to see Naught and Wombat Droppings

G’day Petals…..

Well, we were planning it and it has happened.

Solar array with some pruning needed.

 It’s a 5KW+ system and should make us almost self sufficient for electricity.

Which made us think about what it may have been like here in Victoria before it became the “Tardis” State (Where-All-Goes-Backward) and Bully-Boy Kennett tore the State Electricity Commission to pieces, corporatised and then with Little Johnny Howard’s help, privatized it.

Owned by the people of Victoria the SEC actually made a profit and was putting part of that profit into re-newables research like Solar and Wind generation.

This research was one of the first things that “Bully-Boy” Kennett halted.

So now, thank to the imagination and forward thinking of the Liarbrils at both State and Federal levels we, in the Tardis State have a multiplicity of both generation and supply companies.

 Where before there was a single State monopoply with the standardization  and efficiencies of a single standard, each company now “does its own thing” in terms of infrastructure and attempts to make as much profit as it can to send back to its shareholders in either Singapore or Hong Kong!

Could our electricity have been cheaper and less polluting? You bet!

Well we now know, we were really “Jeffed”.

Once services like Telephone, Gas, Water, Electricity, Education and Health have been privatised we have to become complicit as part of the “Market".

We have to “get-our-share” because it’s not a service that is offered any more it’s the opportunityof profit.

“However, the price exacted from the community

for these achievements—reduced government services, declining

health and education facilities, a relatively disappointing employment

performance and the impression of growing social problems stemming

from gambling—has figured in attacks on the government by

its critics. So, too, have allegations of governmental impropriety, particularly

in its relations with certain business interests and in the behaviour of ministers and bureaucrats supplied with publicly funded credit cards.”

However not unlike the present “Tardis State” of play, it didn’t matter what the media might criticise  .. the public’s was not listening…..

http://www.sisr.net/apo/kennett.pdf  Economou and Costar

Sound like today but in fact was more than15 years ago when “Bully-Boy”Kennett (The Dorian Gray of Tardis State Politics) was raping anything of value in the State.

Aye, and that's because the lid there's a sounding-board; and what in all things makes the sounding-board is this --there's naught beneath. Herman Melville “Moby Dick”

Mourners, early C15th..... or bankers looking sad over profit.

Announced this week….pay-outs to top(?) executives who are ”moving or-have moved-on”…

Marius Kloppers, BHP Billiton:     $75,200,000.00

Allan Moss, Macquarie Bank:       $80,000,000.00

Chris Cuffe, Colonial First State:  $33,000,000.00

John E Flint, Santos:                    $16,800,000.00

John Alexander PBL:                    $15,000,000.00

Chip Goodyear BHP:                    $60,000,000.00

Brian Gilbertson BHP(again):       $12,000,000.00

                                           Total $292,000,000.00

So, that seven individuals and some, allegedly not very good at their jobs, can pocket monies sufficient for funding a school or small hospital is a gross obscenity.

Banker's response (left) to criticism on profits... ( Eglise, Mortemart, France)

Top Tax rate in 1983 was 60%…since 2013 it has been 45%

Advance Australia Fair(?)….or is it toward a new feudal system?

Legal Aid Victoria can’t fund assistance as it has a $3,000,000.00 deficit and a lot of the money went on the defence of drug dealer Mokbel and another crim, Dupas!

So “Tardis” State “Big-Bird” Baillieu (Genus: Silvertail Incompetens) changes the eligibility rules for aid for youth and mental health crime and happily lets them fall through the cracks.

“….thing of naught….” Midsummer Night’s Dream W. Shakespeare

Matthew (What subdivision) Guy has pissed off Yarra Valley residents bypassing an appeals process and allowing another golf course to be built…

It seems that some 40,000 speeding fines are going to be overlooked beacause

Big Bird, Baillieu (Genus: Silvertail Incompetens) in slashing the number of Public Servants to save money finds there are not enough staff to process these fines and is losing millions in revenue.

Another nail in the coffin of the “better-economic-credentials” of the Liarbrils and more proof that ideology instead of common sense produces silly outcomes !

