MetaFilter posts tagged with Sydney

Homelessness in Sydney

bystander — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:38:04 -0800

"I always had this picture in my head a homeless person is they're got torn dirty clothes, they're not shaven, they're, they're sort of sitting in the corner you know waiting for a handout and that was my and to think that - I'm not in that category - but I don't have a home for my family."
A report from Australia's Four Corners documentary TV show looking into homeless families in Western Sydney. Link has video and a transcript, plus background info.

Life on Mars

togdon — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:20:21 -0800

Amazing photos of the currently raging Sydney dust storm.

Putting a 14-year-old in a "lie detector" - what did you expect would happen?

divabat — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 02:54:17 -0800

Sydney radio station 2dayFM earned the ire and backlash of the Australian public - rape counsellors, Australian media, and Community Services ministers - after an on-air stunt by morning crew Kyle and Jackie O went horribly wrong. During their regular "lie detector" segment, a 14-year-old girl was interrogated by the hosts and her mother over her sexual history, against her will, and revealed that she had been raped at 12 on air (warning: possibly triggering audio clip embedded in news article). The hosts immediately offered to pay for counselling services, but questions such as "And did you have any other experiences?" led to widespread on Twitter, calls for sackings and shutdowns, and a major PR crisis for radio group Austereo. While the station and its hosts have released an official statement and Kyle Sandilands has stated he was "stunned" by the revelation, authorities are now seeking out the girl's mother for investigation. This is not the first time Kyle and Jackie O (mostly Kyle) have courted controversy.

Lobster & Truffles and Pasta, Oh My!

Man_in_staysis — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:12:37 -0800

A funny thing happened to me on the way to the Balasmic vinegar warehouse "Watch me turn balsamic vinegar and borderline road rage into Truffles." How one guy accidently made the best ever wedding anniversary meal.

Tilt-shift video fun!

UbuRoivas — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 17:06:02 -0800

Tilt-shift video fun! Timelapse video of the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras by Keith Loutit. [previously]

Matchbox Project

Fiasco da Gama — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:50:52 -0800

Each week, a decorated matchbox with a tiny present hidden inside is left by a girl (and sometimes willing friends) somewhere in her travels.

Bondi Jitterbug

lottie — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 20:45:57 -0800

1930's Bondi Beach fun "Bondi resident George Caddy was best known for his success as a jitterbug dancer. But it's these posthumously discovered photographs of 1930s 'Beachobatics' that's got Alan Davies from the State Library of NSW jumping for joy." So much vintage elegance. For some reason the beach seems more fun back then. The swimwear was certainly better.

HMAS Sydney and Kormeran found

mattoxic — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 15:59:32 -0800

Sailing from Sumatra back to Fremantle in November 1941, the Australian cruiser HMAS Sydney encountered a Dutch freighter off the West Australian coast. The freighter turned out to be the disguised German mercantile raider Kormoran. After an ensuing fight, the Sydney went down with all hands, the reasons for which have been debated ever since. First the Kormoran, then over night the Sydney have been found by research organisation, Finding Sydney Foundation.

I want to sit in a hole and drink chardonnay while reading a book - thanks very much.

strawberryviagra — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 22:47:19 -0800

Sydney-Filter. Why does Sydney suck so much (particularly when compared to Melbourne)? The Australian Hotels Association labelled Melbourne "a land of skivvy-wearing, chardonnay-drinking book readers" and said Sydneysiders are fit outdoorsy types that don't like to sit in a hole in the wall. Clover thinks otherwise, and now you can join her. The Australian Hotels Association got a reprieve today - as you would expect, and the bill of the independent MP Clover Moore to allow cheaper liquor licences for small bars may have to wait until next month. Get to it.

15 000 miles to go. By bus.

brautigan — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 03:42:02 -0800

The first OzBus left London last night. A latter day Magic Bus, the new service will cover 15 000 miles in 12 weeks and cross 20 countries before reaching it's destination. Follow one pasenger's journey here.

"We're here! We're queer! We welcome koala bears!"

UbuRoivas — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 23:12:23 -0800

Happy Mardi Gras! Originally a serious protest march, the annual Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, to be held this Saturday, is now a riotously festive celebration of queer pride & probably Sydney's largest & most fabulous party all year. For the first time, this year the event will also be streamed across the web, for all those who cannot come down under.

Remember to hold on to your baby stroller

Blazecock Pileon — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 06:05:26 -0800

Free hugs in New York City inspire free hugs in Sydney inspire free hugs in Philadelphia (Warning: Two YouTube links).

Anywhere is walking distance, if you've got the time.

tellurian — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 22:52:42 -0800

Alan Waddell intends to walk every street in every suburb in Sydney. He has completed 192 suburbs so far. He is 91.

