Aussie Readers discussion

Mandy to you know anyone by the name of David? I don't. :D

Bwhaahaaahaaa!!!..LOL!! careful, you'll be on the CIA hot list eh!..LOL!

Gail "cyborg" wrote: "Mandy to you know anyone by the name of David? I don't. :D"

I'll be watching this story very closely. There are enormous issues of censorship, political corruption and illegal detainment in this case that should be of concern to all Australians.

In my opinion - for what it's worth - is that the only crime he has committed is being an accessory after the fact. He knew the information was stolen
from the rightful owners, and he then used this stolen information. How he used it or why is
irrelevant, unless they can prove economic loss and they can then try to recover that loss from his estate.
The rape charge is very iffy considering the two girls admitted to consensual sex - it has also been
said that he didn't use a condom. Unless it is unlawful in Sweden to have sex outside of marriage, without a condom, I fail to see how it can be rape.
In this morning's SMH (it must be true) they stated that Geoffrey Robinson is now involved as he thinks the powers that be are going too far.
I am disappointed that Australia has not said that he has not broken any Australian laws, so there is little that they can do unless presented with an extradition order, and then that has to allow the accused his day in an Australian court to allow our system to be sure that he will receive a fair trial overseas.
We may import our goods from China we we do not have to import their legal system.

Well said Geoff, If Julian was locked up for being an 'accessory after the fact' then I think quite a number of journo's will be very worried. LOL!

I must admit I only found out about the wikileaks yesterday..I had no real idea what was going on. It is quite interesting stuff.

The rape charges do seem kinda fishy considering everything that is currently going on.

Carmel wrote: "Laura, OMG 2 yrs you've got to be joking!! Did you actually read the thing when it arrived, I think I would have burnt it in disgust ha ha.
You know Laura I shouldn't actually be checking on my GR..."
I won't tell anyone at your work that you shouldn't be here..ehehe! *lips are sealed* With the book..I did feel like burning it! The publisher had problems getting it printed but they dealt with customer service in a very bad way (aka. ignoring emails all the time).


Adhityani "Dhitri" wrote: "Laura, I hope your book arrives soon! This is the downside of online store, you can't just grab the merchandise and go! And it sucks to not get a book you pre-ordered at the time of its release (th..."

Yes! It is one of the pests of online shopping :( But then I also love getting packages in the mail..lol

Glad you've found some support groups online for your bub! :)
Have you worked out what you want your husband to get for you yet since you said he had to 'pay'..haha.

Well everyone, with the drama's in the later part of the year, it now looks like an 'official' release in early January, including the online shops, Amazon, Barnes Noble, Borders, Books are us, etc.etc.

I have received so, so many inquiries about this book & I hope no one has lost interest while waiting, I for one, am soooooo! looking forward to holding one in my hands.

Sweet! Congrats David :)

David wrote: "Well said Geoff, If Julian was locked up for being an 'accessory after the fact' then I think quite a number of journo's will be very worried. LOL!"

I agree - prosecute one & you have to prosecute every newspaper in the UK, USA & Australia - unless of course the newspaper supports your political party . . .

I really hate humid weather :/ Makes sleeping annoying >:(

Don't visit Malaysia or Thailand if humidity bothers you :-o)

During the 60's I sailed in non-air-conditioned ships around the Far East, and after about three weeks the humidity didn't bother me, I'd acclimatised. I love the smell of the tropics, the mixture of flowers, rotting vegetation, the background bird sounds, the high pitched call to prayer from the minarets - I suppose it brings back my youth :-o)

Great article in "The Drum", the ABC's online forum about Wikileaks and the case for Julian Assange.
Assange: Australian of the year?

Mandy wrote: "Great article in "The Drum", the ABC's online forum about Wikileaks and the case for Julian Assange.
Assange: Australian of the year?"

Thanks for the link Mandy. That's going to be a lunch time read, along with the other link you posted.

