Much ado about very little methinks.What am I talking about? why the critics response to the film Australia actually. Now I would say that wouldn't I? as an Australian it is my duty to champion what is of this country and who is of the country. The pure fact of the matter, and from one who has actually seen the movie, the critics both here and abroad have missed the point entirely. yes the film is long, no there aren't any deep and meaningful metaphors to ponder over that answer all of life's questions, there are metaphors a plenty but none that are full of unintelligible gabble that film critiques generally consist of. I can speak with some authority on this, unlike my usual protestations , as in doing my last degree I also took a year of film studies.
That doesn't give me carte blanche and sweeping powers of deconstruction I know, but what it does give is a little understanding about how film might work.As a 21st century film 'Australia' does have shortcomings, but as a film that highlights a place ( the Northern Territory) and society of the times in which it's set, the film and the direction does that admirably. My maternal grandfather was the controller of wharves and railways (in Darwin)during this period in history so I have first hand knowledge of just what it was like to be there and the cattle country in that era. For myself I also know just what it was like to be a drover, muster/drive cattle and sheep long distances, as I did just that in the 1950's. Australia at that time(1950's) was still very much a frontier country way up in the bush so what it must have been like in the 40's was more of the same only harder.The film captures that spirit and hardship so well I relived most of the worst times,and there were plenty, the best times(some) and all of the hardships. Like the time we took 5thousand head of sheep to a rail head, only arrived with three thousand and I had a horse die under me . The year it rained after 7 years of no rain at all, was March 14Th 3 days after my 14Th birthday. The first night out mustering I was told to get into my 'swag'(sleeping gear of canvas) early because I was the horse tailer. You might well ponder as I did what that was. The horses are unsaddled after work and let loose but one horse has hobbles and a bell so that it cannot wander far. The horse tailer takes out a bridle at about 4am and listens for the bell, finds the horse then catches it, bridles up and rides bareback around in the dark looking for the un-hobbled horses. When you find the 'mob' and on a big muster there could be fifty you round them up and drive them back to camp.
Australia the film, captures most of the hardships of this life and also the absolute grandeur of the country, so for just that it gets my 100% tick of approval for I know about these things. What I don't know about is kissing Nicole Kidman so on that I cannot speak with any authority. I once acted in a film produced by Twentieth Century Fox so the very sight of those searchlights and that opening music makes me edgy with anticipation. The film was 'Kangaroo' and there are scenes in 'Australia' that are reminiscent of 'my' movie as well so once again I was on similar territory. One of the problems of Australian society is just how parochial they once and possibly still are, conditions in OZ didn't change much for years and what was fashion in clothes/furniture etc(in the late 40's) was still fashion almost up to the 70's. In a previous blog there was mention of the 'laconic' OZ bush manner, and the main male character gets to express that quite often also with the dry sense of humour which is part and parcel of Australia.
This then is a BIG movie,not Werner Fassbinder or even Cohen Bros, but a great look and a good rollicking yarn full of real characters, and the young kid who plays Nulla, a star in the making. If you are searching for metaphor and meaning it is there, in huge dollops because what this film is all about stares you right in the face. The message is there all across the screen. 'AUSTRALIA', the narrative of this film is just that, the country and the land itself. Go see it, if you don't enjoy then come here, look for yourself, and you will see just what the critics missed.
No Hortense I didn't get billing on the credits although everyone else did, and yes I did cry, four separate times. Yes I know I shouted out when I recognised that lady I had met last year. A bit gauche Hortense, I did cringe too but possibly not as much as the Citibank exec who was trying to explain why Citibank were spending lots of that money nice Congress gave them buying up bad debts . They were really bad debts too Horty, and you want to know what is so funny? These were debts that Citibank created in the first place then on-sold to bankers all 'round the world so that eventually it all turned toxic and created the fiscal mess we are now in. Yes Hortense I do know that when all the dust settles Citibank will make oodles of money out of these debts, but first they have to lay off lots of workers over Christmas . Why is that? what would I know Hortense, I do know that Gelato is cheaper today than it will be tomorrow, let's go!!
Thursday 27 November 2008
Saturday 22 November 2008
ink marks on a blank page Sun Nov 23rd
I am by nature, and perhaps now that I no longer work in the real world a somewhat solitary person.Not to say by the word solitary that I do not like my fellow humans, I do, but years of working odd hours and being at the beck and call of the telephone cut many of my acquaintances loose so to speak. Folk seem not to want to bother with a person if one is not around or sleeping when they wish to be sociable. Then of course was the period in my early 40's when we lived on a farm and that cut us adrift even more so. Farms being of a necessity to be well away from so called 'normal' civilisation. Then during that time I went back to University to do a degree, in the process of that I mixed with humans who were very much younger than I was so tended not to make friends as one could hardly bring someone home who was only afew years older than my son.
