Questions About Australia

[AussieJosh]

It breaks my heart when i see on the news somone has gone on a shooting rampage in a U.S school or workplace.... again. I dont remeber the last time a kid went to school uni/collage in Australia and started shooting people? I know of one person who has hand guns. He works at the same place as me and to be honest he is a bit strange. But im always really nice to him just in case one day he cracks and comes to work and starts blasting!

The white men that founded/invaded Australia and the U.S.A , in my opinion are a little bit retarded in todays world. Have you seen a movie that might be only 10 or 15 years old in reecent times... and thoght (this is shit) But 10 or 15 years ago you thought it was awsome! I think this is because we are rapidly evolving. Laws that were made 400, 200, 20, 10 or even 5 years ago may not work in todays society.

 

[petesbrew]

As you asked about whether we watch American or Australian Film, or both I thought I would list a few Aussie greats (IMO). If you would like to check out some good Aussie film and/or TV shows check out:

The Castle
We Can Be Heroes
Angry Boys
Summer Heights High
Hercules Returns
Chopper
Two Hands
Wolf Creek
Snow Town - going to watch this at the cinema tonight

Cheers
Phil

adding Bad Boy Bubby to this list

Add to that list BMX Bandits. One of Nicole Kidman's finest appearances.
Let's Get Skase - (kind of an Australian Version of Inglorious Basterds.... um... kind of.... basically a crack team of Aussies out to get Australia's most hated villain.)
Romper Stomper (Sir Asshat's best movie.)
Metal Skin (illegal drags)

But across the Tasman there's some interesting flicks to be found.
Once Were Warriors
Meet the Feebles
Bad Taste
Black Sheep

 

[Amin]

Wake in Fright

 

[Tim F]

The white men that founded/invaded Australia and the U.S.A , in my opinion are a little bit retarded in todays world.

+1

 

[EMalmgren]

I'm pretty sure that the original use stems from the 6 "Yankee" states of New England, around the time Captain Cook was first holidaying in Australia, as a derogatory name used by the English for people from New England, and subsequently the southern states for anybody from the northern states. It is used incorrectly by those outside of America as a name for anybody from the USA as a whole. Those that use it in the belief that they are suggesting a person practices masturbation, as in "what a bunch of yankers", are misguided in their use of the word.

I practice my masturbation skills quite often so maybe they're not all that misguided.

Dont want to get rusty :icon_cheers:

 

[fcmcg]

We know your a wanker ,Bloke ...what type of brewer are you ? h34r:

 

[fcmcg]

We know your a wanker ,Bloke ...what type of brewer are you ? h34r:

 

[Ivan Other One]

Add to that list BMX Bandits. One of Nicole Kidman's finest appearances.
Let's Get Skase - (kind of an Australian Version of Inglorious Basterds.... um... kind of.... basically a crack team of Aussies out to get Australia's most hated villain.)
Romper Stomper (Sir Asshat's best movie.)
Metal Skin (illegal drags)

But across the Tasman there's some interesting flicks to be found.
Once Were Warriors
Meet the Feebles
Bad Taste
Black Sheep

All top movies Pete.
Meet the Feebles,,,,,, That show is fully sick and piss funny.

 

[booargy]

But across the Tasman there's some interesting flicks to be found.
Once Were Warriors
Meet the Feebles
Bad Taste
Black Sheep

NZ tv series Outrageous Fortunes

 

[Bribie G]

Hey EM - I've always wondered, on TV with shows like ER you see the treatment rooms full of poor people with gunshot wounds etc. However in real life in the USA, if you are in a bad car crash for example and the ambulance arrives, if you don't have health insurance do they just turn around and drive off and leave you, or do you get taken to hospital and treated for a month then given say a half million dollar bill - so what if you are poor, do you then go to jail or something?

 

[yum beer]

2. I honestly cannot stomach the whole "no guns" thing you have going on. I dont consider myself to be a "lunatic" or "gun crazy" at all either. Consider it my way: Our 2nd Amendment guarantees the "right to keep and bear arms". While there is much debate about what excatly this means, what our Founding Fathers intended, and so on, it is clear that George Washington and Co. decided that they want us to be armed. Not only is it out right, but its considered a responsibility by many people in my country. I'm all for a moderate amount of regulation on FOID cards and concealed carry permits (theres hot debate in my states government on whether concealed carry will finally be allowed), i.e. no crazies/felons/etc. but I do believe that the right to keep and bear arms is a cornerstone to the founding of America, and its not going anywhere. Quite honestly, if I ever decided to move out of America (which I wont), your gun laws take Australia out of consideration.

Im not going to deny you the right to your own opinion, but I believe the American people take the 2nd Amendment way too literal.
I dont think George Washington and co. wanted their people to be armed for the sake of owning a gun....its was intended as an ideal that all Americans have the right to defend and protect what is theirs. remembering this was written around the time of America gaining independence and fighting off the British, and was intended to continue that independence and freedom.

