Climate change global warming

Air pollution in Sydney reached "hazardous" levels on Tuesday, as the Gospers Mountain Fire was skirting the city's northwest. With smoke hanging over the city, medical officials urged the residents to avoid going outside. "For most people, smoke causes mild symptoms like sore eyes, nose and throat. However, people with conditions like asthma, emphysema and angina are more likely to be sensitive to the health effects of smoke," said Richard Broom, director of Environmental Health from the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), where Sydney is located. At least six people have lost their lives and hundreds of homes have been destroyed since the start of the so-called fire season in September. While bushfires are common in Australia, the fire season has been starting earlier and fires have been growing more destructive in recent years — a development many experts link with climate change. More wind, more heat Authorities estimate over 110 wildfires are burning in eastern … [Read more...] about Bushfires blanket Sydney in smoke ahead of heat surge

Every so often a book appears that so chimes with your own thinking, yet flies so spectacularly in the face of fashionable philosophy, that it comes as a profoundly reassuring relief. After reading Barbara Ehrenreich's Smile or Die: How Positive Thinking Fooled America and the World, I feel as if I can wallow in grief, gloom, disappointment or whatever negative emotion comes naturally without worrying that I've become that frightful stereotype, the curmudgeonly, grumpy old woman. Instead, I can be merely human: someone who doesn't have to convince herself that every rejection or disaster is a golden opportunity to "move on" in an upbeat manner. Ehrenreich came to her critique of the multi-billion-dollar positive-thinking industry – a swamp of books, DVDs, life coaches, executive coaches and motivational speakers – in similar misery-making circumstances to those I experienced. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and, like me, found herself increasingly disturbed by the … [Read more...] about Smile or Die: How Positive Thinking Fooled America and the World by Barbara Ehrenreich

An Australian mum-of-five has left other parents stunned after revealing the staggering array of 'essential' items she packs when driving anywhere.The mother recently posted photos of her kit to Facebook, sharing how she'd streamlined her system after purchasing a carry-all from Kmart for $11. 'I can still fit my big twin pram in the boot as well as the organiser which was a necessity for us as we have 14-month-old twins,' she wrote alongside photos showing her well-packed travel bag.Individual ziplock bags with a change of clothing for her kids and herself, sanitary items and nappies, two stubby holders, a bottle opener, and a headtorch were just a few of the things she'd included.  A mother-of-five recently revealed the many items she packed in a carry-all (pictured) which enabled her to travel with her kids without worrying she'd left something behind This carry-all from Kmart, priced at $11, was used by the mum to create a streamlined system (pictured)She added she also … [Read more...] about What motherhood REALLY looks like: Mum-of-five shows off the bag she has on hand every time she leaves the house – but her husband’s one is VERY different

Over its 12 long years Britain's Got Talent has discovered some of the country's most gifted individuals, catapulted some of the most unlikely of normal civilians to stardom and of course, given the truly ridiculous a platform to humiliate themselves on in front of the nation But although it continues to be a hit with the public, the show hasn't been without its scandals and criticism along the way. There have been accusations ranging from fraudulent acts to Ofcom rulings, uncounted votes and even child exploitation. As BGT sets about finding the country's number one act worthy of setting before the Queen (although she probably won't be there), Mirror online has decided to take a trip down memory lane to look back at the show's most shocking controversies to date... Dog fraud Remember these two? The world fell in love with Jules O'Dwyer and Matisse after they were Britain's Got Talent champions in 2015. But that spark soon fizzled out when the public learnt that imposter pup Chase … [Read more...] about Britain’s Got Talent’s worst controversies from bum kissing to weeping children

A lifeboat enthusiast has set about recording the country's RNLI volunteers using Victorian photographic methods.Quietly spoken, Jack Lowe is a man on the verge of his dreams.A life-long love of photography and lifeboats has finally put him on the road around Britain's coast.Having given up the Newcastle printmaking business he ran for 15 years, he plans to record all 237 of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's stations on glass plates with a 110-year-old camera."It was like stepping towards the edge of a cliff and hoping that your flying suit would work," he says."I wanted to make things again, things that are actually photo-graphy, drawing with light," he says."Making light interact with chemicals and having a physical object people can refer to in 100 years' time."The second thing is engagement, participation. It becomes a collaboration because their time is no more or less valuable than my time and we make it together."Not only that, but they see within seconds the image … [Read more...] about Recording lifeboat crews with a Victorian camera