You Don't Have to be Buddhist to Know Nothing: An Illustrious Collection of Thoughts on Naught packs in an intriguing collection of thoughts on the nature of ?. Nothing. The idea of nothing is explored by some of the finest minds in a collection of reflections on the spirit and nature of nothing? new age collections especially will relish this Buddhist approach.  Joan Konner, Editor.

Greendale panorama

Greg Hunt (Liarbril) Federal shadow Minister environment… he of limited (should we say naught?) imagination and of being terminally and factually incorrect, raised a laugh on ABC’s “Q and A” when he boldly stated that “… I can guarantee you that China will never have a Carbon Pricing System!”

Two days later China announces it’s going to institute a Carbon Pricing Scheme to assist in tackling pollution and global warming. Odd that this stupidity doesn't get the run it deserves in the press as this bloke will likely be on the front bench when the Liarbrils win the federal election in September.

"Naught is your science of man, naught is your science of the stars," said the archdeacon, commandingly”. Notre-Dame de Paris, Victor Hugo

On a foot-note:  Shaun Micallef’s “Mad–as-Hell” has returned on ABC TV and given its political insights I’d like to suggest a program switch to ABC management…..

…drop Micallef’s time-slot back to 7:30pm and put “The 7:30 Report” on at 3:30! 
Whether it's a.m. or p.m. really doesn't matter, particularly after L.Sayles' hideously inept interview with Bob Brown over "Sea Shepherd" and the Japanese Whalers in Aussie waters....perhaps a look at the competence of E. Alberici or T. Fullerton might suggest another approach?

Is there naught that we may do to save her? At earth’s Core E.R.Burroughs.

Cheers Possums,

Shane

..and they're running!

G’day Possums,

Shane tripping

Here’s a little video I made t’other day of “Ballet Theatre Australia’s” Summer School

Ballet Theatre Australia, Summer School 2013.mp4

And some visitors to our back yard…. I only hope that the Bogan neighbour who has been shooting ‘Roo’s on his property misses this one and her Joey

'Roo and Joey

And some shots taken at “L’Osteria” of someone photographing the Antipasta  … food was excellent, service delightful, décor’s been there since 1986 so it has a real Cucina ambience and prices are very reasonable….. 

Recording gustation

L’Osteria, 616 Nicholson St Fitzroy Nth. 

L'Osteria

Only complaint : why are Australian restaurant patrons sooooo noisy?

Wombat Droppings

The Truth of the Matter

Five Rozzers collected Thommo, strip-searched him and charged him to face 150 charges of being very naughty, (in an act of exquisite timing, that is not at all political) telling him that he can’t visit “the girls” any more but we don’t know who they are. Yet!
Will they treat Tardis State (Where-All-Goes-Backwards) Liarbril, Geoff Shaw similarly when his turn comes?
Thommo allegedly spent $40,000 of the Union’s money.
Allowing for inflation over the years this would be pretty equivalent to the $25,000 Peter“Rottweiler” Reith’s son diddled on his father’s parliamentary phone.
But in Peter’s case “… it isn’t a hanging offence!”
Liarbril  hypocrites!
Take note of the sale of State School land to Private School developers and the sale of Public Housing land to private developers under Big-Bird Baillieu (Genus: Silvertail Incompetens) here in the Tardis State (Where-All-Goes-Backwards) . Gosh, he’s got form here… 
Have Australians have lost any sense of being a unified, tolerant and coherent society? Or are they just selfish, individualistic “aspirationals” in a narcissistic society?

Is “Individualism”  democratic? 

It would appear to the “Coot’s–With-Queer-Ideas-From-a-Parallel-Universe” of the IPA, that Medicare is just “a radical policy…” not a humane or civilized one. 
Despite the many obvious problems of a non-socialized health care, the Trolls of the IPA would seem to prefer a Third World Health Scheme like the American one where your credit card is checked before admission and people die for want of affordable post operative medications?
That’ll be the one “Rabbott” WON”T talk about, a sleeper… like the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme…watch that space…..

