Anna Begins Posted December 3, 2014 Author Share Posted December 3, 2014 Political chaos The opposition let the nationalist (aka rasist) party create a chaos so big that the government had no choice but to announce a new general election. Well, we kinda knew this was being foreshadowed though... when they got their 13%, right? Is it a surprise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 (edited) The Causeway Bridge is the 24 mile bridge that spans Lake Pontchartrain just north of New Orleans. Here is a link to it's history. http://www.thecauseway.us/causeway/history.php In the last year there have been a number of accidents that have resulted in people going over the railings and into the lake and drowning. Last month alone there were two fatalities. In all my life, so far, I do not remember anything like this number of accidents. It's unprecedented. One of the problems is the fact that there are far more distractions now...texting, cell phones in general. Drivers have seen drivers even watching television in the car. Anyhow, here is the latest article in the paper. http://www.nola.com/traffic/index.ssf/2014/12/causeway_police_cracking_down.html#incart_river I hope the crack down helps. Edited December 3, 2014 by pontalba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 I hope so too, Kate! I can't believe some drivers would watch television in the car though, that's just.. ! I hope the situation will get better . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 There is currently a siege situation underway at the Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Sydney. I used to work literally across the road from it and went there occasionally. The hostages have been made to stand pressed against the windows and hold up the banners of a terrorist organisation. There are conflicting reports, as one would expect early in such a situation. There are reports of 1 or 2 gunmen, and one man of apparently middle age has been shown on TV. There are between 13 and 50 hostages inside—all staff members and office workers. I've been in contact with a couple of my old workmates. They are safe, and no one has been reported missing from the bank where I worked. They have not been evacuated but have been moved to the further end of the building and are in lockdown. A large area surrounding the cafe has been evacuated (or staff moved to higher floors). The Sydney Opera House (which is a few hundred metres down the road) and surrounding area has also been evacuated. I believe the Sydney Harbour Bridge has also been closed (it has previously been identified as a possible terrorist target). Very, very scary stuff. Since 9/11, I have always thought that if an attack was to take place in Australia, in would most logically occur around the Martin Place area because this is the financial hub of Sydney (Sydney being the country's largest city), similar to the World Trade Center. I was right, but I'm not happy to be right. I'm so glad I work from home now (way, way on the other side of the city: 50+km away). I suspect the siege will be going for quite a while yet. Here's hoping for a positive outcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted December 15, 2014 Author Share Posted December 15, 2014 I just overheard this (I am in my room reading, TV on the news in another) and thought of you! That is terrifying. I hope everything turns out ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Listening to it on TV at the moment. Scary stuff, hope they can get the hostages out without any loss of life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Just saw about this on the news. We can only hope for an outcome without harm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 The Lindt siege was the first piece of news I heard this morning on the radio I hope everything will be resolved without anyone getting hurt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Wow, Kylie, that sounds terrifying! I hope everything will be okay without people getting hurt . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Thanks for your thoughts everyone. The siege is in its thirteenth hour now. All major TV channels have had ongoing coverage since it started, and even though they're just going over the same ground over and over, and they rarely have new information or footage, I've been glued to my TV all day. Five hostages have managed to escape. First, three men, and then two women a couple of hours later. They looked absolutely terrified as they fled from the shop. It's now believed there are around 15 people in the building. The lights were turned out shortly after it got dark, but before that, it was observed that the hostages were being fed, and no one has been injured, so the hostage taker at least appears to be 'looking after' them. The hostage taker has been using the hostages to contact many media outlets requesting them to read out, or show footage of, his list of requests. They are all refusing on the advice of the police. But I did see one TV network list two of his requests (which they probably shouldn't have done, and they haven't mentioned them since then). He wants an IS (terrorist organisation) flag, which seems kind of pointless because he already has religious banners and we've already figured out he's an extremist, and he wants to speak to our Prime Minister. Given that absolutely nothing has happened for around 5 hours, I guess it's going to go well into tomorrow. I'll probably be up for most of the night watching this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 I've been keeping an eye on this all morning, it's awful. I hope everyone gets out ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 It's over! I was watching live when a group of 6 hostages ran out, followed by a 7th a few minutes later. Then all of a sudden the police stormed the cafe and there was so much gunfire. Many stun grenades were thrown in as well. I've seen more hostages being escorted out, and one or two on stretchers. Hopefully they'll be OK. There are reports that CPR was being conducted on two people, possibly one a policeman. We have no official reports yet. Safe to say the hostage taker is no longer alive. The man's identity was released in the last couple of hours. Apparently he lived