Gail "cyborg" wrote: "Thanks for the link Mandy. That's going to be a lunch time read, along with the other link you posted..."

Sorry to be on the soapbox Gail but I find this situation to be scandalous. Maybe if something like Wikileaks existed a decade ago we would have seen "Saddam's Weapons of Mass Destruction" for the total BS that it was and people would have been more united/informed against the war in Iraq.

Maybe it would be good to have a thread called "Mandy's soap box"? I love the links,I was just letting you know I was coming back to them later to pay them the attention they deserve. :)

*cheers*

Here is an open letter to "The Guardian" newspaper (a well-known and reputable UK newspaper) from Katrin Axelsson of the Women Against Rape group (a UK support group for victims of rape) who questions the unusual way this case of alleged rape is being handled:

"Many women in both Sweden and Britain will wonder at the unusual zeal with which Julian Assange is being pursued for rape allegations (Report, 8 December). Women in Sweden don't fare better than we do in Britain when it comes to rape. Though Sweden has the highest per capita number of reported rapes in Europe and these have quadrupled in the last 20 years, conviction rates have decreased. On 23 April 2010 Carina Hägg and Nalin Pekgul (respectively MP and chairwoman of Social Democratic Women in Sweden) wrote in the Göteborgs-Posten that "up to 90% of all reported rapes never get to court. In 2006 six people were convicted of rape though almost 4,000 people were reported". They endorsed Amnesty International's call for an independent inquiry to examine the rape cases that had been closed and the quality of the original investigations.

Assange, who it seems has no criminal convictions, was refused bail in England despite sureties of more than £120,000. Yet bail following rape allegations is routine. For two years we have been supporting a woman who suffered rape and domestic violence from a man previously convicted after attempting to murder an ex-partner and her children – he was granted bail while police investigated.

There is a long tradition of the use of rape and sexual assault for political agendas that have nothing to do with women's safety. In the south of the US, the lynching of black men was often justified on grounds that they had raped or even looked at a white woman. Women don't take kindly to our demand for safety being misused, while rape continues to be neglected at best or protected at worst."

Yes they do Carmel, & my apologies for the previous, now deleted comment, if anyone did get the chance to read it, there was no offence intended, ammended below.
reply to Geoff's post #764.

Agree Geoff, though it is a little different up here..

I love the smell of the tropics (the sewerage treatment plant scent whoofting across the access rd.)

rotting vegetation (macca's & KFC leftovers in the gutters)

the background bird sounds (bloody Indian Myna's)

the high pitched call to prayer from the minarets (drunk yobbo's stagering down the street)

LOL!LOL!

Thank you for making the amendment David.

No worries Gail, I have a lot of indigenous friends, 2 nieces & brother-in-law who are so proud (& deservedly so) of their culture & history, I do understand they would not have been offended as they know I "speak as I speak", but, others not knowing me could be offended, and to this I do apologise.

Dave.

Carmel wrote: "Laura, I lived in PNG for 2yrs and it took me 6mths I think to really get used to the humid weather and with a 3mth old (who had very fair skin)it was important to stay indoors and keep cool. I don..."
PNG would be an amazing place to visit. Was it well air-conditioned where you lived? I stayed in QLD when it got to like 40 or 45C and I watched the tar on the roads melt..lol

Geoff wrote: "Don't visit Malaysia or Thailand if humidity bothers you :-o)

During the 60's I sailed in non-air-conditioned ships around the Far East, and after about three weeks the humidity didn't bother me, ..."

That sounds exciting even with the lack of air-conditioning.

We don't exactly have air-conditioning here cause it never really gets that hot to need it. I mean, it's not installed in the house. We've got our little fans that are over 10 years old instead..lol

When I went to Hawaii in 2001, I got used to the humidity. Just when it goes from being freezing cold one day to horribly humid, I can't deal.

All the comments abt heat, humidity, the smell of sewage and mozzies remind me of home. Throw in air pollution and traffic jams and you have Jakarta. Oh, and 10 million people, too.