Apart from the ”…..ABC bias is not the only problem.”… the “Coot’s–With-Queer-Ideas” have come up with a 75 point plan in lieu of policy for “Mr Rabbott”… here are some of them….presented as a set of values that pretend to be rational...

9/ Abolish the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

15/ Eliminate laws that require radio and television broadcasters to be 'balanced'

17/ End local content requirements for Australian television stations

36/ Legislate a balanced budget amendment which strictly limits the size of budget deficits and the period the federal government can be in deficit

38/ Repeal plain packaging for cigarettes and rule it out for all other products, including alcohol and fast food

41/ Repeal the alcopops tax

44/ Devolve environmental approvals for major projects to the states

50/ Break up the ABC and put out to tender each individual function
51/ Privatise SBS

54/ Allow individuals and employers to negotiate directly terms of employment that suit them

72/ Privatise the CSIRO.....      “…. policies that would make Australia richer and more free.”

Well, they would make some individuals and companies much richer and much freer from social responsibility but the rest of us….? 

Hmmmm....a sort of proof of what David Suzuki said "Conventional economics is a form of brain damage"!

 I mean, these vicious Troll’s wish list of ludicrously anti-social rubbish points to a grim future under Mr “Rabbott” should he win the election and these nasty capitalist apparatchiks are his advisors.

 A “Rabbott” Abbott win in the election campaign would mark the culmination of Howard’s mean-ness of spirit  ideaology and the further dismantling of a Civil society.

 “Abbott..is likely to have an intimidating mandate…” according to the IPA’s ( “Coot’s-with–Queer-Ideas, etc”)… interesting language, an INTIMIDATING mandate… sounds very much like a threat to me… as if any criticism of the effects of what is promulgated will be unjustified.

As this country is taken back to a C19th welfare system and the divide between rich and poor widens and as quality education and health services will only be for the wealthy some of us may wonder why we allowed it to happen but I fear most will not, until, years down the track they realise how much they have lost and how it will be doubly difficult to re-instate.
Cheers Petals
Shane

... to a Buon Natale

Buon Natale

 The small town of Ballan used to have an independent Butcher’s shop but the supermarket grew and it closed down.

Then about 18 months ago Salvatore and Trish opened up their Regional Butchers’ Shop.

They participated in the Ballan Festival earlier this year (see “The Arts in Ballan” entry) and the business seems to have gone from strength to strength with Salvatore recently even winning prizes for his sausages in a butchers’ competition.

On Saturday night last, Salvatore and Trish invited their customers to a Bar-B-Q as a thank you for their patronage.

The shop, Inglis St, Ballan

Preparation,  Salvatore and Trish

This space, next to the butchers will soon be a deli that Trish is opening

Locals from the Ballan Football Club.

It was a perfect early Summer's night for dining outside

...and a good way to meet others

abundant food

for all tastes...

Hello...

Robbie's Mum.. ( I think)

and a littlie with her Dad

Salvatore and the delectable spit-roast

A barmy night.

Da Boyz...

Da Boyz2 ...

Trish..

Yep....

and sometimes the servings were a bit daunting

Robbie

Thanks Salvatore and Trish, it was simply, a brilliant night.

We met people and made friends and it was an act of generosity that has made this little town closer, friendlier and more human, more livable village.

Buon Natale.

Politics:

And just when you thought it safe to go back in the water…. 

Cory (Bestiality) Bernardi (Liarbril, South Aussie)  has teamed up with  Professor David (I-Want-a-Queen) Flint to promote another group of ultra-right-wing loopies to replicate the American’s loopy “Tea-Party”.

I imagine that together, they want to reproduce American gun laws, too!

A fruitful meeting of mindlessness?

It turns out that Tony (the Rabbit) Abbott (Liarbril wannabe PM) says he hasn’t read the judges' court ruling on the “Slippery Pete Affaire” and specifically the damning comments that were made about Mal (What’s –a-Lie?) Brough, (Queensland  pre-selected Liarbril.... jeez they can breed-em up there, can’t they?) but as “the Rabbit” has already said that  you can’t trust anything coming out of his mouth…… I reckon he’s read it ….or at least had it decoded  and is doing what the conservatives do best… obfuscate, deny, point-the-other-way and generally treat the issue as if it’s of supreme unimportance.

