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13 hours ago, KillaKukumba said:

I remember when the first 70,000 Tons happened and there was memes all over the place using the Simpsons cruise ship episode.

But there is a reason why they choose the time of year they do for these things and it's not because they expect bad weather, but it could happen. Besides it's a fucking huge ship, I went on a cruise a few years ago, smaller ship that they use for 70,000 and the bad weather was barely noticeable. It's certainly not something you'd want to pay for and spend a week complaining about, ex Australia it was about $3500 for a half decent room that you can stretch your feet in last time I priced it.

I didn't suggest it wasn't a word I just suggested that not even someone from Canberra would use it.

I did 70K a few years ago. It was a blast. The fest/cruise itself is fantastic. The planning/announcements/booking/everything leading up to the fest is an absolute shitshow. We ran into storms on the way back (wind/rain/20ft seas). That was fun... 

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9 hours ago, Thatguy said:

You'd be surprised.

 

I thought Canberrians were sophisticated and well spoken?

3 hours ago, navybsn said:

I did 70K a few years ago. It was a blast. The fest/cruise itself is fantastic. The planning/announcements/booking/everything leading up to the fest is an absolute shitshow. We ran into storms on the way back (wind/rain/20ft seas). That was fun... 

As much as I like boats I'm not a fan of cruising. There is so many elements of the cruise life that just don't interest me at all, I've done it and I'm glad I did it but I couldn't see myself ever doing it again. Even if every band on the bill was a band I wanted to see and I was guaranteed front row to every gig I don't think I could be persuaded to jump on any of the metal cruises.

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40 minutes ago, KillaKukumba said:

I thought Canberrians were sophisticated and well spoken?

As much as I like boats I'm not a fan of cruising. There is so many elements of the cruise life that just don't interest me at all, I've done it and I'm glad I did it but I couldn't see myself ever doing it again. Even if every band on the bill was a band I wanted to see and I was guaranteed front row to every gig I don't think I could be persuaded to jump on any of the metal cruises.

I would do 70K again if my gang was going. I would not go solo. It's expensive. Logistics are challenging, but no more so than any standard fest I attend. Most of the bands are of no interest to me. The lineup the year I went was excellent, but the whole thing has become such a joke.

As for straight cruises, I've done one. And I hated it. My wife loves them and has done several with her mom. I think they're a waste of money. Floating time-share designed to bilk you out of as much money as possible while getting you to schedule your next cruise. Everyone shitfaced by breakfast. Overpriced add-ons that suck. Mediocre food and nothing to do while underway. Fuck that. Give me a week of solitude camping in the mountains with no people around.

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I agree, there is just no way to escape the fact that they are bleeding your bank account dry. They make it so easy to spend money because there is virtually no cash on board, (at least the ones I've been on). I was wary of what we were spending on our cruises, we went on with a set amount for 'free' money organised by the travel agent, which of course isn't free it comes out of the overpriced ticket, and then watching how much was added to it. Sure it's a lazy lifestyle in that you can do sweet fuck all for the entire cruise and still be fed, watered, and content, but that's still not a great sell point for me.

I remember pricing MegaCruise when it happened and the prices for the cruise were reasonable considering the entertainment, but by the time we added air fares etc from here in Oz it became a really expensive holiday. But my big problem was that I still couldn't get past the memories of our first cruise where we had one of the smaller rooms, the kind where the bed is the sofa and if one person moves the other can't see the TV. Then if they move too far the one on the sofa has to lift their feet up so they can pass. Our second cruise was in one of the rooms with the outside balconies, it was essentially two rooms so one could watch the TV while the other lay on the bed, but it was nearly double the cost of the first one.

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So here in Australia we've got massive problems with housing and growing homelessness.  We also have massive problems with unscrupulous developers building horrible new suburbs that have no green spaces, very few or no amenities, etc.

So who does the government do?  It appoints the head of one of the largest property development companies, Mirvac, to head an affordable housing commission. 

It's literally on par with the last government hiring fossil fuel executives to head up a sustainable economy strategy (no wonder how gas production was their only real recommendation).

