Police stand guard outside an apartment block in Bondi Junction in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Last night/this morning.

Two Australian apartment blocks have been placed under strict lockdown with residents barred from leaving.

Via The Guardian:

An apartment building in Bondi Junction in Sydney’s east remains under police guard after eight cases of Covid were detected across five of the 29 apartments, while residents of an apartment building in Maribyrnong in Melbourne’s north-western suburbs have been ordered to isolate after a removalist with Covid worked there last week.

Two apartment blocks in hard lockdown in Sydney and Melbourne to contain Covid outbreak (The Guardian)

EPA

HAVVK – Automatic

Calling fans of ’90s grunge – alt.rock ensemble HAVVK evoke happy memories of Nirvana and Hole with their new single, taken from their album Levelling, due September 17.

Props to Adam Cleaver and James Byrne too for the expertly shot cinematic video starring Hannah Collins.

Singer and bassist Julie Hough (top) says:

“Automatic is about cherishing childhood friendships and the way that they evolve. It’s about snapshots that will always be imprinted in our minds – for me it’s hours talking on the landline, swapping clothes, burning CDs, mitching school or going to gigs for the first time.

“It’s about the fuzzy feeling of nostalgia when you slip back into a conversation with an old friend as if you saw each other yesterday. But it’s also about being afraid to lose that feeling; being anxious that those memories might burn away and having to be open to growing together even as your paths change.”

Nick says: Automatic: for the people.

HAVVK

This morning.

“Compliance is something that we all have to buy into. Government has to create a framework that’s sensible in terms of a compliance framework and compliance officers working with industry ensure that this is done in a compliant way.”

Taoiseach Micheál Martin this morning.

Taoiseach says public must ‘buy into’ hospitality rules (RTÉ)

Meanwhile…

This morning.

Behold: Messier 27, aka, the Dumbbell Nebula – a possible teaser for the ultimate fate of our own dear Sol. To wit:

The first hint of our Sun‘s future was discovered inadvertently in 1764. At that time, Charles Messier was compiling a list of diffuse objects not to be confused with comets. The 27th object on Messier’s list, now known as M27 or the Dumbbell Nebula, is a planetary nebula, one of the brightest planetary nebulae on the sky — and visible toward the constellation of the Fox (Vulpecula) with binoculars. It takes light about 1000 years to reach us from M27, featured here in colors emitted by hydrogen and oxygen. We now know that in about 6 billion years, our Sun will shed its outer gases into a planetary nebula like M27, while its remaining center will become an X-ray hot white dwarf star. Understanding the physics and significance of M27 was well beyond 18th century science, though. Even today, many things remain mysterious about planetary nebulas, including how their intricate shapes are created.

(Image: Bray Falls & Keith Quattrocchi)

apod

Texas statehouse Democrats flew out of the state to block Republicans from passing new voter ID laws

In Texas the Democrats said
That all their lawmakers have fled
They’re not cowards, they note
They’re protecting the vote
So the GOP’s plans are now dead

John Moynes

AP

A 2019 Sundance Best Animation winning short by Renee Zhan in which:

Three Renees go on a quest to find God, who is also Renee. As they traverse the mountains and valleys of Renee, they discover all the great joys, sorrows, and mysteries of being Renee.

shortoftheweek

This afternoon.

Leinster House, Dublin 2.

Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane announces his party’s intention to bring a motion before the Dáil tomorrow calling on the Government to begin a public inquiry into nursing home neglect and deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Earlier: Dr Marcus de Brun: Everybody’s Got One

Previously: Nursing Home Timeline

Leah Farrell/RollingNews

Broadsheet.ie