Birthday notes!

Happy late birthdays to el_princess , anteka , morien_san , lelwani , fourth_rose , mahaliem , calanthe_fics  and marryoh , and happy birthday for today to abusing_sarcasm !

I hope you all have lovely weather, wonderful presents and delicious cake for your birthday weeks! And if you missed out on any of the above, may the late birthday fairies visit you.

It's still hot, but all of my friends are now accounted for, and the washing machine has been tampered to death in my absence. I'm having a drink and going to bed.

Birthday notes!

Happy late birthdays to el_princess , anteka , morien_san , lelwani , fourth_rose , mahaliem , calanthe_fics  and marryoh , and happy birthday for today to abusing_sarcasm !

I hope you all have lovely weather, wonderful presents and delicious cake for your birthday weeks! And if you missed out on any of the above, may the late birthday fairies visit you.

It's still hot, but all of my friends are now accounted for, and the washing machine has been tampered to death in my absence. I'm having a drink and going to bed.

Victorian PSA, bear with me

Having scanned the international papers, the coverage of the Victorian fires is up and down. In short, the death toll currently stands at 130, with severely burned patients in hospital and many still missing. There are over 750 homes destroyed and an estimated 3500 to 5000 people homeless, with many more evacuated. Hundreds of firefighters have been fighting a losing battle in their home communities since last week, many losing homes while they fought elsewhere, some also losing their families.

We all know the sense of helplessness that watching a tragedy like this unfold brings. We felt it when the Twin Towers fell, when London was bombed, when the tsunami struck South-East Asia. Yet this is one of those times when throwing money at a problem can really help. Even if you only have five pounds, or ten dollars, you can do something to help.

The Australian Red Cross takes donations from any credit card at their site here. They are the leading relief organisation in the country helping with clothing, rehousing and funding families left destitute. They also work with the emergency services on the ground to help manage the crisis, which is still unfolding.

The Victorian Country Fire Authority is coordinating the fie fighting efforts. This is a volunteer organisation that pays for equipment – from trucks and hoses to boots and helmets – out of sources that range from small amounts from government and insurance companies to cake sales and members' pockets. You can support them here.

Humans are not the only casualties. There have been large numbers of animal casualties, both wild and domestic. meredyth_13  has posted on the fate of horses and other large animals caught and left pastureless by the fire at her lj here. You can donate to help through Triple R Equine Welfare at their site.

meredyth also gives a list of wildlife agencies that are coordinating the rescue or euthanising of native animals in her post here. Many of these groups are run with volunteer vet services, who have limited resources and who have just seen their livelihoods disappear. WIRES is the major wildlife rescue group, and they have already been stretched to the limit by a decade of drought. You can help them here.

No money? There are still things you can do. There are thousands of Victorians who are out there volunteering their time to help others. Most of them are in rural regions that are close to the fire areas but have so far escaped. If you have any on your flist, stop by and tell them thank you, share some love. jamie2109  is working on community radio in one of the fire areas and is tired and stressed. Take a minute to send her some love for her kindness and generosity that are even more awe inspiring than her writing.

If you live in one of the countries that regularly imports Australian blood products (particularly the US), go and donate some so that the extra that will be needed here won't leave others short. If you live in Australia, give a pint. It doesn't hurt and you receive a free chocolatey milkshake! There are stupid BSE rules if you are British or lived in the UK, even if you were a vegan, so bully your friends and family instead.

And if your friends start pontificating about how all the services failed, slap them gently. These fires have moved so fast and burned so hot that normal strategies have not worked. But the level of preparedness was high, the precautions had all been taken and the emergency teams have done everything humanly possible. A normal fire might have flames around 30 feet high and move at 40km/h, these ones had reports of flames over 50 feet high and moving at speeds well above 120 km/h. One of our scientists has compared the heat to the Dresden firebombing. The rules are not working here and preparedness has failed. Only compassion remains.

My friends and friends of friends have all come through so far. If you're the praying or rain dancing type, long soaking showers with no lightning across Victoria would be lovely for the next three or four weeks, thanks.

Victorian PSA, bear with me

Having scanned the international papers, the coverage of the Victorian fires is up and down. In short, the death toll currently stands at 130, with severely burned patients in hospital and many still missing. There are over 750 homes destroyed and an estimated 3500 to 5000 people homeless, with many more evacuated. Hundreds of firefighters have been fighting a losing battle in their home communities since last week, many losing homes while they fought elsewhere, some also losing their families.

We all know the sense of helplessness that watching a tragedy like this unfold brings. We felt it when the Twin Towers fell, when London was bombed, when the tsunami struck South-East Asia. Yet this is one of those times when throwing money at a problem can really help. Even if you only have five pounds, or ten dollars, you can do something to help.

The Australian Red Cross takes donations from any credit card at their site here. They are the leading relief organisation in the country helping with clothing, rehousing and funding families left destitute. They also work with the emergency services on the ground to help manage the crisis, which is still unfolding.

The Victorian Country Fire Authority is coordinating the fie fighting efforts. This is a volunteer organisation that pays for equipment – from trucks and hoses to boots and helmets – out of sources that range from small amounts from government and insurance companies to cake sales and members' pockets. You can support them here.

Humans are not the only casualties. There have been large numbers of animal casualties, both wild and domestic. meredyth_13  has posted on the fate of horses and other large animals caught and left pastureless by the fire at her lj here. You can donate to help through Triple R Equine Welfare at their site.

meredyth also gives a list of wildlife agencies that are coordinating the rescue or euthanising of native animals in her post here. Many of these groups are run with volunteer vet services, who have limited resources and who have just seen their livelihoods disappear. WIRES is the major wildlife rescue group, and they have already been stretched to the limit by a decade of drought. You can help them here.

No money? There are still things you can do. There are thousands of Victorians who are out there volunteering their time to help others. Most of them are in rural regions that are close to the fire areas but have so far escaped. If you have any on your flist, stop by and tell them thank you, share some love. jamie2109  is working on community radio in one of the fire areas and is tired and stressed. Take a minute to send her some love for her kindness and generosity that are even more awe inspiring than her writing.

If you live in one of the countries that regularly imports Australian blood products (particularly the US), go and donate some so that the extra that will be needed here won't leave others short. If you live in Australia, give a pint. It doesn't hurt and you receive a free chocolatey milkshake! There are stupid BSE rules if you are British or lived in the UK, even if you were a vegan, so bully your friends and family instead.

And if your friends start pontificating about how all the services failed, slap them gently. These fires have moved so fast and burned so hot that normal strategies have not worked. But the level of preparedness was high, the precautions had all been taken and the emergency teams have done everything humanly possible. A normal fire might have flames around 30 feet high and move at 40km/h, these ones had reports of flames over 50 feet high and moving at speeds well above 120 km/h. One of our scientists has compared the heat to the Dresden firebombing. The rules are not working here and preparedness has failed. Only compassion remains.

My friends and friends of friends have all come through so far. If you're the praying or rain dancing type, long soaking showers with no lightning across Victoria would be lovely for the next three or four weeks, thanks.