As for no crazies or felons being able to own guns.....sane, normal people dont kill others, so there must be a lot of 'crazies' running around with guns, happily assisted by their Government to be allowed to do so, who can at any given time snap and take out a shitload of people.
Im sorry mate but Mr Average Suburbia has no need for a gun....when he gets pissed off with the world if he has no gun he cant shoot people..and you cant say it doesnt happen because we see it regularly on TV and Im sure we dont hear about all the smaller incedences.
So own a gun if you wish and be glad that you can, but dont be blinded as to why you believe that its your right.

 

[drew9242]

Hey EM - I've always wondered, on TV with shows like ER you see the treatment rooms full of poor people with gunshot wounds etc. However in real life in the USA, if you are in a bad car crash for example and the ambulance arrives, if you don't have health insurance do they just turn around and drive off and leave you, or do you get taken to hospital and treated for a month then given say a half million dollar bill - so what if you are poor, do you then go to jail or something?

This is the good question that i would like to know the answer.

As for americans and canadians or any foreigner that comes to australia. I alway's love talking to them and discussing different cultures. I show them around here with great pride.

As for kangaroos i live in a suburban city of 30000 and right now i can see 2 kangaroos having a fight in the paddock 1km away.

 

[yum beer]

And we have regulations on what we can have here also. For example, here in the state of IL 50 calibers are a no-no as are any weapons with flash suppressors. Basically anything that looks threatening . Its not like every American owns an RPG and a fully automatic M-14 complete with bayonet lug

Just a small add-on, and I probably would speak for most Aussies,
I find that any gun is threatening, I once had a shotgun pointed at me in my younger days and Im pretty sure that knowing it wasnt a 50 caliber with a flash suppressor wasnt going to make it less threatening.

Justification is a wonderful thing.

 

[EMalmgren]

Hey EM - I've always wondered, on TV with shows like ER you see the treatment rooms full of poor people with gunshot wounds etc. However in real life in the USA, if you are in a bad car crash for example and the ambulance arrives, if you don't have health insurance do they just turn around and drive off and leave you, or do you get taken to hospital and treated for a month then given say a half million dollar bill - so what if you are poor, do you then go to jail or something?

Absolutely not.

I should have mentioned earlier, here in the States we have something called a "medical card". Basically, if a person makes below X amount a year, they can go apply for one. It takes care of everything, meaning the state pays for it. Medical, dental, and vision. You would get the same quality of care in a hospital that an insured person would. When it comes to dental and vision its not so great, but it does allow for care.

Also, if one is uninsured and doesnt have a medical card you still get the same treatment at a hospital. I've done this once. Storytime: After my father passed and I moved back to my hometown and was looking for a job, a buddy took me to the city over for a small concert at a place on the banks of the Illinois River. Paid for everything for me and kept the drinks coming all night. At the end of the concert the drummer came out and threw his sticks in the crowd, and I caught one. Walking out (stumbling really) some random asshole came up and took the drumstick out of my pocket and took off. I caught up to him in the parking lot and we went at it. He produced a billy club and lit into me. After whacking me a few times I double legged em and he brought the club down on me splitting my skull something fierce. After the fight was over (I got em on the ground in a reverse choke and choked him out lol) I was bleeding profusely and went to the hospital.

I was admitted no questions asked, got 10 staples in my head and went home. I receieved a bill about a month later for $700 along with a list of charities in the state of IL that would take care of most, if not all of the bill for me. I declined the charity and took care of the bill over the course of 3 and a half years paying what I could when I could.

Of course the drumstick story is now a joke amongst my friends and with my SWMBO. Whenever I get on her when she spends too much money shopping for clothes, she asks me where my $700 drumstick is.

Despite what you may have been told, here in America we dont let our poor die because they cant pay their bills. Its also worth noting that we take care of foreigners/immigrants whether they be legal or illegal. With illegals the state or federal government usually are the ones that pick up the tab for their care.

And there arent any debtors prisons here in the States. Our founding fathers made sure of that. If one cant pay a bill for whatever reason, its turned over to a collection agency which will hound you and interest is charged. If you continue to not pay said bill, then it hurts your credit score and, of course, a poor credit score makes it almost impossible to get a houseloan from a bank.

 

[EMalmgren]

Just a small add-on, and I probably would speak for most Aussies,
I find that any gun is threatening, I once had a shotgun pointed at me in my younger days and Im pretty sure that knowing it wasnt a 50 caliber with a flash suppressor wasnt going to make it less threatening.

Justification is a wonderful thing.

I'd have to say that the person who pointed the gun at you was threatening.

Do you find a loaded gun, with safety on, to be threatening? What about an unloaded gun?

Sorry, I find this to be silly. A gun is an piece of metal with a few working parts. What it really comes down to is the person who has the gun in their hand.

It also needs to be said that we have tons of firearms safety classes here in my country. While they arent mandatory most people choose to take them. Off the top of my head, I dont think that I know a person who owns a gun who hasnt taken one, and most people I know own a gun. Unfortunately, the stories coming out of America that you've heard about are the schmucks that havent taken one or didnt care because they intended to do harm anyways.

