FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[57Johnnie]

   With all that's going on Down Under has anyone heard anything from Oz?

I heard from him a couple of days ago. Australia is very dry with lots of brush that hasn't been cut down. Lots of fires there especially the SE part. He and his family were OK at least so far.

Thanks, 57, yes, all is ok with us. We're actually in State College, Pennsylvania at the moment dropping off #1 who is doing a month exchange at Penn State and then staying in NYC for the summer.  Mrs Oz and the other two Ozletts head up to Rapids to visit my folks for a while while I return to the grind stone.

The fires are pretty bad but I can't help but look at them with a wry smile (ignoring, for the moment those under threat). Western Australia hasn't had a major bushfire since 1961 when they had a big one. They've done controlled burning every year since and kept their very dry state blaze free. The eastern states don't follow the same danger management of the under brush and we've have one major blaze after another. I posted her seven or eight years ago when we had a major blaze near melbourne and over 200 people died in the fires. The govt screams "never again!" and vows to better manage the undergrowth and yet here we are again.

Anyways, onwards and upwards.

It has been immoral, illegal and/or politically incorrect to cut down a tree in California for many years.
Nuff said.

[art76]

It has been immoral, illegal and/or politically incorrect to cut down a tree in California for many years.
Nuff said.

57 - so where does all the dry stuff come from that burns? Is it all just "natural" dead fall that no body uses for firewood?

[art76]

Thanks, 57, yes, all is ok with us. We're actually in State College, Pennsylvania at the moment dropping off #1 who is doing a month exchange at Penn State and then staying in NYC for the summer.  Mrs Oz and the other two Ozletts head up to Rapids to visit my folks for a while while I return to the grind stone.

The fires are pretty bad but I can't help but look at them with a wry smile (ignoring, for the moment those under threat). Western Australia hasn't had a major bushfire since 1961 when they had a big one. They've done controlled burning every year since and kept their very dry state blaze free. The eastern states don't follow the same danger management of the under brush and we've have one major blaze after another. I posted her seven or eight years ago when we had a major blaze near melbourne and over 200 people died in the fires. The govt screams "never again!" and vows to better manage the undergrowth and yet here we are again.

Anyways, onwards and upwards.

Hope you're enjoying the wintery weather - ha! Glad to hear you and yours are fine with all the fires.

[OzJohnnie]

A semester exchange, not a month.

I don't know about Cali, but Oz underbrush is too thick to walk through. It gets dried out and poof.

They arrested a 79-year-old man a day or two ago for starting a fire outside Melbourne.  I would have thought that your fire bug tendencies would have been all burned out by that age.

[OzJohnnie]

Hope you're enjoying the wintery weather - ha! Glad to hear you and yours are fine with all the fires.

Thanks, art. Yeah, all good. We've had a couple days so far that are below freezing. Oh, the wailing.  Wait until they get up north to Grand Rapids. I'm already smiling as I think about the wailing then.

[MiacMan]

   With all that's going on Down Under has anyone heard anything from Oz?

I heard from him a couple of days ago. Australia is very dry with lots of brush that hasn't been cut down. Lots of fires there especially the SE part. He and his family were OK at least so far.

Thanks, 57, yes, all is ok with us. We're actually in State College, Pennsylvania at the moment dropping off #1 who is doing a month exchange at Penn State and then staying in NYC for the summer.  Mrs Oz and the other two Ozletts head up to Rapids to visit my folks for a while while I return to the grind stone.

The fires are pretty bad but I can't help but look at them with a wry smile (ignoring, for the moment those under threat). Western Australia hasn't had a major bushfire since 1961 when they had a big one. They've done controlled burning every year since and kept their very dry state blaze free. The eastern states don't follow the same danger management of the under brush and we've have one major blaze after another. I posted her seven or eight years ago when we had a major blaze near melbourne and over 200 people died in the fires. The govt screams "never again!" and vows to better manage the undergrowth and yet here we are again.

Anyways, onwards and upwards.

Guess my head has been in the sand (with the ostriches, pun intended). I was wondering what was meant by Russell Crow's prepared statement when he won a Golden Globe award and couldn't make it because he was protecting his family from the fires down under. As part of making the point of why he wasn't there, he also wanted to emphasize that these fires are a direct result of "global warming".  I could see Ricky Gervais just shaking his head. OZ, happy to hear you and your family are alright!

