Luddite Revolution
 

Are there any fellow "baby-boomers" out there who like me are generally discontented with life in this age?
With major concerns about climate(hoax btw imo) and not getting "value for money" in everyday life do you like me, long for the easy-going 70s-80s when there were a plethora of new exciting songs being released on juke-boxes country-wide and living expenses were affordable?
Yes, I could be labelled as a "dinosaur" but it is a "badge" which I wear with great pride because imo we definitely had it better "in the good old days."
My opinions were sparked by an article on "Truth.com"-check it out!
Everyone had a job and costs were in proportion to everybody's budget.
So, join me in my campaign(refer Wikipedia)....I await any comments.

Cheers.

I agree with you xanadu. I don't talk much about it, because "we" are labelled grumpy old men :(
However, if you haven't experienced the different world we were used to, how can they make comparisons. Progress is progress, but not everything is positive.
We have to tolerate all sorts of alternative people pushing their lifestyles in our faces constantly, and bear the brunt of public opinion for even suggesting that they might be kidding themselves.
There are more rules and regulations than San Quentin inmates had to endure.
Everyone seems to think they can make decisions for our own good and the we aren't capable of making even the simplest decisions.
Our kids aren't allowed to mention Christmas at school or even talk about Santa Claus for fear of alienting new arrivals. Our great Aussie traditions and lifestyles are disappearing in a multicultural mousse.

I am not racist nor anything else, I just feel that why should we bend so far
that we sacrifice our own culture. If I were to suddenly emigrate to another country I would expect to have to fit in, I wouldn't expect them to have to accomodate me and my feelings. Whatever happened to "when in Rome".

Xanadu, I will be retiring to the country in the next few years, where old Australia still exists.

It's not a matter of taste it's a matter of churning out cheap time limited garbage songs. How many songs from the 90's or 2000's stood the test of time, none but one or two offbeat songs.

Our politicians constantly lie to us, and open the door to the very worst in the name of supercharging the economy.
How did that work for us?
Not so good.
There are no jobs and no houses.
My daughter can't find a place even to rent.

I agree 100% xanadu.

Everything in the previous 2 posts just about say's it all for me.

And then there were 3.

Cheers.
Gary f.

Australia is doomed, economically.
Ford, GMH, Toyota and that aluminum plant in Vic I think is gone or going.
The domino effect has and is well and truly......

As I was doing my Thursday morning racing, Port Kembla was next with it's chimney on TV.

Race Tracks are not immune, look at Cheltenham, gone to developers, are they locals or off shore who sold us crappy imports that don't work, got our money and now buying up because we cannot manufacture locally anymore.


We seen it before, Liberal gets the books back in the black, Labor gets it back in the red, and now the Liberals are trying to get it back in the black, it's the same old song and dance.

carbon tax ?
ha ha ha ha and haaa,
In the local paper according to a professor it reads, ( the math )


I know what 1 is , ( One ) and after 1 comes 2, ( Two ), and so on.
So 0.0038 of One Degree, ( it does not say Fahrenheit or Celsius),
by 2100, ( 86 years ).

Is the Carbon Tax issue worth the time and cost to debate about in
Canberra over a Sum of ( 0.0038 / 86 years) ?

You talk about so called climate change. My mother was raised on a farm out Western NSW. She can remember droughts, no water in the tanks and having to walk down to the river and fill old kerosene tins up with muddy water and walk it back to the homestead. No power, no fridges, no tv etc and yet they didn't think they were hard done by, they accepted it for what it was and got on with life. Nowadays the kids are whingeing when their phone goes flat and Mum's late picking them up in an air conditioned car! Can't blame em' I suppose, we've just spoilt them too much. Every new generation gets it materially easier than the last, but ends up with new challenges to face.

The carbon tax may not be a great idea, BUT, if you think that climate change is not real, and man is not responsible for it, you are dead set deluding yourself!!!!!!!

For the record, I'm an EJ Holden model.

The older I get the more fun I have.

The good old days one worked 60 hours for $90.

IMO one can shove the "good old days "up ones clacker.