Canberra is such a huge change from Jakarta. It took a good week or so to get used to the fresh air, dry air and SPACE! Sometimes it's too quiet for a big city gal like me, but it's a much better environment for studying (and little babies). In short, I'm loving it here...

Have a giggle on me all.
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From Dave ("the wishor") to my Aussie Readers friends ("hereinafter called the wishees"):

Please find below one standard type yuletide greeting as laid down in the Christmas conventions act 1953 (See Rex V S.Claus)

Please accept without obligation, explicit or implicit, our best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, politically correct, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion or secular practice of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions.

Please also accept, under aforesaid waiver of obligation on your part, our best wishes for a financially successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of this calendar year of the Common Era, but with due respect for the calendars of all cultures or sects, and for the race, creed, colour, age, physical ability, religious faith, choice of computer platform or dietary preference of the wishee.

By accepting this greeting you acknowledge that:

This greeting is subject to further clarification or withdrawal at the wishor's discretion.

This greeting is freely transferable provided that no alteration shall be made to the original greeting and that the proprietary rights of the wishor are acknowledged.

This greeting implies no warranty on the part of the wishors to fulfill these wishes, nor any ability of the wishors to do so, merely a beneficent hope on the part of the wishors that they in fact occur.

This greeting may not be enforceable in certain jurisdictions and/or the restrictions herein may not be binding upon certain wishees in certain jurisdictions and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wishors.

This greeting is warranted to perform as reasonably may be expected within the usual application of good tidings, for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first.

The wishor warrants this greeting only for the limited replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wishor.

Any references in this greeting to "the Lord", "Father Christmas", "Our Saviour", or any other festive figures, whether actual or fictitious, dead or alive, shall not imply any endorsement by or from them in respect of this greeting, and all proprietary rights in any referenced third party names and images are hereby acknowledged.

Sincerely,
Dave.

All that is wishy washer wishes - Happy Christmas :-o)

Gail "cyborg" wrote: "Goodness me, I have just been through the most tiresome 4 hours on the plant. My son graduated from Primary School tonight.(Why do they have to graduate from everything?) We sat through two hours o..."

Gail, next Wednesday, my 5yo grandson graduates from PRE-SCHOOL!!!!!

Thanks Geoff, can't take credit for this one, a friend sent it to me.

I'll give you all one guess where all these 'graduations' come from Grrrrrrr!!

@Carmel- This thread is about whatever so I'm sure if you wanted to share some of your experience in PNG it would be fine in this thread :)

@Brenda- What? They have a graduation for 5year olds? Woah :O!

@Adhityani "Dhitri"- Great that your loving living in Australia :) What are you studying, if i may ask?

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Errp! Package arrived today and the little glass bottle of a liquid leaked through the whole package :( Leaving no liquid left, $8.00 gone. Seems like someone in the packaging area didn't do their job properly. Rang the store and the guy told me it'd be replaced so hopefully that will actually happen.

Wow, there's been so much going on the past few days!
I had to go in for a brief stay in hospital for, what will hopefully, be the last blood transfusion. It's put me a bit behind with everything, including the last tweaks for Slade's Destiny but hopefully I'll make up the lost time there and here.

Hoping that everyone is having a safe silly season so far - I went shopping today and could not believe the chaos. I'm going into hibernation for a while till it's over

I have two friends, one late 50's the other mid 60's and both have taken up teaching jobs in China. They were both at sea & had to do a course in teaching English as a foreign language, neither speaks Chinese. They both send regular e-mails describing their 'adventures' - one sends virtually daily and he lives on campus in a large city about 2 flying hours inland from Shanghai. He (the one in his mid 50's) is single and his tales of 'communication' can be funny, such as buying warm clothing for winter was a problem as not many Chinese are his size - particularly around the middle. He now has two cats and a dog living in his rooms (he had two cats in the UK) so an expats tales can be quite entertaining & educational for the reader - so I second your motion :-o)

I agree, I would find it interesting reading about Aussies adventures overseas, A good mate of mine also spent 6 months teaching in a small country city in China & he also found it a problem 'keeping warm', afraid I can't add any tales, the furtherest I have been 'overseas' is to Tassie. (-:

I remember when I was a removalist, moved a 'Aussie' from Sydney to Brissy (born sydneysider) & he could tell you anything about anywhere in the world, but, this 'Aussie' new almost nothing about Oz...sad....

