Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

No worries.

No hard feelings, I too can respect you willingness to voice what you believe. Even if I do not believe the same.

And I think that people SHOULD talk about it. There is so much hate based on ignorance.

Governments vs us

We are the government. There is no "them", it's all just us.

To blame them is to blame ourselves.

Personally I love paying tax, and think that we do a pretty good job of running Australia who ever is in power. Generally we spend wisely, but I have personal opinions that differ from what we do as a country. We don't spend enough/anything on research, not enough on education, and a few other things, but if we the majority don't agree, who am I to complain.

The PM gets what... 500k a year or so (+ a very good pension plan). For running an organization with 12 million workers! I know heaps of people who earn more than that, and they have nothing like the responsibility the PM has. Even the surgeons I know only effect the lives of a few hundred people. The governments signature on almost everything they sign holds potentially millions of lives on it's existence. Imagine knowing exactly how to save everyone, and fix everything but only having a finite amount of money to do it, and being blamed when you don't. When the CEO of a big company gets the sack due to being a miserable failure, and sill takes away $10million as a bonus, perhaps we shouldn't gripe about travel allowances or how much our politicians spend on postage.


Government is triage for roads, education, health, defence and EVERYTHING.

Just because I want something to be done differently, doesn't mean it SHOULD be done differently. In fact due to the fact that I tend to have an opinion that's different from the majority most of the time (I have a controversial demeanour), I should never, ever get my way.


It's only fair.


You either want a democracy, or want to be the dictator.

Nicely said Bullwinkle

Mind you, it would be heartening to have a little more focus on leadership rather than management - some conversation of what sort of country and what sort of people we aspire to be rather than just the accountants squabbling about balancing the books (and the politicians trying to score political points so they wont get voted off the island). Yes its important that the books balance, but to what end? What do we want to be when we grow up

i disagree so much bullwinkle that i couldnt even start to type out how much i disagree.

ill just leave it at these points:

when a PM makes mistakes, there is no backlash, they may lose thier job (mostly not), but that just means early retirement with full pay and pension, no matter how badly they stuff things up (including leading to total environmental destruction or the accidental death of thousands), there is no threat of prison or any other consequences.

We do not have a real democracy, we vote for our dictators.

you really cant compare what a CEO of a private company gets to the amounts politicians decide they should get of our money, with no way for us to dispute it, even if they do a bad job, even if we decide they have done such a bad job they dont deserve anything, they do what they want when they want, they take our freedoms, we have no power to get them back.

politicians dont make laws that have any chance of hurting politicians, but will make laws any day of the week to hurt others.

Bullwinkell

Its bureaucrats who actually run this country, as in 'triage'; politicians are merely self serving arseholes (even those who initially have good intentions).

RE: "when a PM makes mistakes...", we should vote in ways that will change that if enough of us care

RE: "We do not have a real democracy...", we should vote in ways that will change that if enough of us care

RE: "politicians dont make laws that...", we should vote in ways that will change that if enough of us care

On that last one, politicians are always making laws that are not in their personal best interests. They have kids in education, puppies, buy groceries and pay GST (in Oz) and do everything normal people do, invest in things normal people do, use roads like normal people do. They eat, they buy houses, they take their kids to water slides and libraries.

They do all this because they are normal people.

They are us and we are them.

And it's not as if you have to do anything to become one.

Some people get so fed up with not being represented, that they simply dedicate thousands, and thousands of hours putting up fliers and running around hosting little tea parties and visiting people on street corners, and retirements homes, calming angry mobs, getting spat on a bit for a few years, then stand for election a few times, then do a stack more free work for the local community, then win a seat and then discover that they need to do a stack more unpaid work, AND get everything done that we demand.

I mostly recommend that path to anyone who doesn't think they are getting enough votes.

