Breezey

I certainly disagree-its not London with the Sun either-its an amazing city

Vash the Stampede

Where else have you seen? You can't have visited London or the West Midlands lately.

No statistics quoted for that one, I see. Never mind.

As it happens, the average married Australian couple has two children.

Moreover...
Source.

Anyway, even if some people are celebrating six-child familes, what's it to you? That's their decision and they're entitled to it.

Just thank your lucky stars that your income tax isn't subsidising their every breath, as it would be if you were in the UK.

Statistics notable by absence.

Sounds like a sensible idea to me. Are you aware that water shortages are a big problem in my country?

How much heat do you lose through a skylight, exactly? I'm curious to know.

Well, you could say that about any country.

You got that one right!

I appreciate the irony, yes.

Vash the Stampede

"They"?

Oh, I've just realised - you meant the British.

Australians didn't have anything to do with the introduction of these animals.

possoms

I'm sorry but why are you quoting me here?? My post was in reference to Hutchs comments on middle class people coming in and taking over a place with no regard to what the locals think or say.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showp...8&postcount=15

and I live in the Derbyshire Dales a lot of little villages, we still have local butchers, bakers and no doubt even candlestick makers!

ozzieeagle

I actually do appreciate the fact that people like yourself do care enough to think about changing the world. My problem is after years of the scare tactics used by Greenpeace and the other financial groups that have climbed aboard the green movement, I sense a money making Juggernaut exploiting peoples fears.

The green movement lost me, when several scientists pointed out, that the rise in Carbon levels may well have happened several times over the life of this planet. Also the total rejection of the relatively clean and cheap Nuclear power, which seems to have it's basis in idealogical principles rather than practical ones. Every alternative that the green movement comes up with seems to lower ones living standards rather than raise it.

I was at one stage convinced the Green movement was right, now I'm not so sure.

iPom

There may well have been huge rises in carbon levels but the question really is 'How well did creatures survive during those rises?' I really think we're going to make life so intolerable for ourselves that we will just die off in time.

I would consider myself green but I am not part of the green movement nor do I vote for them because I don't believe they could run a country.

I'm not sure that every alternative does lower living standards... For example, in the village where I live at the mo, during the '80's, they built lots of rubbishy houses, and then a law was passed that all the newer houses had to look like they'd been here a long time... heritage housing if you like, which really improved the village. On a par with that, forcing people to do things differently or think differently doesn't always mean that standards of living will decline.

Flushing a toilet with rain water is no biggie, is it? Can you imagine how much water would be saved every day?
What about it everyone had to have a solar panel in their roof during the build, so it could run, say, the washing machine?
There are many small things that people can do to help the environment ... although here's a funny thing.... solar panels usually take more resources to make than they'll ever save in your lifetime!!! So what's the point? Well, they're getting much better ... and more people are investing in alternative energies, which will mean more research into making these things better.

As for creating energy, really that's not so much the problem imo. What I think is the problem is excess consumption. Aus is only just behind America in obesity, petrol consumption, fast food etc. This is worrying to me that a country where people should in theory be able to be outside most of the year are stuck inside watching TV and getting fatter, unthinkingly eating their ready meals without a thought of where they've come from, what they've damaged in the creation of them... I hate the ethics of it more than anything...
Cutting down acres and acres of rainforest just to plant palms for palm oil ... never mind what it does to the land, but all the orangutans made homeless or shot, babies left without parents, entire ecosystems wiped out in a day, after taking thousands of years to create. They only do this because there's a demand for palm oil... from consumers... because it's cheap and goes in everything...

Sorry to go on, but no-one is thinking right. Switch the TV standby off (one of the worst users of electricity) and use water wisely.... grow more of your own food, stop consuming, get an economical car.... These are not life lowering standards ... they are things which will make us healthier.

Anyway, I've gone on enough. No-one is demanding huge sweeping changes from anyone ... just a tiny bit each would be enough... just a tiny bit of thought.

lostpom

And thats why a full english breakky in a greasy spoon costs you £4 rather than $16 upwards in Aussie cafes. You gets what you pays for, and personally I'd prefer the UK version.

You've never been to Brighton ! The Lanes specifically.

kiwichild

I thought that was Mt Isa

BadgeIsBack

One of my best family friends in Australia works in conservation, lots of people in our village display the Land for Wildlife sign. Its quite a common theme.

She still drives around in a ***** off Patrol though.

iPom

It's nuts isn't it!?! Who really needs that? What the hell for?

lostpom

This was my calculation for a house being self sufficent - actually it was only on 20,000L Clean and 10,000L grey tanks. The charts show the water reserves for each tank and how they change through the year. Rainfall figures sourced for my part of QLD from a goverment site.

If anyone is thinking of doing something similar, let me know and I'll send you the spreadsheet.

lostpom

kiwichild

Well I grew up in nz and one of the most popular comedies I recall was 'The Young Ones' I don't watch a hell of a lot of telly but I will try to catch a couple of episodes of Little Britain to see what I think of it. I have always loved Rowan Atkinson, such a talented guy whether as Mr Bean or the Blackadder or whatever.

Aussies seem to like homegrown comedy, probably because they feel they can relate to it. Some australian comedy is very good especially shows like 'The Panel' which is comedy based on current affairs, or the now defunct 'Good News Week' Both of these were excellent in my opinon.

The Glasshouse on ABC is quite good too, though not in the same class as the former two mentioned.

lostpom

Gosh, I haven't even seen any sort of satirical comedy shows here, hence the feeling the Aussies aren't so well versed in taking the piss out of themselves. I've probably been too busy watching the bloody adverts !

iPom

Lost, that's great! Thanks for putting that up.

iPom

Lots of funny aussie humour ... What was that one we got over here recently ... Someone and Kim ...
Then there was the guy who used to be a lawyer ... dang it - I can't remember -
\

Please Sir, may I be excused? My brain is full.