..about a tangled web...

Shane at NBN

G'day Possums'
So with week three of the election campaign about to kick off in what might be a more nasty mode, if week two's fiery end was anything to go by.... Malcon "Truffles" Turdball is losing ground as preferred PM and the polls are slightly favouring Labor.. (except in the Deep North where everything is odd) which is something most people thought impossible just 6 months ago.

And some more pics of the east coast to lighten the load...

"Truffles" has made himself as morally and ethically bankrupt as the "Reclaim Australia" and "Patriot Front" turds by supporting "Dodo" Dutton's appalling "dog-whistle" about the costs of attending to the needs of the refugees incarcerated in the concentration camps of Nauru and Manus Island. What was intended for diverting public attention from the deepening economic crisis the ruling rabble are creating was a deplorably sad and inhumane rant about their levels  of literacy and numeracy and how they will be taking all our jobs AND relying on welfare to boot!  Just another rung down in the pantheon of Liarbril racism, xenophobia and tasteless mongrelism that has afflicted this party since Little Johnnie dis-endorsed Pauline "Please Explain."  Rather than shut her down the Liarbrils eventually took on her attitude and fanned the flames of racist bigotry.

 

pambula

It is being said that this little piece of "theatre-of-cruelty" was a concoction of their election strategist Mark Textor;  a "dead-cat" distraction, perhaps like "ute-gate" in 2010?

Although apparently going down well with the "great-unwashed" and bogan's who listen to the shock jocks, there were many more that found this now normal behaviour from the right, utterly disgusting and repulsive.

May Mr.Textor have all the success his business had in the recent Canadian elections. 

Pambula river

Congratulations must go to Richard Marles (even though his stance on refugees is not much better than the Liarbrils) for "keeping-his-cool" under the waspish rantings and interruptions of the shrewish Leigh Sales. In that particular session the ABC's apology for an interviewer, was certainly wearing her tinny IPA/LNP heart on her sleeve for all to see.

Then, the following night, as he is being "interviewed" on 7:30 Report (being ranted at too,  having his answers cut off and at times, interrupted, by both Sales and the robotic "Horse-Shite" Cormann), Sales announces to Tony Burke that the AFP are raiding a Labor staffers home and the offices of Senator Conroy, (Opposition Communication Minister). Apparently looking for NBN documents which had been leaked in February and which Conroy was not allowed to tender in parliament. This was around 7:40pm whilst the "Ferals" were still sitting in their cars waiting for the staffers to return home... film crews were in attendance at this "secret" raid, too.  Hmmmm.... political street theatre?

 

Pambula 

Truffles maintained he and the ruling rabble knew nothing about the raid. "Bookshelves" Brandis, Plastic Attorney General was keeping a low profile as he genuinely knows nothing but Comms. minister Fifield admitted next day that he knew about it but didn't tell anyone...yeah Possums, right!

AFP also had a "special constable" a staff member from the NBN there to photograph documents from the Labor Party's NBN policy.

It is being said that NBN have secretly re-trialled the Labor original fibre to the home again (which was being deployed before this incompetent mongrel cabal were elected) and have apparently found its implementation far easier and cheaper than Truffles' third rate fibre to the node and copper to the home, mish-mash of slow technologies.

 

Gypsy Point

"We wouldn't want the public knowing how badly we've stuffed up this infrastructure, blown the costs out by triple and delivered it late by four years", Communication Minister Fifield wasn't heard to say,  "We've opted instead for Orwellian State sponsored terrorism and see nothing at all inappropriate in playing this card during an election!" "After all" he didn't continue, "Mark T's a genius and Jane will nobble any future enquiry into the truth!"

AFP didn't think that "Kero" Bronnie's  $5000.00 helicopter flight was worth investigating after the public servant, Jane Halton who ("managed" the calumnies of "Rottweiller" Reith's "Children Overboard") told them there was "nothing-to-see-here"....and they didn't worry after The Defence White Paper was leaked to Liarbril favoured news sources either....and we are still waiting for them to investigate Kathy Jackson's alleged misappropriation of millions in union funds with her squeeze Michael Lawler, as well as Mal "Chicken Legs" Brough who admitted on TV, asking Ashby to copy Slippery Pete's diary (a criminal offence) as well as Chwissie "the Whyne" Pyne's involvement is the Slipper affair.

 

Merrimbula

Strange, that for a "hands-off", "independent" and "non-political"  force  The Australian Feral Police (aka "the  plastics") seems only to see wrong on the left of politics!

We await, with interest, the announcement of Kristallnacht in the next few days.

Meanwhile, jokes like, "NBN leaks will at least bring a copper to your door"  and "I node nuffink guv", etc, abound.

But it's becoming alarmingly like a police state to laugh too much.

