Emerald Village: A Dream of an Affordable Tiny House Community
Respectful Revolution (2019)
Film Review
This documentary is about a non-profit organization in Eugene, Oregon that has created a self-governing tiny house village for the city’s homeless.
The total of the project was $1.8 million – $300,000 for land and $1.5 million to construct 22 tiny houses. The group raised $1 million obtained via direct fundraising, $120,000 via a city development tax waiver, and in-kind donations of one tiny house each by a team of 13 architects and builders.
The dwellings are slightly bigger than conventional tiny houses and include kitchen, toilet and shower facilities. Some are large enough to house two people. All (previously homeless) residents were required to contribute 50 hours to building their home though most contributed much more. At present, each pays $250-300 rent, which covers all utility, staff and other operations costs.
A severe weather warning for the NSW coast is in place as damaging southerly winds and powerful surf is caused by a low-pressure system which formed south of Sydney. Wind gusts of up to 90 kilometres an hour hit the South Coast on Monday morning, expected to move north to Illawarra, Sydney and the Central Coast throughout the day. The State Emergency Service (SES) also warned of flooding from the heavy rain along coastal rivers from Sydney to Moruya on the state’s south coast, while Newcastle saw dangerous flooding overnight. Damaging surf conditions have also impacted Sydney’s ferry services, with buses replacing ferries between Manly and Circular Quay today amid wild seas. Read more here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-2… For more from ABC News, click here: https://ab.co/2kxYCZY You can watch more ABC News content on iview: https://ab.co/2OB7Mk1
IDN21037 Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology
TOP PRIORITY FOR IMMEDIATE BROADCAST
Severe Weather Warning
for DAMAGING WINDS and DAMAGING SURF
For people in Illawarra, South Coast, Snowy Mountains and parts of Metropolitan, Central Tablelands, Southern Tablelands and Australian Capital Territory Forecast Districts.
Issued at 4:43 pm Monday, 27 July 2020.
COASTAL LOW BRINGS DAMAGING WINDS AND SURF TO CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PARTS OF COAST TODAY
A deep low pressure system lies off the Illawarra coast and is expected to remain slow moving, bringing damaging winds, rain and large wind-driven waves along southern parts of the coast. Conditions are forecast to ease overnight or during Tuesday morning as the low weakens and moves east.
DAMAGING WINDS, averaging 60 to 70 km/h with peak gusts in excess of 90 km/h are expected along the parts of the Illawarra and the South Coast districts, possibly reaching the far southeast of Sydney this evening.
DAMAGING WINDS are also possible for parts of the Snowy Mountains, Southern Tablelands, ACT, Southern Highlands and the coastal ranges of South Coast this evening. For Alpine areas above 1900 metres, winds may average 80 to 90 km/h with peak gusts in excess of 120 km/h.
Winds are expected to gradually ease overnight or on Tuesday morning, as the low gradually weakens and moves east.
VERY HEAVY SURF which may lead to localised damage and coastal erosion with wind-driven large sea waves is likely for coastal areas south of Sydney, especially in the south-facing surf zones.
Beach conditions in these areas could be dangerous and people should stay well away from the surf and surf exposed areas.
Although rainfall rates have eased across the southern coast, steady rain is continuing in the region tonight. A Flood Warning is current for the Deua River and St Georges Basin on the South Coast. A Flood Watch is also current for the South Coast river catchments.
Locations which may be affected include Wollongong, Nowra, Bowral, Batemans Bay, Eden, Cooma, Mount Ginini, Perisher Valley and Sydney.
Bellambi AWS recorded 91 km/h wind gust at 12:58 am Monday.
Kiama AWS recorded 96 km/h wind gust at 1:51pm Monday.
Ulladulla recorded a 113 km/h wind gust at 10:22 am Monday
Moruya Airport AWS recorded a 91 km/h wind gust at 9:24am Monday.
Montague Island recorded a 117 km/h wind gust at 1:46pm Monday.
Point Perpendicular AWS recorded a 98 km/h wind gust at 3:37pm Monday
Wollongong Airport AWS recorded a 98 km/h wind gust at 2:05pm
Jervis Bay Airfield, High Range (Wanganderry) and Mount Ginini have also recorded 89 km/h gusts today.
The Batemans Bay wave rider buoy has recorded significant wave heights of 5-6m today, with a maximum wave height of 11.6m earlier this afternoon.
Many locations through the Hunter, Sydney Metropolitan, Illawarra and South Coast districts have recorded in excess of 100 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours.
The State Emergency Service advises that people should: * Move vehicles under cover or away from trees. * Secure or put away loose items around your house, yard and balcony. * Keep at least 8 metres away from fallen power lines or objects that may be energised, such as fences. * Trees that have been damaged by fire are likely to be more unstable and more likely to fall. * Report fallen power lines to either Ausgrid (131 388), Endeavour Energy (131 003), Essential Energy (132 080) or Evoenergy (131 093) as shown on your power bill. * Stay vigilant and monitor conditions. Note that the landscape may have changed following bushfires. * For emergency help in floods and storms, ring your local SES Unit on 132 500.
The next Severe Weather Warning will be issued by 11:00 pm AEST Monday.
Warnings are also available through TV and Radio broadcasts, the Bureau’s website at http://www.bom.gov.au or call 1300 659 210. The Bureau and State Emergency Service would appreciate warnings being broadcast regularly.
East Coast Lows are intense low pressure systems that occur off the eastern coast of Australia, often bringing damaging weather conditions. This video explains how they form, including how they differ from tropical cyclones, and why they can be dangerous. For the latest weather warnings always check http://www.bom.gov.au.
