How the tide turns

[zulu Delta 534]

Perhaps I have reached an age where I see things differently or something, I don't know, but I can distinctly remember a time when I was a kid, my mother and all her mates (we were country people) used to feverishly look up mail order catalogues that were circulated by the large Sydney/Melbourne Emporiums and order clothes and other paraphernalia by mail. This would duly arrive by mail a week later and the whole family would be excited to see what had mystically appeared.
There was great excitement one day when some ex military parachutes turned up. Suddenly Mum had silk from which she could make all those things she (and most country women of the day) had simply longed for previously. (A change from knickers made from bleached flour bags I suppose.)
We also used to go into "town" on a Friday afternoon and stand at the counter of the local general store and the proprietor/ shopkeeper would shuffle backwards and forwards to the fully stocked shelves and extract the required goods to supply us with our weekly needs. We simply stood and placed the order, he did the rest.
This system all changed with the advent of the newfangled "Supermarket" style stores where the customer had to shuffle around the shelves to locate their own goods, then front up to the checkouts to pay. I seem to remember the smaller general supply stores complaining about this new system that was all the rage "somewhere else" being the start of the end of the friendly grocery store that we all knew.
Strangely though, nowadays the rumble from the retailers seems to be that this new fangled electronic shopping is going to sound the death toll for so many small businesses.....but isn't electronic shopping simply the modern version of what my mother used to do, shop from a catalogue, send in the money and receive the goods by mail. (A possibly increase in speed gained only in the time it took her to order by "snail mail" compared to today's EMail. The delivery time is the same!)
It is interesting when you attain an age where you can say that you have seen it all before, as the recycling of ideas is coming around faster now than it used to in years gone by.
Laws go round in circles too. I can remember the days when if you wanted a drink on a Sunday, the law of the land stated that you were to hop in your motor car, drive 21 miles (I think) so that you qualified as a "bona fide" traveller, then when you had drunk your fill, drive home again.
Today, my son in law, a carpenter/builder by trade, is flat out manufacturing a large order of "retro" Bar tables. You know the types, built by modern means then "stressed" so that they look "retro" and old.
When I was a kid a lot of stuff around the house was manufactured from recycled Kero boxes (that the square Kero drums were packed in) and the average family's aim was to be able to replace these handy but common items with an obviously factory made brand new item.
Something NEW is bound to happen one of these day though if I hang around long enough. I'll wait and see.
Regards
Glen

[superquag]

Remember the days (bet you do!) when banks put the financial welfare of their clients first ? - You know, farmer would work out his next year's budget, present it to the local Bank Manager...who would tweak/question/advise till they arrived at figures he knew the farmer could servic. Then the loan/overdraft would go ahead.

The guiding principle was to keep the farmer afloat, pay his debts and make a profit for his future.

Today, the bank's shareholders interests are paramount, the bottom line being the potential 'fire-sale' Return On Investment (for them) when the farmer defaults. Not 'If'.

Wonder how many lifetimes you'll need to see that idea again !:eek:

[newhue]

Glen I'm always interested in hearing how it was all those years ago. Sadly I don't take the time to ask "how it was" because I'm usually to busy.

Thanks for sharing though. We often can't really work out where we are going if we don't understand the past. I can't imagine when I'm double my age and I casually mention we used to order landy parts, or reply to a forum during lunch via an IPad.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

It's always ironic when we hear Gerry Harvey bleating about how unfair the GST free value on imported goods is affecting his buisness.

This is the same guy who's stores sent many local electronics and furnature stores to the wall because they couldn't compete with his discounts. The same guy who complains about weekend penalty rates and gives his mostly casual workforce the lowest pay and hours he can get away with.

There has been nothing stopping him setting up an internet presence supplying out of Asia and reaping the GST exemption also. However IMHO he's very much missed the boat on that or would still be more expensive than other internet vendors. After there's all the race horses he has to support so he needs the money.

On the other part of the thread. Buying Arnott's bikkys from the bulk metal tin by the ounce or pound and lollies always bought by the penny that came out of large confectionary jars on the counter! Weston's Wagon Wheels that seemed about the same size as your head.

[olbod]

Yep, remember all that Glen.
You might also remember that we would struggle home from town carrying the groceries in large brown paper bags and dilly bags. Remember those ?
Also on the farm house floor we had lino and our mats were the large pumpkin bags.
On sundays there were always a crowd for lunch around the table. We couldn't afford to waste the tank water on flower beds so on Sunday's Nan would decorate the house with red gum tips when they were in season.
Looked and smelt beaut. When there were no gum tips she would have small vases with overflowing Pigface.
Pop used to sit at the head of the table in a large chair that Nan had built for him in 1905, I have that chair today and I am about to restore it for the third time.
I still prefer lino and have it on my floors.
Dont mind packed earth either if its remote.

Sigh.

[olbod]

For those that dont know what pigface is I have downloaded a couple of pics.
The large pod thingy stores water, this is the Inland variety, us kids used to suck on them in summer, wasn't real tasty but it would quench yer thirst.
I mentioned the pumpkin bags, these were used on show days by adults in the bag hopping races.
When we were small we would hop in the smaller hession bean bag untill we could handle the big pumkin bag.
Entertainment was different in those days and was enjoyed by folk of all ages.