Australian rural society is much like rural human gatherings all over the world, the folk who have been born and brought up in that community have an initial distrust of the interlopers and tend to not accept them until they have 'proved ' themselves worthy and then remain in that community for a good settling in period. In the town that I dragged my family to, the normal settling in period before the family finished being called 'blow-ins' was about twenty five years.
Our case was somewhat different as my wife is in the medical field so was quickly snapped up by the local hospital, when I say local, it was in another town about 25kms away which in Australia is really on the doorstep so she became a native almost immediately. For me, being accepted took a little longer as I still had this weird job that no one local could understand and of course I was studying at Uni. At this time in OZ farming types had a great distrust of 'them what went to Universities' after all what couldn't you learn about life by sticking your arm up a cows back passage.The eldest (son) joined the local football/cricket team so he seemed destined to become a local even quicker than his mother and the youngest(girl) was ensconced in the local primary school so she also was a part of the local community. What to do about father, me , robbi. About two to three years after arriving several curious and I believe completely Australian character traits rescued me from oblivion as a person in my own right and not the husband of and or the father of.
Firstly, the local 'pillars of ' owned a very large farm and dairy, then used to deliver their milk in bulk to the surrounding farms. Because I was home during the day a lot I became quite friendly with this terrific fellow who used to be our 'milko'. Now this is where it gets into the OZ country character.As you well know I can talk the leg off a chair but owing to the fact that when he was in my kitchen yarning and drinking coffee I had either been at work half the night or had just got out of bed so was very tired and thus spoke in very short but succinct sentences. We soon became firm buddies and I looked forward to the delivery of milk as much as he looked to the coffee and yarn at my place. One of the character traits in country and rural Australia is that the archetypal OZ male is supposed to be tall,rake thin and laconic to the point of being monosyllabic. I am neither tall or rake thin but because of lack of sleep etc I was a trifle laconic and spoke little but by the standards of the conversation, with great pith. Naturally as he was a milkman he went into many kitchens around the district so spread the word that robbi was 'okay', ergo it wasn't long (about 2years) before I got a little nod with the index finger crooked to the forehead as I went about my business in the town. Three years down the track and the local post office couple started calling me rob and handing me the letters personally so I knew that I was on the way to becoming a local.
The second and most major thing that catapulted me into being part of the local scene came about purely by chance and no it wasn't the time I almost burnt down my hay shed and the local volunteer firemen had to rescue me. My son had arranged to go fox hunting, the skins were valuable and they are regarded here as vermin, but on the night in question when his friend drove in to pick him up he was ill with the flu. This lad was about 18 and tall ,rake thin,laconic etc etc but for some reason turned to me and asked" You ever shot foxes Mr S?" "why don't you go with me" I thought it might be perhaps a test of the family honour so said I would but could I take my own rifle.Their farm was about thirty minutes away through very forested hilly dirt roads and this kid drove like an absolute madman so through the whole journey I just kept my mouth firmly shut in a very silent scream. We drove around the paddocks for what seemed hours and not one fox did we see when he tuned and said, "we should go back I don't think there is any about tonight"By this time I had regained my composure and voice so I agreed but said I would just shine the spotlight over to the left along that bare hill.Fantastic, a very large very healthy fox but really so far up the hill when he turned and sat all we could see were the two coals of its eyes.
"Oh hell" the kid said," he's miles away and normally what we do is shoot so the bullet just goes in between the ears so it doesn't mark the pelt,get more for it that way".me under my breath, Oh YEAH ?"Right between the ears you say" was my reply. Lined up the shot and squeezed the trigger,boom, and foxie loxie went down.
Yes Hortense you are right, the kid ran up the hill and ten minutes later came back with said beast dead as, right between the ears. He never said diddley except a laconic ,"well we best be getting you home, it's late and I think he's the only one out tonight". On the way back Horty he drove ever so slow and careful but not one word about foxy or really anything at all.
Two days later Hortense I went into the town for letters and everyone in the district seemed to be there, the couple in the post office even put a rubber band around my letters, an unheard of courtesy for a newcomer and the garage man actually came out to wipe my windscreen. My boy came home from school and spoke to me for more than two seconds and my little girl caught us all by surprise at dinner with"daddy did well at fox hunting , didn't he"
What is my point Hortense? well I guess Americans are a lot like Australians old girl and that is just how it is going to be for that nice man come the 20th of , best he savour the moment as I did .