Agriculture Minister, "Barnyard" Joyce has urged dairy farmers to go to the competition watchdog ACCC with concerns over recent milk price cuts. He can't do anything as he's only the agriculture minister and believes in the free-market system....which is why when he came back from China and the "Free-Trade-Deals" told them to ramp up production and make gazillions. Pity that the Chinese have pulled the pin on that!

Don't those who vote "National" realize they are supporting the system that is cruelling their futures?

Are they as thick as their cattle?

I said more than three years ago before these mongrels were elected that A/ they had no policy framework, except the IPA wish list, B/ they were liars and were, C/ incompetent.. all of which, sadly, has been shown, time and again, to be accurate.

The deficit has doubled (but there's no "budget emergency" now), unemployment has increased for full-time work and our trade figures are appalling. Manufacturing and the Arts have been gutted, Medicare is under the most severe threat, wages are down, conditions are actually being eroded and education from primary to tertiary is being bowdlerised back to the C19th. Egalitarianism has been submerged under the deadliness of selfish "Aspiration" with the subsequent corruption of political life. Donations from foreign countries, particularly China;  from dodgy lawyers and developers are growing each year and placing our democracy in a parlous state.

White trash of Asia... we've nearly arrived.

 

Corryong

It now remains to be seen during week three what Textor concocted "confection of a disaster" will befall Labour on Wednesday or Thursday of the week and reach full crescendo in the rancid week-end rags of the "Ugly American" Murdoch.  Which of the seeds already planted will be further harvested and embellished?  

Although petals, I have a sneaking suspicion that the stench of funk and the fear of oblivion is permeating the Liarbril's tatty ranks. They may well become more extreme and socially divisive but as they alienate increasing numbers of the moderate electorate they will Saturn-like in their panic, turn on and devour each other....after all, destruction is really what they're best at!

All is not quite lost, just yet.

Hoo-roo petals,

Shane.

with weeping and gnashing of teeth

with weeping and gnashing of teeth...

Shane with books of negs

G'day you two,

we've spent the last couple of weeks scanning all 591 negative sheets from the Ballet School from many years ago... a somewhat large task

old shots

Not long after the “The School’s” 50^th Anniversary get-together one of the participants, Deanna Watson contacted me to see A/ whether the photos of her she saw displayed were mine and, B/ did I have any more?

Answering “No” and “Yes,” I invited Deanna to view the files I had but as the majority of the early work had never been “proofed” it could only be viewed from the original negatives, which is difficult particularly for anyone not used to reading B&W negatives.

Then a couple more contacts followed also enquiring about their time at The School and at the launch of Maggie Scott’s biography, writer Michelle Potter evinced sufficient interest in this archive, as did some other notable alumnae present to warrant scanning all the work and making it available for those interested in viewing it.

There has since been a deal of interest in this archive and I'm pondering what to do with it ...

Australian Ballet School 1970

There's more info at  danceatthearchive.blogspot.com.au

Then we happened across Troy Barrett performing nicely at the Royal Mail hotel in Bacchus Marsh and took a couple of pics...

Troy Barrett

He's also online at  www.troybarrettmusic.com  where you can have a listen and download some samples.

Wombat Droppings
a chronicle of the disappearing of Egalitarianism and the inexorable rise of Fascism in Australia.

Well, Pretend Premier Dennis "Dodo" (Genus: Inutilus Rusticus) Napthine has been put to sleep. With Labor's Daniel Andrews administering the possible cure of the "Tardis" State's (Where-All-Goes-Backwards) woes... even to the extent of the Nationals looking like they will lose party status, also losing a seat held for 47 years to an independent.

Of course Rabid-the-Hun and his rabble take no responsibility for any of this but then telling "Porkies" is about all they're good at.
But there is much wailing and gnashing of teeth....
A defence Minister who talks down his own defence workforce, an Education minister who can't pronounce the names of those he's trying to bully into accepting $100,000.00 University fees, a Health Minister attempting to wreck one of the worlds best health systems and an Environment minister ...Oohh, just let's not go there....but let's not forget our Trade Minister, Andrew "Reboxetine" Robb giving away Oz jobs to the Chinese and signing off on having Multi-Nationals tell us what we can and can't do.

To say that the country is becoming a shambles is not overstating it.
The finest example of this shambles is the Federal parliament's Speaker, Bronwen "Kerosene-Pompador" Bishop who has ejected Labor opposition members a total of 285 times to Government members 5 times. Sometimes they are just asking a question... I know I have railed and ranted much about this putrid lot but there in no untruth in what I've said and unfortunately I've been pretty accurate as to the way I said things would turn out.

