...seeing a House of Cards

Shane with House of cards

G'day Possums,

A few more from France and some recent ballet stuff....

BTA, Tamra

BTA, Tamra

BTA, Rebecca

Tuilleries, Paris, Night

Vezelay Panorama

St Martin Canal, Paris.

The Weekly Wombat Droppings

This week on “The Chunder Channel 000, Liarbril”

6.00   Play-Skool for Pretend Pollies. This week Jimmy “Little-but-Loud” Paterson and Chrissie “Bunter” Berg vie for the “Scatology Prize” hosted by the well known charitable organization, “The Coots-With-Queer-Ideas-from-a-Parallel-Universe” (aka IPA). Similar in format and content to “Celebrity Blank-Minds” these neophytes brandish words at each other across various ABC forums in the vain hope of finding a cogent concept that will finally deliver them relevance in the real world of real adults and intellectuals. 

More Da-Da than Dali, this  was the vehicle  that elevated Timmy “Twat-Freedom-Man” Wilson  to notice and a $300,000.00 position of unqualified ignorance by having similarly language challenged friends in high places.

(PG, L, H)

6.30   The Carbon Free High-Jinks Hour. Hosted by our Second Biggest Miner, Clive “Titanic” Palmer with special guests. This week our favourite Big-Pup plays a double entendre back-flip by accepting climate change and having his guest, Al “Inconvenient Truth” Gore deny the existence of a Carbon Pricing scheme. Sashaying one step forward and two steps back Clive demonstrates his knack for being as good for political life as Popcorn is for nutrition.

(MA, V, L.)

7.30   From the Heart.  A feel-good program of mawkish mutual admiration.

This week Jason A Wilson pens a thank you note to Head Plonker from “The Coots-With-Queer-Ideas-from-a-Parallel-Universe” (aka, IPA), John Roskam.

In this reviewers mind, public recognition for amateur organizations similar to that which JR heads should occur more often to bring these shy cabals out to wider scrutiny and notice.  http://jasonawilson.tumblr.com/post/89901662170/thankyou-note-to-john-roskam

(PG, A, H, V.)

8.00 Rank Rats. Highly financed (Public Subscription) Saga of a Much Maligned Union Hero, Cathy Jackson explaining how her alleged $1.3 Million spending on three union credit cards with no expenditure details bears no comparison to Thommo’s  $10 grand whatsoever.

Produced by the Liarbril Party, The BCA, IPA and featuring a truly Dickensian cast

of dodgy lawyers, Ex-Union bag-men and other shady “colourful” characters. Funded by the mug taxpayer in place of investigating either Paedophile behaviour or shonky financial advice from a "what" Bank.

(M, R, A.)

10.00 Fiscal Follies.  How to make a simple analysis of the economically under-educated d. Disect ex-priest, “Rabbutt-the-Hun” and Joe “Cereal/Toyota-Killer” Hockey’s interpretation of “The Coots-With-Queer-Ideas-from-a-Parallel-Universe” (aka, IPA’s) Right-Wing-Free-Market-Thought Bubble of a Budget. A somewhat treasonous piece by one, John Kelly who will probably have fiscal retribution meted out to him.

 http://theaimn.com/ridiculous-debt-deficit-scam/

Also; something else to put the meat on the bones before the animal is devoured.

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/these-two-budget-charts-show-how-much-money-joe-hockey-is-cutting-from-hospitals-and-schools-2014-5

PG, A, V.

10.15   Mayhem for Murdoch’s Minions.  Enthralling and long running UK Court-Room drama exposing and detailing the lives, tribulations and trials of amateur journalists’ Andy and Beccy who “Apprentice-like,” try to anticipate their Master’s (The Ugly American) every wish.

This week: “The Verdict.” The prosecution lawyer in “Mayhem” shows admirable restraint at the Beccy’s verdict. His quietly acerbic, "She was paid an awful lot to be very incompetent..." is a moment to watch.