Except he is being hoisted on his own Petard of “Tell-us what-you-know-or-you’ve-got-something-to-hide” type attack. 
 

Another point is… as they (Liarbrils) have no policy, perhaps he genuinely has nothing to say!

“Prognostications” might be coming to pass.

We received in the (“Tardis State”, where all goes backwards) burrow this week, two pieces of interesting mail. 

One was a political postcard castigating  PM Gillard and local member Catherine King  for allegedly ripping money out of the health system.

It was authorised by a D. Mantach in Melbourne.

For pure venom and lack of substance it was also, pure Liarbril.

We returned this “Hate-Mail” to sender; being made aware a-priori, how vicious this next Federal campaign is going to be…and wondered why “Big Bird” Baillieu (Genus: Silvertail Incompetens) is still blaming every-one else for his own crews’  continued incompetence?
And giving an alert to look further than the "spin" on this issue!

Next piece of mail was from our Energy Supplier.

It was about the January price increases….. it must be getting close to the time to start marching in the streets.

Thanks, “Big Bird” for effectively closing down the wind energy farms in the “Tardis State” and allowing the Brown Coal industry its polluting monopoly.

What foresight, what imagination, what a Liarbral hero!

And a big Xmas “Thank-You” to Jeff (Bully-Boy) Kennett, failed ex premier (the Dorian Gray of Tardis State politics) for privatising our electricity system in the first place and making the complete shambles of it that we are now experiencing!

cheers,

Shane.

and...Takes a Bow.

G’day Possums, 

....here we are at “Take a Bow” an interim exhibition of the Ballarat International Foto Biennale and a competition themed about performance photography.

It was held in the “Minerva Hall” a refurbished Victorian space in the Mechanics Institute in Sturt St, Ballarat.
Apart from the thirty finalists there were works by Ponch Hawkes, Ben Searcy and Jeff Busby.
These were interesting in their diversity of approach. Searcy's Rock and Roll images showed an intensity of a shared experience, whilst Busby's images from the MTC had a cool, almost disinterested observational distance to them. Ponch Hawkes' Circus Oz performers, on the other hand, as with Searcy, showed "the shared experience" not as an observer but "as one" with the performers. Particularly moving were the dense images of cuts, abrasions and rope burn marks on the performers' limbs. It was the humble "seeing", which gave these a gravitas, I felt, that in the hands of many photographers, would have only yelled, ".... look at what I've seen... look at my photographs of pain"!
I liked these pictures' sensibilite'. 

Eric making the place presentable.

Aldona cleaning and hanging works

Jeff with "Courier" 'tog.... (winning work on far right.)

Opening night

Opening night was a successful event and being a photographic one, a "Bus-men's Picnic"

some of the 'togs at the opening.....and the opening..

There were good performances from an actor, a dancer and a singer which gave the photography on the walls a deal more relevance because, I think, you tended to view the performances in a more visually aware mannner which then flowed through to responses about the exhibited images.
I found the finalists stuff a mixed bunch as it ranged from some very imaginative and skillful advertising type work right through to some pretty plain, and well, ordinary work.
Which in its own way is all to the good, as it did make you think about the subject, performance... and what it is. And how and why you photograph it.

I understand that some-one was interested in buying one of my images.... must chase that up, at least, to thank them for their interest......

Performers and comp winner Patrick Boland with judge Jeff Busby

Laura and Mariah sashaying around the Minerva

And on the weekends, yours truly, presented demos of performance photography to interested audience members with assistance from Aldona, Kristen David and Eric;
and hard work from Laura, Mariah, Jana and Rachel.
We couldn't link our camera to the "big screen", so when there were some interesting questions we would perambulate around the exhibits to clarify a point apropos the demo or a technical question; which was a good way to de-construct some of the finalists works and re-inforce the the point of the exhibition.