[Bigbjorn]

Yeah, Gerry Harvey "poor bugger me".

A large Mitre Ten store in a local shopping centre shut the doors and had a clearing auction sale. The proprietors were wingeing about the nearby Bunnings sending them broke. I thought " Yeah, just what Mitre 10's did in the 60's and 70's to the mum and dad hardware stores."

You can't help but notice in small and medium towns and cities in the USA that where there is a Walmart or K Mart shopping complex on the outskirts, that the old CBD is virtually derelict. People select their favoured shops with their feet and their wallets.

[UncleHo]

I am not country but city,(Brisbane) and can still remember the "Allen & Starks" now Myers, as well as Finney's (David Jones) and queuing for hours to get 6 hot donuts from the only donut machine in Qld. (put in for the US servicemen in WW11)coming home with shopping bags loaded on the tram,and my father buying a brand new Standard Vanguard sedan in 1949 right hand colunm change, :eek: Gawd, I'm old.

A trip to Toowoomba was a major undertaking,and doing a primary school (grade 8) trip to Warwick to watch weat grow :confused: but also discovering what a girl had under her blouse :censored:

But thinking about all the medical advances since then makes me proud to have grown up during those years of discovery,the jet age,space travel,and the digital age.

rant over


Yeah! Brian,that is exactly what happened at Caboolture,council gave permission for a large shopping centre at Morayfield and within a year Caboolture CBD was dead.

[newhue]

As a kid I remember milk delivered in 600ml glass bottles, the local milko was keenly awaited some mornings until Coles and Woolworth stated to sell milk. Fresh bread delivered to a large alloy tin at the front door also keenly awaited and killed off by the same mob.
I guess in time there will be a marketing opportunity to capture yuppie Y geneers who are happy to pay for something new and be waited on.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

As a kid I remember milk delivered in 600ml glass bottles, the local milko was keenly awaited some mornings until Coles and Woolworth stated to sell milk. Fresh bread delivered to a large alloy tin at the front door also keenly awaited and killed off by the same mob.
I guess in time there will be a marketing opportunity to capture yuppie Y geneers who are happy to pay for something new and be waited on.When I was about 9 years old Abbco Bread still delivered in a horse drawn dray around Coogee.

[Chucaro]

Reading in many internet site about "how it was" and how we are going backwards very rapidly it would not surprise me that another "Nimbin" style of life will start popping up very were.
I remember very well (back in Uruguay) during the 50's and 60's how we was happy to live with the food that were in season and how healthy we used to live. There was a life without plastic cards and the ones that need credit for the necessities of life used to have a book with the local grocer were a record of goods were written on it with the bill to be paid at the end of the month or when the salary was paid.
Here, in Oz, I remember the drivers license, it was a piece of paper without a photo and was sufficient as the main ID document to open a bank account or together with the pay sleep to get any type of credit.
A hand shake was enough to seal a deal.
Now all that it is gone, we eat rubbish food that we do not know what it is on , people leave on credit and a hand shake does not have any value.
Yes, I miss the old to tiemes indeed :(

[superquag]

I can remember bread being delivered in our street by Horse & Cart. - Can still smell the oven-fresh loaves !

The ice-man was also 'horse-powered'. So was the Butcher. - Coolgardie safe until I was 6 years old. The ice-works was just across the road from us in East Victoria Park (WA) and closed down around the same time.

Never saw the Milko, as he came around in the wee small hours.. Used to dig the yoghurt out with a knife.... But the milk was wonderful, cream floating and around 2 inches (5cm) thick. Used to take the foil cap off carefully... hold it between the tips of 1st and 2nd fingers and flick it to fly... Kids will never know what they missed....:p

For a while we even had the mobile green-grocer in his ancient truck. - But he was a yuppie...:p

Then the Supermarket came, along with the car-park...and Library.

The Ice man melted away... green-grocer went back to his shop and the baker rose to the occasion by baking more cakes... Butcher did well in his expanded shop.

-Some things don't change... The newsagency over the road and Photographic studio are both owned and run by their original families/descendents.

And yes, the supermarket and it's car park is still there...

[Chucaro]

.....................................
The ice-man was also 'horse-powered'. .............

Yes! I remember that as well. The ice was in a big block, the delivery man used to wrap it with a hessian bag and carry it on his shoulder to the icebox inside the house.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/10/1019.jpg

[mudmouse]

I remember our house getting broken in to and a few things pinched - including my beloved bicycle. Within about an hour two Detectives arrived in a poo-brown XC Falcon, took the report and a fortnight later my bike turned up at home along with mum's cassette player.

Fast forward 35 years and so long as there's no witnesses to support it, you ring a stupid telephone number and are told, 'Don't worry, the insurance will cover it'. Same for a stolen car - doesn't get investigated by Police.

I guess that's customer service going the way of the corner store, honey cart, milko and paper boy.

Nice to reflect on what was Glen..... :)

Matt.