If the Poms as punishment, transport her Down-Under, it can only be as payback for “Rabbutt-the-Hun” having Downer seek asylum in Britain, not because the “Australian” needs more receptionists.

(MA15+, N, S, V)

12.30   The Slippery Pete Affair.  Another long running political/bedroom-farce again sponsored by the “Liarbril Party” and again funded by the taxpayer.

Episode #69: “The Withdrawal.” James decides that it’s all, ”…. too, too much..” and elects not to perform in the High Court as he still “feels for Pete.”

This may not be the consummation of these proceedings as the roles and machinations of Chwissie “The Whyne-and-Perfect-Prat-of-a-Prefect” Pyne and Mal “Mongrel” Brough in this bedroom farce have not yet been fully explored.

(MA15+, N, S, V)

1.00  Late Prayers for Believable Hypocrites:  Homilies of a piquant IPA nature for those who think they believe. Hosted by The-New-Cashed-Up-Faith-Pushers and with the School Chaplain Chorus. Salvation Donations (Cash, Brown Paper Bag only) may be sent to, “A. Sinodinas, c/o Liarbril Party Room, Parliament House, Canberra, 2600.” 

1.05   Close.

Hoo-roo Petals,

Shane

..watching the wheels fall off.

G’day Petals,Further pleasant serendipity from France but in Wombat Droppings the spectacle of having to watch the wheels fall off.

Shane with Wheels

Co-incidence again perhaps but when having a look through some of the French images which still need post processing I discover that I’m looking at stuff whose shooting dates are within a couple of days of the anniversary of when they was taken.

Jailly, Burgundy

It was a day of just meandering about the Nievre district of Burgundy and making little discoveries like the ruins of the Chateau de Passy les-Tours which figures in Jeanne d’Arc’s siege of la Charitie in 1429.....

La Charitie-sur-Loire

 ...and the former Benedictine Priory of St. Sylvestre’s at Jailly, a small C11th-12th church, unfinished, which according to local romantic folk lore was built by fairies leaving a “empreinte melancholie” and to the cow that saved a church from fire at St. Saulge....

St. Sylvestre’s at Jailly

 

Lurcy-le- Bourg

.... and finding the list of Cure’s dating from 1580 at Lurcy-le- Bourg and on to the op shop in Premery

Premery

Loire

Forest, Jailly

All of which sort of makes the Melbournian appellation, “Jeff’s Shed” for the convention centre a trifle prosaic.

And some from a recent performance shoot for BTA.

Wombat Droppings or Low Down Politics in Oz

Prime Miniature “Rabbutt-the-Hun’s” muck-raking Royal Commissions are not quite working out as he and his malevolent rabble had planned.

It is difficult not to come to the conclusion they are just monumentally vindictive political exercises and a gross waste of money.

The case of the “investigation” into the Unions particularly, is more likely to bite back at the accusers. The fact that police had been informed of certain activities and have not acted; then comes the statement to the Royal Commission that inducements were offered to “Get Gillard”… and the Royal Commissioner who is investigating events of 20 years ago says that this evidence from 5 years ago is not relevant! Or that the ruling made by the commissioner relating to cross-examination of witnesses bears more resemblance to “ordeal by fire” or “Ducking.” 

All would seem not relevant to what appears an a-priori judgement and a serious diminution of the standing Royal commissions can have.

The Sharks are circling main witness Kathy Jackson.... and "Phone-Card" Reith may be in the water, too... anyone smell blood yet?

The wheels are falling off.

Another bad look was “Slippery” Pete’s accuser James “He Spoke to me, He Spoke to Me” Ashby deciding not to press his case in the High Court as it appeared it was going to open a real can of worms for both Chwissie “The-Whyne-and-Perfect-Prat-of-a-Prefect” Pyne and the other player in this malicious saga, Mal “The Mongrel” Brough. How does an ex DJ get a law firm to waive/absorb its $1,000,000.00 fees? How is he going to pay for Slipper’s costs that are likely to awarded against him?

The wheels are falling off.