Yes I know, it is Sunday the day is blue skies , gelato is there for the eating
Australian rural society is much like rural human gatherings all over the world, the folk who have been born and brought up in that community have an initial distrust of the interlopers and tend to not accept them until they have 'proved ' themselves worthy and then remain in that community for a good settling in period. In the town that I dragged my family to, the normal settling in period before the family finished being called 'blow-ins' was about twenty five years.
Our case was somewhat different as my wife is in the medical field so was quickly snapped up by the local hospital, when I say local, it was in another town about 25kms away which in Australia is really on the doorstep so she became a native almost immediately. For me, being accepted took a little longer as I still had this weird job that no one local could understand and of course I was studying at Uni. At this time in OZ farming types had a great distrust of 'them what went to Universities' after all what couldn't you learn about life by sticking your arm up a cows back passage.The eldest (son) joined the local football/cricket team so he seemed destined to become a local even quicker than his mother and the youngest(girl) was ensconced in the local primary school so she also was a part of the local community. What to do about father, me , robbi. About two to three years after arriving several curious and I believe completely Australian character traits rescued me from oblivion as a person in my own right and not the husband of and or the father of.
Firstly, the local 'pillars of ' owned a very large farm and dairy, then used to deliver their milk in bulk to the surrounding farms. Because I was home during the day a lot I became quite friendly with this terrific fellow who used to be our 'milko'. Now this is where it gets into the OZ country character.As you well know I can talk the leg off a chair but owing to the fact that when he was in my kitchen yarning and drinking coffee I had either been at work half the night or had just got out of bed so was very tired and thus spoke in very short but succinct sentences. We soon became firm buddies and I looked forward to the delivery of milk as much as he looked to the coffee and yarn at my place. One of the character traits in country and rural Australia is that the archetypal OZ male is supposed to be tall,rake thin and laconic to the point of being monosyllabic. I am neither tall or rake thin but because of lack of sleep etc I was a trifle laconic and spoke little but by the standards of the conversation, with great pith. Naturally as he was a milkman he went into many kitchens around the district so spread the word that robbi was 'okay', ergo it wasn't long (about 2years) before I got a little nod with the index finger crooked to the forehead as I went about my business in the town. Three years down the track and the local post office couple started calling me rob and handing me the letters personally so I knew that I was on the way to becoming a local.
The second and most major thing that catapulted me into being part of the local scene came about purely by chance and no it wasn't the time I almost burnt down my hay shed and the local volunteer firemen had to rescue me. My son had arranged to go fox hunting, the skins were valuable and they are regarded here as vermin, but on the night in question when his friend drove in to pick him up he was ill with the flu. This lad was about 18 and tall ,rake thin,laconic etc etc but for some reason turned to me and asked" You ever shot foxes Mr S?" "why don't you go with me" I thought it might be perhaps a test of the family honour so said I would but could I take my own rifle.Their farm was about thirty minutes away through very forested hilly dirt roads and this kid drove like an absolute madman so through the whole journey I just kept my mouth firmly shut in a very silent scream. We drove around the paddocks for what seemed hours and not one fox did we see when he tuned and said, "we should go back I don't think there is any about tonight"By this time I had regained my composure and voice so I agreed but said I would just shine the spotlight over to the left along that bare hill.Fantastic, a very large very healthy fox but really so far up the hill when he turned and sat all we could see were the two coals of its eyes.
"Oh hell" the kid said," he's miles away and normally what we do is shoot so the bullet just goes in between the ears so it doesn't mark the pelt,get more for it that way".me under my breath, Oh YEAH ?"Right between the ears you say" was my reply. Lined up the shot and squeezed the trigger,boom, and foxie loxie went down.
Yes Hortense you are right, the kid ran up the hill and ten minutes later came back with said beast dead as, right between the ears. He never said diddley except a laconic ,"well we best be getting you home, it's late and I think he's the only one out tonight". On the way back Horty he drove ever so slow and careful but not one word about foxy or really anything at all.
Two days later Hortense I went into the town for letters and everyone in the district seemed to be there, the couple in the post office even put a rubber band around my letters, an unheard of courtesy for a newcomer and the garage man actually came out to wipe my windscreen. My boy came home from school and spoke to me for more than two seconds and my little girl caught us all by surprise at dinner with"daddy did well at fox hunting , didn't he"
What is my point Hortense? well I guess Americans are a lot like Australians old girl and that is just how it is going to be for that nice man come the 20th of , best he savour the moment as I did .
