The Burden of Unfunded Empathy on the Fortunate 2%.

Shane on the Banister

 G'day Possums,

It's been a peculiar week. One where a normally supine media has provided some clarity as to the speed at which we are sliding further down the fascist banister into abyss of a new Dark Age.

Hence the apposite pics of stairs albeit, French ones and unfortunately, awfully attractive ones to boot.

There seems to be a rather virulent outbreak of Unfunded Empathy emanating amongst those who would lead us from the Canberra Bubble... now even infecting some the Ruling Rabble.

Strains of this malady were earlier detected as far away as the Reserve Bank and, horror of horrors, a body usually immune to any of the corrupting contagion of social equity, The Business Council of Australia who noted that it had already laid low fellow billionaire Dick Smith, who deliriously wished to return his $500,000.00 of unearned taxpayer funded Franking Credits.

Champion of his small flock, Scummo, Anti-Christ, Happy Clapper-Pentacostalist and faux Xtian Prime Miniature did his bogan best to stamp out an outbreak in parliament by coining, spitting and sneering his devilish one liner of "unfunded empathy" at the Labor Leader, hoping to cast out the evil miasma that Albo was insidiously suggesting by threatening the welfare of the 2%'s tax breaks with the clinical observation that as the majority of our nation is getting poorer the economy too was becoming sick and an inoculation of funds was the remedy required, not bleeding it to death.

Ambergris and herb filled pointed masks will be procured forthwith for all Ruling Rabble members, particularly the four doctors who voted to repeal the Medivac legislation whose faces, like their ethics, should be hidden from the public in perpetuity.

Even Barnyard The Unfaithful, Joyce caught the bug and had his revelatory "Road to Damascus" on his way to family No#2 in Tamworth.

Bewailing his Catholic prowess at attempting to over-populate the shire and which was now causing strain on his $215,000.00 (+ perks) yearly pittance in supporting both responsibilities; he empathetically identified with those on $250.00 a week, and by tugging at our heart strings described how he can only afford one coffee a day and has to slaughter his food and go without a dishwasher, and heating in winter... and oh, how hard it is to run a car in the bush (particularly if it's not a Comm-Car) and besides, the $280 a night living-away-from-home allowance really doesn't cut it, does it?

Yes Petals, a sick nation. Diseased with " Aspiration".... it is a very sick nation!

It is probably not without some truth that the histrionic "casting-out" performed by Scummo was perhaps more related to his ego being badly bruised by a studied lack of opposition interest in his self perceived miraculous magnificence than the weeping bulboe of fiscal collapse but by them paying more attention to his haplessly corrupt and incompetent minister for despoiling the environment, Goofy Taylor.  Having entertained many parliamentary questioners with multiple versions of why he wasn't responsible for illegally poisoning 30 hectares of protected grasslands that weren't his, (only his undeclared company's) and lobbying Fictions Frydenberg "for a friend" (who will ask for this to be done 6 months hence) to have the restrictions "eased," Goofy was only saved from an enquiry by the aegis of the Deep North's  Red Terror, Poor-Lean Handstand's vote, who probably thought the Ruling Rabble would return the favour and support her idiot immigration bill.

They didn't!

Then came the revelations that Crooks launder money through Crown Casino and that corruption is rampant.

Well, blow me down! Who'd ever have thought or imagined that, with a Casino?

Certainly not failed ex-premier The Bully-Boy, Boof-Head Kennett. He of sacking teachers, closing rail-lines that now need re-opening and schools... the same, and de-regulating the building industry and privatising public utilities in an orgy of Neo-Fascist right-wing economics that the state is still suffering the consequences of and still recovering from. Yes, it was he who expanded the Casino for his mates and Packer's benefit!

My Goodness, Potato-Head Dutton's boys are fast tracking visa's for criminals to spend up big... one, allegedly $800 million in a year...Nooooo!

State police moonlighting as security for gangsters... Noooo!

Trafficking women for prostitution... Noooo!

And there was Simon Cowan, another puffed up Neo Liberal "libertarian" from one of the 15 Right-wing think-tanks polluting Australia's political discourse on "The Drum" sounding more like a block-headed spiv of a used car salesman than a thoughtful commentator saying, full of empathy with Crown Casino, "Aaaww... nothing to see here ...nehhh, what's wrong in letting them in to spend their money...No Probs!"

Which makes me think...(who pays his bills?) and further,  what an ideal mate for Princess Daisy of Cousens or Puerile McGuiness!

Imagine the retarded progeny and Australia's future.... no dont!

We are already there.

Hoo-roo Petals,

Shane

Appealing to the 2%

G'day Possums,

So, it's only been two months since the last election and already it feels like an eternity as The Happy-Clapper, Prosperity-Pentacostalist Anti-Christ and bogan Prime Miniature, Scummo and his Ruling Rabble struggle to find anything positive to do for the nation. 

