The Down Under Lounge

[Evil Robert]

I'm with teacake in that I love hot weather. Though after 2.5 weeks on holiday in humidity I was quiet happy for a couple of days cold weather in Melbs. Only a couple however. Though it's the bloody wind at the moment more then the temp that gets me at the moment.

 

[Jono]

23+ Australians on the plane shot down in Ukraine. This is getting bad.

It has been bad for a while now, Ukraine just slipped into the "out of sight, out of mind" for the rest of the world as the media moved on.

It's a terrible incident and shattering for the friends and family of those killed.

 

[Orac Zen]

There really aren't any words for how appalling this is. 298 people randomly killed for ideology. Absolutely horrific.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

It's very very depressing.

 

[The First Joel]

Very sad. I read a few things online about it. I feel sorry for the families of the victims.

 

[Miss Chicken]

It looks like up to 100 of the passengers were researchers, AIDS campaigners etc who were planning to attend the International AIDS conference in Melbourne this weekend. This will be a horrific set-back for AIDS research.

 

[Australis]

Makes the tragedy go to a whole new level. Terrible.

 

[Miss Chicken]

An Australian woman whose brother and sister-in-law where on the Malaysian flight that disappeared, has now lost her stepdaughter on this plane. So tragic.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

It's so foggy in Melbourne I can't see the end of my driveway.

OH I miss going to the beach.. which yes I can still go to but not everyone is as enamored with the beach as me and there will be moaning about the wind and spray

Miss Chicken, you are on a port city, do you have nice beaches and piers and things? I assume they are rocky? I have never been to Tasmania. I was in a travel agent the other day and they were playing promotional videos and there was along series on Hobart and it looked utterly charming.

 

[Australis]

I'll barge in and say Newcastle, where I work, has nice beaches, including a man-made one (Nobbys).

Can't stand Abbott, but I will give him credit for rising to the occasion and saying all the right things about MH17, and that there will be a bipartisan approach to this.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I've always heard good things about Newcastle. Never been. Need to go more places LOL. I like all beaches, have a thing about urban ones.

What do you mean about the bipartisan approach?

 

[Miss Chicken]

Hobart and the rest of Tasmania has plenty of beautiful and very sandy beaches, most of them uncrowded. i will post a few photos of them later in the day.

 

[Orac Zen]

Newcastle (and the Hunter generally) is one of the greatest places in / things about this country.

Nothing more need be said.

 

[Candlelight]

^ Glad I'm in a place where I only just need to wear a shirt with sleeves.

I wear shorts all year round.

We got snow expected tomorrow. Better pack my warm shorts.

 

[Australis]

I've always heard good things about Newcastle. Never been. Need to go more places LOL. I like all beaches, have a thing about urban ones.

What do you mean about the bipartisan approach?

Newcastle has most of the advantages of Sydney (good food, good shopping, city beaches, jetport, good public transport) and few of the disadvantages (soiaring rents, traffic jams and overcrowding).

Regarding beaches, the City Baths are literally at the edge of the water, and pretty cool if a little rundown and old fashioned. Yahoo Serious (a local boy) shot some scenes there for Young Einstein.

Bipartisan approach: Labor will back anything the Govt decides to do about the Ukrainian situation, rather than the usual debate (within reason).

It's close to home for Abbott - he said his daughters came home on MH 1 some onths ago. That's a close call, in some ways.

 

[Marc]

I have friends who think, honestly seem to fervently believe, that Labor is going to save the country. I don't see how after the last bunch of years anyone can believe this.

Because Labor was actually able to achieve a lot more than they are given credit for especially from the shitpit that is the Murdoch media.

It took labor on go get the carbo tax legislation passed. It took the coalition 3 goes. Comparing time frames and labor got 4x the legislation through.

 

[Australis]

And Labor didn't get that message out, they received bad advice.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Just how many freaking leadership coups do Labor think they can get away with?

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

It's cold outside, there's no kind of atmosphere.

 

[Australis]

You're all alone, more or less?