Yes I know, it is Sunday the day is blue skies , gelato is there for the eating
Tuesday 18 November 2008
ink marks on a blank page Wed Nov 19th
What you say, he is blogging on a weekday. Yes, true I am, and it is possible have done so before but only when it was absolutely necessary. You would note that I have a somewhat predilection for cynicism, that is not to say I view everything in this world in shades of 'shock horror', far from it. There are though, items around which in general lend themselves to a healthy dose of tongue firmly in cheek, oh and in that I do not take myself too seriously either.Never let it be said that the robbi is without blame, for I wear blinkers on a lot of subjects and am hidebound and all the other expletives one can conjure up.
We humans tend to age, immutable fact. This process has us at some age ,feel indistructable, then we move on to learning that maybe we aren't but at least we have come to the conclusion that if we stick our hand in the fire it will burn and thus cause pain. The next progress up the path is the realisation that we know everything and those who are older( 35) are past it and have no reason to be on the planet at all, our tutors at Uni are all dills and parents are just there to pay the bills. Somehow, and despite the fact that our professors are jealous of us because we are so bright and young they almost fail us, we get our degree and go out into the real world.
We then enter into a sort of limbo where it can be said that our ideals become compromised. That is because we actually have to work for a living to pay off our student debt so therefore get caught up in the corporate world and try to scrabble up the ladder and grab the big dollars the dills who taught us said we could earn. About this time perhaps we might find a partner with whom to share a life, so a new phase begins. This is a period in our existence where staying out all night and spending as if you had no arms abruptly stops, and our being suffers a reality check.
It is in this phase that folk who wear rings in unlikely places and adorn themselves with beads are refferred to by us as dirty lay-abouts and why don't they get a job. We have left all our uni photos with our parents at this stage along with all the memorabilia from the various music festivals and failed rock bands we played with over the years. That is not to say we decry all this material ,not at all, for at Christmas and or birthdays when we take the grandkids over there we drag out all these things ad nauseum and chortle over said artefacts whilst throwing down copius quantities of dad's best wine. Herein lies the plot though, we are very careful not to let the children actually see this stuff, they have to go outside and play, properly of course, no fighting.
Yes Hortense I know that none of this is actually going to save the world or indeed show the good folk how I actually became the cynic that you say I am. Yes Hortense I know that all that I have been saying was written on the wall of the bath house in Pompey and people all through history know that their generation was perfect. You do miss the point Hortense, and the point is?
The point is old girl, what are we going to do about it and when will we ever learn that in order to grow we all have to change. My point? well I do hope Hortense that this election in the US will eventually be seen for the groundbreaking huge step forward that it is. No, I don't mean just because he is African-American, that is part of the equation, but for me the major bit therein is the fact that the majority wanted to CHANGE the way they thought about a whole range of issues including the democratic right to exercise your vote.
Which reminds me Hortense, we should toddle off to the cinema and go to that new film the nice Baz man has done, see a little of our own country and perhaps repair off afterwards do lunch and Gelato, sound a plan?
We humans tend to age, immutable fact. This process has us at some age ,feel indistructable, then we move on to learning that maybe we aren't but at least we have come to the conclusion that if we stick our hand in the fire it will burn and thus cause pain. The next progress up the path is the realisation that we know everything and those who are older( 35) are past it and have no reason to be on the planet at all, our tutors at Uni are all dills and parents are just there to pay the bills. Somehow, and despite the fact that our professors are jealous of us because we are so bright and young they almost fail us, we get our degree and go out into the real world.
We then enter into a sort of limbo where it can be said that our ideals become compromised. That is because we actually have to work for a living to pay off our student debt so therefore get caught up in the corporate world and try to scrabble up the ladder and grab the big dollars the dills who taught us said we could earn. About this time perhaps we might find a partner with whom to share a life, so a new phase begins. This is a period in our existence where staying out all night and spending as if you had no arms abruptly stops, and our being suffers a reality check.
It is in this phase that folk who wear rings in unlikely places and adorn themselves with beads are refferred to by us as dirty lay-abouts and why don't they get a job. We have left all our uni photos with our parents at this stage along with all the memorabilia from the various music festivals and failed rock bands we played with over the years. That is not to say we decry all this material ,not at all, for at Christmas and or birthdays when we take the grandkids over there we drag out all these things ad nauseum and chortle over said artefacts whilst throwing down copius quantities of dad's best wine. Herein lies the plot though, we are very careful not to let the children actually see this stuff, they have to go outside and play, properly of course, no fighting.
Yes Hortense I know that none of this is actually going to save the world or indeed show the good folk how I actually became the cynic that you say I am. Yes Hortense I know that all that I have been saying was written on the wall of the bath house in Pompey and people all through history know that their generation was perfect. You do miss the point Hortense, and the point is?