Remember the fabled Labor Budget Crisis?  Well Joe “Cereal-Toyota” Killer has made a real Liarbril one in his first and only budget… a real doozie!

The Banking boys are now saying confidence within the community is so bad that it is impacting on the economy. That, if “real” people are fleeing retail and are saving more as they become more aware of the huge shift in costs in health care as Medibank is dismantled and pensions eviscerated with unemployment going up when education is being slashed then the merde is really hitting the fan.

Mrs Wombat opined t’other day that the increase in Uni fees just might be to the detriment of private schools. Parents having to make a choice between an expensive secondary education for their social standing and a very expensive tertiary one for their children’s future, may well choose the latter as giving their children best opportunity.

When this comes to pass it will be wonderful to see how these Liarbril, wrongly self proclaimed, “superb-economic-mangers” will argue away the private school school bleatings about having to fold up and go bankrupt for lack of clients and the remaining State schools are screaming in need of more funds for their sudden intake of “privilege”.

Then, hearing a right-wing financial commentator on radio express similar thoughts, you really do know…

The wheels are falling off.

On Q & A, last week (16^th) the final question of the night to Dee Madigan, Author and Advertising person…”Dee Madigan, if you could offer one solution to turn around the un-sellable budget what would it be?" Dee Madigan, "You can't. It's shit!"

The “right’ seem like socially undeveloped children; terrified that someone is taking away their toys by welfare distribution.

Defence Minister, “What’s-‘is-Name” has decided that another way of eliminating Unions is that tenders for new Naval craft will only be offered to Spain and Korea, as our shipbuilding facilities are A/ not big enough and B/ we are not competitive enough. That this will cripple the shipbuilding workforce is of no concern to “Rabbutt-the-Hun” our “Infrastructure” Prime Miniature.

The wheels are falling off.

“Rabbutt-the-Hun’s” daughter Frances Abbott makes a mess of things…..

Channel Liarbril, 19:00: Episode #1243: " Lives of the Entitled." Watch a lovely 24 yo have her daddy rescue her from a foolish decision to "...be independent." And see the tribunal complaint system subverted and the innocent party unjustly foot the bill!

19:30: "The Doleful Comedy Hour." Two teams of 20 per side battle physical challenges and each other for the prize of a single job.

Watch the losers digging the “Naptime” East–West Folly, in the new series “Green Army Blues.” 10.30.

The wheels are falling off.

Then there was the news that security had been beefed up around the main suspects.... Abbott, Hockey, Pyne and Bishop and a demonstrator threw himself at Bishop's car hitting it with his banner... causing "Rabbutt" to bleat "How Un-Australian.." it all was... conveniently forgetting his own putting his fists through the wall, either side of the head of a woman who had defeated him in a student election....bloody hypocrite!

The wheels are falling off.

Let’s not mention the Middle Eastern mass Diplomatic response to West Bank name changes or paying a sliding scale to have refugees go back to their strife-ridden countries or “Tardis” State (Where-All-Goes-Backward) Pretend Premier Dennis “Dodo” (Genus: Inutilus Rusticus) Naptime giving the Chinese $25,000,000.00 for processing Brown Coal and limiting Solar and Wind energy!  This, at a time when Germany is 70% renewables in its country’s electricity production!

Hoo-roo Possums,

The wheels are falling off.... and there is trouble ahead. 

With Bokeh on a Tour de Farce

Shane with his luggage labels

G'day Possums,

late again... must be something to do with the times we're in, slipping backward , losing any sense of continuity, watching the future evaporate .....like the mist in one of the photographs I saw recently at an exhibition at Bokeh Gallery, Daylesford.

bokeh gallery 10 Howe St, Daylesford

Into the Mist, Sonja Rolton

 a relatively new space, is holding its 1st Annual Black and White photography exhibition from June 4 - July 2.  There are some lovely things in this show and it is well worth an extended visit to soak up the real colour of photography, Black and White.