Lol..Tassie being overseas :P Furthest I've gone is to Hawaii and up the east coast of Australia..Loooong drive!

G'day Laura, hehehe!!..my only 'overseas' trip before Tassie, was Stradbroke Island LOL!!

The drive up & down the east coast is not that long once you are used to it, done both coast & inland roads a number of times between Melbourne & Cairns, many times Sydney - Cairns & numerous times Brisbane -Cairns, west as far as the 'Isa, Charleville, Cunnamulla, Longreach, Warren, Broken Hill, Mildura, Shepparton & many in-between. (-:

I haven't travelled as much of Oz as I should have - seen most of the east coast but that's about it. Been overseas couple of times - not quite as far as China though.

I also have a cousin who teaches English in China, she's been there now for about five years and loves it. By now though she pretty much speaks like a native lol

Ohhhhhh!..yes..I've seen this scene plenty of times...(-:

@ David - very familiar sight :) I remember my first trip to St George to visit my aunt and uncle who managed a property out there.... literally took an hour and a half from the 'town' to get to their front door.

@ Carmel - that sounds like such an amazing experience. I always tell my nieces and nephews to travel, broaden your mind, read, learn, experience new things - all too soon you get to the age where life catches up with you and those things are no longer practical.

I keep getting this annoying pop up 'stack overflow at: 13729' only on GR, anyone know what this means, it's driving me nuts.(-:

It's been happening a bit lately. It's a problem with the website not your computer. Best advice is to turn your Goodreads and when you come back later tonight or tomorrow it will be resolved. Otherwise if you persist you'll end up tearing your hair out! It's very annoying.:(

PS If you're having problems with the Goodreads site, always check the Goodreads Feedback Group. For sure other people will be discussing what's going on and the goodreads employees will be answering their questions. I can see there are already people posting about the overflow msg.

@David- I google what you wrote and placed the word 'error' as well and got a website from MS about it: Stak overflow

Dunno if that is any help..Kinda confused about it myself.

It's a known problem that GR is working on. There is a thread about it in GR Feedback, Bugs.

Fabulous photo Carmel.

That really is something to be proud of. It is so nice to hear a positive story about a young person.

I agree with Gail :)

Carmel wrote: "Thanks Gail, he's a pretty special young man! He's just recently organised a fundraising run from Bendigo to Melb (well not quite ~120km) for homeless youth in Bendigo, he ran with 4 others. Very ..."

Wow, that's awesome Carmel!! You must be so incredibly proud!! :)

David wrote: "I agree, I would find it interesting reading about Aussies adventures overseas, A good mate of mine also spent 6 months teaching in a small country city in China & he also found it a problem 'keepi..."

We live in small town in country Queensland, centre of a farming community. A farm-based lady we know told us this evening her daughter has come up from Sydney for Christmas with her three young children. The kids are having an absolutely wonderful time; they've mixed with the farm animals and are allowed to run around outside, dig holes, play what they like. With proper warnings about snakes etc. They live in a unit in the Big Smoke. It's a little sad.

Grrr! That stack overflow msg is SO ANNOYING!! Hurry up and fix it GR.

What browser are people using? I'm using FireFox and I'm not getting the error at all? I just wonder if it is an IE thing?

I also use FireFox and haven't had any problems...

For sure Carmel :)

on a side note, I am getting braces on Wednesday :s