...kicking own goals.

Shane with Footy Gear

G'day Possums,
we've been to a couple of footy matches...one at one of the Melbourne stadiums, where blotting my family copybook, I cheered on the "Doggies" to a six point win over the "Dees."

The other was on the local oval with the Ballan boys playing  Beaufort in real, old fashioned conditions.
Ballan won but it was a hard fought contest and the day brought back a lot of school memories of playing in similar muck and having a lot of fun.
You actually can't kick an "own-goal" in Aussie Rules but the propensity of our rabble of a Federal Government to do this and shoot itself in the foot at the same time will be mentioned in the later "Wombat Droppings"

Ballan Going for Goal

Tackling Beaufort

A Gentle shower ..again.....Ballan Marks.

Goal in sight...

Three Quarter time and the sun appears...

Slippery ball...

I've not done much photography of football but what was interesting was the similarity to dance ... the better the dancers the easier it is to nail good shots.... An interesting and fun day. Good too,  seeing the kids all get onto the oval for a Kick-to-Kick at each quarters break, weather permitting and ignoring the mud.

Weekly Wombat Droppings   at Channel Liarbril, Chunder 000

“Tardis State” (Where-All-Goes-Backward) Specials

(with appropriately medieval illustrations as befits where Australia is heading at a great rate of knots.)

Capital, Confolons, France

18.00 “The Office of Living High, Victoria.” Produced at a cost of Millions (allegedly) with a select cast of ex-Liarbril advisors, apparatchiks, hanger’s-on and other Carpet-baggers. Producer Pete “The Drip” Walsh has for electoral reasons, canned this jolly romp. Further script details are not forthcoming as Pete “The Drip” reckons that this would cause “stress or anxiety” to senior script writers who don’t wish anyone to see their work; also it may make further electoral productions and his tenure as a producer very problematical. (M, a,d,h,l)

Pew Carving, Mortemart, France

19.00 “The Tunnel.” Fantasy doco starring Matty “What’s-a-Ventnor-Backhander?” Guy. Episode #69 “Let’s Change the Plans.” In this humorous episode Matty ties himself up in knots trying to explain why a change of plans is not a change of plans and why deciding not to concrete over all of the Parkland is better than the original proposal. Guest appearances by new residents disgruntled because of their uncertainty in receiving their houses’ (dis)-appearance fee; and bonus viewing of the ongoing search for the missing business case. *Not recommended viewing for prospective Inner City home-buyers*  ( M, h,v,l )

Corbel, Civray, France

19.30 “How Much do I Care?” Poignant Doco-Drama tri-angulating “At-Risk” children, Anglicare workers and Part-Time Manager, Mary “Snarler” Wooldridge.  Tonight’s episode highlights the “At-Risk” factor with “The Snarler” magnanimously eschewing, again, any responsibility for production problems.

(See:  http://shanewombat.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/to-rally-round.html    )

In a tense scene, “Snarler” blames the Anglicare provider who quite coolly rebuffs the criticism whilst the children in question are left to their own and their predator’s devices. Some critics have seen in this episode a metaphor of the values expressed in the new hymn of the “Right Xtian,” …. “The Meek Shall be Trodden Down, Trodden Down.”  (Verse: J. Roskam, Music: G.Brandis  ( PG, l, v, )

Federal Follies

20.00 “Bonking in the Rose Garden” Historical National Affaires Doco on the infidelities of the most upstanding and open-le….  err, minded in Canberra. Tonight’s episode celebrates the subtle ploys our present Prime Miniature  “Rabbott-the-Hun” devised to gain a fair lady’s attention. Newly discovered (it is said) footage of his gracious acceptance of his defeat by a woman in SRC elections at SU and what could be (very shaky camera and very backlit) his wrist smacking by what looks to be, prelate G. Pell apparently over a misdemeanour too far, from his early days in the Capital. Interviews with those who weren’t his love children included but not the two girls he claims as Senator Jacqui ”Corporal” Lambie sees them as a security risk, particularly for flat owners and scholarship givers.(AV15+, l, n, s )

Capital, Le Dorat, France

20.30 “Our Sovereign Border Victory,” A selection of brief but pithy Sea Shanty’s eulogising the derring-do of another pretend Xtian, our esteemed Lord High Border Protector, Scotty “The Drone” Morrison.

Worth noting are the Shanty’s; “You Wont Be Back You Jihadist, You! “ and the old favourite, “Tamils Are A-Going Home” with its verse similarity to the one of the German vessel of 1939, the MS. St. Louis which circumnavigated the world with 937 Jewish asylum seekers. Finding little solace it eventually returned to Germany where it is estimated that 365 of the 620 who returned, survived the war.  For further information on this trip of a lifetime contact Senator Eric “Vichy” Abetz, as he has this sort of stuff in his genes. (AV15+, h, l, b/w)

http://shanewombat.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/viewing-nice-things-and-huns-at-gates.html

Musee,Archeologique, Dijon

21.00 “Charm Offensive” Senator “Vichy” Abetz with clenched  jaw and a leer masquerading as a smile leads this Cabaret program as he attempts to cajole recalcitrant Senators with the comedic phrase ,”Vee haf vays ov makkin you Right.” Musical assistance in this Weimar Music-Hall Burlesque provided by David “Gunner”Leyonhjelm and  Bob “Dire-Strait” Day with choreography by Bobbie “Roo-Poo” Muir; Costumes: Chwissie the “Whyne and Perfect–Prat-of-a-Prefect” Pyne. (PG, h, v, a,l)

21.30 “One, Two, Three, Count” Economics for Aspirational Bogans, Panel quiz hosted by Joe “Cereal/Toyota-Killer” Hockey. Tonight’s episode features one Bill Mavropoulos whose contrarian position has Joe sweating profusely and wishing Barrell-Boys like Andrew Laming didn’t exist. http://theaimn.com/open-letter-andrew-laming/#comment-105992 

Corbel Cellefrouin, France

22.00 “ The Hill-song Selection.”  Hymns for the Aspirational Bogan and Socially Unaware to enjoy as they stick pins into their favourite unemployed or disabled dolls in time to the music of The “Rabbott-the-Hun-Dog-Whistle” Band, which this week, is jointly conducted by Billie “Poofie-Smacker” Heffernan  and Kevvie “Smiler” Andrews. (M, v, b/w, R.)