Oh, there's prayer!

Rallying with 21,000 of the 2% he actually rules for, Scummo exhorted them and by inference, us,  for all to show more love to each other. Except of course if you are a refugee in a concentration camp, unemployed, homeless, in need of public education, health care or on a pension, as his "brand" of xtianity extols the money- lender and eschews caring for others for that is too, too socialist and besides, one's own salvation is paramount.

Oh, but we should pray about things like climate change, the drought and the great Barrier Reef's destruction ....seems that $400 million gifted to some friends, just 'aint cutting the mustard on the water matter. Yep, How Good is That, lining up with his brethren of similar fantasy ilk in the Un-united States, Scummo would like more prayer to solve things; even though they are matters better left to competent, practical and deliberate governance.

It's a joyous pity then to report that of at least ten studies into the efficacy prayer, particularly in medical situations carried out in the U-Usa, have shown that prayer is a peculiarly ineffective treatment and that "... patients who knew they were being prayed for had a higher rate of post-operative complications like abnormal heart rhythms, perhaps because of the expectations the prayers created, the researchers suggested.

But isn't it nice to know he's thinking of us at all?

Why, even at the Ruling Rabble cabal's group grope in The Deep North had thought bubbles bursting forth like apple blossoms in Spring. Thoughts which extended to A/: declaring the ABC an "enemy of the LNP" ( aka.. the Ruling Rabble) and, B/: establishing an "Office of Science Quality Assurance".

Resolution "A" is perfectly understandable. The ABC generally has commentators both on radio and TV who can impartially analyse and discuss matters of policy and state in depth and with this is at odds with the one track, tunnel visions the right-wing, neo-liberal propagandists are used to participating in on the majority of Oz media as a consequence, they feel highly irrelevant and intellectually bereft and unable to contribute much at all when such conversations occur.

Ergo... close down the ABC, problem solved!

Resolution "B" is not dissimilar. It would enable a genius like Senator, Mal-Addled Roberts to veto or ratify scientific reports handed to the government.

This would have some historical precedence such as Galileo having to submit to the C17th Roman Inquisition but less clear in the present age is the role the Pentecostal prosperity gospel will play in this farce proposed by Ms Frackingbum... and at least the Roman boys had some eduction behind them.

Further demonstrating the Ruling Rabble's empathy and understanding of those they rule, SS (Shutz staffel or Social Services, take your pick) Minister Annie The Ribald, Ruston was, having declared on right-wing radio that the pension was "generous", forced to duck numerous Zimmer frames, crutches and plates of aluminium encased food on leaving the studio but was agile enough on her way to her government chauffeured vehicle to slalom around the many menacing disability scooters whose irate drivers were intent on flattening her political future.

And then there was the Butcher of Fallujah, ex senator Molan the Grate auditioning for a reprise on QandA by blithely dismissing indigenous calls for constitutional recognition by opining that if you let them have recognition why not the Chinese , Turks, Greeks, Vietnamese etc, as well? His ignorance both intellectually and emotionally in repudiating indigenous cultural claims, was well served by his overtly selfish fascism.

Molan the Grate started a week which then provided the most excoriating example of Australia's racism, The Taking Down of Adam Goodes. This film was a compilation of Goode's career as an Aboriginal footballer, concentrating on his last two years as he was constantly booed and heckled at every game till this talented  "Australian of the Year" resigned and  left.

What was brought into clear focus was the intensity and volume of the racism stoked by such large and well funded media groups, mostly The Ugly American Murdoch's and such constant regressive voices as Miranda Devine, Andrew Bolt, Ray Hadley, Alan Jones, Steve Price, Eddie McGuire and Sam Newman who manipulated disgraceful crowd behaviour around to be the victims fault. These people are putrid examples of a corrupt media, aiding and abetting in corrupting a nation; The Murdoch legacy being wrought here as it has been in Britain and in America to these nation's detriment........ we are diminished because of them and our own stupidity.

No  wonder Denmark has banned such a vile organization from their shores.

Hoo-roo Petals,

who said the wheels aren't falling off?

Shane

Being Muchly Serially Folau-lated

Shane and Archive

G'day Possums,

It's been a while between drinks.

I can plead busyness which is true but not the whole story... fact is, I'm still feeling quite depressed over the poor showing of Labor at the election and what that result will eventually mean for this seemingly blind and stupid, stupid Folau-lated, "aspirationalized",  and "Murdochritized" nation. It is something I find very difficult to understand, least of all accept.  

But more of being serially Folau-lated, later.

