hence the interesting clothing choice.) Three other protesters complied with police in Monday’s incident; Sarah did not. In the end, she was wearing nothing but her underwear. The Victoria police’s Ethical Standards Department says it’s investigating an assault incident, and Occupy Melbourne is trying to encourage other Occupy movements to wear tents in solidarity. source

01 Sep 2011 10:27

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World: Australian outlaw Ned Kelly’s remains discovered via DNA testing

  • So that’s where that Heath Ledger movie came from. The headless remains of notorious bucket-clad Australian outlaw Ned Kelly, whose plight was the subject of the first feature-length film ever made, were discovered in a former Melbourne prison and — get this — confirmed via DNA testing. Officials were impressed. “To think a group of scientists could identify the body of a man who was executed more than 130 years ago, moved and buried in a haphazard fashion among 33 other prisoners, most of whom are not identified, is amazing,” said Victoria Attorney General Robert Clark. Next challenge: Figuring out if he and Buckethead are distant relatives. source

16 Aug 2011 10:46

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World: Australian study: Watching tons of TV shortens your lifespan

  • 22 minutes shorter for each hour of television you watch, lazy slob source
  • » No, TV isn’t a carcinogen: The reason for this is that when you’re watching TV, you’re usually not doing anything, least of which working out. You’re just staring at Kate Gosselin and her army of kids, learning absolutely nothing from The Learning Channel other than that you probably don’t want to be a single mom with eight kids. By the way, that 22 minutes you just wasted watching an hourlong block of Jon Gosselin’s biggest problem? That’s the same level of longevity taken away when you smoke two cigarettes. Think about that.

03 Aug 2011 11:25

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World: Australian teen with bomb strapped to her neck freed (whew)

  • We don’t know what to make of a story this weird. After a 10-hour ordeal involving a bomb and an apparent extortion attempt, an 18-year-old Sydney girl has been freed (the clip reflects the situation before she was freed). “She’s good – she’s been kept in a very uncomfortable position,” New South Wales state Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Murdoch  said. “She has been and will be uncomfortable for a little while to come.” Murdoch says that the device was no joke — it was “very elaborate, very sophisticated.” Right now, officials are trying to learn the identity of the weirdo who did this to her. source

01 Apr 2011 00:24

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Offbeat: Dying horse cured with notoriously awful beer

  • problemDiamond Mojo, a six year-old Australian horse, came down with a nasty bout of colic that seemed certain to take his life.
  • solutionOut of options, his owner tried feeding him XXXX beer. Almost immediately, Mojo perked up, and he’s now fully recovered. source
  • » Though we’ve never been to Australia, a friend who has tells us that XXXX is considered “the worst beer on the continent.” Any native Aussies want to confirm or deny?

01 Feb 2011 10:17

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World: Mother Nature hates Queensland: Giant cyclone headed their way

  • awful Queensland has been dealing with the effects of a historic, godlike flood for a number of weeks that’s killed dozens.
  • awfuler Cyclone Yasi, a category four barnburner packing winds of 125 miles per hour, is headed right for Queensland this moment. source
  • » What they’re expecting: Officials anticipate flooding a solid two meters above the traditional high tide, meaning that low-lying areas are going to be freaking screwed. “This is a life-threatening storm, and people need to understand that they have a final window of opportunity to self-evacuate,” said Deputy Police Commissioner Ian Stewart, the state disaster coordinator.

24 Jan 2011 13:18

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Tech: Australian iPhone users fight back against pricey citations

  • I could show you a list of maybe 20 to 30 parking tickets that I had last year, in my town, just by being a normal driver. I must have spent thousands of dollars.
  • Joseph Darling • The Australian man, through his firm, developed an iPhone app called “ParkPatrol,” which allows users to update and notify each other when parking police are in the area. The app displays the locations on a map, with cartoon policemen denoting where, at last notice, the citation-wielding officers are. Darling stated the idea was “pretty much born out of frustration.” source
 

13 Jan 2011 10:26

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World: Queensland Premier Anna Bligh: Brisbane flooding like a “war zone”

“What I’m seeing looks more like a war zone in some places,” Bligh said. “All I could see was their rooftops … underneath every single one of those rooftops is a horror story.” source

12 Jan 2011 10:50

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World: Reminder: Snow sucks, but not as much as Australia’s flooding

Brisbane-area floodwaters have reached the second story of some homes. “This is an extraordinary, once in a 100 year event or more,” said Queensland Premier Anna Bligh. source

11 Jan 2011 10:38

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World: Australian floods: Brisbane about to get gobsmacked

One of Australia’s largest cities (2 million people and counting) is bracing for the largest flood its faced since at least 1974. More than a third of the city is in danger. source