Interesting stuff

Facto's post get deleted or am I missing something?

My bit/point was to say (or trying) that govts turning off the funding tap through fuel on the fire.

I think earlier someone raised the 'lucky country' label? I'm fairly certain that the origin of that lable meant it satirically appears (someone feel free to correct me on this). If that's the case, the author is eye-rolling in their grave I imagine at how it gets so widely used as a positive.

The Australian "she'll be right mate" attitude serves us pretty well in many situations. But when it comes to geopolitical games, fuck we are useless. A more forgiving interpretation of the UQ et al behaviour (at least until the Pavlou saga) would be they've just been far, far too naive about China's true ambitions. Rather than to say they went in with eyes wide open and support the CCP's agenda. I personally lean to the former, though perhaps they're not as naive anymore and it's now a matter of sunk-cost bias or 'kompromat'.

I feel similar can be said about the whole Port of Darwin shitshow. I mean, has nobody ever read history books on conflict and the methods used by the aggressor to "legitimise" their actions?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_invasion_of_Manchuria

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Northwoods

Regarding that last one (incl. Operation Mongoose)....when people say the whole government orchestrated 9/11 conspiracy thing is baloney and would never happen....I'm not saying 9/11 was underpinned by the US Govt/Military or similar, but rather there is actual precedent where similar plans have been drawn up. So, never say never.

mowgli, in case you haven't caught up, Dale-Cooper and facto are one and the same. Likewise pupkin and a handful of other aliases.

Ah... nah I hadn't but wondered if that was the case. Work got super busy so I was tapped out for a while there...

Although....what if it's actually just Blowin? And he's a guy trapped on an island. Where there's a bunker with a keyboard that if he doesn't achieve a certain number of strokes per day (not hard, on an island by yourself....heh...heh...heh...) the whole world will blow up. So he's created a menagerie of online personas to keep himself busy.

You can't say for certain it's not true....

Yeah, Blowin, I've read similar articles coming out of the US re COVID. It's puzzling to say the least. The old hammer and nail idiom all over again.

"There’s 200 odd nations in the world from which to receive international students. That these supposed pinnacles of Western wisdom were either too ignorant or too greedy to prevent concentrating their students from a single country and then utterly reject the Australian democracy to keep their rivers of gold flowing, wasn’t just ridiculously poor business management, it was ideologically despicable."
Pure Bullshit again blowin.
Our international university students come from all over the world and while China is the number 1 nation in terms of source countries, only approximately 20% of international students at our universities come from China. "from a single country"? Stop talking shit blowin.

Yes, Vic Local, beat me to it.

But what's to be expected from Blow Blow?

The very very thin veneer wore through literally years ago.

Huh, Interesting Blowin, I didn't see that in their posts, but anyway.

"The entirety of Australia", hey?

You "contain multitudes" Blow Blow!

And Rupe and the usual suspects salute youse all.

Hahahahahahahahaha.

From that SBS report on the report from the "libertarian think tank, the Centre for Independent Studies":

"The report found that approximately 10 per cent of all students currently at an Australian university come from China, compared to international students more broadly, which account for 25 per cent."

When did they say that Universities aren't over-reliant on Chinese students though Blowin? Seems all they did was disagree with your premise.

Yes, over reliance on international students.

Surely you'd be stoked you can point your finger at a wider range of foreigners, Blow Blow?

Why limit yourself?

OMG. Blowin, You do realise SBS was just reporting on a paper written by the libertarian think tank. It's not an SBS opinion piece, it's just a story about a report from a completely different organisation.
That's two massively embarrassing mistakes in your last few posts.
Have you been drinking again blowin?

Johknee- heheh had a chuckle re the nimbin vid. As I was writing I thought yep I betcha this sounds all hippy dippy veggie macrame. By the way I never said you SHOULD do anything I said "could" hehe . P.s nothin wrong with nostalgia and emotion! reckon we need more of it and heart as well. Gotta balance logic with emotion... too much logic and reason without intuition and feeling I just don't think thats good way to live. I may of come across as negative - well I guess I just see it as this - unless we put the brakes on technology it will just get bigger and bigger... we are already seeing this over the last 5 years or more. Well I have. And now there are companies making robots and artificial intelligence this and that and satellites going up in space and facial recognition cameras and data apps and this app and that app -soon there will be a go the beach app and a park app! I know of course there is the thing called control and using it wisely.. however many don't and many are lured into buying the next sparkly gadgety thing that is astronomically priced. And who makes the big bucks out of all this - yeh the ones who want MORE artificial intelligence , nanotechnology, etc etc. I just feel it is a waste of resources, money and time. I have witnessed with my own eyes how many people would rather talk to their handheld screen than converse with a stranger sitting next to them on a train. I remember even going to a dinner once and everyone sat at the table on their phones. I have seen couples on their phones not engaging with each other while their young child is completely ignored. yeah I may seem like I am generalising but I have watched it all over the last ten or so years unfold before my eyes. Just feels like we are feeding the monster and the monster continues to grow and before you know it we will be imprisoned. Just look at the social credit scheme in China. Now that's not really a way of life I would like to be a part of- being tracked and watched and judged everywhere you go by what you do and how you spend your money in order to score "credit points" that will allow you freedoms of travel etc. And yet with our current very un transparent govt we are seeing the early stages of this.. facial recognition cameras are already being installed and tracking apps being trialled... if we are not aware of what we are feeding then we are blind to what will possibly control us.
It is a catch 22 as well, I get it... as to be able to keep up with the news and what is happening in the world- tech/politics etc you need to know..and you see more and more news sources are through the internet and of course then zuckbot has now teamed up with msn to censor on fb which has a very large usage. Not to mention Murdochs influence. Poor ol abc. Of course you can't rely on fb for all your news sources but when there are many news pages that used to be paper print now online and many on social media I feel it has become a grey area to navigate.
I personally like my freedom and like to be able to have a choice in how much technology I want in my life or must use. It just seems that the more reliant we become the stronger it gets and then before you know it you must have THAT phone and THAT app or whatever to even go and see a gig or who knows maybe even one day go for a surf.. yeah I'm surmising but not hard when you see the rapid speed at how its all unfolding of late.