 

[Ironsides]

I know plenty of guys that own firearms. A few are competition pistol shooters, they keep them under the bed in a safeand the rules to keep them are quite strict. I quite enjoy shooting, but the fact remains, if there are less guns, then there are fewer deaths from guns. One thing that is often overlooked is the number of accidental deaths and injuries. Even the sane gun owners have accidents. I also never have to worry that my 5 year old newphew will find a pistol to play with at a mates place, or that a stray round from someone shooting tin cans in the backyard might come through my window.

Currently sitting in my loungeroom typing this, i do not feel that my suburban home would be improved by the addition firearms. When I lived in the country it would ahve been good to be able to shoot some foxes that were taking the sheep. But then, firearms are a tool for a purpose, not an ornament for the house just to have for the sake of having.

Oh and i personally know someone in the states whose partner bleed to death in teh street while the paramedics were looking through his wallet for some evidence of health insurance.

 

[yum beer]

I'd have to say that the person who pointed the gun at you was threatening.

Do you find a loaded gun, with safety on, to be threatening? What about an unloaded gun?

Sorry, I find this to be silly. A gun is an piece of metal with a few working parts. What it really comes down to is the person who has the gun in their hand.

It also needs to be said that we have tons of firearms safety classes here in my country. While they arent mandatory most people choose to take them. Off the top of my head, I dont think that I know a person who owns a gun who hasnt taken one, and most people I know own a gun. Unfortunately, the stories coming out of America that you've heard about are the schmucks that havent taken one or didnt care because they intended to do harm anyways.

Argh, there it is 'Guns dont kill people, people kill people'

Justification is a wonderful thing.....

 

[EMalmgren]

I know plenty of guys that own firearms. A few are competition pistol shooters, they keep them under the bed in a safeand the rules to keep them are quite strict. I quite enjoy shooting, but the fact remains, if there are less guns, then there are fewer deaths from guns. One thing that is often overlooked is the number of accidental deaths and injuries. Even the sane gun owners have accidents. I also never have to worry that my 5 year old newphew will find a pistol to play with at a mates place, or that a stray round from someone shooting tin cans in the backyard might come through my window.

Currently sitting in my loungeroom typing this, i do not feel that my suburban home would be improved by the addition firearms. When I lived in the country it would ahve been good to be able to shoot some foxes that were taking the sheep. But then, firearms are a tool for a purpose, not an ornament for the house just to have for the sake of having.

Oh and i personally know someone in the states whose partner bleed to death in teh street while the paramedics were looking through his wallet for some evidence of health insurance.

And any responsible gun owner here in the states will have their firearms locked up in some way or at the very least out of the reach of children. And there is no legal shooting inside towns(bb guns being the exception). If I was out plinking away at cans with a .22, the cops would be here lickety split putting cold steel around my wrists.

To get back on firearms around children, one guy posted earlier and said that an American buddy had a pic of his child sitting next to an AR-15 on his facebook. This is foolish. Not one person I know would do anything like this, whether the gun was loaded or unloaded. This kind of behaviour is the exception, not the norm. Defintely not a responsible gun owner.

As for your last sentence, this is rubbish. As a certified EMT I can tell you with 100% certainty that our healthcare workers are not trained to pull this crap. I suspect the story that you heard isnt quite the whole story.

 

[Golani51]

We live 15km out from the CBD and have seen roos on the morning walk just a few K's away, which is still in the middle of the 'burbs.


Most of my friends are yanks, one of my mates recently bought an AR15 from parts purchased entirely over the internet. He's a young bloke with a wife and baby and it really blew me away to see him putting this thing together over facebook, and then pics of it in his living room all setup with his kid sitting next to it.

To him though it's just a hobby like brewing is to me, he takes it to the local shooting range and has fun shooting shit I guess.


The only time I've ever held a gun was at the local army barracks, and that was a steyr that had the firing parts removed and replaced with a laser system, for training purposes infront of a massive projector screen like a computer game.

When living in Israel between 98 and 04, I carried anything from a 9mm pistol (SigSauer 226) to and M24 Sniper rifle, M16 or micro Uzi. As most of the population goes through military training and leans to respect guns, it was no biggie. I was involved in the military and security however. Either way, the gun laws there are theoretically strict. You cannot just go to a shop and buy a gun. You don't see people walking around waving guns , shooting into the air, or acting tough. They are bloody heavy and cumbersome. Even a pistol is a pain to carry around. You do it because you think you are cool, or necessity. Not 'just because'.

Crime there is not gun- related. Definitely not more than here. I have never heard of a bank being held up there. You don't get mugged either.

You could always spot the Amercan expats by the way they carried a gun...like some smart arse show- off. They were usually 40lb overweight, and had shiny 44mag Python revolvers on shoulder holsters (or two). Who uses a revolver against terrorists (the main reason for carrying weapons there)??

 

[EMalmgren]

Argh, there it is 'Guns dont kill people, people kill people'

Justification is a wonderful thing.....

So is irrational fear of inanimate objects.....