Qantas Grounded?

[pennyk]

Yea that's right.

Several years ago my father had chest pains. I took him to a public hospital and no one attended to him for a long time - a good hour or so, even though he was visibly in pain and I was complaining to the nurses who just palmed me off.

.

Do you think the waiting time might have been different if he'd gone in an ambulance, rather than you driving him there? I wonder if people are rated lower if they are "well enough" to be driven by someone.
Its just a theory.... I have no experience to back it up. I've mainly been at ER as a carer for someone arriving by ambulance. But we've never had to wait that long to be seen.
But I'd probably be much more inclined these days to call for an ambo in an emergency than to drive in ourselves.

 

[Deltaberry]

weg - who knows... that's my only experience with public hospitals' ER so far

penny - yes probably, but by the time you wait for the ambulance and then go there it might be as long. The hospital was only 15 minutes drive any way so I figured there's no point waiting, besides we didn't know what the issue was.

 

[wylie]

Do you think the waiting time might have been different if he'd gone in an ambulance, rather than you driving him there? I wonder if people are rated lower if they are "well enough" to be driven by someone.

With ambulances being "ramped" (seemingly not a rare occurrence) then it is entirely possibly that someone could be longer in the ambulance queue than if they were able to walk in... or turned away from one or more hospitals and forced to try another.

Scary really.

 

[Norwester]

Sorry DB,

Hahaha is that the only constructive thing you have to say?

Didn't have much time.....

Had to get the ute washed before I headed down to Cash Converters....

Stocked up on VB as well before my salary gets cut in half.


Now pray tell me how I should of answered.


ciao

Nor

 

[MIW]

Conformity and consumerism are the challenges of today!

Most people I think are missing the point. How much money does one need to live happily? Has anyone decided this? What do you need in life to be happy?
Look what conformity (to those all around you) and consumerism (advertising succeeded making us buy things we don't even need but want) did to all of us!
We cannot agree on what anyone should earn relative to each other and so on. Why?
Gone are the days of basic necessities, we all want name brands, we all need to keep up with the joneses, we all want to have everything, but are we all happier? What are we all chasing? When will it be enough?
Just answer some of those questions and change the way you live in relation to others and perhaps your family and you will all be happier.....it starts with changing your attitudes.
I remember hearing recently that 60 years ago there was a prediction that we all will be working 15 hours per week to sustain the same standard of living. Well, who does work 15 hours now and thinks has a great life? Do you see my point about conformity and consumerism?
Just in case you're not sure what I mean by conformity I just pulled one definition out:
"Conformity is the tendency to align your attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors with those around you. It's a powerful force that can take the form of overt social pressure or subtler unconscious influence. As much as we like to think of ourselves as individuals, the fact is that we're driven to fit in, and that usually means going with the flow".
You may disagree but the moment we are born we are conditioned to conform and eventually to consume. The problem is that not many of us are aware of this and if so, are willing to change not to conform and not to consume too much...
Good luck to you all....

 

[kathryn d]

Most people I think are missing the point. How much money does one need to live happily? Has anyone decided this? What do you need in life to be happy?

As the resident tight wad here it is like anywhere in society. Some will need more stuff to make them happy. Others are more content with basics.

I find the older I get, the less I am willing to part with money without value.
Goint to Ayers Rock was $50 to enter.(2 people)
Was it worth it? No. We saw it for free, at a small distance. However, we were there, so spent an hour.
Looking at glow worms in a cave and spending $22 each in Brisbane didn't seem worth it either.
Then again, I refuse to pay $5 for a cup of coffee.

I do enjoy housesitting and spending time in a community.Going to the school for their "teas, auctions" etc.

 

[Deltaberry]

If everybody thought like that this world would never evolve and we'd have no pioneers or inventors. We'd be a pretty outback species.

So if anyone is content with a frugal life, great. But that doesn't give your lectures on how materialistic we've become any more weight.

Consider that.

