Clinging to the Fringes Cafe - Oz Drop In Centre.

Oh, goody!

The McTags are a-coming - possibly!

Yay!!!!

shampoo the camels kiddies McTags a'comin down.

Hey, it's early days yet, folks, the camels can wait awhile.

This year, we're going to Norway briefly, and then maybe later, Spain or Sicily.

The travelling McTags! Are you about to out-do c.i.? :wink:

No chance. c.i. is the undisputed champeen.

Anyone there?

Today being the tenth anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre, plus the tragic mix-up with the return of Jacob Kovco's remains, I am feeling more than a little down in the dumps and wondered if anyone was up to a chat about it.

Yesterday I read through a very long thread in the General section about handguns - it was very interesting and frightening, realising the obsession some people have about the need to own guns. I made some inane observation about it, but I think I was really begging someone to explain it all to me.

Would really like to back and fro a little about all this.

You may get a response on the gun thing - but not so much on this particular forum - where we're mostly anti-gun! I read in, I think, yesterday's Sydney Morning Herald, that the rate of gun death in the USA is 15 times that of Australia (that's not the number - but as a proportion) - 15 times!!!

It absolutely staggers me that anyone can be supportive of the right to have guns freely available with that sort of risk!

My favourite story was also in yesterday's Herald.

An English tourist, who needed to be rescued by abseiling team and helicopter from a ridge in the Blue Mountains a while back, had to leave his backpack on the ledge he was marooned on. This is apparently the rescuer's policy. The tourist was anxious about leaving his backpack there, and so, a month later, went back to retrieve it. Guess what!? He got stuck again - and again needed rescuing, including a helicopter.

This time, he got hit with some sort of endangering charge, and had to pay the cost of the rescue. But...his backpack is still there.

What do you reckon he'll do next? Sheesh - there's no accounting for idiots!

It never ceases to amaze me when I hear stories like that one. Do these people have any idea of the risks the rescuers take to help them?

I had a friend some years ago who was like that, he was so self-centred and thought he was so wonderful - being close to nature, turning his back on city conveniences, etc. We had an argument about his selfish attitude and he was so contemptuous of we stupid, lesser people. This was after I suggested such silly things as well-detailed maps, two-way radio, letting people know where he was headed and when he was likely to be back, sufficient warm clothing, first aid kit - you know - "excess junk". He really believed the rescue people should be on call 24/7 to worry about him.

Port Arthur's anniversary? That means it's ten years since John Howard did anything good. Remember the gun buy back and the banning of semi-automatic weapons?

I long time ago I worked with a lady who had a daughter in Virginia (USA) and she had been to visit her. At the time two CIA agents had been killed their by a gunman with an automatic weapon. The state of Virginia was known for particularly lax gun laws (even by US standards). The Virginia legislature was trying to pass new gun laws in response to the killing and there were mass protests, my workmate witnessed them and wanted to find out what the new laws proposed to foment such anger, she told me:

They wanted to limit them to buying TWO automatic weapons - PER WEEK!

Yes, that WAS a high point for John wasn't it?

I find the American gun culture folk utterly incomprehensible...it is amazing what our cultures do to our reason.

I remember one of them, when the cyclone hit up north recently, saying we would see how stupid our depriving people of guns was when the hordes of looters hit, and people were unable to kill them.





Thing is, when we grow up with a cultural norm, we don't see it as a CULTURAL norm, we see it as normal behaviour....all cultures have their madnesses. That one is super weird to most of our eyes, though.







Port Arthur.......it is horrible hearing the stories come out, isn't it?


The suffering of people just kind of didn't get talked about a lot did it?

I cannot imagine the memories that people have, how awful they are.

I can see the fascination in firearms. The arms and armour display at the Kelvingrove Museum is a sight to see. But, I can see the undesirability of letting Joe Public own them.

So, I would certainly ban them. But "winding back" the situation in the USA to the point where another Waco could not happen seems an impossibility.

Hey, if I emigrated to the USA I might even buy one, if everybody else has them. No, sorry, I must be deluded. Do as you would be done by.

It's actually RAINED today!!!!


Here...in ADELAIDE!!!



I'd almost forgotten it could happen.


Apparently, rain is actually forecast for Saturday, also.





Oh my!!!!





You can't SEE the place for clouds!!!!

It's been pouring down here in bucketfuls, Deb! Today and yesterday!
Wet, wet, wet!

My god its lovely isnt it!

43.4 mm in the last 24 hours.

Dances

I don't know how much we got...way less than that, I am sure.


It's humid and cool today...so, even if we get no more rain, it's having a chance to wet the ground, not evaporating immediately.













GODDAMMIT!!!


I just dyed my hair, and left the streaking stuff in too long.



Instead of subtle highlights, I'm SKEWBALD!!!!!

Still pissing down in Melbourne! It's weird (for the 22nd December!)! Almost alarming! :wink:






I'm certain you look fabulous, Deb!

GODDAMMIT!!!

I just dyed my hair, and left the streaking stuff in too long.

Instead of subtle highlights, I'm SKEWBALD!!!!![/quote]

Lovely!

[/quote]


I'm not THAT skewbald...