The 18th Commonwealth Games are about to be opened by the HM the Queen of Australia, in Melbourne. Formerly the British Empire Games, from the days when much of the world was coloured pink, the Games may mean little , with few world class performers, and the usual list of questions and run of controversies, but there's nothing like circuses to keep the plebs entertained. At least Australia will thrash Sierra Leone in the althletics.
posted on Mar 15, 2006 - View this thread

In Warburton, a town not too far from Melbourne, Australia, there's allegedly something not quite right swimming around in a humble trout farmer's catchment. Is this Australia's Nessie? Some selected quotes from the linked articles.

A giant eel, believed to be around 13ft-long with a head the size of a football has been spotted at the trout farm at Warburton.

It is believed the eel washed into the farm's ponds during this month's record breaking storms.

"We hope to catch him alive and take him to the Melbourne Aquarium."

I reckon it's true. Might even go and throw a line in myself, hey. It's just a shame that there are no pictures or film evidence thus far. Oh, this is my first front page post on MeFi. Hello world!
posted on Apr 7, 2005 - View this thread

Arsonists try to burn down a mosque in Melbourne, Australia I was going to title this link 'Another terrorist attack', but I was concerned that would unduly alarm people: Deputy Victorian Police Commissioner Bill Kelly said police had no evidence to suggest the Doncaster attack was a response to the Bali bombing. "It's not being looked at as a retaliation attack, it's just being looked at as an arson attack on a building," he said. "But obviously given what has happened last Saturday that puts another dimension into the investigation to follow-up on to make sure it either is or isn't politically or religiously motivated." Terrorists or arsonists? I suppose it depends upon whether you're Muslim or not. Sounds like terrorism to me. But like us easy-going Aussies like to say: 'No worries. She'll be right, mate.' Damn them all.
posted on Oct 17, 2002 - View this thread

We only had you for the spare parts. A Melbourne couple have been given permission to have a genetically-modified IVF child to provide stem cells to cure their terminally ill daughter. Bad enough to grow up and discover you were an accident, or adopted, but to learn that you were engineered to supply your sibling with body parts? That kid's going to have low self-esteem.
posted on Apr 16, 2002 - View this thread

Here is an interesting account of S11 written by a journalist who went to protest on his day off. More inside...
posted on Oct 2, 2000 - View this thread

It's odd that people reacting against globalisation should try to stop the forum meeting in Melbourne this week. It is working to solve the problems they are protesting against, warns the Swiss intellectual who is founder and president of the World Economic Forum.
posted on Sep 10, 2000 - View this thread

So I was paging through the special section of Indymedia devoted to the upcoming Melbourne protests, and came across a page about Melbourne University. Apparently their Student Union voted to skip the S11 protest because they thought too many flat-out anarchists and professional agitators were trying to take charge. So someone posts on Indymedia that this is a case where "democracy was ineffective." What? You lose the vote so there must be something wrong with voting?
posted on Sep 2, 2000 - View this thread

The enemies of globalisation are readying to march on Melbourne. The irony, is that it's the Net that's bringing them together. Find out More
posted on Aug 30, 2000 - View this thread