[formerd3db]

Hope you're enjoying the wintery weather - ha! Glad to hear you and yours are fine with all the fires.

Thanks, art. Yeah, all good. We've had a couple days so far that are below freezing. Oh, the wailing.  Wait until they get up north to Grand Rapids. I'm already smiling as I think about the wailing then.

OzJ, glad to hear all is well. I also wondered about how you and family were with regard to those horrendous fires going on.  If your family is here now, they might hit it at just the right time.  Grand Rapids/Holland/Muskegon had a heavy snow last week for two days (actually an overnight).  Most of that has melted by now with some milder temps, however, it started getting colder yesterday and some lake effect flurries have started today.  The weather people are reporting that more snow enough for a shoveling is scheduled for this weekend.  Anyway, hope they have a good visit and safe travel.

[GoldandBlueBU]

Hope you're enjoying the wintery weather - ha! Glad to hear you and yours are fine with all the fires.

Thanks, art. Yeah, all good. We've had a couple days so far that are below freezing. Oh, the wailing.  Wait until they get up north to Grand Rapids. I'm already smiling as I think about the wailing then.

OzJ, glad to hear all is well. I also wondered about how you and family were with regard to those horrendous fires going on.  If your family is here now, they might hit it at just the right time.  Grand Rapids/Holland/Muskegon had a heavy snow last week for two days (actually an overnight).  Most of that has melted by now with some milder temps, however, it started getting colder yesterday and some lake effect flurries have started today.  The weather people are reporting that more snow enough for a shoveling is scheduled for this weekend.  Anyway, hope they have a good visit and safe travel.

Oz is from the good Grand Rapids, the one in MN.   

[Mr.MIAC]

So all federal workers here in DC were just sent home due to a snow emergency. It's in the mid-thirties with moderate snow; tomorrow it all will have melted. I don't understand this town sometimes.

[repete]

1 p.m. temp on K St. ... 46F. Streets are wet and so are the pants of local drivers.

[MUC57]

Oz

I, along with all the others, am glad you, Mrs. Oz  and the Ozlets are all well. The pictures on the TV news are really scary.
Guess it doesn't matter how the fires started. The bottom line is loss of a lot of trees, property destruction and people and animals killed.
Glad to see various countries are sending people and aid to fight the battle.
Best wishes to you and the family as you "tour" the USA.
Travel safely and how about an early Go Johnnies! 🇦🇺 🇺🇸 🍺 ⛄️ 🚓

[formerd3db]

Hope you're enjoying the wintery weather - ha! Glad to hear you and yours are fine with all the fires.

Thanks, art. Yeah, all good. We've had a couple days so far that are below freezing. Oh, the wailing.  Wait until they get up north to Grand Rapids. I'm already smiling as I think about the wailing then.

OzJ, glad to hear all is well. I also wondered about how you and family were with regard to those horrendous fires going on.  If your family is here now, they might hit it at just the right time.  Grand Rapids/Holland/Muskegon had a heavy snow last week for two days (actually an overnight).  Most of that has melted by now with some milder temps, however, it started getting colder yesterday and some lake effect flurries have started today.  The weather people are reporting that more snow enough for a shoveling is scheduled for this weekend.  Anyway, hope they have a good visit and safe travel.

Oz is from the good Grand Rapids, the one in MN.   

That's okay. There is only one "real" Grand Rapids and it's over here!  Just kidding!  I thought he was from over this way, but being a Johnnie, I should have figured he was from MN.  Regardless, the weather report is the same as what we get/are getting here is coming from MN.  Anyway, the best wishes for safe travel and a good visit "back home" remain the same.

[formerd3db]

I'm sure most of you will be watching the CFP FBS National Championship game next week.  However, will any of you be taking in the upcoming FCS National Championship?  James Madison gets a chance to add another national football title, however, it will likely be tough against the multi-champion North Dakota State. 

These two more playoff games are left aside from the usual college all-star games before I get the "football withdrawal symptoms. " 

[Pat Coleman]

I'm far more likely to watch the FCS title game.

[formerd3db]

I'm with you on that one, Pat.