Bell Ladys, Terence Bogue

There are works, well for me at least, that kind of make you skip a breath... in the simplicity of the composition, the subtle textural recordings and the mellifluous tonality that seem to affirm one of Shakespeare's lines from "King John"  "... out of thy grace devise, ordain a gentle order..."   

Detritus #1, Jeff Moorfoot

And in another thought, to fix a childhood anxiety in a dreaming space by both revealing and eliminating it in the act of realising it. 

Osveldo Civetta,  Stairs

Or to see in what were once the technical limitations of photography, a means by exploiting those limitations, to express the nature of the object and transform it into a slightly surreal place in another time. 
This particular piece reminded me of the work of Hiroshi Sugimoto's "U.A. Walker, new York, 1978.

Sisters, Tim Burder

.... then there are of course the laws of unintended circumstance  and in this work all I could see was that the sky made the composition like a circus tent for its framing of the pastiche on "The Fontainebleau School's, Gabrielle d'Este and Her Sister."

The Judgement, Jon Harris

Context means much and these sculpture images were quite disconcerting in their promotion of the Baroque values of the sculptures but also in quietly exposing the poverty of their provenance.
There was also  a video by Harris which extrapolated the devastating results of what may seem inconsequential acts of commission or omission and exposure and non-disclosure.

The sculptures had me thinking of similar things seen in the Louvre  

Sculpture, Louvre

Small scale Masterpiece works that made me wonder at the time if there was any Marble left in Carrara or if there was pose, theme, compositional  or material handling device left.

Sculpture, Louvre

But Harris' photo's were taken in Bacchus Marsh, not the Louvre. At the Marian Chapels on the Hill facing Anthony's Cutting as you travel West......

Marian Chapel, Bacchus Marsh

.....incongruous, verging on the hyper surreal in this setting, these chapels are sprouting all over the hill, accompanied by homilies by the roadsides exhorting the viewer to take it all very seriously.

sculptures, Bacchus Marsh

The white-washed fibre-glass reproductions tell C19th  holy-card stories of the new testament in the most prosaic fashion....

and they're not so much placed in... but litter the landscape....

 ... popping up and appearing on the perimeter of an over sized miniature village for catholic Hobbitts.

sculpture Bacchus Marsh

Which might indicate that whilst one may have great faith.... that doesn't necessarily coincide with great taste. 

Which oddly, though appropriately enough, segues to the misfortune of our most catholic Prime Ministerial taste, body language  ...errr, um  erp, and language of any sort really in.....

WOMBAT DROPPINGS

....becoming the last casualty at Normandy by shooting himself in the foot Prime Miniature, "Rabbutt-the-Hun" has endeared himself to the comedians of Canada but severely wounded his country's credibility again by referring to their country as Canadia. 
As fellow photographer and Canadian blogger John Smith  noted me.... http://www.salon.com/2014/05/21/meet_the_rebel_reverend_trolling_tony_abbott_50_characters_at_a_time_partner/?... and was highly amused that our PM was even sillier than their PM.
One journal, Le Point, wrote scathingly of Abbott’s offensive D-Day speech, which allocated just 30 seconds to the historic military event. Then – enchaîne directement sur les intérêts économiques – linked this directly to his economic self-interest.

Whilst it's pleasurable to engage in schadenfreude over this sideshow I  think the main event is getting a double dissolution.

"Rabbutt's Rabble" were not elected to turn Australia into a theoretical "free-market" social experiment as their masters, the IPA wish.

IPA's Office Boys

They lied; not only over their borrowed policies but more importantly about the fact that their real agenda was never spelt out to the nation. 
Few actually voted for what they are doing now, so supply should be blocked so they can have the opportunity, after "Rabbutt’s" return from his Tour de Farce, to explain themselves and their real agenda to the people, in detail.

His Tour de Farce is also being called "An Idiot Abroad"... as his ineptness becomes appallingly more apparent.

More and more people are noticing a change in mood and an unwillingness to listen to the "merde" the Liarbrils are spreading.