Corbels, Vezeley, France

23.00 “Saving our Future” Panel discussion by representatives of the 4 major banks and hosted by Ian Narev on how best to fleece re-direct the public’s superannuation into more sensible pockets places, and at the same time, assistance from Matthius “Horse-Shite” Coormann, beaming like your friendly Uncle Rolf. (PG, l a, s)


Hoo-roo, Petals,
Shane

..to rally round

..to rally round 
G'day Possums,

Shane at Rally

March in March Melbourne Library 16-4-14

Estimated at any where from 30,000 to 50,000 people united in one thought; Their detestation on "Rabbutt-the-Hun" and the Liarbril and Notional Parties appalling policies.

the gang

 Some of us met by arrangement and we also  ran into others so we coalesced into an informal ramble and chatted with others on the way 



Australia wide there were over 100,000 on the streets giving a protest voice to the return to medieval fuedalism that this Free-Market rabble are determined to retreat to.

rally signs

There were a multiplicity of causes indicating just how much is under attack.. the environment, wages and conditions, privatisation vs public ownership, asylum seekers, public transport and just plain honesty.

characters

The rally was non aligned politically, organised from a Tweet and then on Facebook...  quite an achievement.

There was a commonality of concept throughout the rally

Eureka Flag at Treasury Place

potential for drama

and the photo-bombers...

Wombat Droppings or Low-Down politics in Oz

The free-market forestry of Abbott’s anti-intellectual biblical myth; the Romantic clarion-call of the farmer tenderly massaging the land to gently produce its cornucopia….. a falsity, a distortion, a side-show mirror image which clouds the reality of Old Growth forest being turned into wood-chips for Japanese cardboard.

Aaron Lane (Coot-With-Queer-Ideas-From–a-Parallel-Universe…IPA) wrote a fantasy piece in support of “Rabbutt’s” drivel.. saying that privatising the forests will save them ecologically…in an article not only factually incorrect “…provides tens of thousands of jobs…” try the Bureau of Statistics next time Aaron, about 3000..and of silly philosophic fantasy “fundamental principles of property rights that individual who own property take care of it”…Hmm like the private businesses who are wrecking the Amazon forests… It’s hard to believe that these people are actually paid to think this stuff up…and present it as fact, it’s only a time wasting and futile exercises of making noise for its own sake pushing the selfish agenda of the free market.  Propositions whose only validity is that we are using a common language. This prat has also suggested that the Arts not receive any Taxpayer funding… a sure sign of his lack of education and cultural poverty

In pretend premier Dennis “Inutilus Rusticus” Naptime’s words and cabinet, “That…. talented minister I want by my side…” Mary “Snaaarrrl” Wooldridge of Inhuman services, says that the 600 jobs that have been defunded from her portfolio during her lackadaisical tenure have had no bearing on the number of “at-risk” children being actively and successfully preyed upon by paedophiles. Giving her now well rehearsed stock answer to everything, “I know things aren’t perfect but three years ago the last Govt. left a mess we are desperate to work on but we’re moving in the right direction at this point in time and soon, after dialoguing and going forward with all the stake-holders, we will be on the same page and within the right protocols and workable parameters we will spend the same money over and over again.”  And SottoVoce, “…creating a completely privatised welfare system where you wont be able to blame me for anything, F*****S!”

http://www.independentaustralia.net/environment/environment-display/the-liberal-partys-nuclear-dreams-the-strange-case-of-dr-john-white-and-ignite,6270

I've said for a long time that the Wonthaggi De-Sal Plant will provide water for a Nuclear reactor... some questions need to be asked.

This country is in the crisis that Rabbott-the-Hun always claimed that Labor was causing. The reach of the mendacious ideology of this corrupt rabble is astounding. Their fascist-like mentality in tearing away conventions and of passing legislation to protect themselves from what they obviously know would come back to haunt them, kafka-esque. Unless there is a double dissolution or a revolution they will manipulate the system to stay in power forever. Mrs Wombat and the Joeys will be MiM… in spite of the Govt of the”Tardis State” , (Where-All-Goes-Backward) passing anti-assembly legislation at 1:00am in the morning.

Julie “Death Stare” Bishop opines, needlessly, that the ABC is not projecting a suitable image into SE Asia. The “Ugly American, Phone-Hacker” Murdoch could provide a more accurate version of Austraya to the Asians by beaming in re-runs of Big Brother, Celebratory Splash and animated re-enactments of his newspaper’s phone hacking files.

"His Royal Tightness"  George Brandis fresh from deciding who is worthy of a “Gong” is now providing directives to the Arts council as to who is talented enough for a grant. In the genre of creative writing it is doubtless that Brandis will favour Andrew “Blot on the Landscape” Bolt whose fictions he has enjoyed for many years. Other more realistic, documentary or journalistic genres will have to fend for themselves as not playing the tune paid for, the Piper’s have had indicated  that their talents only confuse the National Voice, the One People and the One Leader!

cheers petals,

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