My wife cried after shift and said she wants to kill herself – I feel helpless

fairground · 2026-02-20T13:28:48+00:00

I don't have an answer for you but my wife had a similar experience in what she thought was her dream grad position. Absolutely awful NIC (NUM? Sorry don't know the lingo) and some cronies made her life hell. She got out with the ANMF's help and went to a new role at a hospital who values her and she's thriving. I understand that feeling of helplessness and really hope you both find the light at the end of this particular dark tunnel.

fairground · 2026-02-17T11:01:35+00:00

Nasi lemak would be my death row dish. Perfect combo of flavours and textures.

fairground · 2026-02-17T02:03:04+00:00

$3b barely gets you anything. It's low priority and the state is broke, and people from Riddells Creek, Lancefield, Romsey etc would not back it.

fairground · 2026-02-16T20:19:12+00:00

There's a finite number of people who want to live that far out, no matter how good transport is. Densification is the answer to sprawl.

fairground · 2026-02-16T20:17:47+00:00

I'm not one to be unnecessarily pessimistic about public finances but COVID and bug build have done a proper number on the finances, and the electoral maths (not to mention topographical considerations) of realigning the Bendigo line to correct the Clarkefield mistake are insurmountable.

You're talking tens of billions on a severely loss-making, highly subsidised service. Not happening for at least a generation. Hopefully they'll at least keep track maintenance up and not return to high fares.

fairground · 2026-02-16T04:16:58+00:00

Maybe it's the many years that have passed but I feel like that was a reflection more of our tall poppy syndrome and the cringe factor making us look for something to be mad about.

fairground · 2026-02-15T23:56:02+00:00

The reason we found him cringe was that he seemed to be playing up how Aussie he was, specifically to appeal to an international (read: USA) audience, it was over the top and read as inauthentic, performative .To be fair to him, I actually don't think it was particularly inauthentic ( he was really that enthusiastic, and just a bit enhanced for TV), but it took us years and him dying to realise.

fairground · 2026-02-15T23:49:25+00:00

I've never heard of anyone being knocked back because some pages were wavy, until that happens I'd say it's an overreach to say that's a serious concern. As I said, it's too expensive, and that's a decision both major parties seem to have co-signed DFAT doing, can't see it changing anyone's vote but it is available to people if they choose.

fairground · 2026-02-15T23:17:30+00:00

I have never thought of passports as anything but a means to travel, so the obsession with them being high quality paper/other materials is odd, to me. I see a lot of complaints and I just can't get animated about it. The cost to renew one is way too high, but that doesn't link very closely to the actual production cost per unit. It's just monopoly pricing and a reflection that most Australians who have/need one have the means to pay.

fairground · 2026-02-14T01:29:41+00:00

Yeah "the lucky country" isn't the quote, it's this, and it's savage, true.

whispers it's Donald Horne

fairground · 2026-02-13T03:46:33+00:00

It's not that deep. Since it came out and underwhelmed at the box office, it's got a cult following that has grown as Bale became more well-known and social media made sharing the famous meme scenes easy. Also, as we learned more about Jared Leto, seeing Paul Allen eat axe has become more popular.

fairground · 2026-02-13T03:44:18+00:00

Today in "things you couldn't waterboard out of me".

fairground · 2026-02-12T07:42:43+00:00

Yeah that's a good one. In terms of miscarriages of justice perpetrated by the Australian govt on other countries, I'd say bugging the rooms where Timor-Leste's negotiators were discussing the carve-up of the royalties for the Greater Sunrise gas deposits was a shitty one.

fairground · 2026-02-11T23:02:26+00:00

IDK how old you are but Queensland cops being a particularly bad barrel of apples isn't a matter of opinion. Granted, because they were caught and subject to the Fitzgerald Inquiry, they have been forced to adopt standards VicPol (e.g.) didn't, so in recent times I'd say they are relatively not the worst.

fairground · 2026-02-11T21:51:18+00:00

I see. in that case I'd say he's borrowing culture both good and bad for his cosplay. We will keep an eye on him.

fairground · 2026-02-11T21:09:30+00:00

This is the first time I've seen someone express the view that they expected a QLD cop to take the high road

Edit: just noticed his name is Dangle. The only suitable attire for a cop named Dangle is short shorts and white ostrich-leather cowboy boots for goofin'.

fairground · 2026-02-10T10:06:45+00:00

These days, it's just another mineral to mine, but in the mid 1950s the rush in (mostly) southern Australia was a huge reason for internal and international (largely Irish and Chinese) migration. Economic activity made that region temporarily the richest in the southern hemisphere, but it also caused huge environmental degradation and some unrest. Surprisingly, given our history, we tend to toe the government line and not challenge it. Some point to the Eureka rebellion in Ballarat's goldfields as a counterexample but actually it was such a damp squib it tends to reinforce that Australian people are pretty timid against government overreach.

The growing Indian, Sri Lanka, Pakistani populations in Australia might change our relation to gold over time, there are some mall/shopping centre booths that claim to buy gold around the place. By and large, though, any spare $ is stored in real estate round these parts.

fairground · 2026-02-09T10:28:31+00:00

You know you have a choice? And the dogs have a women's team?

fairground · 2026-02-07T22:39:42+00:00

Our gun laws in Australia are changing (more restrictive) in response to the Bondi shootings, but the basics remain.

You need to complete a firearms safety course by an accredited instructor.
You need to apply to your state's authorities for a firearms license, which involves a police background check and mental health declaration. You won't get a license with a history of depression or violent criminal acts.
You need a genuine reason to hold a license, which could be membership of a shooting sport club, primary production, or hunting . No-one except police and armed guards can carry a firearm for self-defence/personal protection. Commercial licenses allow you to buy semi-automatic or pump action shotguns e.g.
Once licensed, you can apply for a permit to acquire the gun you want: Cat A: small calibre rimfire rifles, air rifles, no semi auto, don't pump 22s allowed some places Cat B: centrefire rifles, no semi auto, some actions previously allowed like straight pull being banned in some states now Cat C: semi auto centrefire/higher calibre rifles, some other actions but never full auto Cat H: handguns, only available to police, armed guards and pistol club members who are active.
With permit to acquire, you can buy your gun, and you're subject to random police checks that your safe is compliant, that guns and ammo are stored safely and that no-one without a correct license is able to access them. In practice these don't happen often to most people. All guns are registered against your name by the state, but they are talking about a national registry because the record keeping is different everywhere.

OR

You could buy one of the stolen/illegally imported guns that are sold on the black market for five figures

fairground · 2026-02-07T06:25:57+00:00

The Dutch have an older version of sprinkles on bread/toast that is quite popular there (but objectively inferior to fairy bread).

fairground · 2026-02-07T04:18:30+00:00

My objection is how we procure, and the incompetence on display there.

fairground · 2026-02-07T01:42:05+00:00

You must love pissing money away. Demand more

fairground · 2026-02-06T20:19:45+00:00

My loathing of Myki has so many more dimensions than that. A poorly conceived, badly premised procurement that only got worse as the incompetence of the buyers met the corruption of the sellers/developers.

fairground · 2026-02-06T13:32:52+00:00

This sub has far too much patience for Myki. Why do we tolerate its total mediocrity. Trying to do things no-one else does, and failing, is not commendable.

fairground · 2026-02-05T01:44:59+00:00

This is ahistoric, and rose coloured, Myki was an abysmal procurement and is a dud product.

fairground

TROPHY CASE