Hockey sweatingly bleats on to a mostly doddery audience at the Sydney Institute of Geriatric Concepts that all you poor middle-income workers are putting a month’s hard slog in to pay for the welfare bill which is why he thinks slugging welfare recipients in his only budget is a fair thing. He did forget to mention (early onset dementia?) that tax ‘breaks’ for the wealthy, negative gearing on property and Superannuation concessions, again for the wealthy could more than pay the welfare bill by themselves. It also passed his understanding that in a CIVIL society we look after each other and that he has gone a fair way to explaining just how mean, selfish, and “IPA-feudal” his ideas really are. 

This has gone down like a lead balloon so they are now excusing themselves on an inability to "Sell' their budget! The fact is no-one wants it and no-one trusts them.

Even the economic neanderthals, the "Coots-With-Queer-Ideas-From-a-Parallel-Universe" (IPA) are coming under searching scrutiny at last... 

John Roskam, Head "Coots-With-Queer Ideas-from-a Parallel-Universe" was asked ( Faine 774) which of the privatised public utilities was actually cheaper for users than the Govt. model it replaced. He replied, “Would you rather eat in a Govt. run restaurant or a private one?”

Someone later pointed out that as eating out was a choice; water, gas, electricity etc, are not!
He (Roskam) had no answer and these charlatans need to be exposed more often.

Things is hotting up Petals..

cheers,

Shane.

...to the reality of Fantasy

G’day Possums,

Shane and Dame Nellie Melba

As we said last week we were about to attend a re-union and celebration to remember Betty Pounder, legendary choreographer for J.C. Williamson’s theatre organization. Well we have and it was a good event.

For more Archival images Facebook: Sparkle Darlings.

The brainchild of and organised by Kevin Coxhead, "Sparkle Darlings" the Pounder catch-cry, attracted around 110 people, some travelling from West Australia and Queensland to attend Her Majesty's Theatre Melbourne.

Costuming from various musicals were modelled, anecdotal speeches made and there was an AV presentation of “Pounder’s” life before the night got down to some seriously hilarious catching up and reminiscing.

It was wryly amusing to see groups of people taking up poses similar to what they did when young and poignant observing some “come-alive” at the reminiscing and re-living of past experiences.

The banter too; so funny, theatrical, pointedly accurate but well meaning, with many observing that there was in the room the remnants of an era of professional theatre that we’ll probably not see the likes of again… a generation of talents across the board which has been corporatised from existence.

Very few in the room were still working professionally, some were teaching but all I spoke to agreed that regardless of the time spent, the theatre experience was one of the most formative periods in their lives.

What is it that makes that experience so rewarding, and so pervasive?

I think it’s the distillation of a life experience that is being expressed. It is in that expression and distillation a purely classical Grecian sense of order.

Peter Brook legendary English director said once that theatre was pure socialism with a dictator in charge. It was a practise, which in the abnegation of self to a shared and common cause the performer found true freedom. And in that freedom was a reality more potent than the mundane actuality of real existence.

Ahh, Petals, it is no wonder then that if people have this sort of experience you rarely ever find them to be dully conservative in their politics because that way lies the death of creativity, imagination and society.

 

Wombat Droppings

In a truly Byzantine stumbling meander through history, Chrissy “Bunter” Berg (IPA, Ineffectual) is now blaming Labor’s Chifley and Curtin and a 40’s wartime economy for “Cereal-Toyota-Killer” Hockey’s inability to sell his contemporary horror budget of 26 broken promises to anyone at all. He attempted to justify that welfare and social spending is bad idea when the rich few, get less from the many poor…or something.   The typical “Coots-With-Queer-Ideas-From-a-Parallel-Universe” fruit-loop, surreal-thought-bubbles from his foetid imagination seem only to be looking for a reason to prove his pay cheque is warranted.

They remind me of the Neo-Classical sculptor David d’Angers who, on seeing for the first time in London, the Marbles of the Parthenon asked himself, “…if his career had not been one long misunderstanding, a permanent confusion between the truth he beheld and the life he aspired to attain.”