L and M

L and M

 The stage area of the Minerva is still being renovated but it had a really nice ambience in its old peeling painted brickwork.
 Lighting was from three 500W tungsten work lamps ( one rear OP, two DS,P) which gave pretty adequate light, albiet with a lot of blur in the images and due to the high ISO's used (3200 - 4000), plenty of noise.

Jana

Rachel

 Apparently Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), performed on this stage as part of his world speaking tour in the C19th..... which might be a fun thing to replicate if there is a record of his raconteuring and with a costume dinner ( from a C19th menu ) all candelabra lit with tables of white Damask... Ballarat Society as a performance piece... a'la Crewdson
That would all have to be recorded on Full Plate in a hand tinted image.....
.....Oops, off on a tangent.

David shooting with his 17mm shift. Multiple images to be stitched later.

Nice young couple soon to be returning to her home country, America to be wed...Good Luck.

 ...and yours truly working with L and M.

Shot by Kristen Diemer

politics......
seems that "Big Bird" Baillieu (genus: Silvertail Incompetens) and his Liarbrils are "on-the-nose" in the Tardis State (Where All Goes Backwards) and are running 10% behind Labor... one can only speculate as to how much further down they will be after the fraudulent Geoff Shaws' obscene outburst and gesture in Parliament t'other day and Baillieu's pathetic "....it was inconclusive....." response.

Unplanning Minister, Matthew (What's a Green Wedge?) Guy has announced the resurrection of a Brumby Labor plan for the development to the City Square linking to Jolimont. Baillieu (ex architect) was scathing in his criticism of Brumby's plan and stopped it after $1,000,000 had been spent on feasibility, design etc....this sort of partisan-political waste is why pollies are so distrusted.

Under-age Indigenous offender ends up spending quite some time in solitary in a adult prison.... three Baillieu ministers invited to front and report to media, hide!
Another reason trust in our systems is eroded.
Postscript: There are at least three others in similar circumstances... ruling party is "mum" on it all.... 

Mary (Ya-wanna-have-a-go?) Wooldridge can only offer a imperious Canute like, "...we will not tolerate.....etc" as Tardis State Health Dept residential services continue to implode from lack of funding.

Peter (I-Know-Nuffin) Ryan, Police Minister still maintains he knows nuffin about what goes on in his office.... and with the Justice System in this State a shambles why should he?

Federal Labor's coolest head and "best-in-show" parliamentary performer, Penny Wong has been dropped to No2 on the Senate ticket in a backroom deal to promote a right-winger who would probably be rejected by the Liarbrils as being too extreme.... Labor's death-wish knows no end!
Postscript: No 1 has decided he's really a No2 and "for-the-good-of-the-party"  Wong is back-on-top ...though damage has still been done!

Tony (the Rabbit) Abbott is in a dark place ...unable to suffer more excoriating criticism of his stupid sexist asides, comments and rants, has nothing to say...he has no policies, so...nothing to say!
You get the feeling that now when the Liarbrils try to mount an attack " ...oooh look, three months in and there are no taxes from the miners.......failure, failure, failure..doom, doom, doom....", people are giggling and looking away in embarrassment at the lack of substance in their performance and demeanour.
It's almost as if a veil has been lifted and the public's awareness that governing must have substance and that honesty is again belatedly coming to the fore as a prime political quality.

Which leaves Craig T in a un-enviable place.

Which also begs the question .... who organised the Victorian Police to liaiase with their NSW rozzer colleagues and at the same time, "tip-off" the media to document the raid on Craigs place?
All when fraudster, Geoff Shaw is being shielded by Baillieu.
What's Shaw "got" on "Big Bird" apart from a one seat majority?
Hmmmmmm, sniff the Smell of the Tardis State!

...and I've just come away from the most appalling piece of propaganda on ABC 7:30 report. Chris Uhlmann and Leigh Sales delivered a researched set-piece, 15 minute "free-Kick" to the Liarbril Party via Clive (the biggest miner) Palmer. It was the most obvious unpaid propaganda that our "8 cents-a-day" has paid for since the IPA decided that climate change was a myth and that tobacco is good for you.... with standards like that, Sales and Uhlmann would be better suited to work with Alan Jones.

Cheers Petals,
Shane