[Bigbjorn]

We lived at the river end of Brunswick St. opposite New Farm park. As soon as petrol rationing ended the only horse drawn deliveries left were the bottle-o and the clothes prop man. Up until the end of rationing lots of deliveries to and from the CSR refinery, the wharves, and the wool stores were being done by horse drawn wagons. There were two horse troughs, one on the footpath in James St outside Coca Cola Bottlers opposite the big Charles Hope factory, both long gone for yuppy boutiques, restaurants and grossly overpriced units, and one at the corner of Lamington St. and Merthyr Rd. opposite the disused CSR horse paddock, also all expensive units now. Home deliveries were done for milk, meat, groceries, bread, fruit and veg, and dry cleaning. I remember going to Stewart's grocer shop in Merthyr Rd. with mum or Nana and the sign in the shop saying deliveries 1/-, 10/- orders delivered free. The grocers weighed and bagged bulk stuff like sugar, rice, etc as required. Cheese cut from a big wheel with a wire device. Sides of bacon hanging up in the shop without refrigeration and sliced on request. Always someone in the street as people walked most short distances up to the local shops and to the ferry and trams. Lots of workers rode bicycles to and from. A horse drawn pie cart came to New Farm State School for "little lunch" and a guy in a 1929 Chev ute with wood fired oven on the back came at "big lunch". Ray Stewart, the grocer, was escorted off Breakfast Creek racecourse for having the effrontery to enter the Member's Enclosure in shorts and long socks.

[Stuck]

Things aren't looking too shiny around here either :(
http://www.google.com.au/url'sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CC0QFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theherald.com.au%2Fstory%2F18 23263%2Fsandgate-fruit-veg-markets-threatened-poll%2F&ei=fChVUpP1MuHUigfGuYCYBw&usg=AFQjCNEByxC1F59HW8VeiC9hCLPuh7-WBg
Something like this,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=TgiNddQ1lSU

[V8Ian]

Ernie The Fastest Milkman In The West - Benny Hill - YouTube

[d2dave]

Yeah, Gerry Harvey "poor bugger me".

A large Mitre Ten store in a local shopping centre shut the doors and had a clearing auction sale. The proprietors were wingeing about the nearby Bunnings sending them broke. I thought " Yeah, just what Mitre 10's did in the 60's and 70's to the mum and dad hardware stores."

And these were the hardware stores where you would buy nails and screws(slotted not phillips head) by the pound.

Our baker used to come around to the back door with a large cane basket loaded with a variety of bread. As Mum was home (remember them, stay at home mums) she would select the bread(unsliced, no sliced available then) she wanted for the day.

This next one is possibly only for Victorians. As soft drink was not as cheap as it is now there were two mobs, one called Slades and the other Loys.

The used to home deliver unrefrigerated soft drinks at a much cheaper price than could be purchased in a milk bar.(remember them) We used to reckon that their drinks were inferior to Tarax, Schwepps etc.

[SBD4]

It's always ironic when we hear Gerry Harvey bleating about how unfair the GST free value on imported goods is affecting his buisness.

This is the same guy who's stores sent many local electronics and furnature stores to the wall because they couldn't compete with his discounts. The same guy who complains about weekend penalty rates and gives his mostly casual workforce the lowest pay and hours he can get away with.

There has been nothing stopping him setting up an internet presence supplying out of Asia and reaping the GST exemption also. However IMHO he's very much missed the boat on that or would still be more expensive than other internet vendors. After there's all the race horses he has to support so he needs the money.

On the other part of the thread. Buying Arnott's bikkys from the bulk metal tin by the ounce or pound and lollies always bought by the penny that came out of large confectionary jars on the counter! Weston's Wagon Wheels that seemed about the same size as your head.

Bought a windows surface pro recently gerry was the cheapest online option for me.

[newhue]

geeee paper drivers licence, I wish. I reluctantly got my new spiffo Australia Card, opps drivers licence yesterday. Now the government can follow me and know all thay want anytime of day I'd imagine. All in the name of security and convenience. For who I can only surmise. Not that I get up to much, just begrudge the Gov following me around.

I'm amazed how much we now pay in the name of convenience. I go to bunnings and buy a few bolts, $4.95 for a pack of 4 bolts and nuts and thats after the long walk and wait. If I go to the bolt shop with close parking, and a waiting staff member who knows there stuff, 8c.

There was a hardware/produce shop in Murwillumbah that I loved to go to as a kid. It had grains and those related smells down the back, baby chickens and ducks up the front, and every possible need in between. Kero lanterns, nails and bolts by the Kg or part, all delivered in a paper bag. Gee I loved that place.

[bob10]

I remember out Western Qld. many years ago, as a young lad, our supplies were delivered by Blitz truck.[ once a month, I think] I can still remember the excitement upon hearing the truck coming, it was like Xmas every month. Meat was no problem, we were allowed a killer [lamb], can't remember how often. I remember the dogs loved the sweet meats. Every now & again at the main property [ Dad managed an outstation] the boss killed a beast, fresh beef for a while! Only hiccup was during some big floods in the late 50's, we were flooded in, water just under the floorboards of the house, [ it was about 2 feet off the ground], all dogs cats etc up in the accommodation , which was up a ramp, higher than the kitchen area. Dad saddled up his favourite horse, & a packhorse, went to the main property for supplies, crossing a couple of flooded creeks & one river on the way out & back . At the end all mum & I had to eat were a couple of scones, but during the night the cat got up & ate them!. If Dad hadn't got back the next morning, roast cat was on the menu :D Ahhhh., memories, Bob

[d2dave]

Kero lanterns, nails and bolts by the Kg or part, all delivered in a paper bag. Gee I loved that place.