I hope an art reference doesn’t “throw” these economic and cultural Neanderthals.

The Liarbril/Notional coalition is sounding like a chorus version of Irving Berlin’s “Anything you can do, I can do better,” as they begin to contradict each other over this patched together far right, IPA, free-market, budget insanity for Australia’s social dismemberment.

Prime Miniature “Rabbutt-the-Hun” had need, again to slap down Chwissy “The-Perfect-Prat-of-a-Prefect, Pyne “The Whyne” and Joe “Cereal-Killer” for example and reverse their statements that, Chwissy had no ideological problems with chasing after a student debt even if the student was dead and Joe thought it a good thing, too..

Now there’s a duo of front bench catholics with real hearts of gold.

Cold and hard….. and very bad Karma. 

Chwissy has done this so often; the fact that he hasn't been replaced only indicates either the dearth of ability / lack of imagination or both, within the Liarbril party.

Poll results after ten months of their hubristic incompetence show that they are about to implode into a black hole of their own creating as more and more Australians realise just what a mangy rabble these mongrels really are.

The IPA’s history of destroying those they “Help” is well known but some “Aspirationals” just never “get it.”

Others who didn’t get it were all the students at Whitehouse Institute of Design other than the Prime Miniature’s daughter and that of the owner who each received their $60,000.00 tuition fees as scholarships.

On merit. 

Of course.

Really. Truly.

Nothing to do with accreditation, etc?

Nahhh.

College President’s a Liarbril donor. So?  Whaddayamean, The Age of Entitlement is over?

As one, Tim Jones tweeted, “We trudge through the dumbest epoch ever and endure the worst PM ever. 
Abbott is just our stupidity made manifest.” 

And Tim wrote that before our taste/intellect challenged Prime Miniature made a mess of his speech about attending the “D”Day commemorations. “Rabbutt-the-Hun’s” latest gaffe is a video:  supposedly meant to commemorate the D-Day Landings where he is accompanying six or so surviving veterans to Normandy, “Rabbutt”, still unable to convert from opposition leader mode, railed about the price on Carbon, the mining tax and re-announced being open for business…. sullying the event in the most crass manner possible. At least one wit raised a few laughs commenting,  “I hope in Normandy, he doesn't say, “Stop-the-Boats!”

Oh dear… where are the Adults?

Billy “Poofter-Hunter” Heffernan brings a fake pipe-bomb into the Senate to demonstrate the poor security… like most things he’s done in parliament this stunt also fails to go off amusingly as well.

The Grown-Up’s are in charge?

Clive “Nearly-Our-Biggest-Miner” Palmer of the Pupulist- Partly-Loopy-Party arrived for the first day of parliament in his “Roller,” saying he was saving money not using a taxpayer-funded Com-car.  He didn't mention if he was putting a motion to the Senate that we all get a Roller to save money, as well.

But he had a nice dinner with “Von Ribbentrop” Turnbull (pretend Liarbril / softie) that had Andrew “Blot-on-the-Landscape” Bolt, foaming at the mouth again.

Poor Andrew… foams so often…. should he be humanely, put down?

Comments: recent…re: Von Ribbentrop T,

...wearing a better suit does not make you a better conservative.. it just means your price is higher.

Ahhh, a better dressed, Ineffectual.

....This government is descending into farce... can we have the grown-ups back now?

...whaddaya mean descending? They've never grown up in the first place.

Which is no wonder the overseas press is reporting Australia like this…

http://www.news.com.au/national/the-washington-post-says-tony-abbott-is-becoming-one-of-the-worlds-most-hated-pms/story-fncynjr2-1226928444994

or this..

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1y1ez7_tony-abbott-last-week-tonight_news

Oh, dear, oh dear, oh dear. And this is from those who preached that Gillard, Rudd and Labor were dysfunctional?

Perhaps dear reader, you understand better the attraction to theatre as this reality is too painful to bear.

Cheers, Possums,

Shane