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Post by Obviousman on Feb 22, 2008 2:17:52 GMT -4
The young Miss Mouse - 13 years old and still kicking.
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Post by Obviousman on Feb 8, 2008 1:50:50 GMT -4
Oh yes, that's much more fun. My dog broke a nail (claw) last weekend, so I had to have it mostly removed on Monday. They put her under for the surgery and coming out of it she made the most horrific, sad, gut-wrenching howl I have ever heard -- and it went on for hours. SHUSH! I love doggies; I have always had the ability to just bond with dogs and hearing the pain to them causes me pain. It's like someone screeching down a blackboard (if you are affected by that; I am not). I hope you gave them a good cuddle!
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Post by Obviousman on Feb 8, 2008 1:56:32 GMT -4
Huge birthday celebrations to you, dude or dudette. (Dwight may not always mean male).
Go out and do something you will not regret but will always talk about when people mention birthdays! This may or may not involve dropping your trousers (which might involve arrest - not something you want).
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Post by Obviousman on Feb 2, 2008 16:08:55 GMT -4
Hello, Good Evening, and Welcome!
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Post by Obviousman on Feb 3, 2008 1:26:24 GMT -4
etac, it could start a war therefore I will refrain!
As for the Queen: it is a similar situation here. QEII is on the back of all our coins. My Commission is impressed with the Seal of the Queen of Australia. Australia is part of the Commonwealth.
The Queen, however, has little effect on our way of life or the running of our country. Perhaps the only example of it was in 1975 when the Governor-General (then Sir John Kerr) sacked Whitlam and appointed Fraser in government.
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Post by Obviousman on Feb 2, 2008 22:37:39 GMT -4
Oh yeah... one of our Squadron COs is a Canadian. Tremendous fella. Call him a yank, though, and your life is not worth living.
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Post by Obviousman on Feb 2, 2008 16:11:21 GMT -4
But call a Canadian a Yank... boy, then you see some fireworks!
(Call an Australian a Brit; call a Kiwi and Australian, etc)
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Post by Obviousman on Feb 2, 2008 1:56:48 GMT -4
I can't speak for the UK, but that wouldn't happen in Australia generally (using an Australian example).
Oh, you might get someone telling you that you were a $%#*!, but you'd just as likely find someone giving you a big thumbs up!
No, we're just as bad in many ways but a simple slogan on a car like that would not incite that response.
Paint "Australia Sucks" on a car, and drive it through a crowd on Australia day and you'll get a response. Other times, you'll just get the finger.
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Post by Obviousman on Feb 1, 2008 22:19:04 GMT -4
It was interesting to read the comments on the link that Obviousman provided. At first the comment "What if they'd written racist comments on their cars and driven into Harlem" seems a thoughtful response. But the difference is that racist comments are illegal, and nothing written on the cars was illegal. What does it say about someone's maturity when their reaction to seeing people express different attitudes is to throw stones at them? One thing to be said for living in a city is that you can't escape from people who think differently from you, and if you were as thin-skinned as those Alabaman good ol' boys, you'd be in a lot of trouble. Having said that, the lawyers in New Orleans weren't much better. Their attitude seemed to be that if you had enough money to afford to be charitable, it was worthwhile trying to scam some more out of you. I think the lawyer might best be described as a shyster. Peter - that's right. We're not much better - the Cronulla riots were a shameful example of us at our worst. To react to a slogan on a car, however... and they are not really that offensive. Could I reasonably beat up a person who wears a DISCO SUCKS t-shirt? Could I assault a liberal supporter in a labor stronghold? Is gay-bashing considered an acceptable thing to do? No matter how we try to better ourselves, there will always be someone else who'll be sinking to new depths.
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Post by Obviousman on Feb 1, 2008 22:13:02 GMT -4
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Post by Obviousman on Feb 1, 2008 19:50:10 GMT -4
I just watched the Top Gear episode where Jeremy and the lads almost get killed in Alabama. www.videosift.com/video/Top-Gear-crew-nearly-get-lynched-in-AlabamaThey set US-UK relations back 100 years! Oh - and I love the lawyers from the ministry they donated the cars to threatening to sue them! I love you yanks, but BOY! Drop the bomb there, please.
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Post by Obviousman on Feb 2, 2008 16:14:06 GMT -4
Actually, yes. We do not extradite criminals if they will face the death penalty. We require an assurance that it will not be used before we hand anyone over. I think that is the way it works in Australia, too. Extradition has to be denied if they will be subject to the death penalty.
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Post by Obviousman on Feb 2, 2008 2:31:20 GMT -4
Many experts acknowledge that information gained under traditional means of "torture" is often unreliable; it generally tends to be what the victim thinks the other party WANTS to hear.
I also agree it is hypocritical to renounce torture but pretend not to notice when people are taken to a place where torture is condoned.
It's always a difficult situation - how do you fight within the rules against an enemy who does not hold such rules?
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Flying
Feb 8, 2008 1:39:17 GMT -4
Post by Obviousman on Feb 8, 2008 1:39:17 GMT -4
"I was too busy going through my usual radio calls and procedures and wondering whether I might be told to hold for a Boeing." That also reminds me (okay, this is hangar flying - sit down and enjoy it) of when I took a lady up not long after I first got my licence. We went out to the training area and I did some GF, stalls, etc. She loved it - and I was looking like I was set for the night! (wink! wink!) When I returned, I was told to join for a circuit I had never done before. No probs! Did my stuff, and as I turned onto final, there on my left was a DHC-4 Caribou. They were going for 17L and I was on 17R. The 'Bou is not a large aircraft but it looked large enough to me in the same piece of airspace. We formated for a while but I lost my nerve, pitched up with pwer and called "Going around". The tower acknowledged then came a call of "Chicken!" from the ether. I still maintain - to this day - it was a call good discretionary call. Prove me wrong!
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Flying
Feb 8, 2008 1:26:42 GMT -4
Post by Obviousman on Feb 8, 2008 1:26:42 GMT -4
Congratulations! You have gained admittance to the Two Winged Master Race!
I remember my first solo; my instructor had been waiting for a couple of days to do it, but the weather had been poor. Finally he decided it was marginal but on the approved side. I loved it. One circuit, too busy thinking about flying and not stuffing up to actually enjoy it. I didn't mention the brief periods of IFR in the circuit!
Afterwards, one of the favourite things I would do would be to do 'cloud landings'. There were lots of Cu and St around the area I did my training in (Moorabbin, Victoria, Australia), and if I was alone in the training area I would do an approach and "landing" on a cloud. Great fun!
BTW - C152s VH-NAK, VH-NAJ... I thank you!
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