And a lot of service stations used to have a kerosine pump, same as a petrol pump, and you could bring your own container and buy it by the gallon.

[Redback]

OK here it is

Four Yorkshiremen - YouTube

OR this

The Four Yorkshiremen remake from 2001 - YouTube

Baz.

[sam_d]

OK here it is

Four Yorkshiremen - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13JK5kChbRw)

Baz.

Tut! Four Yorkshiremen? I remember back in my day there were only 3 Yorkshiremen and one o' them were half Lancastrian really....

You kids don't know how lucky you are.

[Saitch]

I remember Mum waiting for the "Rawleighs Man", a sort of mobile general store setup.
It was almost a social visit for my sister & myself as we were, in those days (early '50's), pretty isolated at..............Dakabin !!!!:D
From memory, he'd come out to our property every 3 months or so. She'd stock up on Hamiltons MAC ointment as I had an unhappy knack of self injury when I was a kiddie, although I still manage a bit of pain infliction nowadays.

[JDNSW]

Perhaps a view of "the good old days" that is a bit more balanced -

My mother taught in the high school at Hay in the 1930s. She remained friends with the lady she boarded with, who eventually married a grazier who lived about seventy miles NW of Booligal. In 1952 or 53 our family visited there (an epic trip, but that is another story!).

About ten years ago I was showing the daughter of that family, now living near here, photos that we had taken on that trip. She commented on one of them "That must have been taken from the hill where dad buried the babies".

John

[V8Ian]

Two Bob in the slot, coin pump for petrol between six pm and am, or after mid-day on Saturdays.

[jonesfam]

It's amusing.
My wife & I often reminisce about the "Old Days" when we were kids, we both grew up in small country towns.
The Thunder Box & Bog Man who emptied it come up along with the trouble you got into if you forgot to put sawdust in after a #2. Newspaper squares on a nail for toilet paper & the middle of the night walk with a Hurricane Lamp.
God, how good was it when we moved down the street to a house with a septic toilet!
Ice Cream that came in a tin, Norco I think.
Playing "Rounders" in the street after school.
Watching Neil Armstrong step onto the moon in a stinking hot class room, only 1 TV in the 2 schools, with every other kid in town.
Wanting, but never getting, a "Dragster" push bike.
Playing competition football bare foot on a field full of goats head burr.
Everybody had chooks.
Going to a mates house to see TV for the first time, he had the first about a week after we got TV reception at all.
Telephones where you asked for a 3 digit number or the person by name.
Long distance calls where they called you back in an hour if you managed to get connected.
Many other things to numerous to mention here.....

But, although I think it was great fun & had a pretty good childhood, I don't long for those days & I usually like the way of life I have now. I still don't like big towns, I still like living at least somewhat remote but now I phone a friend almost anytime from anywhere.
Jonesfam

[Eevo]

Now all that it is gone, we eat rubbish food that we do not know what it is on , people leave on credit and a hand shake does not have any value.


you can blame the baby boomers/gen x for making all the changes.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

you can blame the baby boomers/gen x for making all the changes.No us baby boomers are the ones reminiscing about how it was when we were young, it's the Gen X, Gen Y and Milennials who love the instant everything.

[Chucaro]

you can blame the baby boomers/gen x for making all the changes.

No, there are the ones that come after, the new generations that corrupted all ;)

[bob10]

you can blame the baby boomers/gen x for making all the changes.
I blame Elvis Presley, must be true, all the oldies did back then, Bob

[Lotz-A-Landies]

you can blame the baby boomers/gen x for making all the changes.I blame Elvis Presley, must be true, all the oldies did back then, BobDon't forget Rock-N-Roll music! :D

[zulu Delta 534]

I seem to remember that it was the Atom bomb was the cause of all our troubles.
I enjoy going back over all the life threatening scare tactics that are continuously being thrown in our faces.
The Atom bomb replaced the World War, and then after that came "the Reds under the beds", then Vietnam came along and unfortunately I seemed to have somehow missed out on all the revolutionary free love and drugs that supposedly happened during the 60's. (Those days did instil in me though a deep seated scorn for 90% of demonstrators)
In those days we were worried about Jack and Clap but these minor diseases seem to have disappeared, or at least become more acceptably spoken about as STDs only to be replaced by Herpes and then AIDS. Somewhere about this time I seem to remember the danger of us all toppling out of holes in the Ozone layer or some other such sinister outcome, and an odd drought and famine popping up somewhere.
Now the Reds have faded out as threats and Muslims have become the flavour of the month to take their place.
Immigration problems used to be 10 pound Poms, then Italians and Greeks, then the illegal boat people started with the Vietnamese and today have progressed to anyone and everyone.
We have moved from an easy going society that got along pretty well to the stage we are at today where we have by far surpassed the Americans in their own sport of Suing anyone for anything.
TV used to be predominantly Westerns, then the theme moved on to Doctor shows, Kildare etc. then we had Cop shows and detective shows as the staple.
Talent shows and general quiz show prizes were all paid for by sponsors whereas today we have so called Reality TV where the prize money is paid for by us, the gullible public "voting" for our favourites at about 6 times the normal phone call cost.
(Seems as though I am missing this "reality" bit just like I missed the 60s
phenomenon)
My big question is....What will the next earth shattering threat be? What comes next to 'entertain'/'scare'/'mould" our thought processes.
Regards
Glen

