ink marks on a blank page Thursday April 2nd

Some of you ,after reading this, will possibly be left with a feeling that I am over critical of my fellow humans. That I must put my hand up for if so labelled, not really the way that I see myself but one really cannot make an arms length judgement of self that is exact and to the point of being as how others view. Goodness that was long winded ,convoluted and pompous was it not, but something that had to be said, clearing the decks . Follows next why I have said the above.



Today marked the first major day of the G20 talks in London. What scenes did we see on our television news? Thousands of people demonstrating in a violent and anti-social manner screaming out slogans such as "Down with money" and the like, folk by the thousands pinning police officers up against a wall and a loon high up on a building trying to set fire to it. I well remember the violent anti Vietnam demonstrations, the Weathermen bombing and others of the same anti establishment ilk all around the globe doing exactly the same thing. As serving Navy during the early part of the time of Vietnam I was apalled at the treatment returning soldiers here in this country got from the general public as they marched through the streets of Sydney. People were right in condemning the Vietnam war and I do uphold the right to protest as all in a democratic society should have that right, all peoples should be able to exercise their right to protest at what they see as unjust and cruel. However I do not see where violent anti-social behaviour can be justified in any protest as in my opinion being violent just plays into the hands of those right wing elements who seek to contain the right to any protest.

That, (the above)was the main thrust of this week blogging on Ink Marks,but as the G20 ended with very much an accord and with a degree of hope for the future I deleted most of my write in favour of just letting the status remain at quo.



The second point about human behaviour I would like to touch on is this; Trends and counter trends. Or: What the heck is happening?



The robbi is unfortunately a slow learner, by that I do not mean that life has to bludgeon itself around my head to push in a few facts. Nope, not at all. One of the terrible shortcomings I have is that I see lots of things as black and white. Take sunglasses for one, they are meant to shade human eyes from the sun , true? Yes I do have a pair, somewhere in the house is a pair of hugely expensive precription sunglasses with special lenses that make everything crystal clear and are ground to my special requirements so that I might drive with them and read, although not at the same time. That they are very rarely worn is not because I don't go out in the sun, I do, but I found that I still needed to carry my normal glasses in case I wanted to go into a building or someones house. That means having to carry two pairs of glasses ,being the robbi that I am carrying two pairs is really asking for one pair to be left on a park bench or summat. Plus of course the cars that we have always have tinted windows anyway so that negates most of the need for sunglasses. The point I am slowly coming to is; as I look about me I appear to be the only human not wearing sunglasses. Whole families wear them from the littlest toddler right through the ages. Sitting in the movies the other day most of the folk coming in to sit down had them on top of their heads,some actually wore them and only took them off to perch said glasses on top of the head as they sat down. needless to say I started to think that I must be missing something and got to worry. Monday this week the answer came in the form of a cartoon strip in the morning Murdoch. Garfield occasionally talks to a ball of wool, this Monday morning the ball of wool said to Garfield "I'm cool" Garfiled to ball of wool" You are a ball of wool, how cool is that" the next panel showed the ball of wool saying "See!", wearing a large pair of shades, Garfield agreeing that said ball was now 'cool'. Ergo, shades =cool. The point I ask myself is,what then is 'cool'? Am I somewhat out of a loop because I don't wear shades, does that make me a non-person?
Many years ago(44actually) I was laying on the lawn in front of the Adelaide Uni waiting for the love of my life and reading 'MAD' magazine. It was the paperback version 'Son of Mad' and I was laughing out loud to the extent folk walking past were looking at me with disdain and clucking ,"possibly drugs Henrietta, you know what these Uni types are" The panels I was laughing at were a 5 or 6 page cartoon of artsy folk going to a party and being fawned over because they were wearing dyed ,hand knitted jackets and trousers that had been made from sea grass. my memory can't extend to anything else about the strip except the couple in question eschewed any knowledge of TV saying it was passe and everyone else nodding sagely whilst rushing to switch of the myriad TV's around the rooms.I also think that some of the really cool guests had dreads as well whilst the two mentioned just kept putting down all those not wearing sea grass. Reading MAD was obligatory for me, they had a way of looking at life that seemed so much how this is what it will be in the future. Was I 'cool' in that I read MAD and therefore 'knew' ? The medium is the message ,everyone will be famous for ten minutes. Looking down a telescope the wrong way seems to be how society is going, life is a microcosm of itself and no longer are we content to let it just unfold it has to happen right in front at breakneck speed.

You see Hortense even you are subject to this creeping malaise that is society. Just now you were badgering me to go to a moving picture. When I looked at the trailers for the films you picked I could see that these were not for me. Yes Horty being the sort of chap that I am I would go to a film not of my choosing just to please you, sometimes. They do have to have a few redeeming qualities Hortense, not just because Viggo whatshisname is a gorgeous hunk, the film has to be summat I can sit through. You are on holidays and there is plenty of time for film,why don't we go for a pleasant bike ride instead? Then tomorrow we can go into Cocolat and peruse the film list whilst snacking on a lovely Gelato, sound a plan Horty. Indeed it are, let's do it!