The point is old girl, what are we going to do about it and when will we ever learn that in order to grow we all have to change. My point? well I do hope Hortense that this election in the US will eventually be seen for the groundbreaking huge step forward that it is. No, I don't mean just because he is African-American, that is part of the equation, but for me the major bit therein is the fact that the majority wanted to CHANGE the way they thought about a whole range of issues including the democratic right to exercise your vote.
Which reminds me Hortense, we should toddle off to the cinema and go to that new film the nice Baz man has done, see a little of our own country and perhaps repair off afterwards do lunch and Gelato, sound a plan?
Saturday 15 November 2008
ink marks on a blank page Sat Nov 15th
Just a moment ago I was watching TV and savouring a coffee, well drooling over a coffee to be realistic. One of the things I do well in life is make coffee, that the machine I use does it mainly is not just a moot point but perhaps THE point. This particular machine is the 3rd one I have had, the 3rd different one as I had two of the same brand, not together mind , it just so happened that the first one was a very expensive machine that just fell apart, admittedly after much use, but apart it did fall.
I went back to the store and complained bitterly about said machine, the girl took my details and then sold me a different brand whilst all the time making cooing noises about how sorry she was the first machine was such a dud so she would take it up the the German company that makes them. Naturally of course I took all this with a large grain of salt, just opened my wallet and extracted the cash for a new machine (Italian).
The new coffee maker and I were getting along really well and we had become really simpatico ,making froth that a fancy barista would be proud of, when one Tuesday morn the door bell thing went(it plays reveille). Delivery chappie says "parcel for robbi" quoth I, "yea 'tis me" The German coffee machine making people being German were so upset that I had destroyed their prize thing they had sent me at no charge, a replacement. So that is how I had two of the same brand.
Now I do love a coffee or three, so do my guests and family, for myself I do short black but everyone else seems to want latte or cappuccino, so the new machine got the same thrashing as the first one. Alas the Italian job sort of fell over after 18 months so I went back up country a bit to the German replacement. That lasted about two years until it made more wheezing noises than I do after a long day.You lovely folk might live in a country where the ability to get things fixed at reasonable cost is thick on the ground, alack and whatever not here he sighed. We seem to have a throw away mentality,oh, broken is it, just put it out for the garbage. Crikey I can't wait to get a bit old and furry around the edges, boom, one robbi on the landfill.So off to the shop again but this time I thought, no more expensive rocket science machines, go for the heaviest and cheapest, so I did. Half the money and heavy as lead to lift about but it makes the very best coffee and has lasted 3years now, and the froth,wow, one could ski on this fluff it is so thick and soft.
Yes Hortense I know that you prefer it weaker than I make,but I also note that your mug is always drained down to the last drop and you do seem to make those smacking sounds that one does when well satisfied.
Oh the landfill Hortense, what would I know about that? Well nothing of course and about on a par with what I know about folk thrashing about in large 4 wheel drive vehicles making doco's on saving the pristine wilderness and stuff. Yes Hortense I do know that the bald fellow who used to front that rock band is full on about the environment, especially now he is the Minister in charge of it in this new federal Government. Landfill is the new black Hortense, he wants to get rid of all landfill sites, and do what? Where is all the garbage going to go, oh we aren't going to have any? How is that so Hortense, oh we will all be far to poor to actually have anything, possibly, but what about the men who run the Government Hortense, they wont be poor, where will their garbage go? Yes I get it, theirs will go into landfill Hortense, but it will be environmentally secure landfill wont it, the bald headed bloke will see to that wont he Hortense.Yes I forgot Hortense he is the one with the power to issue permits for landfill sites, silly of me to forget that wasn't it.
I know, Sunday tomorrow and Gelato isn't going into landfill is it, not while I'm about Horty old girl, not indeed
I went back to the store and complained bitterly about said machine, the girl took my details and then sold me a different brand whilst all the time making cooing noises about how sorry she was the first machine was such a dud so she would take it up the the German company that makes them. Naturally of course I took all this with a large grain of salt, just opened my wallet and extracted the cash for a new machine (Italian).
The new coffee maker and I were getting along really well and we had become really simpatico ,making froth that a fancy barista would be proud of, when one Tuesday morn the door bell thing went(it plays reveille). Delivery chappie says "parcel for robbi" quoth I, "yea 'tis me" The German coffee machine making people being German were so upset that I had destroyed their prize thing they had sent me at no charge, a replacement. So that is how I had two of the same brand.