[Saitch]

Carnivorous koalas!:vampire:

[bob10]

I seem to remember that it was the Atom bomb was the cause of all our troubles.
I enjoy going back over all the life threatening scare tactics that are continuously being thrown in our faces.
The Atom bomb replaced the World War, and then after that came "the Reds under the beds", then Vietnam came along and unfortunately I seemed to have somehow missed out on all the revolutionary free love and drugs that supposedly happened during the 60's. (Those days did instil in me though a deep seated scorn for 90% of demonstrators)


I hear you Brother, :angel: Joined the Navy at 15, 1964, left at 36. In between, Vietnam , on the gunline, nothing special, just did our job, but we did not miss out on the free love in Subic Bay, Olongopo city. Looking back, we were not a credit to our mothers there, but the stress of what we were doing may have had something to do with it. Besides, the girls didn't mind. However, initially I had the same opinion of the demonstrators, but at least they had the guts to get up & say what they did, and good luck to them. However, I will never forget the mates I served with up there, and I will never forget the times. No one who served there will. However, the next threat is not external, it is internal. Apathy, lack of respect for Elders, lack of respect for the rule of law, breakdown of family values. This is our greatest threat for the future. Time we sorted it out. Bob

[Ratel10mm]

geeee paper drivers licence, I wish. I reluctantly got my new spiffo Australia Card, opps drivers licence yesterday. Now the government can follow me and know all thay want anytime of day I'd imagine. All in the name of security and convenience. For who I can only surmise. Not that I get up to much, just begrudge the Gov following me around.

I'm amazed how much we now pay in the name of convenience. I go to bunnings and buy a few bolts, $4.95 for a pack of 4 bolts and nuts and thats after the long walk and wait. If I go to the bolt shop with close parking, and a waiting staff member who knows there stuff, 8c.

There was a hardware/produce shop in Murwillumbah that I loved to go to as a kid. It had grains and those related smells down the back, baby chickens and ducks up the front, and every possible need in between. Kero lanterns, nails and bolts by the Kg or part, all delivered in a paper bag. Gee I loved that place.

Williams?

As a kid in the RSA, there were paper boys at (it seemed) most traffic lights.
Pull into a petrol station, and the 'boss' would ask how much then pump it, while his mates washed the windows, checked / topped up the oil & water & checked the tyres.

There was a small hardware store in Abingdon (yup, where MG's came from) with a wooden floor & staff in technician's coats (like lab. coats but brown). Not the best hardware store, frankly, but just magical to me as a teenager - kind of a small window on the past, really knowledgable staff & not only knew what a Zeuss book was, but stocked them.

There was still a few milko's around when I left the UK last time. Mum's had diversified into all dairy produce, eggs, bread & some basic meats like bacon. Iirc he would also deliver flowers.
There was quite an upwelling of 'old fashioned' businesses in the UK (well, my part anyway) pre GFC.
We used to make use of one of the organic produce delivery services & absolutely loved it. It introduced us to things we'd never heard of, like Jerusalem Artichokes & each delivery came with a newsletter & a receipt ion of the produce along with recipe ideas.

I really hope businesses like that survived the GFC.

[d2dave]

Williams?

As a kid in the RSA, there were paper boys at (it seemed) most traffic lights.


Ah the old paper boy and paper round. Yes I started selling Heralds, near a local rail station. From memory they were 3 pence. I then stepped up to an afternoon paper round and then a morning one.

Not allowed now days, they are delivered by someone in a car.

Below is what life was like for me as a kid growing up in Melbourne. It might be humorous but it is exactly how it was, except my mum didn't smoke.

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.
As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.
Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.
We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.
No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms..........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!
This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!
You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good.
And while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave their parents were.
Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

[Eevo]

it's the Gen X, Gen Y and Milennials who love the instant everything.


No, there are the ones that come after, the new generations that corrupted all ;)

who is in the position of power? who are the politicians, the CEO's, the community leaders, the decision makers?

its not gen y.

[Chucaro]

who is in the position of power? who are the politicians, the CEO's, the community leaders, the decision makers?

its not gen y.

That ones are the rejects put in place of power by the ones that sympathize with their way of thinking :p:D

Disclaimer: this is not a political statement and have not intention to pursuit a debate on that lines ;)

[Eevo]

Disclaimer: this is not a political statement and have not intention to pursuit a debate on that lines ;)

nothing political about it. :)
this isnt the one i was looking for but it will have to do.