The following blog entries, particularly the first two, will be sufficient to fill-in anyone who hasn't yet heard my yelling from the rooftops about this archival project .

https://danceatthearchive.blogspot.com/

https://shanewombat.blogspot.com/2014/12/with-weeping-and-gnashing-of-teeth.html

https://shanewombat.blogspot.com/2019/02/vale-maggie.html

https://shanewombat.blogspot.com/2019/03/notes-on-tribute.html

Suffice to say  I'm very pleased to be able to report that all the "selected" negatives from two of the three archives have been individually scanned and are now being Post-Processed.

This PP-ing is a somewhat arduous undertaking as there are some 2200 images to "finish", 515 from the first archive, "Fitzroy" and from "Flemington", only a measly 1700!

Being pleased on finishing the scanning (and that the scanner "held-up" to the task) and calculating that at 3 minutes per scan or the equivalent to 110 hours was relatively quick is one thing but the post process is quite another matter.

Here's a sample: not the full shot, perhaps a third of it in a "before and after" demonstration.

The elimination of the dust and scratches in this sample image would have taken about 35-40 minutes. And  it is a fairly straightforward image with no complicated  textures like knitted leg-warmers or coverings, a good disguising film grain and few variations in tone, so with anywhere between 15 and 60  minutes per image it's going to be a long haul.

Mardi green and Maggie Sietsma,,- ABS 1970(?)

 This image didn't also have what quite a few of these old negatives suffer from which is a mould bloom on the surface which while not impossible to "paint-over" is particularly time consuming  and for efficiency' and longevity's sake necessitates a careful washing and re-scanning  of the neg before finishing.

 

detail

The originals being handled in the moist atmosphere of a darkroom, and probably being re-filed by moist hands, followed by less than optimum archival treatment has, over the years, caused this deterioration.

If anyone has any do's and don't questions about film handling, storage, exposure and development, processing and printing.. just call.... I think I've made every mistake there is to make. 

 

Nina Tompson, ABS 1970(?)

Now at least, being digitally rectified and stored appropriately the archive's future is safer than it has been.... till the technology changes again and dvd's and memory sticks are no longer readable.

Originally intended for books, it has become obvious that so many images will not fit comfortably into the two intended volumes and as there is a narrative playing out when viewed sequentially I've decided to make a film, a'la Ken Burns from the stills to be included with the book's edited images.... but more on that later.

Being Folau-lated #1 The Liar from The Shire, Happy-Clapper Pentacostalist and Anti-Christ, Prime Miniature Scummo again played out his school-boy enthusiasms at the recent G-20, happily greeting the murderous Saudi Prince, Mohommed bin Salman and probably seeking more pointers for dealing with inquisitive journalists for his peculiar crusade on press "freedom" and promotion of his warped IPA version of Democracy. The Bogan of Cook also indicated he would not only be willing to send others to be killed at the behest of the historically hysterical Orange Trump of the Un-United Sates in seeking an Armageddon of biblical proportions in Iran but also wouldn't mind that as a distraction from his Ruling Rabble's now more than obvious economic failures of the past six years.

Being Folau-lated #2  Sneaking from behind Section 18C but pretending to seek resolution to the pig-skin kicker and selective bible quoter, Israel Folau's own goal for being sacked for expressing "his love" at wanting to see LGBTQI's burn in the fires of his mythical hell, The Anti-Christ has ordained that his faux attorney general The Un-Christian Porter create an epistle guaranteeing "Freedom of Religion" much to the hallelujahs and praise-be's from the likes of fascists Senator Ferrari-Mussolina and the pallid boy-fascist Senator Paterson of the IPA and other retarded right wingers, all salivating at making the "right to be a bigot", law.

But given the binary nature of the Ruling Rabble's mode of devious clockwork mind machinations, "You wrong, Me right." ( THUMP), this latest exercise is more likely to Folau-late them in its hecatohedron complexity. I mean if it's fine to be telling people they will go to hell for being AC/DC, what's wrong with female genital mutilation, Sharia Law, Sati, Witch Burning, adulterating water into wine and eating HIS flesh, etc?

I mean how do you legislate for Fox News and the Ugly American's Murdoch's media where the truth goes to die? This isn't what they pretend is Liberalism... it's anarchy.

Being Folau-lated #3   Pyhrrically crowing that Labor hadn't the "balls" to oppose the full disaster of tax cuts passing the senate, and thus not being given the opportunity to beat them up for opposing it, the Rabble are now on their own... after six years of mismanagement.... now all alone in that silent, silent land of fiscal responsibility, climate denial and concentration camp wastefulness without a shred of credibility or a skerrick of policy to cover themselves and none to blame but themselves for the storms coming down on all our heads.

Being Folau-lated #4 Asbestos Bishop and Pyne the Whyne rorting the system...and not forgetting the greed of Taylor, the stupidity of Price  and the abject irrelevance of Ley....  need I say more?  

 How Folau-lated...? Muchly! 

Hoo-roo Petals,

Shane.