Petrol prices hurting your wallet? Try stealing it instead!

sjvilla79 — Mon, 19 Sep 2005 07:15:08 -0800

Petrol prices hurting your wallet? Try stealing it instead! A Sydney man has been accused of siphoning 1,000 litres (265 gallons) of fuel from a service station into a large home-made tank in his van. Police allege the 36-year-old man used a Toyota Town Ace van to take petrol from a service station's underground tanks. Another 44,000 litres of fuel (or there about) is yet to be accounted for though.

Police allegedly found fittings and equipment inside the van that could be used to steal petrol from service stations, including a home made tank.

Hard times huh? Sorry there's no photo to go with this. The guy's van is an awesome sight though. Best I've got is streaming video via ABC News (Windows HQ or LQ).

sydney opera house virtual tour

crunchland — Wed, 01 Oct 2003 20:13:13 -0800

Inside the House : A virtual tour of the Sydney Opera House. [Note: Flash]

Babies against war

dg — Wed, 26 Mar 2003 17:30:41 -0800

In anti-war protests in Australia yesterday, children as young as 12 were shown on TV coverage participating not only in protests, but in the violence that followed when the protesters attacked police. There has, in the past, been condemnation of those who bring their children along to protests, but this is the first time I have seen large numbers of children protesting on their own behalf - most of whom would have been truant from school and, judging by the way many hid from cameras, without the permission of their parents. Should we take them seriously, or are they too young to really understand what it is they are protesting against? [more inside]

rschram — Sun, 30 Dec 2001 18:38:06 -0800

"Acts of bastardry" are still going around Sydney.
Bad conditions help along the Christmas bushfires started by lightning and mad, wicked behaviour. (I certainly know what it's like.) But why did the fires spread so quickly? Didn't something like this happen in 1997? Is it very dry in southern Australia, or is it El Nino?!

joeclark — Tue, 17 Jul 2001 08:00:55 -0800

Gay Games VI Under the Gun “What has sparked the concern is a three-page E-mail from the executive committee of the Federation of Gay Games two weeks ago that raised the possibility of the 2002 Games being moved or forfeited. The executive committee of the Federation will visit Sydney from July 21–28 for a status report that will be critical. [...] Also, he said a comparison of Sydney's budget to Amsterdam and New York is flawed, because using the exchange rate doesn't matter. ‘We're not buying any of our goods and service in the US.... $11 million Australian is still $11 million Australian.’ ”

holgate — Thu, 28 Jun 2001 17:56:01 -0800

"The Olympics isn't so much a sporting event as it is an unfolding drama." Not content with denying American viewers the chance to watch the Sydney games in real time during the infomercial hours, NBC now plans to show events from Salt Lake City on a tape delay to viewers on the west coast, in order to reach a prime-time audience. A sign that they're more interested in the ad revenue (or in shaping the Games to their own melodramatic style guide) than in being a broadcaster of record?

murray_kester — Sat, 31 Mar 2001 05:04:24 -0800

Just two months after the Sydney teenager Jessica Michalik was crushed to death in the mosh pit at a Limp Bizkit concert, the American rock/rap band is promoting an Internet game in which concert-goers try to avoid a violent death. More

rschram — Mon, 19 Mar 2001 09:08:39 -0800

PNGDF soliders take arms, hold Port Moresby barracks
PM Morauta in hiding
The Defence Force is protesting pay and planned downsizing of the military. The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that the takeover was sparked by rumors of an Australian seizure of the Moresby barracks. As of yesterday, more troops have joined the takeover
There are unconfirmed reports that the soldiers would stage a protest march on the Parliament building. The Parliament is not currently in session.

endorwitch — Wed, 31 Jan 2001 08:14:02 -0800

15 year old girl who had a heart attack last Friday at Sydneys Big Day Out during Limp Bizkit's set died yesterday afternoon. This was the original story I read about it, that said she was 18. It seems even worse knowing she was only 15 years old.

holgate — Sun, 01 Oct 2000 03:56:14 -0800

It's all over... And I can honestly say that watching this Olympics has shaken all the pre-Games cynicism out of my system. It's been wonderful to watch, looked wonderfully organised, and suffused with a sense of good spirit by its hosts... good on you, mates.

holgate — Fri, 15 Sep 2000 06:23:22 -0800

Spoilers! Spoilers! See, with the ceremony over, and 10 hours to go before the "official" coverage, NBC are still asking "Who will light the torch?" We know, idiots. Isn't this just a bit silly?

Tubes — Tue, 12 Sep 2000 13:09:21 -0800

51 condoms. 17 days. You do the math. Wow, someone would have to be in pretty good shape to... Oh...