On election day I spent four hours handing out "How-to-Vote" cards at an Electoral booth
as well as having fun "winding-up" the Liarbrils  doing the same.
This has become a very divided country. A place that is fearful, reactionary, selfish and let's not mince words, stupid!
The Liarbrils had no plan for government. All they had was ideology and the far right "Free-Market" handbook supplied by the "Coot's-With-Queer-Ideas-From-a-Parallel-Universe," the IPA.
It doesn't work.
Only as a recipe for social dysfunction... that 's the only bit that's working for them!

Even their polling and tactical Svengali, Mark Textor knows that the hole they have dug themselves into is now almost too big to get out of .
The problem with that is that their hallmark nastily feral, brutish, and vindictive characters will extend to slashing about at anything in frustration, bloody-mindedness and sheer malice.
There are dark days ahead.
Hoo-roo Petals,
Shane

to the Silver Mine and Lal-Lal togs and the Dross at theTop

 

Hello Possums,

Shane with Prints

 

We’ve been to a couple of photo shows in the past fortnight, a small festival and a rally about the new Liarbril non government’s asinine denialist views on climate change.

Hence we’re late again.

First up was the Melbourne Silver Mine show in Collingwood “Unsensored13” the Seventh exhibition of analogue photography presented by 43 photographers. Some of the impressive works in this show were

 

Leah Williams, “Sancturary”

Leah Williams, “Sancturary”, Polaroid 220 which nicely explores the textural qualities of the medium…

Suzannah Marshall Macbeth’s “Tecla”

 

..and Suzannah Marshall Macbeth’s “Tecla” delightfully working the limits of a Holga and producing 
images redolent of C19th Impressionism.

Oli Sansom’s “Positano” was a witty tourist/travel shot  on a Yashica 635.

Oli Sansom’s “Positano”

Mel Dixon in “System/Faith, Weather/ System“ presented nice reflection/conceptual takes on subject repetition and subject minimalism.

“System Faith, Weather System“

Malcolm Gamble’s 6x9 pinhole shots were again minimilist but colourful interiors

 

Malcolm Gamble

Whereas Barbara Fischer in “Beach On to Five” has a cool view of figures isolated in

landscape.

“Beach On to Five”

I also liked Cameron Stephen’s Polaroid “Valiant” but my shot of it became a reflected “Selfie” and is not shown here.

The Silver Mine collective was one of the better shows in the “Fringe” at the recent Ballarat Foto Biennale and I think its strength is that the group’s adherence to analogue equipment also focuses their thinking about the “why” of a photograph.

I have to admit though that I was a bit surprised to see so few dark-room prints of the works presented which brings to mind the idea of fetish-photography in the use of old gear.

www.silvermine.org.au

Bacchus Marsh had its Strawberry and Cherry Festival and the Lal-Lal photography group (which has been noted a couple of times at Ballan Festivals) had a show.

 

Lal-Lal photography group

 

Kristina and Allan K.

It has been successful in gathering members (now at around 60) and there was some very solid work exhibited but there was more “Camera-Club” type images compared to Silver-Mine where the thinking about photography is I feel, more sophisticated.

Kristina Kitchingman

 

K Clack

Kerrie Thompson

 www.lallalmooraboolphotographicgroup.org

Part of the festival were street performers like Crazy Pete, The Amazing Illusionist, which he was. 
Very entertaining and affable with Kids of all ages  

Pete the Magician

www.petethemagician.com

Followed closely by Rick Alabaster with his beautiful Grand Concert Organ. Wonderful noise.

The Grand Concert Organ

The music Books

www.australiafair.org

And Ulla Taylor with her fine art.

Ulla Taylor

www.ullart.com

Mrs Wombat and I then headed up to Ballarat to show some solidarity with “Get-Up’s”  Climate Change rally to protest this denialist governments’ repealing of the Carbon Pricing mechanism and it having an inadequate and under-funded "Direct Action" (so-called) Carbon emission scheme in its place.

Climate Change Get-up Group

Abbott in effigy with Jane

Speakers at Get-Up rally with effigy and banner

Wombat Droppings or the Low-down on Oz politics.

“The Coalition ( Liarbril/Notional Party’s) will take a pragmatic approach to trade negotiations and will consult widely with industry bodies and associations to ensure that stakeholder priorities are taken into account. This includes remaining open to utilising investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) clauses as part of Australia’s negotiating position”.
In other words, the public will not know till Damocles sword falls and they find that foreign corporations really do run the country.

CSIRO jobs to be slashed, “without compromising its work”: Arty Sinodinos.

A statement that has as much veracity as Chris “The Whyne” Pyne’s assertion that the use of RAAF VIP aircraft for pollies  “… was probably cheaper than using commercial flights”.

I don’t know of any commercial flights that cost $50,000.00 per hour to operate.

Really, neither does “The  Whyne” but his truth and ethics rarely coincide.

Bronwen “Pompadour” Bishop as parliament’s new speaker says, “Call me Madam…” …and proceeds to act like a tart.