– “…Prolonged isolation can lead to sadness, anxiety, disease, and ultimately to premature death. The opposite is true when we are connected to others and involved as an active member of a community. Research shows that close, authentic relationships are the key to both physical health and happiness and that people who show the greatest satisfaction with their relationships at age 50 are the ones who are healthiest at age 80″
‘Loneliness & Health’, The Risks Of Social Isolation? – By Andrew Weil, M.D.
I live alone and was alarmed to hear that “social isolation” is a risk factor for heart attacks and other causes of death. Is this true?
A study from Germany presented at a medical meeting in Vienna in May (2020) showed that people who are socially isolated are almost 50 percent more likely to die from any cause than people who have
It burned for 79 days and remains seared in the memory of all who feared and fought it.
The statistics are staggering. Over a million hectares burned; a hundred homes destroyed on Sydney’s doorstep.
Gospers Mountain became famous as Australia’s first “mega-blaze”.
But behind the smoke, flames and evacuations, there is still much to learn about the monster.
The ABC has pieced together data, imagery and interviews to form a new narrative of the fire.
The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) and National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) contributed information and access to operational commanders, some speaking for the first time.
We can reveal the fire’s starting point, and how close Sydney’s suburbs came to disaster.
Firefighters tell of raised hopes as the flames faltered, and despair as backburns backfired.
– “…By a geographical coincidence, Burma allows the passage across its territory of the pipe-line linking Chinese Yunnan to the Bay of Bengal, and houses the Chinese electronic surveillance posts for the naval routes which near its coasts. Making war in Burma is therefore more important for the Pentagon than blocking the two « Silk Roads » in the Middle East and Ukraine. An inheritance of British colonisation,”
Political Islam against China – By Thierry Meyssan
You are probably aware that you are incompletely informed about what is brewing in Myanmar, and you probably haven’t heard about the military coalition that is preparing to attack that country. And yet, as Thierry Meyssan reveals here, these current events have been in preparation by Riyadh and Washington since 2013. Don’t take sides before you read this article and digest the information.
By C Raina MacIntyre, Abrar Ahmad Chughtai, Charitha de Silva, Con Doolan, Prateek Bahl and Shovon Bhattacharjee
Posted 2 hours ago
How face coverings and masks minimise spreading coronavirus
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If you’re not sure whether wearing a face mask is worth it, or you need to wear a mask but are unsure which type, our new research should help you decide.
We took videos of what happens when you talk, cough and sneeze in different scenarios — while not wearing a mask, wearing two different types of cloth masks, or wearing a surgical mask.
The results, published in the journal Thorax, are clear.
A surgical mask was the most effective at blocking droplets and aerosols from talking, coughing and sneezing.
So we wanted to compare how effective different types of masks were at preventing outward transmission of droplets while talking, coughing and sneezing.
These are the types of masks the public might use to reduce community transmission.
We compared using no mask with two different types of cloth masks made from DIY templates provided online (one mask had a single layer of cloth; the other had two layers), and a three-layered surgical mask.
To visualise the droplets and aerosols you may not otherwise see, we used an LED lighting system with a high-speed camera.
We confirmed that even speaking generates substantial droplets. Coughing and sneezing (in that order) generate even more.
A three-ply surgical mask was significantly better than a one-layered cloth mask at reducing droplet emissions caused by speaking, coughing and sneezing, followed by a double-layer cloth face covering.
A single-layer cloth face covering also reduced the droplet spread caused by speaking, coughing and sneezing but was not as good as a two-layered cloth mask or surgical mask.
We compared using no mask with two different types of cloth masks made from DIY templates provided online and a three-layered surgical mask.(Supplied)
We do not know how this translates to infection risk, which will depend on how many asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic infected people are around.
However, it shows a single layer is not as good a barrier as a double layer.
What does this mean?
With mandated mask use in Greater Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire, we may face shortages of surgical masks.
We did not test more than two layers, but generally, more layers are better.
For example, a 12-layered cloth mask is about as protective as a surgical mask, and reduces infection risk by 67 per cent.
We acknowledge it’s difficult to sew together 12 layers of fabric. But there are steps you can take to make cloth masks more effective. You can:
increase the number of layers (at least three layers)
use a water-resistant fabric for the outer layer
choose fabric with a high thread count (so a tighter weave, for instance from a good quality sheet is generally better than a fabric with a looser weave that you can clearly see light through)
hybrid fabrics such as cotton–silk, cotton–chiffon, or cotton–flannel may be good choices because they provide better filtration and are more comfortable to wear
make sure your mask fits and seals well around your face
wash your mask daily after using it.
To keep the COVID-19 outbreak under control we need to keep growth factor below 1.0
Australia’s current growth factor is1.04Jun 12Jul 26
Average 395 cases per day for the past 7 daysHIGHEST1.28 Mar 18thLOWEST0.87 Apr 14thFIND OUT MORE →
The evidence is mounting
In practice, we don’t yet know which has a greater effect — wearing masks to prevent infected people spreading to others or protecting well people from inhaling infected aerosols. Probably both are equally important.
However, one hairdresser infected her household family members, as she did not wear a mask at home, and neither did her family.
This is reassuring evidence that infection risk is reduced when everyone wears masks.
C Raina MacIntyre is professor of global biosecurity, NHMRC Principal Research Fellow, Head, Biosecurity Program, Kirby Institute, UNSW. Abrar Ahmad Chughtai is an epidemiologist at UNSW. Charitha de Silva is a lecturer at UNSW. Con Doolan is professor, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, UNSW. Prateek Bahl is a PhD Candidate, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, UNSW. Shovon Bhattacharjee is a PhD Candidate, The Kirby Institute, UNSW. This article originally appeared on The Conversation. Several authors of this article have received research grants from Paftec, Sanofi and Seqirus, Department of Defence and Australian Research Council.
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