There are two sides to this argument, and I think they are both right to a degree.
There is no doubt that the ice caps are melting causing rising sea levels and loss of arctic and antarctic habitat.
The hot spells are getting longer and later.
The winters are getting colder and longer.
My Mother remembers the great floods at Charlton, she's 86 and sharp as a tack.
No, not the last round of floods, the first time the whole town went under ;)
She also remembers the heatwaves that equated to over 45 degrees celsius and a day it hit the equivalent of 48.5 degrees.
This was before the weather beaureau accurately recorded temperatures and get this, it was a themometer in the shade of the Town Hall!!!!
However, there is definitive proof that carbon emissions coupled with the mass felling of our trees and forests has a significant impact on the levels of CO2.

The massive increase in population, housing construction (population spreading) , automotive and manufacturing, means that we are spewing out at least 10 times as much as twenty years ago.
Take a look at China, people cough up black soot and the sky is constantly grey.
Even in America, the smog in Los Angeles and New York is a mixture of emissions.

I don't fully believe the doom and gloom of the Government nor the scientists.
There is evidence to suggest that both are unrelated, however, each exacerbates the other when it's a combination.

It is a combination of natural ebb and flow of seasons, magnified by the change in axis of our orbit to the Sun and the emissions simply make the result of those factors more intense.

I remember as a kid, my Dad bucketing his veggies due to water restrictions and he wasn't allowed to wash the car. We less than a quarter of the current population back then, and less than a quarter of vehicles on the road.

Bahahahaha good one Darky, there's always one :D

The good old days, that $90 bought one hell of a lot more my friend.
And except for the Great Depression, everyone had a fair shake at earning that $90 or more.

Little off topic but for some reason this thread reminded me of a recent quote from a TV series I am loving at the moment - True Detective. Perhaps it was because of the unhappiness many feel but are unable to adequately explain, who knows.

I think human consciousness, is a tragic misstep in evolution. We became too self-aware, nature created an aspect of nature separate from itself, we are creatures that should not exist by natural law. We are things that labor under the illusion of having a self; an accretion of sensory, experience and feeling, programmed with total assurance that we are each somebody, when in fact everybody is nobody. Maybe the honorable thing for our species to do is deny our programming, stop reproducing, walk hand in hand into extinction, one last midnight, brothers and sisters opting out of a raw deal.


Not sure which side to fall on when it comes to the climate change debate as to be honest I trust very little of what I hear in the public domain. But I believe that if it is us, the human race, that it threatening the future of the planet, then nature will have a giant say in if we can continue doing so.

But then there'll be no horseracing :(

Probably the saddest thing to have evolved is self absorption.
People no longer care if their neighbour is ill, most wouldn't know anything about their neighbour, only that they have a better car and better phone.
The evolution, has become an evolution of not only self absorption but sadly aggression. Then there's the clear disrespect for anything of heritage significance, unless it's 200 years old, down it comes for some ugly blight on the landscape, because some conehead, says it's the interpretation of man's inner self.

It's embarrasing driving overseas visitors from Melbourne Airport, they say the skyline looks like Singapore (docklands / south melbourne) and that gateway looks like a five year old designed it using cursive rods :eek:

They never learned a thing from the Yellow Peril did they?

Yes, but there will still be horses & now & then they might chase each other around a bit :)

Fellow forumites I have been overwhelmed by the response and I'd like to say that I am very proud of fellow forumites for their indepth, incisive opinions and imo it reveals a general discontent with how the world is going.
Imo most people just want a "happy" life with just enough to enjoy every day until "The Grim Reaper" comes calling.
Btw "The Luddites" came about in the early 1800s and used to break into factories and destroy the new machinery which had replaced many, many jobs.
it was during the Industrial Revolution and the British Govt and factory owners were having none of this and sought out the Luddites and eventually executed their leaders.
Around the same time the banks gained incredible financial power("Rothschilds") and as we all know they "rule the world" today.
Just ask yourselves this question:Are you better off today than in the 1970s?

I've been out all day and just returned home and it was very pleasing to read so many articulate responses.
Take a bow forumites!
Goodonya.
post8,
CP-good points.

Btw were you aware that about 1000years ago the Vikings settled in Greenland and were growing crops and raising livestock for over 200 years until the cold climate progressed and they had abandon the colony.
So, it's all happened before and more than likely will continue into the future-where is Al Gore now?