Another good path is to join a party. A friend joined the Greens and found himself at a $50 fund raiser diner where there were around 100 or so other people. He spent a good 15 minutes chatting to that guy who led the Greens (Australian political party). Sorry I cant remember his name... Bob someone I think. But if you want to leverage your power, a few dollars spent in the right place can have direct influence. I personally spent an enjoyable hour chatting with a local Greens candidate at a friends house while the candidate was doing the tea party thing leading up to the last election. Thousands and thousands of hours of unpaid work. And she was in a very very safe Liberal seat (Australian political party).

Thousands and thousands and thousands of hours of unpaid work, just to get your opinion represented.

Or you could just vote fore someone who represents you, and hope that the majority agrees.

If we as a people didn't agree with the way things are, we would vote for someone who would change them.

The end.

The reason we have pokies in South Australia, is because not enough people vote for the "no pokies" party.

It's not a conspiracy, its just that we as a people don't care enough about that issue.

Sometimes change can be slow, but with something like climate change, eventually stuff will be done. The reason it isn't being done sooner, is because we as a people don't care enough to make it a priority.

We could put an end to child death due to poor drinking water for the cost of three or four cups of coffee each. But we as a people don't care enough. If we did, one of the parties would put it high on their agenda, and win the next election.

If they then failed to deliver, it would be our fault if we ever voted for them again. We as a people chose to vote for people who have let us down. That's not the PMs fault, that's our fault.

If you've got the time, please don't hesitate to disagree with me. If I'm wrong, I'd rather knowledge than ignorance every time, and I'm always happy to change my mind on any position I hold if a reasonable argument is presented.

I've slept for a total of 7 hours in the last 56.

Customers.....

I love my job, but seriously sometimes..........

I do a deal for a group that look after disabled guys, they basically take them on day trips. The group leaders/carers liked idea of AP, and wanted to come to cafe, but their members are on a budget. As I love talking about AP, and like to give back, if said I'd happily do talks etc on AP, plus do a $4 coffee and cake deal, as long as they came outside of peak periods, and understood if I did get busy, I might not be able to do the talks (usually about half hour).

Had three come thru all good. It's always a mess as they pay separately, and each person is tough to get order off, as they have trouble discerning the details in order to place an order, but all good.

Today but......


They were an hour late, which meant they got their at midday, start of peak period. Unless I have bookings I do these by myself (all cooking and serving), as I have just started out, and patronage doesn't warrant extra staff apart from weekends.

So got their coffees and cakes out, no dramas. Then proceeded to get slammed. Albeit that was only 20 meals, but all were ordered at once. So smashed those out, explained to customers that ordered at the end that I had a tour group come late, etc etc. All fully paying customers were good.

Then the tour "leader" started ordering lunch, as because "they were having to stay past lunch" (she was suggesting this was my fault) that they "may as well have lunch here", that she wanted to know if I could discount, and could I bump them ahead of full paying customers, as they were in a hurry. I said I'd give em 10% (I wouldn't have given her squat, but I'm a sucker for punishment), but I explained they'd have to be in line. Ended up doing 35 meals for lunch, all ordered in a 20 min period, and no one waited more then 25 minutes. No mean feat when you include physical payment, plus drinks, plus food.

In amongst this, said team leader then had a crack at the fact that I didn't have somebody else on when I knew they were coming (even though they were getting something I'm lucky to make money on as is by myself, and would definitely lose if staffed, and also not withstanding they only wanted coffee and cake not lunch, and were an hour late), as well as could I hurry up and do the talk on Aquaponics (at same time).

Explained I was doing best I could, and would come out when I could. She "huffed" me. Worst part was she wasn't supervising the people under her care. Most carers keep an eye on them and stop them from talking to me excessively (if it's quiet I'm happy to talk to them for ages, but when I'm busy, the carers keep them at arms length, the poor buggers like me because I treat them well), including at one point one of them walked into kitchen and wouldn't leave . Plus hey were interrupting other customers when they were ordering.