Why Your Baby Boomer Parents Are the Reason You Can't Get a Job
(from the UK written 2 months ago)

As tuition fees reach £9,000 a year and the number of unemployed graduates in the UK hits 130,000 it's hard to listen out for news of a job vacancy above the hubbub of parents probing why their children can't "just get a job." With an increasingly competitive occupation market it's becoming progressively important to succeed in exams despite being continuously told by our parents that school was "so much harder in our day." It may soothe students to find that it is their Baby Boomer parents fault and not their own.

Our value systems are shaped in our early years by our families, friends, communities and significant events. This is how we can explain why people who are similarly aged, and who have therefore been exposed to the same historical and cultural pressures, view the world in the same way. Our parents, born 1940s-1960s, are Baby Boomers and we, born 1980s-2000s, are in the Millennial Generation.

It's not uncommon to hear our parents say "it was a lot harder in our day" or "we had to do so much more work" but in reality they are unable to comprehend the multiplicity of the current curriculum. Our subjects are not rigidly differentiated as they have been until now. Assignments often overlap all disciplines, for example one week's homework may demand you research your material for biology, make it read like an English essay, compile the rest of the data for maths whilst using IT skills to present it all. This is typical of a year six weekend project. Millennial nine year olds do an hour of homework a night whilst their Boomer parents were out climbing trees at the same age. It's also vital to note that the proliferation of qualifications has resulted in students having to gain more, making our parents claims that their eight-10 OLevels were excruciatingly difficult compared to our 12-14 GCSEs irrelevant. In a lot of ways I think the Baby Boomers grumbling about "how easy you all have it" stems from a deep rooted guilt about their role in the demise of their own children's economy.

According to generation theories Baby Boomers rebelled against their Silent Generation parents who grew up amidst WW2 and the Great Depression. Their 'waste not want not' attitude caused their children to indulge themselves in luxurious lifestyles after a childhood of penny-saving. They replaced the traditional 'womb to tomb' loyalty to a nine- five career for a city job that never sleeps. Globally, gross domestic product growth hovered around 10% making the purchasing power of money as good as it ever got in the twentieth century. They were the society that created the YUPPIE (Young Upwardly Mobile Professional) which symbolised the generation's materialistic, self-satisfying attitude. Most of our Baby Boomer parents are still not retired; in fact they are refusing to age quietly. These silver haired foxes, however, are unaware that their attitude has posed a great challenge for the coming generations.

Baby Boomers saw university as a human right and used any excuse to go. The economic boom coupled with the low tuition fees saw huge numbers of people graduate and new degrees like 'surfing' or 'golf management' created. The propagation of tertiary education saw the tuition fees, and entry requirements, rise which has caused the Millennial Generation to question the worth of a degree. Today we see the market for skills not degrees and are constantly being told three years of work experience is more valuable than a BA Hons. Most corporations expect to see extensive work experience, extra-curricular activities, academic records that include glowing GCSE and A Level results and at least a 2:1 to be considered for a job. How then, may I ask, do we have it easy?

The institutions that suffer the most from generation gaps are the ones where there is a big age and outlook difference between the people giving orders and those receiving them. Margaret Mead, the initial generation theorist, believed that "nowhere in the world are there elders who know what their children know" which means teachers have had to come to terms with the fact that often their pupils know more than they do. Long gone are the days when teachers 'knew it all' as some youngsters have travelled to multiple continents by the age of five and most have the ability to Google, and contradict, anything their teacher says on the spot. This has required a huge paradigm shift, which has resulted in complex curriculums and more modern teaching styles to rival the traditional, linear and frankly easier system our parents learnt with.

It is, however, not all bad. I see our generation as infinitely wiser than any other at the same age. We are taking in, and learning to add value to, information younger than ever formerly. Before we have started secondary school we have learnt how to source and analyse data from books, magazines, TV and, of course, the internet. After all it was George Bernard Shaw who said that his "education had been interrupted by having to attend school"; none prove this insight more true than Millennials who pass through the education system alongside their smartphones. We are doing our best to resist the overwhelming pressure from our parents to perform better by reassigning our priorities rather than following those of our workaholic, divorce indulgent, materialistic parents. From a young age we are identifying the need to have a work-life balance; we are a generation involved in charity and volunteer projects that are focused on travelling the world not just occupying an office 9-5. Growing up surrounded by single-parent homes has forced us to value our friendships and be cautious of relationships. Being born into a post-9/11 world where we are constantly bombarded with fear-mongering news has, ultimately, given us an underlying desire to have a job that means more than a pay cheque and to live a life where we are defined not just by our careers.

