Fuel Shortages in Darwin?

The Shell refinery in Singapore has been on fire since 28 September.

This refinery is supplying between one third and one half of the total in Singapore's refining capacity, and all of the NT fuel comes in as refined fuel by ship from Singapore.

What will be the situation in the NT?

Refineries do not get repaired quickly.

More here -http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/43324

and here - http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-29/shell-to-shut-singapore-refinery-after-extinguishing-worst-fire-since-1988.html

[ photo from news.com.au 29/9/11]

Boeing 787 Goes Commercial

While space junk comes down [ in the Pacific Ocean??], the Boeing 787 Dreamliner goes up and finally gets to be commercial, with September 26 the handover of the first commercial plane to All Nippon Airways of Japan.

Likely to be a short while before it is part of the day to day commercial fleet, however.

I have not checked, but would be sure there will be plenty of coverage online, including photos.

Remember......it is carbon fibre, NOT aluminium. A definite first for commercial large aircraft.

RUGBY - the Game THEY Play in Heaven

http://youtu.be/nW0Fp16XhZo



A great video clearly demonstrating the game of Rugby.

With the World Cup now playing in NZ, this has to be a must see video for those not fully aware of the nuances of the game.

a visually appealing presentation too.

Get Exercising

Source:LiveScience

As the commentariat said recently.........not exercising when older might mean being able to live longer, because of medical advances, but if you do not exercise, well........you might not be able to get out of the chair!! So it improves QUALITY of life.

So .........get to it!

A COOL Blast

It is mid September........and it should be warm to hot, even at night.

But we have a coooool blast at the present. No, not complaining at all........and I have no doubt that it will not last more than a few days. Then back to warm and humid weather. So lets enjoy it!

Temperature fell to just over 16C last night in Darwin. Thought it might be cold when it was already below 20C by about 11pm last night. Definitely was a cold one. And the relative humidity is very low this morning - around 20%.

Even colder last night out of town in the rural area where temperature dropped to 8.2C at Middle Point, the second coldest night EVER for there, and in September, which is a bit strange, as most cold nights are in the June - early August period. Strong winds and a total fire ban today, but it is warm and sunny. A wind chill factor of 7 degrees, giving an apparent temperature of only 17C now [ actual temperature is 24C]

The office is quite cool this morning, even with no fan running either.

Do not think it will last.....maybe one or two more nights below 20C, then back to the humidity. For the next 6 months!

Night Road Works

While common in larger cities, Darwin has seen more of this over recent times.

Partly due to a need for considerable renovation of roads after the very damp wet season of 2010-2011, and well, it is cooler to work at night too. Especially now, when day temperatures can reach 36C, while night temperatures are rising too, but are more pleasant at around 25C.

The effect can be a bit eerie - people all kitted out in bright refective vests, flashing lights and the odour of hot tar, a hint of steam rising from the asphalt too, and traffic moving slowly past the work.

Enjoy the photos........hope they convey some of odd imagery seen during night road works.

Photographed on Trower Road, Rapid Creek not far from our place. Available light using DSLR with ISO at 3200.

Chocolate is GOOD for YOU!

A recent finding, that is sure to delight many of us with a sweet tooth, claims that high levels of chocolate consumption may be associated with a 33% decrease in the risk of developing heart disease. The study, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), confirms existing studies which have explored the positive link between eating chocolate and heart health. While other factors are much more important for a healthy heart, such as exercise and proper dieting, this finding gives a nice reprieve to chocoholics.

Chocolate has great qualities other than a great taste which include antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It can reduce blood pressure and improve insulin. This may be one reason people enjoy chocolate when they are stressed out. It can actually make you feel better.

Previous studies had found the link between chocolate and heart health but the evidence backing it up remained unclear. Researchers from the University of Cambridge, led by Dr. Oscar Franco, set out to establish the link by carrying out a large-scale review of existing evidence.

Previous studies compared two groups of individuals, those with high and low chocolate consumption.

Five studies reported a link between chocolate and heart health. Individuals with the highest levels of chocolate consumption had a 37 percent decrease in cardiovascular disease and a 29 percent reduction in stroke. This is in comparison with individuals with the lowest level of chocolate consumption.

The type of chocolate was not taken into consideration for any of the studies. For example, dark and milk chocolate were not differentiated. Nor were chocolate bars, chocolate beverages, or chocolate desserts differentiated.

The authors of the study caution that people should not take this as free license to consume bucket loads of chocolate. It is extremely high in calories which could lead to weight gain and diabetes. If the fat and sugar content of commercially sold chocolate could be reduced, it would be safer. According to the findings of the study, this is an option that should be explored.

Link to published article: http://www.bmj.com/content/343/bmj.d4488