 

[Aaron Sice]

If everybody thought like that this world would never evolve and we'd have no pioneers or inventors. We'd be a pretty outback species.

So if anyone is content with a frugal life, great. But that doesn't give your lectures on how materialistic we've become any more weight.

Consider that.

kudos. i shake my bowed head constantly.

 

[MIW]

If everybody thought like that this world would never evolve and we'd have no pioneers or inventors. We'd be a pretty outback species.

So if anyone is content with a frugal life, great. But that doesn't give your lectures on how materialistic we've become any more weight.

Consider that.

World was frugal and inventions happened... when was electricity invented, aeroplane, car, penicilin, TV, etc.....? I am not communicating to be frugal rather to think what one needs and whether the wants are justified. Having a car made with diamonds is justifyable? Well for some maybe...
I did not invent 'conformity' nor 'consumerism' as I am only and observer and this is only my opinion.
My point is that why do we need 10, 20, 50 brand names of shoes, why do we need to pay $2000, $8000, $50,000 for a handbag with a name attached to it? I remember few years ago sport shoes were just sport shoes, nothing else, whereas now we just call them by product name and brand name.
I for one enjoy life and I wouldn't say I am frugal, but the moment we are born we start to conform. First we want to belong, then we wish to have friends and be liked, then we want to be with the popular group, then we wish to shop for similar things, go to better schools, do similar things, have nicer cars, live in nicer places, have nicer jobs, and so on and on. We all wish to be accepted. Even being a certain professional we must conform, we must wear nicer suits, driver better cars, live in affluent area, send kids to private schools, etc...we all conform.
One experiment conducted about conformity is an interesting one. When a person is left in a room alone and a smoke enters the room then the person leaves straight away seeing and sensing fire danger. Next a person is left in a room with 10 other people and upon seeing the smoke the person doesn't leave the room until 20 minutes later when instructed by an outside person. Why did that person did not leave? Perhaps, the person saw others not reacting and conformed to them, to their behaviour. This is deep, I know, but it makes you think.
So all I am saying is who has ever wondered or thought of what they want in their life, whether financial, spiritual, social, working life, family life, sporting life? Basically to live a balanced happy life. If we had to make that decision individually rather than due to conformity? I actually think it's the individuals who do not conform that are creative and perhaps more innovative, don't you think? If you wish to create bird hats because that's what you love to do then do it, why be influenced by others of what they think?
That's all I am trying to say, to think what will make our life balanced and happy without external influences but rather individual decision-making. Even investing in property is a form of conformity...think about that (others have done it, communicated how it changed their lives, so we want to do it too - nothing wrong with that but was it our own decison, does it make us happy?)
I think I must discuss this with the kids.......

 

[pennyk]

I think I must discuss this with the kids.......

I would be careful how you go about that... otherwise they'll just roll their eyes and ignore you.

your points are fine, (although I didnt quite get to link to the situation with Qantas... but as you say, I might have been missing the point!)

but your posts sound a bit like "in my day....."

 

[Deltaberry]

Investing in property is only a conformity insofar as making extra money is a conformity that you can can also do without.

To put another way, if one was content with a very basic lifestyle, they could work very little and rort the system and draw social benefits (as many do) and potentially still be very happy eating baked beans for dinner and sitting in food courts chatting for most of the week.

Thing is, that's all very philosophical and great. But how does making money actually buy happiness? Well I was feeling quite ill yesterday and in the process took a day off work. Had lunch with my dad who told me he's never worked a real day in his life since around 20 years ago at around 40 because he had set many of his businesses and property ventures up. He went where he wanted to on holidays, when he wanted to, and chose how long he wanted to go for etc. The point he was making was, he made choices earlier on that led to a more fulfilling and happier life later on rather than slaving away in, at the very least, a 9-5 job for another 25 years as most do. Though of course the flipside is one could work hard until 40 and then get hit by a car, which would render all that meaningless.