close to me a while ago and was charged as an accessory to his wife's murder (she was stabbed and set on fire). He has also been charged with sending awful letters to the families of soldiers who have died in combat overseas, and was facing 40 allegations of assault and sexual assault. Why was the man let out on bail? He should have been locked up!! He was an Iranian migrant and self-styled cleric and faith healer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 It's over! I was watching live when a group of 6 hostages ran out, followed by a 7th a few minutes later. Then all of a sudden the police stormed the cafe and there was so much gunfire. Many stun grenades were thrown in as well. I've seen more hostages being escorted out, and one or two on stretchers. Hopefully they'll be OK. There are reports that CPR was being conducted on two people, possibly one a policeman. We have no official reports yet. Safe to say the hostage taker is no longer alive. The man's identity was released in the last couple of hours. Apparently he lived close to me a while ago and was charged as an accessory to his wife's murder (she was stabbed and set on fire). He has also been charged with sending awful letters to the families of soldiers who have died in combat overseas, and was facing 40 allegations of assault and sexual assault. Why was the man let out on bail? He should have been locked up!! He was an Iranian migrant and self-styled cleric and faith healer. Reports are that 2 are dead. I was watching it live this morning for a long while. I feel sad for all the hostages as it was a terrible ordeal to go through. Glad that it is all over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 The man's identity was released in the last couple of hours. Apparently he lived close to me a while ago and was charged as an accessory to his wife's murder (she was stabbed and set on fire). He has also been charged with sending awful letters to the families of soldiers who have died in combat overseas, and was facing 40 allegations of assault and sexual assault. Why was the man let out on bail? He should have been locked up!! He was an Iranian migrant and self-styled cleric and faith healer. That's exactly what I thought Kylie, when I read he was out on bail for those crimes! Whatever makes authorities think people like this are safe to be released??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 I'm glad the ordeal is over but I am so sorry for those hostages who lost their lives . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 Me too. There was a 38-year-old mother of three young children under the age of 10. She was trying to protect her pregnant friend. The other hostage victim was the 34-year-old manager of the cafe. When he saw that the gunman had dozed off, he tried to wrestle the gun off him while the others escaped. Heroes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 Another bit of terrible news. Taliban kills 142 people including 132 children. When is the world going to put a stop to this kind of madness!!!! http://www.aol.com/article/2014/12/16/taliban-assault-on-pakistan-school-leaves-141-dead/21117113/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl5%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D583260 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 Another bit of terrible news. Taliban kills 142 people including 132 children. When is the world going to put a stop to this kind of madness!!!! http://www.aol.com/article/2014/12/16/taliban-assault-on-pakistan-school-leaves-141-dead/21117113/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl5%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D583260 This is absolutely inhuman. I can't begin to understand the mentality of these extremists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Monsters. Those poor children...the terror and confusion they must have felt. Just...how could they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Sometimes my heart aches for the world. Such horrible and utterly unnecessary deaths that have NOTHING to do with faith or religious ideology. It does however have everything to do with human monsters being attracted to carrying out atrocities with like minded others and as with all cowards, attaching what they think is a legitimacy to it, A sad time for those of us with beating hearts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 This is terrible news , they are indeed monsters. The poor children and their families . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 I heard about that ^ too. It's unfathomable and so tragic Our current Finnish news is that a woman got injured when a bomb in her garage exploded when she was going in. The police have caught the suspect. I just can't get my head around the fact that this sort of bombing thing can happen in Finland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Wow, Frankie. Did the victim know the suspect? Another big and terrible news item here today. Eight children aged 18 months to 15 years were stabbed to death in Queensland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Wow, Frankie. Did the victim know the suspect? Yes she did, but the police have not yet commented on in what kind of way. I'm glad she survived and nobody else got hurt, either. Another big and terrible news item here today. Eight children aged 18 months to 15 years were stabbed to death in Queensland. Oh my god! One tragedy right after another. What's wrong with people these days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Our current Finnish news is that a woman got injured when a bomb in her garage exploded when she was going in. The police have caught the suspect. I just can't get my head around the fact that this sort of bombing thing can happen in Finland. I'm sorry to hear this . Another big and terrible news item here today. Eight children aged 18 months to 15 years were stabbed to death in Queensland. I am so sorry to hear of this . There doesn't seem to be much nice news I can post about at the moment. I thought I could post something uplifting from my area to counter all this terrible news but I can't seem to find anything, sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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