Cheers.

But we can't get set, but hey at least we won't get banned :D

Don't get me wrong, it's not all bah-humbug, there have been some great developments in many areas of technology for safety, eco friendly products, and medicine, it's the state of society which I dislike the most.

To me "Happiness" is a deep appreciation of what one DOES have,
finding enjoyable activities to participate in with other people and keeping the mind active with learning something new or out of the comfort zone.

Thats my personal answer that works for me.

To reiterate, the climate is changing; facts, figures and recorded history show this, but to tax it ? No.

Google Search

Damo and Darren - Train Station

Agree with most of what you say, Chrome Prince. Regarding music - the older stuff seemed to me to come from the heart rather than produced according to a formula to make $. Nowadays it seems like a grab for cash. I am excited about the rapid progress of science these days though. I have Parkinson's and I'm amazed at what we know about the brain. Would prefer to be without it but find it all very interesting nevertheless.

Several council workers now required to do the same job that used to take half the time by one person 20 years ago. Reason for this is because of legislation brought upon us by weak governments pandering to every marginal group in this country. It might make us safer, but the extra cost is found everywhere and as a result we have less money to spend on local produce for example because all our money, through sleight of hand, has been taken away from us in the form of insurances, safety compliance issues, and a myriad of other regulations that are imposed upon us for our own good.

Go and buy a pie and have a think where all the costs of that pie come from!

Fairwork Australia has a finger in it (not literally), Worksafe, consultants flogging their new compliance systems, government taxes, water rights for the cattle, chemical regulations for the land the cattle graze on, mostly INNEFFICIENT (read government) or GREEDY organisations are gouging out a decent whack from this pie ..... you could name at least 50 rip offs directly related to the humble pie we just bought. But how many of these have made life in general better, and how many of these just raise revenue for those that don't deserve it, as a result of some bureaucrat responding to the marginal #####'s!!

Out in the bush you cannot even build your own house.
I was looking at a very large secluded block, nobody could see or would be affected by said structure. It was invisible from the road and neighbours.
This is a very remote bush area.
BUT I need to pay the council for a planning permit, then a building permit.
I understand why in the suburbs, but not in the isolated bush.
Then I get hit with, you can build the structure, but all plans have to be submitted by a licensed builder and you cannot build it yourself under any circumstances.
Well my grandfather on my mother's side, built a whole dairy and house in Charlton, and it's still standing 4 generations later.
He built it with his bare hands and totally on his own.

So now that block will remain empty and for sale, probably forever.
It's too expensive to get a builder there, and too expensive to get building materials there.
But I can build my own 10m square building without any authority.
The block is way too nice for just a toilet :(

So you don't own your land at all, the Council owns you and your land!!!

That should read 10 square metres :eek:

Ever thought about a prefab home CP? Just a couple of semis, a crane and your done! At least the govt have promised you an NBN roll out.......lol, so you can put a bet on.

http://www.buildingcommission.com.au/ownerbuilder/applying

Thanks for that link Blackdog, I've bookmarked it for future reference.
Still a battle with the Council though.

Would be o.k. but I need a more permanent and bushfire proof structure.
Don't think it would be practical for a crane or semi, it would cost a mega fortune because of the location and terrain.

Something like this then? Not sure where you'd put the horses though. TV reception would be good though :)

Hahahaha, well that would do the trick RP, but can you imagine building it!

I've resigned myself to having to renovate an existing structure.
Still need all the permits, which is ridiculous, but there is less red tape.
The horses would be free range, so that's not really an issue, but stables would need to be built for the sick, injured, or foaling.
I have a friend who laser levelled all her paddocks and pulled up all the trees to put in galvanised shelters.
I was Mr. Unpopular when I mentioned that trees provide natural shade which allows air circulation, and horses love undulating terrain which also makes for better circulation and fitness. Needless to say, three of her horses have foundered (laminitis).

One bloke has tried to get around the building waffle by building all his rooms seperately. His toilet is a free standing shed, his bedrooms are detached etc.
As I understand it, you can't do that, they can see what you're trying to do and could make him demolish the lot.

