[careinke]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('theluckycountry', 'S')o leaving aside the dreams of the dimwitted, a few of us down here are off on a ride up to Ravensbourne today. Lots off nice twisty hardtop and a sumptuous lunch at the end. Time to check tire pressures and pull some boots on, Have a great weekend over there whatever you get up to.

[theluckycountry]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('careinke', ' ')I was mildly amused when your government banned social media to anyone under the age of 16 without saying how it will be enforced. They plan on figuring that out behind closed doors, so the public has no say. Hopefully your grandkids don't become felons.

[careinke]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('theluckycountry', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('careinke', ' ')I was mildly amused when your government banned social media to anyone under the age of 16 without saying how it will be enforced. They plan on figuring that out behind closed doors, so the public has no say. Hopefully your grandkids don't become felons.

[theluckycountry]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'Y')our photos are the exact reason Trump won the presidential electorate, the popular vote, the Senate, and the House... Sit back and watch the show, it will be very entertaining, you may learn something.

[theluckycountry]

let me elaborate on that worship of the rich and famous because that's an interesting phenomena.

In centuries past, throughout all recorded history actually, you see it, the peasants looking up to the ruling class with awe and wonder. The only thing that breaks that tradition is when the plebs get a piece of the pie too, when it isn't a daily struggle to a keep roof over head and food on the table. prosperous people don't exhibit that worship behavior because they are in the class of self sufficient too. Consider the Germans who fell over themselves in praise of Adolf Hitler. They were demoralized and impoverished when he came along and he offered them a place back in the sun. Good jobs for all, national pride, make Germany great again!

Anyway through the post war years everyone in the US got wealthy (compared to before) College was free, healthcare was cheap, jobs were abundant and lifestyles reflected that. Everyone was basically happy with their lot and felt "Empowered" if you like. The rich were the robber barons in peoples eyes, why would they worship them? Fast forward to today and you have a nation full of serfs again, proud serfs no doubt but serfs non the less. They don't feel empowered, they feel like wage slaves, debt slaves, so is it any wonder they look up the rich in admiration, just like the ancients before them. Who knows, if they play their cards right a few crumbs might fall off the table. That's how poor people behave, submissive, like whipped dogs. When was the last time you saw a beggar standing proud.

[AdamB]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('theluckycountry', 'l')et me elaborate on that worship of the rich and famous because that's an interesting phenomena.

[theluckycountry]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3APsUTD1r7k

This will tell you a bit about Australia inke, I assume you like to educate yourself? I think you'll have a different perspective on our amazing nation after viewing it.

[AdamB]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('theluckycountry', ' ') I think you'll have a different perspective on our amazing nation after viewing it.

[theluckycountry]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('AdamB', ' ')

[AdamB]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('AdamB', 'A')fter much investigative work I was able to find this baby picture of Lucky.

[theluckycountry]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('AdamB', ' ')

[theluckycountry]

Well xmass is upon us and my street has started to put up the lights. Blowup santas' and long strings of colored leds. I have a long yellow string on the hedge and one colored set on a small bush that makes it look like a xmass tree. I also have a ship's signal light, like a morse code light I gutted and inside I stuffed a string of 200 colored LEDs. It's mounted on the upstairs balcony and points out for all to see.

You gotta love these solar powered LEDs, cheap as chips and really get you into the spirit of the season. On the coming weekend a bunch of us are going up to a park grounds by a small river for a BBQ and sleepover, it's Yowie country, "Bigfoot" and though I don't believe in any of that it's fun to hang out with the crew as they setup gameCams and get their night vision out. That thermal night vision is pretty cool, years ago I bought one of the little IR units on a whim and was impressed with that but the passive stuff is really amazing. You could just sit there for hours watching the nocturnal creatures go about their nightly wanderings. I buy one in a heartbeat if I had a use for it.

Only a couple of weeks to go, who else has big plans?

[Shaved Monkey]

Just came back from a month in Communist China and Communist Vietnam ....loved it spent Xmas and NYE in Vietnam
Went to a French Michelin starred restaurant on Xmas Eve shared 13 course meal with matching French wines with my wife...best meal I have ever had.
Christmas was a 5 star resort buffet with bottomless French bubbly and endless trays of Foise Gras,Wagyu and Lobster to go with the turkey and Ham
Ate lots of local street food too.
Catch a grab (asian uber ) for a few dollar to nearly anywhere with in minutes...(it was the closest thing to having a chauffeur for pennys)

[The_Toecutter]

Here's some more pics from riding around my city. Officially, the unemployment rate is under 4%, except almost everyone I know has no job and wants one, and can't find one even after applying to hundreds of places. 4 years ago, I was washing dishes for minimum wage with my degrees in electrical engineering and mathematics. Fortunately, I have a job in my field today and make 6 figures. Riding around town is a pleasure. Here's more photos of the "prosperous" USA in all her glory:








































My velomobile did this:

[theluckycountry]

Well thanks for the update Toecutter, and well done on the ST[EM] degree that led to a good job. Though I can't imagine what company would be involved in that town lol. Except for the lack of broken down cars it reminds me of those dystopian images of a future without oil. I guess they have all been taken for their scrap value. Certainly it never morphed into the cornucopian "transition towns vision", market gardens with happy people on bicycles peddling under a blue sky.
Keep up the good work.

[The_Toecutter]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('theluckycountry', 'W')ell thanks for the update Toecutter, and well done on the ST[EM] degree that led to a good job. Though I can't imagine what company would be involved in that town lol. Except for the lack of broken down cars it reminds me of those dystopian images of a future without oil. I guess they have all been taken for their scrap value. Certainly it never morphed into the cornucopian "transition towns vision", market gardens with happy people on bicycles peddling under a blue sky.
Keep up the good work.

[theluckycountry]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('The_Toecutter', 'M')y life hack is to make a good income and have no family while living in the ghetto. This way, I might get independent from the financial/employment/economic slavery system in my 40s and finally get to have a life of my own. Looking forward it.

[The_Toecutter]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('theluckycountry', '
')It's a good plan, actually the best plan, though I would add to it the buying of a small home, in a remote place, but near to food production. That's what I did 5 years ago and the prices out here have gone up nearly 100% since then. The Covid lockdowns convinced a lot of people in the cities they needed to have a rural lifestyle.

[theluckycountry]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('The_Toecutter', '
')The problem is zoning regulations in the USA. Even in places 30 miles from the nearest town, in the vast majority of places, the county or state forces you to connect to grid electricity/sewer/water/gas, forces absurd 2,000+ square foot minimum requirements on dwelling spaces and requires them to be built on a concrete foundation...
I want to get away from all that bullshit. I want to have as few bills as possible, ideally none.

[The_Toecutter]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('theluckycountry', 'W')hat drives you to want to document it all, morbid curiosity?