Greg “Ozone-Hole” Hunt, Un-Environment Minister stays away from Climate talks in Copenhagen to swot-up his Wiki research on repealing Carbon Pricing legislation and claims a smaller pollution footprint by keeping his mouth shut.  Also claims that “instinct” is a far better guide to appreciating climate change than all that silly science. Which, he says was proved by Liarbril Guru “Little Johnny” Howard and the Tarot card soothsayer he has employed as adviser.

Prime Miniature, “Rabbott” Abbott says Sri Lanka’s humanitarian credentials will be enhanced with Oz’s gift of two armed patrol boats to assist potential asylum seekers stay in Sri Lanka.

Also admires police-state tactics as a more efficient form of government.

A right thinking family at Climate Change Rally

Scott “Drone” Morrison’s, Thrice Pipped General mouthpiece seems uncomfortable in role of Government apologist. Begins to wonder if the politicising of the military might be better carried out by the military itself, without civilian interference.

“The Drone”, Morrison looks all-at-sea in parliament question time. Believes in quiet diplomacy and that arrogance should be rewarded.

Geoff  “Fiddles” Shaw,  Ex-Liarbril  (soon to make court appearance re  allegations of fiddling his govt. car allowance) causes closure of Tardis State (Where-all-goes-Backward) parliament by upsetting the speaker. Pretend Premier, Dennis “Inutilus Rusticus” Napthine blames Labor opposition for not solving this mess…. denies that being Premier is a position of authority.

Speaker denies closing Parliament to avoid a vote of no-confidence over his partisan behaviour is un-democratic.

Pretend Premier “Inutilus Rusticus” also denies claims that his anti social East meets West tunnel is one-way traffic for commercial profit and that his traffic figures included trikes, pogo sticks and skate-boards.

He says too, that he’ll institute Labor’s Gonski Education reforms, which beggars belief as he has just closed down another TAFE Campus that deals successfully with “At-risk” youth and is being criticised for the sacking of 70 staff who had been again, successfully, assisting schools identify strategies for improving classroom outcomes.

Liarbril imagination …an oxymoron.

Joe “Oh-What-a-Feeling” Hockey wants to solve imaginary debt crisis by increasing debt by $400,000,000.00. Says that when they’ve “fixed” the books they will prove it’s all Labor’s fault.  Assistant Usurer Mathias “Shylock” Corman says cooking up horse-shit is a Belgian speciality.

“Oh-What-a-Feeling” says that taxing low income workers superannuation more is better than hitting the wealthy.

Maurice “Scrooge” Newman, advisor to “Rabbott” and Head of Oz Business Council says that the cost of doing business in Oz is too high and that wages should be cut and penalty rates abolished. Fellow Business council member Gail Kelly probably agrees… as Westpac Head poor thing’s only taking $38, 500.00 a week.

Although, neither will agree to work for tips!

Ex PM x 2, Kevin 07+6 has resigned. He is taking his bat and ball and going home as has couldn’t find a team to play with. All the non players said what a good bloke he was except Pyne “The Whyne” who thinks he should stop playing games.

As it was Pyne ”The Whyne” opining … no-one listened.

Annabel Crabbe wrote a delightful ode about the last leader... which proves yet again, people of talent generally don't go into politics. 
She also gave a lesson in interview technique, leaving Joe "Oh-What-A-Feeling" Hockey open mouthed and gobsmacked when the good lady (7.30,ABC) said in response to one of his non answers ,"I'll take that as a no, then". And promptly moved on to the next question. Crabbe's obvious empathy and interest in the people she interviews was a refreshing change for the two weeks she was on this program.  

And then there was Mark Textor. A Liarbril strategist (allegedly), whose ability to allow hubris to overwhelm diplomacy is only matched by venomous fascist utterances  has single-handedly forced relations with Indonesia to a level probably lower than it was when they were booted out of East Timor by insulting their foriegn minister with schoolboy jibes on twitter. 
Aaahhhh....Liarbril talent, imagination, taste and propriety. Even the trolls are going quiet!

Geoff "Fiddles" Shaw, (ex-liarbril, Tardis State, "Where-All-Goes-Backward") in court over apparently confusing his pollie car allowance with his hardware business activities looks like setting a precedent with his  magistrate deciding not to let him "off-the-hook" with a "diversion' order but investigating all 24 charges against him. 
Pretend premier, Dennis "Inutilus Rusticus" Napthine nearly fracked himself.
That magistrate should be in Canberra. He'd have enough work for the rest of his life!

It's official, Australia can't play Test Cricket. Hit and Giggle Games in funny costumes are their forte'.
Oops...revision....after a six for nine, bowling spell... neither can England

Cheers Petals

Shane.

Oz Philosophy

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