Thursday, January 20, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Shane Watson returns to home town of Ipswich to help lift locals' spirits
SHANE Watson has revealed plans to finish his career as an opener as Australian cricket's golden boy returned to home town Ipswich yesterday to apply his Midas touch to the flood-ravaged community.
Putting an end to debate over his long-term role in the Australian set-up, Watson scuppered suggestions of a shift down the order after blasting a majestic 161 not out to sink the Poms in the one-day series opener at the MCG on Sunday night.
Less than 14 hours after his 150-ball masterpiece, Watson arrived in Ipswich, reaching out to his people as he surveyed the wreckage of Queensland's worst natural disaster in 37 years.
Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale said Watson's presence underlined the region's solidarity and the 29-year-old is determined to be the backbone of Australia's top order for as long as he wears the baggy green.
"Absolutely, I love being an opener," said Watson, who made a guest appearance at Bunnings in Booval yesterday to sign autographs for locals.
"It's such a great challenge, whether it's day one when it's swinging and seaming with the bowlers nice and fresh, or day three when you can take them down. I want to stay there for good. It's the challenge I want."
Watson began his Test career in the middle order but the blond all-rounder has emerged as one of Australian cricket's finest openers.
Since being elevated to the apex of the order against England in July 2009, Watson has hammered 1696 Test runs from 36 innings at the world-class average of 49.88.
But his one-day pyrotechnics show on Sunday night is evidence of how much more he can offer in the Test arena. "It's one big score, it's nice to do it but I don't think it will put an end to it [criticism of his struggle to convert starts into huge Test scores]," said Watson, who failed to score a century during the Ashes despite getting a start in nine of his 10 innings.
"I will have to do it consistently over a period of time to know that I'm doing the right things mentally and technically. It's a nice step but I have to do it consistently."
Watson toured parts of Ipswich with Pisasale yesterday and paid tribute to the toughness of the locals.
"It's humbling. All I wanted to do growing up was emulate someone like Allan Langer, who was playing for the Broncos, and also Craig McDermott [former Test bowler], who'd been through the same system I'd been through," Watson said.
"Ipswich people are tough people. There's no doubt it is a hard time but I know everyone will come together to help out.
"I've been very lucky to grow up in Ipswich and get the grounding in life and cricket. They are a resilient society so it's nice to be able to help the people."
See source article by daily telegraph
Images by Getty
Monday, January 17, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Queensland Flood Image Stream
See above for a series of Images of the Queensland flood of Janaury 2011.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Ipswich: submerged but surviving
Ipswich breathed a sigh of relief as the Bremer River peaked below expected levels however a third of the Queensland city is under water.
The peak came just after 4pm yesterday and floodwaters appear to have declined, leaving a mass of debris behind.
Authorities say the peak came in at 19.5m, which was slightly below the 1974 level, and well under the original peak prediction of 22m. The lower than expected flooding meant that at least a further 1000 properties were spared the same fate as the already 3000 houses that currently sit under water.
By late yesterday afternoon, more than 1100 people had registered at evacuation centres throughout the city and authorities were expecting a surge of people to register last night.
Ipswich Mayor, Cr Paul Pisasale advised that 43 streets had been closed due to the flooding, with many of them under more than 6 feet of water.
After days of torrential rain, yesterday dawned with a blue sky, a sign of hope.
Read the rest of the story at Metro Hotels News
The peak came just after 4pm yesterday and floodwaters appear to have declined, leaving a mass of debris behind.
Authorities say the peak came in at 19.5m, which was slightly below the 1974 level, and well under the original peak prediction of 22m. The lower than expected flooding meant that at least a further 1000 properties were spared the same fate as the already 3000 houses that currently sit under water.
By late yesterday afternoon, more than 1100 people had registered at evacuation centres throughout the city and authorities were expecting a surge of people to register last night.
Ipswich Mayor, Cr Paul Pisasale advised that 43 streets had been closed due to the flooding, with many of them under more than 6 feet of water.
After days of torrential rain, yesterday dawned with a blue sky, a sign of hope.
Read the rest of the story at Metro Hotels News
California scraps Jamie Oliver, turns attention to Queensland Flood Stricken Ipswich
JAMIE Oliver has selected the flood-hit Queensland town of Ipswich for Australia's first Ministry of Food program, which hopes to combat obesity by helping locals cook simple and nutritional food but his attempts to change eating habits in the home of showbusiness have suffered a setback.
Education officials in Los Angeles have rejected an opportunity to have the chef make a television series about the city's school dinners.
In a blow to Oliver, they said they preferred working with "nutrition experts".
Advertisement: Story continues below The snub came as Oliver prepared to move his young family to Los Angeles, where he plans to make the second series of his US program, Food Revolution.
Officials from the city's Unified School District also suggested that their counterparts in West Virginia, where Oliver filmed the first series, had not recommended taking part.
In a letter to Oliver's producers, Melissa Infusino, the district's director of partnerships, said the aims of the program were "in perfect alignment" with their own. But she added: "We believe our work with nutrition experts, health advocates, the community, schools and students is the most effective strategy for our continued success."
She said budgetary and time constraints meant that participation in the series would "prevent us from committing 100 per cent of our efforts to our students".
Oliver's first American series, which was broadcast by ABC, focused on Huntington, West Virginia, the city with the highest obesity rate in the US. It won good viewing figures and an Emmy award but also received sharp criticism. A Washington Post review said it "regurgitated the worst of reality-TV pap".
Its critic said Oliver, "a foreigner with meticulously rumpled hair", was "afflicted with the kind of warm-hearted caring that requires the constant presence of a TV crew".
Oliver also angered locals who discovered he had criticised them in the British press. A city spokesman later played down his efforts, saying: "There was already a movement to make Huntington healthier."
Infusino reportedly said that when her colleagues called school officials in West Virginia to discuss the experience of taking part in Oliver's show, they were told: "No comment."
A spokesman for Oliver said the governor of West Virginia and the principal of the school the chef worked in had been "hugely positive" about the series. He said Oliver hoped "parent power" and the arrival of Jerry Brown, the new Democratic governor of California, would persuade the school authority to change its mind. "This is a small setback but we think the door may still be open."
See SMH article Source
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
latest flood images taken on the streets of Ipswich
See above slideshow for images of the streets of Ipswich, QLD as at Janaury 12th, 2011.
latest Flood information - Queensland Reports Ipswich Flood News
For all the latest information about the Queensland Flood crisis as issued by the Queensland Police click HERE
Here is the latest:
Speaker: Assistant Commissioner Peter Martin - Brisbane Update
*Brisbane River should be at high tide at 2:16pm this afternoon, and 3:29am tomorrow morning
* Public safety paramount at this stage
*Evacuation centers are being opened.
-RNA Showgrounds - 182 are currently residing
- QE2 Stadium - Currently being resourced and set up
Monday, January 10, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
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