Ended up doing speech, and every other carer engaged me, and asked questions, and helped facilitate the guys under their care to ask questions, not her. Her only questions were "do you really eat veggies grown from fish poo", and " doesn't the place stink due to fish". Thanks Miss Positivety.

Sigh.......


And don't get me started on people who order like the following

Customer (C): (Walks in)
Me: Welcome to Mackaways, are you after coffee, lunch, or snacks.
C: Lunch
Me: well here's our menu, when you are ready to order, please come to counter to order.
C: Looks at menu, then comes to counter.
Me: Ready to order?
C: yep I'll get "XYZ". (Stands aside for second person in their party to order.)
Me: and what were you having today?
C2: (remembering they've had menu for several minutes, and were politely asked to come to counter when ready to order). Ummm I don't know. (Studies menu longer... Alst the while it's obvious I am busy and have drinks/food on the go). Well do you have a chicken sandwich?
Me: (trying not to show exasperation that they've studied menu for several minutes now, then came to counter when not ready, and then held everybody else's order up) yes (pointing to menu where it is) we do chicken sandwiches.
C2: I'll have a chicken sandwich
Me: (exasperate as that is not even close to enough information required, so I try and nicely prompt them) so how would you like your chicken sandwich?
C2: Well I want chicken on a sandwich.
Me: (Trying to to get exasperated) Would you like that toasted with cheese and tomato or with salad....? (I say it in a way hoping they give me more info).
C2: TOASTED (in a tone which suggests I should have read there mind).
Me: so with cheese and tomato? (As that was the option I gave.)
C2: no with JUST CHEESE (once again like I'm supposed to be a mind reader).
Me: that'll be $10.50 (they got a drink)
C2: Left my wallet at table (they go to get it...)

Whole transaction took 12 *frack* MINUTES. WHO TAKES 12 *frack* MINUTES TO ORDER A COKE AND CHICKEN AND CHEESE TOASTED SANDWICH!!!!!

(Sorry for all the caps!)

I didn't bother asking if they wanted salt and pepper, mayo/chutney etc.

To top it all off the person in their party who first ordered then complained their order took 25 minutes to come (but only 11 from when the second person in their party finished ordering). Even though I told them it'd be a wait (wouldn't have been if their other party was sensible, but I hedge my bets when under pump).

A hard day, and not editing above so it's probably all ramble.

I really wish people would appreciate me opening 7 days a week and 7am to 5pm in a town which doesn't support it, as I have a moral sense of "have to open and provide a service" in a town which depends on tourism.

End of rant and I apologise for its novel length.




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I want to vent that the last post was ridiculously long ahaha


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Thanks Nick the scrapper for promising our school 8 IBCS then ignoring us for the last week when we need to pick them up.

Soooo, we've talked religion, politics and slid a penis joke in here.
Can't say this thread isn't interesting.
I could mention I'm a mormon and that could really get things going.

However...
I'd vote for Bullwinkle, but I don't think he'd show us his budget until after the election.
A few questions:
- How do you encourage good people to go into politics when there are so many clowns already in there?
- How do beat a two party system (Aust. & US) where personality rules over vision?
- How do we get "we, the people" back to reality instead of prefering minders ensuring the pollies always appear to be walking on water instead of helping us to see them, and accept them, as fallible and accountable?

That suggestion of a religion thread was wisely stepped over. I think a politics thread would need to be given the same treatment.

Back to socially acceptable venting...

I wonder why all levels of government aren't assisting in the establishment of aquaponics systems in our communities? They could begin with subsidised, industry endorsed units of study available to tertiary students. It could only improve levels of self sufficiency in a time when many are struggling to stretch the pay pack.

I guess it depends on us putting some pressure on our pollies to start recognising the benefits. Typical Aussie...ask a question and give the answer in the next breath.

Undeniable proof that politicians are not me in any way.

http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politi ... gwuzt.html

Ahh, fun time.

I really don't miss restaurants.

+1 again Bullwinkle
Bcasey