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Post by questa on Feb 7, 2023 0:52:44 GMT
Yes, M. Kerouac, but do you know WHY gum got banned in S'pore?
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Post by questa on Feb 7, 2023 0:40:45 GMT
You could go back to a blanket and a smoky fire, I suppose.
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Post by questa on Feb 4, 2023 3:12:14 GMT
Oh Mark! If it were the start of a story the reader could think it unbelievable and contrived...but this is Super-traveller who leaps mighty air lines in a single bound. The Fates must be setting you up with a new adventure, mate. Have fun and don't forget to write!
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Post by questa on Jan 28, 2023 9:56:16 GMT
Lugg, am I correct in assuming there are no 3rd parties involved?
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Post by questa on Jan 28, 2023 7:12:34 GMT
YECCCH!
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Post by questa on Jan 27, 2023 9:33:27 GMT
It was the fearfulness of the British Imperial upper class twits which kept it going. They were afraid they would lose their 'class' if they had to deal with 'Orientals' on an equal basis. Then the lower white classes were worried that all the jobs would go to the cheaper Asians. By the time the Vietnam War ended for us in 72 Oz had realised that a) The twits had no class and b) The Chinese had the money.
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Post by questa on Jan 27, 2023 6:38:51 GMT
Huge crowds in all major cities and towns. the key to the demos is that what is Australia Day to the white guys is Invasion Day to the First People who have occupied the fragile continent harmoniously with Nature for 60,000 years.
So we have 2 biggies...Recognition of the ownership of the Land, of massacres and enslavement, by stealing the children from their families and many other actions that in today's eyes appear totally criminal.
The second factor is the environment with which the Indigenous people lived so gently. Most of today's marchers have spent much of their lives agitating for the World to wake up to what is happening to our World. Suddenly the ancient 'song lines' which tell of this time are making sense to all Australians
There is also a push for a Referendum to allow for the Constitution to be changed and a permanent First Nation Voice be added to the Parliament.
From what I saw on TV, the marches went off well. Over 70% want Jan 26th to be called Invasion day or First Peoples' Day and a day of reflection. Another day can be chosen to celebrate the good stuff.
BTW recent stat...57%...that's 5 - 7 - % of Australians were born overseas...and we are loving it. PM is going to announce new Public Holidays to stand with the oldies-Lunar NY (Chinese) Holi (Hindu)and Hanukkah (Jewish) ... more to come
Thank you Mick for remembering Jan26 as most are now calling it.
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Post by questa on Jan 27, 2023 5:19:59 GMT
bjd...I think a bit of "Istanbul-only" unrest is not a deterrent to travelling there. The more nervous of the tourists flee the place and the local tourist industry feels the pain. Prices drop, and good deals for hotels and tours/ cruises etc are everywhere. Also the people come up and thank you for not 'running away'.
Don't hang around if they are kidnapping tourists though!
Just keep yourself safe. Stay right away from any gathering even if controlled. Watch out for people carrying banners, mikes etc or in weird masks and costumes. Do not voice an opinion to anyone...the nice old lady in the coffee shop whom you have befriended may be a head honcho in the uprising. Dress so that you don't attract attention. Don't go to the best tourist restaurants and clubs or where tourists hang out. Do not carry a camera in places you don't want to be imprisoned in for many years. Even "Tank Man" was viewed from inside the hotel in Tiananmen Square.
I've been within earshot of bombs, bullets and mines during S E Asia's convulsions. Given the chance I'd be back in a flash (sorry!).
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Post by questa on Jan 26, 2023 4:16:00 GMT
I'd nominate Istanbul. Thousands of years of history under your feet and accessible easily. Most of the more fantastic sights close together near the hippodrome and cheaper hotels. Good food, Bosphorus cruises, clean. Politically dodgy so keep your eyes open and wits about you, the grand Market is a must...worth the risk. English is spoke...people is nice
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Post by questa on Jan 17, 2023 2:20:51 GMT
Has there been more hay fever around? Sometimes the symptoms you describe can be from a "post nasal drip" which follows any action that irritates the membranes. Can also cause the bunged up echoing pressure sounds. See your Doc for some simple meds.