[Eevo]

not trying to start a gender war but here are a few more links
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wait-but-why/generation-y-unhappy_b_3930620.html
Actually, A Few Doodles Don’t Explain Why “Generation Y Yuppies” Are Unhappy – Flavorwire (http://flavorwire.com/415565/actually-a-few-doodles-dont-explain-why-generation-y-yuppies-are-unhappy/)

Daily Kos: A Response to "Why Generation Y Yuppies are Unhappy" (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/09/19/1240057/-A-Response-to-Why-Generation-Y-Yuppies-are-Unhappy)

[Chucaro]

I cannot identifying myself with the above posts.
It will appears to me that the generations in UK and Oz have a complete different way of living the one that we in Uruguay and Argentine lived.
Uruguay did not was involved with the first and second war and the effects of the great depression were minimum.
My generation (1940's) do not have the easy childhood like it is described on the articles posted.
We have a more intensive primary school than here and not to mention high school or study for a diploma.
We have the option to do high school and a technical studies together and that was full on not like it is now.
Talking about competition, were there was an it is a free education (including Uni) to all so, we used to compete not only with the privileged students from wealthy families like in many countries were education is not free.
Do not put the blame on the baby boomers because we all did not have the same upbringing. ;)

[zulu Delta 534]

I don't really think that we humans have changed that much in the past 100 years or so, and that one generation is better than another. Granted, we have learnt to gather and utilise past generations accumulated gems of brilliance and apply those gems to our basic education (as an example; When I did my leaving certificate we only touched relatively briefly on the Nuclear energy bit as it was brand new at the time and still developing) but we still learnt the basic subjects upon which even today, all development is based. I don't really think that the basic intelligence of the human race itself has advanced that much at all.
We do have more information at our fingertips through computers (not invented by these later generations I might add) and definitely transportability of this information has taken great leaps and bounds recently, (A laptop has replaced a library of encyclopaedias) but that is about it, we are no more intelligent, just have more ready access to someone else's thoughts.
When I worked in the bank my ledger keeping skills and mental arithmetic were generally higher than that of the calculators in use in the day, not because the calculators were unreliable, more-so that the input of data was less reliable than my mental mathematics.
My father and his father's generations possibly saw more invention and advances than any other. These generations saw the industrial revolution brought about by steam power, then the invention of the internal combustion engine which heralded in the advent of flight, the popularisation of motor transport, the invention of radio, telephones,TV and he also witnessed man setting foot on the moon. Air travel went from piston engines to turbines to jet to rocket assisted, Rail went from steam to Diesel and diesel electric (The fore runner to today's hybrid cars), the Snowy scheme was put in place and many other public and private developments of note took place.
Looking at the current generations,(mine included) I cannot really see any "stand out" inventions that we have come up with. Refinements yes, miniaturisation yes, material developments yes, transportability yes, but actual new inventions, No.
We have taken great steps in the portability of power sources, eg. mobile phones or laptop computers powered by minute batteries, with comparable output to the building sized computers of the 60s.
So, back to my original intent in this thread, I don't think that we are inventing anything new like previous generations did, simply modifying and recycling old ideas and adapting them to modern life and thinking that they are new. (And doing a pretty good job at that too I might add.)
Regards
Glen

[Eevo]

Do not put the blame on the baby boomers because we all did not have the same upbringing. ;)

im not trying to allocate blame, i dont think thats fair, im trying to show a two sided coin.

i just hate it when the older generation say that the younger generation are lazy, dont try, have messed up the planet, etc etc, when its obvious their not comparing apples to apples.

political, economic, class, social, technological, laws have all changed in value.

[Eevo]

I don't really think that the basic intelligence of the human race itself has advanced that much at all.

we are no more intelligent, just have more ready access to someone else's thoughts.



i cant find it but there was an article that the average roman from 2000 years was probably smarter than the average joe from today.

[Chucaro]

i cant find it but there was an article that the average roman from 2000 years was probably smarter than the average joe from today.

I do not know if smarter is the right word (certainly I am the less qualified to come with a better word :D ) but perhaps we can say that human with less resources to find solutions in their daily life are more resourceful like, as an example, the native people on the jungles who have a tremendous knowledge about botany and the use of plants for medicine purposes or the Australian aborigines that are able to find food in habitats were we will died for starvation.

[incisor]

define intelligence :angel:

Are Humans Getting Smarter or Dumber? | Intelligence & IQ | LiveScience (http://www.livescience.com/37095-humans-smarter-or-dumber.html)

[Eevo]

I do not know if smarter is the right word (certainly I am the less qualified to come with a better word :D ) but perhaps we can say that human with less resources to find solutions in their daily life are more resourceful like, as an example, the native people on the jungles who have a tremendous knowledge about botany and the use of plants for medicine purposes or the Australian aborigines that are able to find food in habitats were we will died for starvation.

i think you have summed it up very well. how smart of you. :p

take 2 dogs of the same breed. one wild, the other domesticated.
give them both a problem.

the domesticated one will give up trying and look to its master before the wild one does.

[Eevo]

stolen from elsewhere, has many good points

Hello. My name is Jessica. I'm in my early thirties and I don't own property.
Yes, I'm a member of the "Generation Rent" you keep hearing about; transient and intransigent in our refusal to buy property. We much prefer sleeping in on Saturdays to racing around town to inspect flea-bitten properties we can't afford.

Rent or buy? Have your say or ask Jess a question in the comments section below

Alarm bells were set ringing this week after news that first time home buyers are at their lowest share of all new mortgages in a decade.