Back on topic though, all these rules and regulations just don't make sense.
It is revenue raising at it's worst.
Sure there are safety aspects to be addressed, but I'm sure anyone could pay the CFA and a structural engineer to sign off the work done.
It would be money sent to a good cause rather than lining to pockets of those that do nothing.
My mother pays enormous rates to the Council where she lives, but the roads are all in disrepair, they won't put traffic lights at an intersection where five pedestrians have been killed in the last ten years, and they allowed a monstrous looking structure to be built overshadowing her home, totally out of character with the area, all because the guy had the money to push it through.
So she asked Council to come and revalue her house and land because two independant real estate agents told her the place has fallen in value because "nobody would want to live next to that!"
Council said it's worth more than the previous valuation. :eek:

G'day forumites, just passing and doing research for tomorrow,
post21,Tipsy,
At least that pie would have been made by a "mum-dad" business who may have employed a junior assistant(no need to go on the dole).
post27, CP,

post27,CP,
Some years ago the Blue Mountains west of Sydney experienced devastating bushfires but one local refused to surrender his house to the inferno.
He had constructed an insulated "brick-**** house" which allowed him to safely shelter from the passing inferno.
Once it had passed it allowed him to attend to "spot-fires" and glowing embers in the gutters, so he saved his property with reduced damage.
Give that a serious thought mate.

heers.

Yep, I was actually going to build a concrete bunker using prefab concrete as a fire emergency shelter for animals and people.
Years ago most people would think you're a lunatic, until this last decade of fires. But again, it's too expensive to get it there.
Thought seriously about alpaca or lambswool insulation as it's fire resistant.
There's something to be said for a moat though :D

In another life we called this "Game" - "Aint it awful."

post32, CP,
Yeah that would work but the only problem with sheep/lambs wool is the heat involved as they smoulder in one of these infernos so you may need space-age-heat shield blankets plus a source of regenerating oxygen/water as most deaths are caused by smoke inhalation.
Also, although it's a bit "out-there" the best insulator is the earth itself so think of a deep bunker in mother Earth.

Cheers.

CP using prefab concrete. I have done this all my life. You can pour onsite and lift them up into position. The system was originally designed to be done without a crane. We have done in areas that are so remote that if you can drive to your property then you are still in suburbia. One of my first experiences sharing my expertise was a group of five couples that built all their walls and installed them with chain block on a little mobile gantry. We made tiltup walls using river shingle and lifted them with a backhoe. Think outside the box.

My brother in law has two fire bunkers on his property using 2.4M concrete well liners, Has not had to use them but has done fire drills with them.

I agree Xanadu, in fact as we have progressed, we have lost vision of some of the best building methods.
From as recent as the mortice and tenon joints of the Amish going right back to living in caves and underground using earth as an extremely good insulator and protection from the elements.
Mortice and Tenon is still used in some furniture, most wood windows and doors, but when using it with structures, it comes into it's own.

There are thousands of positive developments that we can be thankful for.
Smoke alarms
Surge protectors
Safety switches
Solar energy
Water treatment

It's no the developments that are the scourge, it's the rules that limit one's lifestyle and inhibit enjoyment.

I remember being mesmorised by a Dick Smith 80-in-one electrical kit I got as a kid. It had a little red solar cell which would power a tiny motor :D

Thanks beton that's great information.
Although a little off the topic, I think this thread demonstrates that this forum contains a wealth of information that is never utilised or known about.
I'll definitely look into that, thanks for sharing.

Ahem, fellow "Luddites" perhaps we should return to the original context of this thread as it is not "Homes And Gardens."

Cheers.

I'd actually investigated getting large, used concrete drain pipes to the potential property and then setting them into a raised mound.
I designed a maze and a chimney flu so the air would circulate but be filtered.
But it worked out too costly, i.e. more than building an actual house :(
The idea being you walk in and then to the right and then down and to the left.
No need for a fire door. Smoke would be channeled before it got to phase one and then any reminants channeled in phase 2.
I know it can work, as I tested it on a scale model, but it's not viable.

Sorry, it did start of as the limitations placed upon us, and then deviated from there.