Now I do love a coffee or three, so do my guests and family, for myself I do short black but everyone else seems to want latte or cappuccino, so the new machine got the same thrashing as the first one. Alas the Italian job sort of fell over after 18 months so I went back up country a bit to the German replacement. That lasted about two years until it made more wheezing noises than I do after a long day.You lovely folk might live in a country where the ability to get things fixed at reasonable cost is thick on the ground, alack and whatever not here he sighed. We seem to have a throw away mentality,oh, broken is it, just put it out for the garbage. Crikey I can't wait to get a bit old and furry around the edges, boom, one robbi on the landfill.So off to the shop again but this time I thought, no more expensive rocket science machines, go for the heaviest and cheapest, so I did. Half the money and heavy as lead to lift about but it makes the very best coffee and has lasted 3years now, and the froth,wow, one could ski on this fluff it is so thick and soft.
Yes Hortense I know that you prefer it weaker than I make,but I also note that your mug is always drained down to the last drop and you do seem to make those smacking sounds that one does when well satisfied.
Oh the landfill Hortense, what would I know about that? Well nothing of course and about on a par with what I know about folk thrashing about in large 4 wheel drive vehicles making doco's on saving the pristine wilderness and stuff. Yes Hortense I do know that the bald fellow who used to front that rock band is full on about the environment, especially now he is the Minister in charge of it in this new federal Government. Landfill is the new black Hortense, he wants to get rid of all landfill sites, and do what? Where is all the garbage going to go, oh we aren't going to have any? How is that so Hortense, oh we will all be far to poor to actually have anything, possibly, but what about the men who run the Government Hortense, they wont be poor, where will their garbage go? Yes I get it, theirs will go into landfill Hortense, but it will be environmentally secure landfill wont it, the bald headed bloke will see to that wont he Hortense.Yes I forgot Hortense he is the one with the power to issue permits for landfill sites, silly of me to forget that wasn't it.
I know, Sunday tomorrow and Gelato isn't going into landfill is it, not while I'm about Horty old girl, not indeed
Saturday 8 November 2008
Ink marks on a blank page Sun Nov 9th
At it again, cannot help myself really, I mean life is just one long blog isn't it? But there are one or two burning issues that I would like to get off my chest, that is stuff that I waxed on lyrical about over the last weekend up in Sydney town. Y'see the dinner was replete with lots of lovely folk, some from far flung corners of the globe, others were local, and some like me were from what the Sydney-siders like to call the rust bucket states. Pre dinner the talk was who are you and where do you come from? After dinner there was more general conversation loosened up no doubt by the number of times the waiters refreshed the respective glasses and seeing as it was all free largess was paramount. As you know I only drink water so by the time talk was cheap I had consumed most of Sydney Harbour, or so it seemed.
When in a crowd such as this where most are extremely successful and thus by definition rich as, the greater majority are rusted on green, that is they espouse the "let's save the planet NOW " doctrine. Because y'see they can AFFORD to. Personally I have no problem with that, as I have tried to do my bit by putting photovoltaic cells on my roof ,having solar hot water and a very large (24k ltrs) water tank in my back garden.
Hortense I do though have a large problem with the well meaning folk who bang on about this without thinking very much about the real issues behind all the green and good. Call me or label me an old cynic but do they really think of the 'reality' behind just how green all this renewable stuff is. Take the cells on my roof, and apart from the massive amounts of power used to make them they are also made from Nitrogen trifluoride which is 17,000 times more lasting and as damaging than co2 to the atmosphere. This gas is also used to make the chips that power this thing (the pc) along with the lcd screens we all love to use.
The massive wind turbines which we in the state I live in have 58% of ALL the wind turbines in OZ. These things are made of STEEL which comes from blast furnaces and ALUMINIUM which uses enormous amounts of power,plus none of these wind farms will ever produce base load power at any period in history. The cost of producing this so-called GREEN power is three times that from gas fired plant, and the noise pollution from the turbines is soul destroying. Nope I didn't stop there either Hortense, I also went on about the local scientist who has become the darling of our federal government and therefore their spokesperson on climate change. He recently made series of TV programs where he and a partner went all around the pristine wilderness in a very large 4 wheel drive and made many trips in lakes / rivers etc in a two-stroke powered aluminium boat whilst at many times being photographed from above by two different helicopters. Just think on the amount of diesel/kerosene/dust damage/electrical power and a myriad of other things that went into the making of those programs. No Hortense I do not want to shut down the TV industry or stop people making nature programs, I am merely trying to point out that doing anything comes at a cost and what seems all lovely and touchy feely on the first look aint necessarily so and it is about time folk owned up and fessed up.
Hortense old girl that didn't strike me as being very much a way to save the place or protect nature at all or am I really being a nark ? And no Hortense I didn't watch the program just couldn't help seeing the promos for it as I trawled through looking for the programs I really do watch, such as world championship wrestling and the like.Yes Hortense I do know the Gelato is all natural, let's get to it then eh?
