Mereja

Author: L2

  • Bogan farewell to crash victims in Melb’s north

    Oh wow. Two people have died.. and they mourn it by getting drunk and chain smoking around the tree where they died? I guess it’s the bogan way to mourn, but it isn’t respectful.. well not in my view. Do you do it?

    Video – http://media.theage.com.au/national/…_from=videobox

    Looking at that.. i mean WTF? They’ve taken un-used ciggis/packs and lighters and sticky taped them to the tree? What the fuck? Full bottles of JIm Beam as well… what the fuck?

    L2 who thinks the girl was sort-of-cute-but-not-that-great :nuts:

    http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/vic…-1225822095274

    Quote:

    UPDATE 3.40pm: YOUTHS have ignored a priest’s pleas, attacking media at the funeral of a teen who died in a high-speed crash.

    Scores of the young mourners, many of the teenagers, swarmed across the road and tried to wrestle cameras and other equipment from reporters, photographers and TV crews.

    The funeral for Anthony Iannetta, 18, follows his death in a Ford Falcon which slammed into a tree at high speed on Plenty Road, Mill Park, while being driven by 19-year-old drunk P-plater Steve Johnstone.
    …
    Soon after, a large number of the mourners walked or drove to the crash site at nearby Plenty Rd, where traffic was reduced to a crawl by milling youths and cars parked on the sides of the road.

    During the service, Father Anthony Girolami called on the mourners to control their anger about how they felt, but his calls for calm went unheeded.

    Instead, media crews and other onlookers faced a barrage of obscene language and gestures from up to 50 angry youths.

    Some threatened to smash camera equipment, while a young woman told a video crew, “you’re lucky I don’t f—ing bash you”.
    …
    Despite the circumstances of his death, there was no comment about drink-driving or speeding during the service.

    Mr Iannetta, 18, died after a Ford Falcon driven by 19-year-old drunk P-plater Steve Johnstone slammed into a tree on Plenty Road, Mill Park.
    …
    Many of the mourners had earlier stopped by the crash site to add to the growing tribute of flowers and other mementos.

    The tree is adorned with floral tributes, as well as an Australian flag, bottles of Jim Beam, cigarette packets and football scarves.

  • Thoughts on South Africa

    Maybe it’s the current billboard ads for V Australia or reading Wikipedia too much but I have a random inclination that it sounds like an interesting place to go eventually – although I was chatting to a saffa the other day who told me:

    – in Jo’burg the whites all live in gated housing estates cos it’s not safe outside
    – when tourists walk out of hotels there are people outside waiting to mug them, hence security takes them down the street
    – shopping malls are built without any way in or out except by car, to ensure safety for people inside as it’s not safe outside

    Has anybody been there and had any experiences – maybe it’s just too dangerous 🙁

  • France’s non-high speed railways

    Thought this might warrant a thread as all their own French discussions are in their own language. What experiences have you had with the rail system outside of TGVs in France?

    I’ve personally travelled on the line from Paris to Limoges (trains run to/from Brive) and didn’t find it amazing. It was something called a Corail Teoz which did 160km/h so it was better than comparable Australian services, but that’s not saying a lot. The timetable was very confusing to understand with all the local TERs thrown it and confusion about which trains run on what days of the week.

    The Austerlitz terminus in Paris was pretty ordinary too I thought. Didn’t have the beggars of Gare du Nord but not a very impressive station.

    Does anybody know if there are any plans to upgrade that line at all?