I hate this country more and more by the day.  

 

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49 minutes ago, KillaKukumba said:

Dude, you need to stop reading the newspapers and watching the news for a few days. Sure not being aware of everything doesn't make them go away but your blood pressure will thank you for it by coming back down to boiling level.

You are right.

It's getting hard to close ones eyes when there is homeless encampments sprouting up everywhere in Launceston, when I see my grocery, healthcare and powers bill skyrocketing and rich capitalist bastards rolling in cash.

 

Right now I'm praying for Putin to go full loco over Christmas and resets humanity back to square one.  Then what remains of humanity throws all the remaining neoliberals and capitalists off the top stories of tall buildings.  

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2 minutes ago, Thatguy said:

Nah, that's just me.

Oh, they broke the mould after you did they?

2 minutes ago, Thatguy said:

And the rest of what you wrote. Also breeding ground for every transmissible disease. Never cruised. Never will.

But surely a plane can't be that much different and you spent many hours on one of those recently.

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46 minutes ago, Dead1 said:

So here in Australia we've got massive problems with housing and growing homelessness.  We also have massive problems with unscrupulous developers building horrible new suburbs that have no green spaces, very few or no amenities, etc.

So who does the government do?  It appoints the head of one of the largest property development companies, Mirvac, to head an affordable housing commission. 

It's literally on par with the last government hiring fossil fuel executives to head up a sustainable economy strategy (no wonder how gas production was their only real recommendation).

I hate this country more and more by the day.  

 

It's the exact same bullshit here in America. Cabinet secretaries often come from lobbyists and other dubious corporate scum who come straight out of the industries they're meant to be overseeing. No one bats an eye at this shockingly unethical practice, it's been completely normalized. Cabinet posts are also given out as favors to some unqualified billionaire donors to the campaign who don't have a clue and couldn't care less. And the Senate doesn't care either because these clowns all get confirmed. 

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Yeah but if governments weren't 'jobs for mates' we wouldn't be getting rid of our deadwood piece of shit ex PM and sending him to the US. Sure our current PM says it's a great job for Rudd The Dud and he'll do a great job, but even he knows the truth is that it's the furthest they can send the clown while still making the position seem like a sweet deal. Oh well Australia's loss is America's gain so please enjoy Kevin Rudd and don't send him back.

 

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8 minutes ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

It's the exact same bullshit here in America. Cabinet secretaries often come from lobbyists and other dubious corporate scum who come straight out of the industries they're meant to be overseeing. No one bats an eye at this shockingly unethical practice, it's been completely normalized. Cabinet posts are also given out as favors to some unqualified billionaire donors to the campaign who don't have a clue and couldn't care less. And the Senate doesn't care either because these clowns all get confirmed. 

This is the true death of democracy.  It's this behind the scenes stuff where true decision making is done.  Parliaments and Congress are mere rubber stamps.

 

Problem is the power equilibrium from the 1970s shifted to capitalists and their flunkies.  Both the elected politicians and the public service have been perverted and deformed into a tool of vested interests.

 

4 minutes ago, KillaKukumba said:

Yeah but if governments weren't 'jobs for mates' we wouldn't be getting rid of our deadwood piece of shit ex PM and sending him to the US. Sure our current PM says it's a great job for Rudd The Dud and he'll do a great job, but even he knows the truth is that it's the furthest they can send the clown while still making the position seem like a sweet deal. Oh well Australia's loss is America's gain so please enjoy Kevin Rudd and don't send him back.

 

It's scary to think we haven't had a decent PM in decades.

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34 minutes ago, KillaKukumba said:

It's scary to think what we've sent to America. Dudd, Hockey, Peacock, Beazley, Sidonus, and we still expect American's to be friendly to us after off loading such shit onto their shore for as long as we can.

 

The Americans don't really care what idiot we send to Washington as they know when it comes down to it Australia will just do whatever America wants it to.* I swear if US decided to invade Australia, Australia would offer troops in support.

Was it Gareth Evans who said Australia's diplomatic corps are naïve and lack sophistication? 

 

*Though I note with new PM we're realigning back to doing whatever China wants us too.  We're like a cheap street hooker.  