When in a crowd such as this where most are extremely successful and thus by definition rich as, the greater majority are rusted on green, that is they espouse the "let's save the planet NOW " doctrine. Because y'see they can AFFORD to. Personally I have no problem with that, as I have tried to do my bit by putting photovoltaic cells on my roof ,having solar hot water and a very large (24k ltrs) water tank in my back garden.
Hortense I do though have a large problem with the well meaning folk who bang on about this without thinking very much about the real issues behind all the green and good. Call me or label me an old cynic but do they really think of the 'reality' behind just how green all this renewable stuff is. Take the cells on my roof, and apart from the massive amounts of power used to make them they are also made from Nitrogen trifluoride which is 17,000 times more lasting and as damaging than co2 to the atmosphere. This gas is also used to make the chips that power this thing (the pc) along with the lcd screens we all love to use.
The massive wind turbines which we in the state I live in have 58% of ALL the wind turbines in OZ. These things are made of STEEL which comes from blast furnaces and ALUMINIUM which uses enormous amounts of power,plus none of these wind farms will ever produce base load power at any period in history. The cost of producing this so-called GREEN power is three times that from gas fired plant, and the noise pollution from the turbines is soul destroying. Nope I didn't stop there either Hortense, I also went on about the local scientist who has become the darling of our federal government and therefore their spokesperson on climate change. He recently made series of TV programs where he and a partner went all around the pristine wilderness in a very large 4 wheel drive and made many trips in lakes / rivers etc in a two-stroke powered aluminium boat whilst at many times being photographed from above by two different helicopters. Just think on the amount of diesel/kerosene/dust damage/electrical power and a myriad of other things that went into the making of those programs. No Hortense I do not want to shut down the TV industry or stop people making nature programs, I am merely trying to point out that doing anything comes at a cost and what seems all lovely and touchy feely on the first look aint necessarily so and it is about time folk owned up and fessed up.
Hortense old girl that didn't strike me as being very much a way to save the place or protect nature at all or am I really being a nark ? And no Hortense I didn't watch the program just couldn't help seeing the promos for it as I trawled through looking for the programs I really do watch, such as world championship wrestling and the like.Yes Hortense I do know the Gelato is all natural, let's get to it then eh?
Ink marks on a blank page sat. 8th Nov.
There I was contemplating nothing in particular in a studious sort of way when i had this sudden compulsion to write up a blog. But what should I pontificate on? We've all done the elections us bloggers, writ up and dissected to the very inch of anything and everything, some have even done pieces on the sort of dog he should buy the girls. Like I mean who really cares, the whole universe is going to heck in a basket and folk are worrying about what brand of doggie poo will be on the White House lawn.
C'mon folks lighten up here, give the man a break let him pick the 7000 folk he needs to run the ship o' state.
I just have to put in an antipodean's two cents worth , and that's about all we would get too, this isn't just about you folk over there y'know, I mean this chap is going to be the leader of the free world as we know it. The Russians will have their noses out of joint too, for some weeks now they have been kicking up the dust of the cold war and over-flying US and Brit ships and making great noises about missile placements. Then along comes that nice young man from America and grabs all the headlines, shame.
Funny about that, and how is Hugo going to cope with Barack?, not at all well I shouldn't wonder.This is something that America does once in a while oh so well, and it isn't just the fact he is African_American, although that in itself is huge, he has only been in Washington since 2005. Granted he is highly intelligent and can really speak well and plainly too, not like our fellow who talks as though we were all MBA's , but he has that great knack of someone who is destined to be really something, he RELATES and without trying hard to, he just does.
Oh yes Hortense how would I know, perhaps it is 'cause about stuff like that, I really do. Or perhaps I just make it up as I go along and say the first trite thing that pops into my skull, could be Hortense but you have known me long and well enough to know that I only make some of it up as I go along, the rest I find on fantail wrappers. Sunday tomorrow Horty, Gelato at Cocolat?, sure why ever not.
C'mon folks lighten up here, give the man a break let him pick the 7000 folk he needs to run the ship o' state.
I just have to put in an antipodean's two cents worth , and that's about all we would get too, this isn't just about you folk over there y'know, I mean this chap is going to be the leader of the free world as we know it. The Russians will have their noses out of joint too, for some weeks now they have been kicking up the dust of the cold war and over-flying US and Brit ships and making great noises about missile placements. Then along comes that nice young man from America and grabs all the headlines, shame.
Funny about that, and how is Hugo going to cope with Barack?, not at all well I shouldn't wonder.This is something that America does once in a while oh so well, and it isn't just the fact he is African_American, although that in itself is huge, he has only been in Washington since 2005. Granted he is highly intelligent and can really speak well and plainly too, not like our fellow who talks as though we were all MBA's , but he has that great knack of someone who is destined to be really something, he RELATES and without trying hard to, he just does.