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Post by questa on Jan 14, 2023 2:22:46 GMT
I don't mind the culling of the oligarchs, they were not an asset to the Russian people who have internationally acclaimed episodes of memory loss. No, I'm more interested in who will cull the cullers.
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Post by questa on Jan 14, 2023 2:11:09 GMT
I was always concerned by the emotive language we used when more positive expressions would have done. "Lock-down" carries overtones of punishment and incarcerations. Why not "Super Stay-home time." "Pandemic", while medically correct, is too much like "Panic" to be useful. The emergency call for urgent assistance from ships and aircraft is "Pan-Pan", also from the same source. The latter stops people thinking properly, make poor decisions, spread inaccurate rumours and a better term would be "Global Influenza Situation".
What other examples can we think of?
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Post by questa on Jan 12, 2023 11:24:31 GMT
37C...hot wind turned southerly and cold 6pm. Nice now.
Murray river has passed all the towns now and the surge will ease off as the water enters Lake Alexandrina. Already there is a thick dark plume of 'black water' entering the sea.
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Post by questa on Jan 11, 2023 11:04:41 GMT
Doona is the name of what I think is a duvet in UK...fluffy filling inside a bag-like cover to use as a blanket and hide unmade beds...no?
Often, in the cafe we would occasionally give a discount to Aussies. One night a quiet lad was about to leave with a group of UK rowdies. I wanted to alter his bill to get discount for him.
"AngabertMate" I said "Gottalilpressyfoyya" After he left, the guest near the door couldn't believe it was Australian...sort of!
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Post by questa on Jan 10, 2023 1:28:41 GMT
"No matter how great or high the throne What sits on it is the same as your own"
The Tarriers...folk group 60s
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Post by questa on Jan 10, 2023 0:20:16 GMT
Many years ago I had serious pain in the lower spine. After "Everything else" failed the Big hospital in the city booked me for spinal delivery of meds down a longish tube into the part damaged. Needed cameras, monitors etc so I watched as the tube moved up my spine. It must have come to a blocked part - a little push from Doc and the tube hit an un-anesthetised part of my spinal canal, and straight through the nerve cord.
I saw stars and my body leapt, still as stiff as a board, and kicked the sterile trolley sending $$$ worth of equipment scattering across the floor. My first thought was "paraplegic" then as I became compis mentis saw the Doc was in a bad state too. Seems I kicked him a bruising blow.
I didn't finish the course of injections...it kinda got better itself...
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Post by questa on Jan 9, 2023 23:40:14 GMT
I have a gut feeling that it is the Rhythm of spoken words that alters the spelling and use of them. Australians have developed the habit of abbreviating words and names to 2 syllables, or if already single, adding to it. eg David, Dave, Davo. Vegetables, veg, vegies.
It is not laziness nor poor schooling but the fact that English when spoken, usually stresses the 1st syllable of a word but uses the 2nd syllable to maintain the spoken rhythm.
When travelling I have always picked Ozzies by speech rhythm, not language. The extra abbreviations slow down our language so it becomes more drawling, but when in emergency situations the language use reverts to standard Australian English.
This is just my own observation and thoughts. What do you think?
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Post by questa on Jan 7, 2023 21:00:32 GMT
I don't believe I have gone 18 months without a bulletin about "The track". There are probably snippets hidden in other posts...I'll do a check. My main news is I have taken up classical ballet...again. I learnt for 10 years as a child and loved it and was inspired to start again by my also-80-year-old keen dancing friend. The class has about 15-20 people with mostly women (2 men) over 40. Two of us are over 80 so we have slightly modified elements of the movements.
I have taken on a new lease of life and am amazed at how much I have remembered from childhood. All the movements and commands are said in French and I found so many coming back into memory.
At regular intervals my medical team give me an assessment of my cognitive state. It is a world wide tool for measuring any creeping dementia and is scored out of 30. Usually I get to 27/28 which is 'average', in December I scored 30 and I give credit to the class and teacher (herself a professional dancer) for my renewed enthusiasm. And to Hell with the Parkinson's!