Here's our Foreign Minister coming to China to bend the knee.  I will note she is ethnic Chinese and has always spoken out in favour of China.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-21/penny-wong-beijing-china-visit-wang-yi/101793374

 

 

6 minutes ago, Thatguy said:

Nice Mr Joyce assures us that the air in a Qantas airplane is cleaner than what we breathe normally. Whether this is true or not, it's 14 hours not 14 days.

Mr Joyce is a scoundrel and exemplifies everything that is wrong with modern Australia.

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37 minutes ago, Dead1 said:

This is the true death of democracy.  It's this behind the scenes stuff where true decision making is done.  Parliaments and Congress are mere rubber stamps.

 

Problem is the power equilibrium from the 1970s shifted to capitalists and their flunkies.  Both the elected politicians and the public service have been perverted and deformed into a tool of vested interests.

 

It's scary to think we haven't had a decent PM in decades.

It's been this way for centuries, capitalism just put a boot on the accelerator. There is no possible governing system that humans won't corrupt. It's human nature. Even at the smallest group, nepotism and favoritism manifests. For all of the ideals of progressives or utopiaists, it's just not in the cards for us. We've a better chance of Metallica putting out another classic thrash album than doing half of what would make the world an actual better place.

1 hour ago, KillaKukumba said:

Dude, you need to stop reading the newspapers and watching the news for a few days.

Best thing I ever did was unplug the news permanently. I may watch the local for the weather forecast on occasion, but nothing more. My peace of mind is so much better off.

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13 minutes ago, navybsn said:

It's been this way for centuries, capitalism just put a boot on the accelerator. There is no possible governing system that humans won't corrupt. It's human nature. Even at the smallest group, nepotism and favoritism manifests. For all of the ideals of progressives or utopiaists, it's just not in the cards for us. We've a better chance of Metallica putting out another classic thrash album than doing half of what would make the world an actual better place.

 

There was that tiny window between 1930 (Great Depression, Keynesianism and FDR) and 1970s when western governments finally started acting in the benefit of all the people be it it social welfare or workers rights or civil rights or environment (eg EPA set up in 1970).  Public service was professionalised and secularised.

Since then the bad guys under the guise of "freedom" have started to take back control. *

Sadly modern pseudo-democracy, consumerism and media (TV then internet) sapped the populace of any willingness to resist whilst the supposed progressive political parties sold out to big business.

 

*Real equality requires control and regulation.  These days regulation is merely mindless red tape that serves no purpose except the illusion of regulation and equality.  

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1 minute ago, navybsn said:

Best thing I ever did was unplug the news permanently. I may watch the local for the weather forecast on occasion, but nothing more. My peace of mind is so much better off.

Gotta agree with that!

I still watch the news some nights but I have learnt to not react. I still yell at the TV sometimes because it's fun, but I can yell at any program not just news programs. Six months after getting out of the trucking industry my doctor told me my blood pressure had gone back down to something reasonable for my age. 10 years of farm work and watching the news kidding myself that keeping up with what went on in the world allowed me to better run my business and the same doctor was telling me to get back in the truck because my blood pressure was better battling traffic and carting 52 tonnes across the country! I heeded his warning but instead of getting back in the truck I stopped watching the news, took life less serious, calmed the fuck down and changed my outlook to the sunny fucking disposition you see today :)

 

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Tomorrow is the official first day of winter here in the states, although we've been experiencing cold weather for a few weeks now in the northeast where I am. They're telling us there will be a massive blizzard coming down from Zack's way, which will blanket the entire middle of the country in a foot of snow by Thursday, with drifts up to 6 feet. It will then pick up steam and head eastward Friday morning towards me and FA ultimately affecting over 100 million people. Life threatening cold with wind chills below 0°F as far south as Texas and Alabama, with high winds 50 - 60 mph. Power lines will be down across many states, highways and airports will be closed, people will be stranded and sleeping in the airports for the holidays. Merry Fucking Christmas motherfuckers.

 

Extreme weather threatens holiday travel, ABC news (our ABC)

 

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