Oh yes Hortense how would I know, perhaps it is 'cause about stuff like that, I really do. Or perhaps I just make it up as I go along and say the first trite thing that pops into my skull, could be Hortense but you have known me long and well enough to know that I only make some of it up as I go along, the rest I find on fantail wrappers. Sunday tomorrow Horty, Gelato at Cocolat?, sure why ever not.
Wednesday 5 November 2008
Ink Marks on a Blank Page Wed Nov 5th
There I was jetting up to Sydney town like the old rock-n-roller I once was, all frocked up in my Adelaide over the hill finery and stepped off the plane to 35c and muggy.Nothing brings one down to earth with a thump than looking like a full blown twerp. Everyone else is swanning around the terminal in board shorts and loose tops and I'm dressed up like the turkey on for dinner. I always say though if you want to be noticed then you have to stand out, and I did.Enough of that at least when I embarked it was cool to be dressed like a colonial refugee.
The car was climate controlled anyway and by the time we got onto the Pacific Highway I was settling into cool mode.Sydney is really such a beautiful town, just a pity that it is full of Sydney-siders, folk who are basically nice people, just awfully rich and like nothing better to ask where one is from then when you mutter Adelaide they look at their shoes as though there remains the leftovers of some old droppings. I never know what to say either as the car sort of slinks past all these huge piles of brick where even the gate post must cost a months salary.
Oh don't get me wrong I live comfortable, and well within the sort of standard of run down genteel that I favour. Not through design y'know, I have just slid down the slippery slope of fading out quite easily, poverty is well within my grasp now. I should really cut to the chase a little quicker though as the flight sort of gave me that squiggy ear thing again and I feel a trifle off colour. My travel book/ pics went down with the professionals well though, I was well pleased and chuffed too,good stroke of the ego that was. The food at the dinner they put on was just out of this world and at every seat there was a personalised menu with your name on top, snazzy eh? Could I get used to being treated like a member of the human race, dunno about that, bit hard on the nerves trying to be pleasant for hours on end.
See I was right about those elections Hortense, and why didn't I win huge on the outcome? you know me Horty, I never back the favourite. The woman in the red leather jacket looked a little green around the gills though, she might just have to give it all back now don' you think. My guess is that she could just stick her hand up in four years, and then whattya think would happen? yeah, she'd lose it up to her armpits Horty old thing. What would I know anyway, but I do know this Hortense, that old man who can't raise his arms up higher than this gave a mighty gracious speech in defeat. Well he might too, he got thumped, but not his fault, you do have to sheet it home to Dubya. Got to tell you Hortnese that Gelato never tasted so good as it did today ,YUMMO
Well life moves and grooves always to the beat, and 'lo, the drum beat for the MAN.
The car was climate controlled anyway and by the time we got onto the Pacific Highway I was settling into cool mode.Sydney is really such a beautiful town, just a pity that it is full of Sydney-siders, folk who are basically nice people, just awfully rich and like nothing better to ask where one is from then when you mutter Adelaide they look at their shoes as though there remains the leftovers of some old droppings. I never know what to say either as the car sort of slinks past all these huge piles of brick where even the gate post must cost a months salary.
Oh don't get me wrong I live comfortable, and well within the sort of standard of run down genteel that I favour. Not through design y'know, I have just slid down the slippery slope of fading out quite easily, poverty is well within my grasp now. I should really cut to the chase a little quicker though as the flight sort of gave me that squiggy ear thing again and I feel a trifle off colour. My travel book/ pics went down with the professionals well though, I was well pleased and chuffed too,good stroke of the ego that was. The food at the dinner they put on was just out of this world and at every seat there was a personalised menu with your name on top, snazzy eh? Could I get used to being treated like a member of the human race, dunno about that, bit hard on the nerves trying to be pleasant for hours on end.
See I was right about those elections Hortense, and why didn't I win huge on the outcome? you know me Horty, I never back the favourite. The woman in the red leather jacket looked a little green around the gills though, she might just have to give it all back now don' you think. My guess is that she could just stick her hand up in four years, and then whattya think would happen? yeah, she'd lose it up to her armpits Horty old thing. What would I know anyway, but I do know this Hortense, that old man who can't raise his arms up higher than this gave a mighty gracious speech in defeat. Well he might too, he got thumped, but not his fault, you do have to sheet it home to Dubya. Got to tell you Hortnese that Gelato never tasted so good as it did today ,YUMMO
Well life moves and grooves always to the beat, and 'lo, the drum beat for the MAN.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.03.jpg)
