Idling away a few moments I went to the ABC website to see what was happening in Oz.
I wish I hadn't bothered. What a depressing list of stories. Here's a copy & paste of what I found:
Australia - Top Stories
Christmas rains prompt flood warning
Posted 3 hours 11 minutes ago Updated 2 hours 40 minutes ago
A severe weather warning has been issued for flash flooding in parts of New South Wales as widespread rain continues across the state.
Man dies in hospital after police shooting
Posted 4 hours 11 minutes ago
A man has died in hospital after being shot by police on the NSW central coast.
Fisherman hit by wave and killed
Posted 6 hours 58 minutes ago Updated 5 hours 51 minutes ago
A man has died after he was hit by a large wave and hit his head on rocks off Cape Schanck on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula.
Boy impaled on fence in bike accident
Posted 7 hours 44 minutes ago Updated 6 hours 52 minutes ago
A boy is undergoing surgery in Brisbane after he was impaled on a fence on Queensland's Darling Downs.
Pregnant woman hit by car
Posted 9 hours 47 minutes ago
A pregnant woman has been flown to hospital with serious injuries after being hit by a car on the New South Wales central coast.
Flood watch widened for NSW communities
Posted 11 hours 2 minutes ago Updated 10 hours 55 minutes ago
A severe weather warning has been extended to include Orange, Bathurst and Molong in central-west NSW.
Speedboat driver questioned over swimmer's death
Posted Fri Dec 25, 2009 11:20am AEDT Updated Fri Dec 25, 2009 11:35am AEDT
Police have interviewed a man they believe was operating a speedboat which struck and killed a swimmer in the Murray River yesterday.
Police badly hurt in massive brawl
Posted Fri Dec 25, 2009 10:08am AEDT Updated 11 hours 13 minutes ago
Two police officers have been injured, one seriously, in a brawl involving up to 80 people in Western Australia's north.
Rain douses fire threat in Victoria
Posted Fri Dec 25, 2009 10:03am AEDT Updated Fri Dec 25, 2009 11:16am AEDT
Good overnight rain has eased the fire threat in Victoria's East Gippsland region.
Man saves parents from burning bedroom
Posted Fri Dec 25, 2009 10:01am AEDT
A man has rescued his parents from their burning bedroom in Adelaide's northern suburbs early today.
The tip of the iceberg too. Not a good Christmas for so many people...
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6 comments:
So what? Out of a population of millions, of course there are going to be accidents and disasters affecting some, which the press will write about. No doubt very sad for the people concerned and those close to them. But such is life.
What would we do, I wonder, without the insightful, thoughtful, worldly-wise comments of Anons.
The Anon community just wondered what point, if any, you were trying to make? It seemed a rather depressing post from you for Christmas Day?
Anon@1.39, I wasn't trying to make any particular point. Blog posts don't always have to make a point do they? Mine certainly don't.
This was simply an observation of the depressing list of stories that hit me when I read the opening page of an Aussie news website.
Of course all this and more could be happening in Dubai or elsewhere in the UAE or any of the gulf states and you'd never read about it because of that wonderful free press they allow in that neck of the woods.
It's why I left never to return. I prefer freedom of expression to tax free wages.
Anon@8.57. It's not a competition to see who can run the most depressing stories, but your comment is completely wrong so it needs answering.
The media here isn't as free as in some other countries (although self-cencorship is the biggest problem) but that doesn't mean "all this and more could be happening in Dubai or elsewhere in the UAE or any of the gulf states and you'd never read about it"
Go to Gulf News' website and you'll find very similar stories to the ones I posted about, such as:
Woman found murdered in apartment
'Child rapist' in RAK police custody
High-voltage lines ‘pose threat to residents'
I couldn't have a look at him, says wife of Abu Dhabi road victim
Teenager drowns in school pool
Drug smugglers get life imprisonment
Dubai mosque rape-murder suspect to undergo psychiatric tests
Minors suffer from drug addiction
Worker kills himself in five-star hotel
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