Deadly animals....

Deadly irukandji jellyfish stings girl, 5, at Fraser Island

* Mother of girl, 5, tells of terrifying ordeal on island
* "Went very floppy, very red and in absolute agony"
* Irukandji usually found hundreds of kilometres away


A FIVE-year-old girl has spent four days in intensive care after being stung by an irukandji jellyfish off Fraser Island, hundreds of kilometres south of the deadly stinger's home waters in north Queensland.

Brisbane mum Julie Margaglione said her daughter Haley was swimming off the western side of Fraser Island a fortnight ago when the irukandji stung her on the arm.

In massive pain, she curled up on the beach as her desperate mum tried to get help.

Nearby campers covered the sting in ice as Ms Margaglione called the ambulance.

Airlifted to Hervey Bay hospital, her condition worsened and she was flown to Brisbane's Mater Children's Hospital where she spent another three days in intensive care.

Mrs Margaglione said her daughter had been in "absolute agony" on the beach near Moon Point.

"She immediately said, 'My body hurts, my body hurts' and she went into convulsions and into the fetal position on the beach," Ms Margaglione said.

"Then she said, 'I can't breathe'. She went very floppy, very red and in absolute agony."

While Haley was now back home, with the Easter school holidays approaching, Ms Margaglione said she wanted parents to know the risks before they let their children into the water.

"Everyone has said to me, 'I didn't think they were down here this far'," Ms Margaglione said. "I don't want mums to go on holiday and not know.

"We were given all this literature, but it was about dingoes and crocs but nothing about jellyfish.

"Everybody seems to think these things are in Cairns - they are not."

Anthony Richardson, associate professor at the University of Queensland and a CSIRO researcher, said irukandji were found in Hervey Bay, but in much smaller numbers than further north.

Like other species, though, they could be headed further south as the sea waters warmed up.

Prof Richardson is trying to find funding for an irukandji alert system that would predict where and when irukandji were likely to be found and alert tourist operators, fishermen and beachgoers.

He said researchers had approached the tourism and fishing industry for financial backing.

CLICK to read more.

Beautiful doesn't mean safe....

The Letter "Q" and some other stuff ;)

We still have a couple "P" topics to finish, so be prepared to talk about PAINTERS and POLITICAL SYSTEM, please. You will find links in last week's post.



Our new topics will include:

1. The Queen of England (so as you see we are still staying in the realm of governing the country and the division of power)

and

2. Queensland
Have a look at this video. This is just the first random result I got from YouTube, I wasn't searching for it intentionally. And still it just makes you want to pack your things right away and head there ;-)



Queensland is sometimes referred to as the most beautiful state in Australia. And yet they feel the need to address advertisements to prospective tourists. In 2009 they launched the "Best Job in the World" action. Find out what it was all about.

Ben Southall wins the job:




We will also spend some time talking about Gold Coast and Surfers Paradise.

Get some ideas from this video :-)


However, beautiful as it is, Queensland has suffered quite a rough time recently. What is the weather like there at the moment?


*

RECIPES


*

'Humans killed off Australia's giant beasts'

A very interesting article on BBC today:

Scientists have linked a dramatic decrease in spores found in herbivore dung to the arrival of humans in Australia 41,000 years ago.

Click to READ MORE

The Letter "P

1. Perth is my favourite city in Oz so please make sure you are prepared for some pretty tricky questions ;-)



2. painters























Focus mostly on the body of work of Sidney Nolan.
(hint: think of one of the topics we covered in our last class)


3 pearling industry (Broome, WA)


















(click the picture to learn more about the ugly face of this industry in the past)

4. poetry

5. political system

























6. Poles in Australia"

*

The Letter "O"

The bulk of our time will have to be devoted to famous OUTLAWS. Australia sports names of many brave men who chose to stand against their opressors, but the two which are the most important, and have become part of Aussie culture and mentality, are Ned Kelly and Ben Hall.


More reading on these two characters from my most beloved website (click on the pictures)

































Since bushrangers chose OUTBACK as their real home, we'll have a closer look at just how it is portrayed in modern culture.

I have already introduced you to the acclaimed documentary Not Quite Hollywood. Among films which are discussed there, are such golden nuggets of Aussie cinema as Razorback and The Long Weekend. While they are in no means of any (or almost any) artistic merit, they offer a surprisingly insightful description of "the red centre."



































If we have time, we'll celebrate Australian OSCAR winners and nominees.

*

p.s.

The Letter "N"

1. New South Wales
2. Northern Territory
3. national parks

* Kakadu National Park (visitor guide .pdf) - a fantastic, colourful guide to the park. No questions on it, but you may want to scan it for your own enjoyment if you have some free time ;-)


Kakadu National Park - Introduction with Jacob Nayinggul from Parks Australia on Vimeo.



Kakadu National Park – Guluyambi river cruise from Parks Australia on Vimeo.



Kakadu National Park – Culture Camp from Parks Australia on Vimeo.



* Uluru National Park - go on a virtual tour round the monolith by clicking here


Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park – Welcome from Anangu from Parks Australia on Vimeo.



Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park – About Tjukurpa from Parks Australia on Vimeo.



Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park – Working together from Parks Australia on Vimeo.



Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park – We do not climb from Parks Australia on Vimeo.


4. Nobel Laureates
5. national holidays


*

The letter "M" - postscript: MUSIC

Here is a list of "cult" Australian songs you may be familiar with and never knew they were actually Aussie.


1. Kylie Minogue - Locomotion
2. INXS - Suicide Blonde
3. Crowded House - Don't Dream It's Over
4. Men At Work - Down Under
5. Powderfinger - These Days
6. MGF - Unsent Letter (documentary 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
7. Nick Cave - Weeping Song , Into My Arms
8. Midnight Juggernauts - Into the Galaxy
9. AC/DC - Back in Black, Thunderstruck

10.

Catching up on last week's topic

LANGUAGE

So surely you know English, right? And you've been exposed to Aussie accent long enough to understand everything, correct?

Let's check ;-)



1. Start off with this clip. It's a simple conversation between two lovable critters, somewhere in the outback. If you can - make a list of uniquely Aussie words and phrases that you can hear in this clip.


Then have a look here, and see if you can find their meanings.

CLICK ME

2. English is not the only language which is spoken in Oz. Variety of languages are used in Australia - look them all up here.


3. The language reflects the temperament and personality of the people who use it. A short guide to Aussie Slang this way.


4. Finally read this text on Language and Identity. It's trully brilliant. (click the picture)





























For real nerds: language forum discussion on Australian accents and their distribution (it's interesting because there are contributions from Australians of different age, education and background).

Australian voices

AQI - Blue



*
REGIONAL ACCENTS

AUSTRALIAN WORD MAP