Well we've all just been so excited up in these parts because of the potential visit from our very own Cyclone Hamish. (*sarcasm alert...cue sirens*). So far Hamish has turned out to be a fizzer. Even when they were mentioning Bundaberg on the warnings and watches there was only a little bit of rain, and some wind, but nothing out of the ordinary. Still people were getting together cyclone survival kits. My effort consisted of putting a bucket away that was in the back yard from weeding, filling up two water jugs (instead of the usual one) in the fridge and making sure I had some candles. I did find a torch but it was devoid of batteries. And all radios are dependent on electricity in this house so I think Wendy fails the cyclone survival kit test. Plus I figure if a cyclone really did hit, all the cyclone survival kits in the world, might not make that much difference. Example...cyclone tracy.
The cyclone however, did prove a very useful example for teaching thinking strategies in my Monday morning lecture. Because it was a common topic to all the students, they could interact easily and everything went smoothly.
Apart from that, I was awake at three thirty last night for about hour having fantastic ideas for next Monday's role play that I have encouraged/coaxed/forced our teaching team to engage in for the students. I hope it's going to be fun. For us, anyway, even if not the students. I just have to finish writing it. Having fantastic ideas in the middle of the night is pretty unusual for me. Even more unusual was that I remembered them this morning when I woke up. There's something strange afoot...perhaps it's connected to the cyclone.
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6 comments:
My younger nephew is Hamish, and he's frequently completely mad in that inimitable way of the under threes.
I'm giggling every time there's news about Tropical Cyclone Hamish--which is yet another reason why I hope there's no serious damage, which wouldn't be funny, at all.
yes it's always a bit disconcerting when the name of a cyclone is also the name of someone you know....it's hard not to compare the personality with the cyclone...
Old Hamish seems to be moving away from us now which is good...did giggle slightly at the foolish, foolish, rich people who live on the oceanfront at the beach here...on our local news there was a pair who have virtually built their mansion on the sand. Apparently, they've just finished their new deck which goes out over the dunes...and expect people to feel sorry for them....when the tsunami comes they'll be in trouble!
Yes--I remember the jokes I heard after Hurricane Katrina, and our names aren't even spelt the same way. Of course, it would be a hurricane that killed people, wouldn't it? Not just one of those mild, mostly rain hurricanes that probably don't actually exist?
Isn't there some biblical parable about building a house on rock not on sand? Maybe the politicians are right--move away from Christian values, and you forget that dunes aren't a good basis for a house.
from my very vague recollections of sunday school there might be some biblical lesson there...but really i think it's just commonsense...sand is not a stable foundation for much at all...let along a multimillion dollar dreamhome...money seems to addle some peoples' brains
I can confirm as a lapsed student of theology that humankind has known at least for two thousand years if not more that building a house on sand is not good practice (although I believe the point made in the original text was more to do with how the choice of a moral framework or value system effects the way you might live your life and the associated consequences). Of course, modern techniques sink big pylons down to the bedrock to get the foundation so the real problem here is the lack of proximity to protective land features which mitigate the effects of high intensity disturbances in the Earth's atmosphere and oceans which occur from time to time. Perhaps that is a better parable for our times since it embraces relativism.
Wendy, you need to get a decent radio - even a wind up one. There is nothing worse than sitting in your house, in the dark watching bits of peoples houses blowing past and not having a link to the outside. Also, when your roof goes, you'll know where the nearest SES base is. Or if not that, at least in the morning, you'll know whether to bother going to work or not. Of course, the chances are none of that will happen.
yes i see your "lapsed theological" point...it all makes a lot of sense both in terms of house construction and the building and maintenance of one's own value system.
a windup radio...is that a real thing?...perhaps I'll look for battery radio ..that does sound like a good idea ...because roof or no roof...if there's a day off from work possible i need to know about it sooner rather than later
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