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| Today is ANZAC Day. | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Apr 24 2011, 07:55 PM (166 Views) | |
| Aqua Letifer | Apr 24 2011, 07:55 PM Post #1 |
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ZOOOOOM!
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![]() An interesting holiday from my perspective. Kind of a Memorial Day, Veteran's Day and 4th of July all rolled up into one. Officially, the day comemorates the first major action fought by the two countries during WWI. To my knowledge, this makes Anzac Day pretty unique in that it's a day that two independent countries celebrate to honor an armed forces shared by both. When WWI started, "Australia" as we know it had been around for only about 10 years or so. The Anzacs' corner of the war was the Gallipoli Penninsula, fighting back the Ottomans. Basically the soldiers were dropped on the shores of the penninsula and, without any support at all, began probably the most horrible and gritty conflict ever experienced in that war and many afterward. Both sides endured some awful, awful sh!t. If you want to lose your appetite, reading about the Gallipoli campaign is pretty interesting, but more interesting still to me is the relationship that developed between Turkey and Australia after the campaign. Kind of like the U.S. and Japan, after enduring serious wartime conflict and hardship each inflicted upon the other, they're buddies now. Anyway, nowadays the holiday commemorates all those who died in war, not just those during the Gallipoli campaign. There was a huge parade throughout the city today, and not only did veterans of various eras march together, so did troops from many different countries. I must say, the police were very cool about everything. They had massive crowds and pedestrian traffic to deal with today, but didn't engage in any douchebaggery that I could see. They were respectful and courteous, not at all like the cops that patrol the streets of D.C. during the 4th. But like I said, Anzac Day is not just a kind of memorial day, it's a huge holiday for current servicemen as well. ![]() I got into the city at 10 am. The bars were already full of drunken soldiers playing two-up on sloppy pub tables. Australia's a rowdy country; if you happen to find yourself walking down George St. early enough on Saturday morning, you may find peculiar oddities along your path: destroyed bus stop booths lying in a pool of broken glass, storefronts or the odd car door missing its window, mangled road signs and banners slashed to ribbons, and police tape sectioning off more serious evidence of Friday night craziness. I can only imagine what the city's going to look like tomorrow after its 24-hour seige of drunken servicemen. It's good for soldiers to have a day where they're recognized, but I dunno if partying it up during what's supposed to be a rememberance day is really the best thing. But ah well, it's their holiday after all. |
| I cite irreconcilable differences. | |
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| bachophile | Apr 24 2011, 08:16 PM Post #2 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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and of course notorious jay walking....
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| "I don't know much about classical music. For years I thought the Goldberg Variations were something Mr. and Mrs. Goldberg did on their wedding night." Woody Allen | |
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| ivorythumper | Apr 24 2011, 08:17 PM Post #3 |
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I am so adjective that I verb nouns!
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Cool -- the best part of living in a foreign country is really getting into their holidays. I remember going to a fox hunt in Somerset on Boxing Day, with Morrismen drunkenly dancing while clobbering clubs together in a dance. |
| The dogma lives loudly within me. | |
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| Aqua Letifer | Apr 24 2011, 08:28 PM Post #4 |
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ZOOOOOM!
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Yeah but that happens all the time.
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| I cite irreconcilable differences. | |
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| bachophile | Apr 24 2011, 08:33 PM Post #5 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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yea i noticed in sydney the green light for crossing is on an inceredibly short fuse. even if u start to cross at the turn of the light, u never get across the street before it turns red again.... sheesh |
| "I don't know much about classical music. For years I thought the Goldberg Variations were something Mr. and Mrs. Goldberg did on their wedding night." Woody Allen | |
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| Aqua Letifer | Apr 24 2011, 08:35 PM Post #6 |
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ZOOOOOM!
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And there is no transition time between lights; either one side has a green light or the other does, no in-between at all. |
| I cite irreconcilable differences. | |
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