Though he lamented that he didn't get any wealthier than he did and let a lot of opportunities slip, so he never had his own jumbo jet, own private jet on each continent and penthouse in each major city around the world. That's probably the conforming part. But nevertheless he was still very happy and content in life.

 

[Aaron_C]

Here's hoping we can bring your father's retirement date forward to 30, Deltaberry.

 

[Deltaberry]

30 is a good number. Should see his best friend who I told you about. Retired at 22. Not sure what he does his whole life except travel and buy a few buildings around the world every years

 

[Aaron_C]

The guy who's 60 but looks 30 right? No problems in a few years we'll all go on round-the-world cruises just because we can.

 

[Deltaberry]

Yea... speaking of him, there was a commercial building in Wan Chai with apartment at the top that he wanted to sell for around A$5m right after SARs in 04. It was behind the soccer pitch where you eat the noodles made with bamboo sticks. We offered him that price and he kept upping the price by a few hundred k and eventually deal fell through.

Thing is probably worth some A$40m now. What a pity. Would've taken you around in a Ferrari in HK if we had that haha.

 

[Aaron_C]

That's ok. It's hard to compete with old-money you just gotta find new streams of revenue.

 

[MIW]

Thing is, that's all very philosophical and great. But how does making money actually buy happiness?

Exactly my point, money alone will not make you happy (well there could be few who disagree). It's finding the balance between money, your family, friends, sporting/recreational, spiritual life. Finding that balance I suppose is the key....

 

[travelbug]

As the resident tight wad here it is like anywhere in society. Some will need more stuff to make them happy. Others are more content with basics.

I find the older I get, the less I am willing to part with money without value.
Goint to Ayers Rock was $50 to enter.(2 people)
Was it worth it? No. We saw it for free, at a small distance. However, we were there, so spent an hour.
Looking at glow worms in a cave and spending $22 each in Brisbane didn't seem worth it either.
Then again, I refuse to pay $5 for a cup of coffee.

I do enjoy housesitting and spending time in a community.Going to the school for their "teas, auctions" etc.

So you didn't think it was worth $50 to go and see Ayers Rock? I find that amazing. Did you actually go or just look at a rock in the distance? It hadn't been particularly high on my travel list but I found it very moving. Both at sunrise and sunset. I forked out for the sounds of silence dinner. Lot of money but I thought it was worth it. The Olgas are amazing too. But then I find geology interesting.

 

[kathryn d]

So you didn't think it was worth $50 to go and see Ayers Rock? I find that amazing. Did you actually go or just look at a rock in the distance? It hadn't been particularly high on my travel list but I found it very moving. Both at sunrise and sunset. I forked out for the sounds of silence dinner. Lot of money but I thought it was worth it. The Olgas are amazing too. But then I find geology interesting.

yes, we paid the $50 and actually went to the rock. We drove in and out of the park a few times.
Rob even suggested to the dimwit who started to climb it, he should wear some shoes and take some water with him.
After mentioning this climber to the worker at the cultural center, she told us about a hiker that was rescued a couple of years earlier. He had been wearing those plastic croc shoes, and they had melted to his feet. They were actually scarping plastic from the bones of his feet (according to her)

We contemplating whether it was worth staying until 7 pm for the sunset. In the end neither one of us cared enough and left at 6:45 pm.
We are not the "ooh and ahh" type tourists , I guess.

We also started the trek to see the Olgas, got part way there..then decided we had a pretty good scenery of it, and that was good enough for us.

 

[jaycee]

Exactly my point, money alone will not make you happy (well there could be few who disagree). It's finding the balance between money, your family, friends, sporting/recreational, spiritual life. Finding that balance I suppose is the key....

I think I understand what your'e saying and why others can;t / the point of view others are focussing on instead.... I thin kone reaoson is to be quite honest, it's hard to be that honest about ourselves ot ourselves & to thers - who me admit I may not know exaclty what I'm doing ?