Some News
Odd stuff in the news today.
I was surprised to hear on the Today show this morning that a Massive fire forces evacuations in Nairobi. What surprised me was the plain unembellished statement that "Police used whips to beat back crowds trying to get a closer look at the blaze." Uh, OK, that seems unusual. I had visions of an Indiana Jones type scenario where a lone police officer holds back a dozen people until some goon turns up with a sword. The reality was probably much less exciting and at least they didn't use guns.
Did a little more digging just now and found
Kenya Police Club Protesters at Anti-Government Rally, in which "Police beat protesters with clubs and short whips." (1997); Kenyan sect strips and whips women over 'un-African' clothing where "Followers of the Mungiki sect were shown on national television stripping naked and whipping six women in a Nairobi slum for "unAfrican" behaviour." (2000); and Kenyan police battle slum-dwellers, head found (2007) which said "Kenyan police used whips and tear-gas to battle slum-dwellers on Wednesday in a crackdown on the Mungiki criminal gang blamed for the latest macabre discovery of a severed and skinned head...".
Kenya sounds like a fun place doesn't it?
Mind you, I have some concerns about Police using tasers here in Australia. I wonder what the public responce would be if they used whips instead?
In other news, both South Australia and Victoria continue to suffer under the current heatwave. Things aren't so bad here in Barnsley today but even so I'm glad I'm not going out. What surprises me is that fact that Heatwave forces 60 rail service cancellations in Melbourne, and Adelaide had a record overnight temperature of 33°C. This is all because SA is suffering six consecutive days of 40-plus temps.
Coming from Perth, I have to wonder about how unprepared people seem to be. Cold water in the fridge, stay home and out of the sun are simple things if you can do them. Some tips (from the Brimbank City Council page) to prevent heat stress include:
- Keep up your fluids - you need to drink more during hot weather, regardless of how active you are. Do not wait until you are thirsty to drink. Drink plenty of water or other cool, non-alcoholic fluids. Check with your doctor if you are on limited fluids or fluid pills. Avoid alcohol or drinks that contain lots of sugar. Don’t have extremely cold liquids, as they may cause stomach cramps.
- Avoid exposure to heat - stay out of the sun as much as you can,
- Protect yourself outside - if you must be outdoors, remember to protect yourself from the sun - ‘slip, slop, slap’ by covering exposed skin with lightweight clothes, using sunscreen and wearing a hat.
- Limit physical activity - too much physical activity on a hot day can lead to heat stress. If you can, restrict activity to cooler parts of the day.
- Don’t leave children or pets in cars - even on cool days, cars can heat up to dangerous temperatures very quickly. Children or pets that are left unattended in parked cars for even a few minutes are at risk of serious heat-related illnesses and possibly death. Never leave children or pets in a parked car, even if the windows are left open a fraction.
- Take it easy - rest often and, whenever possible, stay indoors or in the shade.
- Stay cool - and keep air circulating around you. Use air-conditioning if possible. If you don’t have air-conditioning, consider visiting an air-conditioned shopping centre or public library. Take a cool shower, bath or sponge bath.
- Keep up your energy levels - eat regular, light meals.
- Watch out for others - check on older, sick or frail people who may need help coping with the heat (at least twice a day).