Is Blow Blow on the juice again?

Strap yourselves in.

I'll just let this one sit here.

"Capitalism creates it's own gravediggers."

An anecdote:

Not that long ago I was talking with a mate who does business in China, and has done for years now. We were having a laugh about the boozy banquets over there that accompany his field of business especially, and business in general at certain levels: getting the Aussie blind; cultural protocol assumptions: practical jokes of a sort playing on these assumptions etc etc.

Anyway, allied to the quote, he thought it more than a tad ludicrous that for all the media chatter and subsequent hyperbole about 'reds under the beds' infiltration by enemies within (like Uni students, say), the burgeoning reality is going to be a less controllable bourgeoisie that feels no affinity to old dreams of a Maoist dictatorship of the proletariat. Just more and more consumers rather than citizen comrades. And trying to keep them within their borders - geographical, political, cultural - will be one of the ruling party's main challenges in the years to come.

How will they react? I can hear the hysteric tap tap typing of some from here.

Now google THAT square for the correct spelling.

While you're there, maybe do some other 'research' too.

1989 = 2020? 2030? 2050?

Probable reality vs strange fantasies.

And (for the patriots)...

The effects on Australia, anyway?

Oi!

When blowin says "whatever" and then shifts the goal posts, he's really just admitting he was hopelessly wrong.
Just put up your hand blowin and say, "international students in Australia don't all come from China" and "That wasn't an SBS opinion, they were just reporting about a study from a libertarian think tank."
If you can't correct your howlers, you've got zero credibility.

Wow, and tell us your theories about 5G and Bill Gates please blowin.

Geez that's pretty wild Blowin, why on earth would they bring Hillary back? I doubt she's got any less unpopular. Would be interesting fakey to pull on the orange one, aside from Obama she's probably the best at firing him up.

I think someone must have leaked the memo and blowin is wise to the late Hillary/Michelle flip. Since you're obviously getting the inside mail, tell us what Obama-gate is about blowin

Got to say Vic that sitting around waiting for blowin to make a post and then jumping on it with a opposite opinion is getting a bit old. You dont have to agree but starting to look like you guys are husband and wife these days?

Hahaha!

How's your marriage Mike?

You don't wear sneakers in the pool, do ya?

No but I have been known to leave the seat up! Very annoying apparently. Could be racism ? Not sure

Just put both the seat and the cover down. Infuriating, and equality, for all.

Ah, marriage...serenity now, insanity later

And Larry knows...

Some evidence that regular swellnuts commenting in these forums are male. Thinking VJ's suggestion re toilet seats humorous ,I put it to the missus, only to be told that 95% more infuriating was misdirected piss on the floor

That guy in Sydney owes $1.1 million to the banks.

He sells one place and he's still got five more properties with a value of at least $4 million bringing in a rental income of a few thousand bucks per week.

What's the problem?
How can he cry poor?

Had Kelly Slater been living in oz pre covid or did he fly in with special privileges on a private jet??
Surprised the question has not been asked via the various media who have posted https://wwos.nine.com.au/news/kelly-slater-snaps-board-off-avalon-beach/...
Different rules for different blokes

He was up on the Gold Coast awaiting the Gold Coast Pro when lockdown commenced. Few videos surfaced of him at Palm Beach and D'Bah.

Came down to the NB a few weeks ago.

He showed up for the Corona Open and never left.I thought the boarders were closed?

Thanks Stu cannot blame him for not wanting to go home

Thoughts on China's intention to bring in national security laws to prohibit “treason, secession, sedition [and] subversion” against the Chinese government?

The draft version of the legislation also allows Chinese security forces to set up outposts in the city.

I really want to believe that house prices could drop or even stabilise.

Just found out my mates old place is up for sale.

He paid 520000 for it in 2008.
Sold it for 725000 in 2016.

It's now on the market 4 years later for 925000.

Sure as hell ain't dropping around here, in fact it's heading the other way fast. The issue is a lack of supply. Mate is an agent in town and reckons he could sell ten places tomorrow. Recent sale prices reflect those pressures.

so where are we going to see these 10-30% drops I keep reading about?

Punchbowl?

Moranbah.

The "experts" have NFI.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-16/coronavirus-is-now-a-good-time-to...

Some listed on our street and they went quickly, surprising as no concessions on the higher recent prices (listing price, anyway). Even the muscle car crew are lamenting no drop in prices, heard of an XE Fairmont ESP (1980s square Ford), originally a 6 cylinder with V8 conversion (so, not original, not capable of going for highest prices) go for 57K.

"Westpac has now confirmed borrowers can apply to extend the interest-only periods of their loans for up to a year, instead of being forced to start paying the principal of their loans when it expires."

Extend and pretend baby.

what do you think VJ?

you reckon prices for real estate (coastal) will drop?

Where?

Just bought a mint condition 1987 Mercedes 300 SE only 132000 on the clock for $2500.Brand new in 87 they were $127000 Haha winning.

where?

lets say East coast.

but for arguments sake, any coast.

Join Ozbenz.com Fraser..
And make sure you watch Joe Rogan Tony Hawk

Udo will do.