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Post by questa on Jan 7, 2023 20:00:58 GMT
Many thanks to all of you who have shared your experiences and knowledge, I will be needing it soon as my knee has finally demanded I pay it some attention. It has been grumbling along for years but has been rather ignored as I attended to the Parkinson ups and downs. Now those hassles have settled and (L) knee demands some attention...long consultation booked with GP in 3 weeks. Let you know how it goes!
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Post by questa on Jan 7, 2023 5:40:31 GMT
HRH Anne, where are you? Your country needs a good 'no nonsense' woman with a riding crop to straighten out the mess.
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Post by questa on Jan 4, 2023 10:47:38 GMT
Hm. I thought I had food poisoning that time in London, but it must have been gastroenteritis. It really wipes you out! Gastro-enteritis (stomach-intestine inflammation)can be caused by many things... Food poisoning usually is when you ate food containing a virus or other bug, which caused your body to try to kill and / or flush the bug out. Allergy, binge eating or drinking, unfamiliar foods can bring on Gastro. without any infection but the most common cause is still the E.coli bug which comes from food and water that has been in contact with poor hygiene. Your food poisoning was possibly gastro caused by eating infected food or drink. One of the "joys" of travelling.
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Post by questa on Jan 4, 2023 0:42:57 GMT
My house is perched on the side of what once was a quarry. It overlooks the flat plain to the sea and the Glenelg Jetty...about 16 km away 'as the crow flies'. This is the place where the city's fireworks display is held at midnight. They also have a display for the little kids at 9pm so they can get home earlier...this I stay up for!.
Looking from my veranda I can see the showers of colour and the later BOOMS. Wow...what do they put in those things? Even allowing for the rocky cliff face there is a concussive wave that punches me in the belly and rings in my ears. It is an unsettling feeling...this is "entertainment", a show to greet a new beginning. I wondered how the thousands of spectators from recent war zones were taking it here, but remembering other explosions.
Stay Brave, Ukrainian Heroes. May the detonations soon become celebrations in your homelands.
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Post by questa on Jan 1, 2023 11:27:18 GMT
I love goblin mode! It describes me, my choice of food, clothes and behaviour on "off days" with my parkinson meds. ...Get outta my face or I'll set my goblins onto you.
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Post by questa on Jan 1, 2023 11:15:57 GMT
I was in a chemist shop with a 19 y o friend...one who could make computers sit up and beg. My prescription wasn't there so I asked if a copy could be faxed through with the signature of Doctor. My friend had never even heard of a fax so I gave him the guided tour...And sang a little song to myself!
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Post by questa on Jan 1, 2023 3:14:18 GMT
1: One Sydharb is an official Australian unit of measurement. It is used to measure volume and is equivalent to 500 gigalitres, the volume of water in Sydney Harbour.3 Sept 2014
2: from a primary school child," A gigalitre is when you make a square one kilometre each side, then 600 meters deep and that is one gigalitre"
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Post by questa on Dec 31, 2022 12:13:40 GMT
y-e-s...then what? Let Google be your friend.
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Post by questa on Dec 31, 2022 4:10:33 GMT
How much is a sydharb
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Maps
Dec 28, 2022 22:05:50 GMT
Post by questa on Dec 28, 2022 22:05:50 GMT
I do that many times a day...my Indo-China map is a large battered paper one, split creases, annotations and circles reminding me of the dreams and adventures I had with that map.
1994 my 5 weeks in Vietnam included a 4 days of great celebration to mark Dien Bien Phu day, Reunification day, Independence day and May Day. It also was the 1st day of legal commerce with the USA...the advertising went up overnight and the festive youth toasted these Days of freedom in warm Coca Cola. My map sits on the wall in front of my desk...out of date but still dreaming.
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Post by questa on Dec 28, 2022 21:11:29 GMT
Hey...I would see the situation as a good time to get all the handy-person jobs around your place done speedily, skilfully and at an appropriate discount. Looks like I’ll be looking for a new handyman.
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Post by questa on Dec 28, 2022 11:26:33 GMT
Re Randwick...Actually I was at a boarding school not far from there. The gardens are magnificent for the Spring Racing Season. The gardeners know how to "Tweak" the huge masses of roses so they open on time
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