"What is wrong with them?" the baby boomers wonder. "Why won't they settle down, move into the suburbs and saddle up with a mortgage like we did?"

It's easy to understand the concern about Generation Rent. Home ownership has served the boomers well. For most, their homes have become their nest eggs, providing a significant source of wealth in retirement.

But times have changed.

First, the hurdle to home ownership is much higher today than it was when boomers were buying their first home. Australia's household debt to income ratio exploded over the past few decades, sending home prices soaring relative to incomes. Fine if you're already on the ladder, but making it much harder to get on.

By necessity, Generation Rent must work longer to save the same deposit as their parents. It's even harder when interest rates are at record lows as they are now.

So we should all stop being so hoity-toity and move further out to the outer urban fringes where housing is more affordable, right?

Sadly, suburban living is not the easy answer it once was.

When boomers and their parents migrated to the suburbs, jobs were for life and traffic was sparse. You could settle in one job, live nearby and drive to work.

Today, Generation Rent change jobs more frequently and those jobs are more likely to be located in the inner city. You think we're flighty. But we know there are financial benefits from finding a job that best suits your skills. We've also found out the hard way that loyalty to one company is not rewarded the way it once was.

Increased traffic congestion also makes living on the fringe of cities more costly in public transport fees and petrol, not to mention dead time sitting in traffic.

Yes, it is cheaper to buy in outer suburban areas, but problems with urban congestion also mean outer areas are less likely to enjoy future house price gains.

For Generation Rent, it may well make financial sense to wait and save up a bigger deposit to buy in a more centrally located area.

But, I hear you worrying, if Generation Rent never buys property, how do they expect to save anything for retirement? Again, times have changed. From my very first job, my employer has been setting aside 9 per cent of my salary into superannuation. Boomers wealth was built in bricks and mortar, but Generation Rent has significant savings locked up in super.

But (you're getting impatient now, aren't you?) rent money is dead money!

Yes, but so too is interest paid to a bank. Only a small amount of monthly mortgage repayments represent real saving - paying off the principal of the loan.

Instead of paying interest to a bank, I pay rent to a landlord and put the remainder in an online savings account.

The real question, then, is whether you're better off investing your money building home equity through a mortgage or investing spare cash in other alternatives, like super, shares or cash.

Interestingly, over the past decade, house prices have risen 64 per cent, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The Aussie share market - despite the GFC - has also gained 60 per cent. And money invested in the average online saving account would have grown by 61 per cent.

Where they will go in the next decade is anyone's guess. It's a punt.

Like all investments, there are advantages and disadvantages to owning property that should be considered in the cold hard light of day and not under parental pressure to buy buy buy!

On the downside, housing is an illiquid investment that incurs substantial transaction costs in stamp duty. Houses also depreciate over time, requiring money to be spent on maintenance and repairs (although land values only ever seem to go up thanks to inadequate supply).

On the upside, mortgages can be a good forced savings plan and - because banks are willing to lend more against property than shares - a great way to leverage into asset price growth.

The most compelling argument for homeownership is a consequence of policy. Australians have also built our homes into excellent tax shelters. You pay no tax on any profit you make on your principal home, unlike shares or cash.

Eventually, the tax advantages of home ownership mean I will probably look to buy.

In the meantime, there are benefits to renting, like not paying stamp duty, having someone else pay for repairs and council rates, not paying interest to a bank and having the freedom and flexibility to live close to work.

What's so irresponsible about that?

[Landy Smurf]

The 100 Things Every 20-Something Needs To Realize | Elite Daily (http://elitedaily.com/life/the-100-things-every-20-something-needs-to-realize/)

[isuzutoo-eh]

Hmmm number 24 must be incorrect.

[Landy Smurf]

LOL, some of them i agree with some I dont. but you are definitely right about 24

[303gunner]

I remember when our garbage was collected in galvanised tin rubbish bins on the footpath by a team of 3 or 4 Garbos hanging off the side of the garbage truck, running in relays to pick the bins up. One of the Garbos on our run was a first grade rugby league player for the Eastern Suburbs Roosters. Very exciting to see for a young lad. His only wage was about $250 a week as a Garbo, and his physical training regimen consisted of running from the footpath to the truck with a 20Kg garbage bin about 200 times each morning, and his dietary intake involved about 6 or 8 schooners each day at knock-off time with the blokes on the truck. A top Sportsman of the day.

These days, he would not need to "Work" at all, as he would be on a contract of $400,000pa and be monitored and trained by professional nutritionists and trainers. But either way, all they do (then and now) is just play a game of footy.

[Davo]

The 100 Things Every 20-Something Needs To Realize | Elite Daily (http://elitedaily.com/life/the-100-things-every-20-something-needs-to-realize/)

Errgh. The comments are better than the "article".

[mick88]

What about the larger shops where the cashiere sat upstairs in a little room and the attendants at the counter would put the money and a docket in a metal cannister then send it off on a pulley system to the him/her. The cashiere would then write out a receipt and send it back along with your change.
Ryans in Spencer Street Melbourne is one that comes to mind.
Woolworths Supermarkets have a similar in principal pneumatic system in operation today.


Cheers, Mick.