Wednesday 24 September 2014

...like a Headless Chook.

G'day, Possums ....

Some Ballet class pics which should lighten the load of today's Wombat Droppings  which discusses in this centennial anniversary year of World War One why Australia is entering another war in the Middle east.
























 All these are from class at Ballet Theatre Australia.

A small professional Training Institute in Melbourne.

Many of BTA's  successful graduates are dancing in companies here in Oz and also in America and Europe.




 








Wombat Droppings 
or 
The Chronicle of How Australia lost its Egalitarian Soul and Processed to Very Ugly.

Senator George "Bookshelves" Brandis (Liarbril Pretend Attorney General) is now in his element: promulgating new laws to extend "security" agencies ability to whack people with impunity, limiting press and speech freedoms (except for the far right) and making as much noise as possible to camouflage the fact that this Government is a total failure. 
I wonder if calling the Bogans down to Cronulla: saying that Gillard should have her throat slit, or thrown into the sea in a chaff bag would be termed "Incitement to violence" under these new laws?
It is not much of a surprise really that this policy bereft but ideologically replete rabble are in the mess they are but what is perverse is that the confusion they are sowing on religious and racial grounds exactly suits their agenda of divide and conquer. Australian's as we are seeing, are too selfish, self centred and too stupid to see that the "Vision" the Liarbrils and their directors the "Coot's-With-Queer-Ideas-From-a-Parallel-Universe" (IPA)  want, is not a nation of social cohesion and equality but the jungle of the so-called "Free Market."
 In fact we are blindly stumbling further every day into being a Neo-Fascist State. 

And where's ex Liarbril and IPA fellow traveller Timmy "Twat the Freedom-Man" when you really need him? Off counting his $390,000.00 P.A.no doubt?

We are now at war again in the same Middle East that Prime Miniature, "Little Johnny" Howard expressed "embarrassment" at not finding the Saddam Hussien's WMD's  which were allegedly its cause; and thought  "...there was no need to apologise..." particularly for the subsequent 600,000 Iraqi deaths. This time, "Rabid-the-Hun" is sending young Australians off to battle the Baddies; the Isis "Death Cult" who we know were spawned from the very shambles Little Johnnie assisted in making of Iraq. 

There is a nastiness seeping around our country ... one chap was "..hauled off a Tiger Airline flight when another passenger noticed some notes and sketches he made satirising the current terrorist mood and reported him to a flight attendent who contacted Federal Police.. he has been banned as a disruptive passenger by the airline" (SMH).
 I hope someone gives "fellow passenger" a lesson in A/ manners and B/ a sense of humour.

Islamic women have been assaulted in the streets, cars sprayed with graffitee and  Senator Jackie Lambie (Bogan PUP, Tasmania) posted a Lana Slezic pic of an Afghani police woman in a Burqa to illustrate her push to have the garment banned. (Pity that the policewoman in question was shot and killed by the Taliban for her support of women's rights).
 Bogan PUP Lambie was also asked about Sharia law  about which she is also stirring the pot  but didn't know how to answer because she know nought of what she's talking about. 

And this is the competence of the people who have the balance of power in the current Government!

There was a big theatrical raid on Muslim's suspected of being "about to be very naughty"... it was highly organised, in 23 locations, netted one arrest and two days worth of footage and Pics (shot by the Police and given to selected reporters) and was in no way intended to stir up Islama-phobia! 
It was to "Protect-the-Citizens", "To-keep-us-safe-in-our-Suburbs."
Which worked a treat.... when a 18 YO  Muslim suspected of "wanting-to-be-naughty" was invited down to the police station ...he arrived with a knife and stabbed two police before being shot and killed.
You have to wonder ... if there was violence being fomented, surely , even at the intensity of this raid , keeping a lid on it would in fact have more impact where it is needed? But then Rabid-the-Hun and his rabble have never been known for their subtlety.
Sledgehammers' to crack Walnuts and Fists through walls are much better for the psyche.. .. 
Rabid-the-Hun's rabble are the ones destroying this country!
There is not one positive thing they have done.
Nothing done has been of benefit to the country; in fact it's been only to the benefit of "The Ugly American" Murdoch and the coal miners. 
Many many posts ago I said, Petals, that if this IPA led Liarbril rabble were elected then civil society was going to be destroyed... they are the real terrorists, the Headless Chooks running amok, cutting away every social benefit for a safe, tolerant and collective society. They want in the confusion and mayhem they are constructing to distract from cutting wages and social services, medi-bank and destroying state education .. and the new "Terrorist" laws will be used to stop dissent when the the greater public finally wake up and the shit really hits the fan. 
They are not to be trusted!
In Naptime's Tardis State (Where-All-Goes-Backward) Police Commissioner "I-Know-Nuffin" Lay has decided that it would be "too political" to release the crime stats three days before the State election. Hmmm that's not political? That's also not very democratic!
I wonder if the Liarbrils scraped home and after the result, the figures then revealed  their usual incompetence, would Lay resign? Or on the other hand, if Labor scraped in with say, only a one seat majority would he expect to be sacked?
Lay has, I think a statuary responsibility to release the figures not a mandate to play overt political games for one side. And more worringly, a whisper has it that Vic Police might have been "assuming" something was going to happen on the Muslim front some weeks ago.
As more information dribbles out about the double knifing and  subsequent shooting, the more simplistically black and white the early reports were...(the ones that stick in the memory) and the more complex the longer story becomes... allegedly, earlier searches without warrants, more than one person at the scene, police asking to wear their guns in the station.
  
Labor have sided with Naptimes Liarbrils and are taking Packers' Casino Penny! 
Do you really think we live in a functioning Democracy?

The Terrier-ist
The Terrier-ist:

 with apologies to American comedian, Rich Hall who quipped this idea on QI one night.

Hoo-roo Petals,

Shane.






Tuesday 16 September 2014

..to market a "Humanitarian" War

Shane Wombat with  fruit
Shane Wombat with  fruit
G'day Possums,

we've been off to market... the Vic market, that is  which is an interesting place for a wander and in Wombat Droppings, we'll have a gander at "Rabbutt-the-Huns" boyo enthusiasm for his "Humanitarian" war in Iraq.






As the market was closing for the day it was interesting to note just how much it had the feel of a circus being dismantled... somewhat forlorn and shorn of its dreams....







....with some of the goods looking for all the world like large Fruit Bats hanging from their roosts.








Vic Market
There were a lot of people eating.... all sorts of things and...
Vic Market
... taking photos...
Vic Market
and sometimes both at the same time.....


















Vic Market


and  hair decorating
















and mobiles isolating people in constant communication.







Lygon St Bear
The Lygon St Bear.... I've no idea why he's there...or if it is male...


Shop Front Lygon St, East Brunswick.


















Wombat Droppings 
or how to lose a country

Last night I watched some Scientists  discuss what the future held for them. Their discussion exposed the paucity of imagination and complete lack of vision this present neo-fascist government exhibits. Their sense of despair in the political amateurs from Canberra was palpable and their constrained comments were couched in cautious terms knowing that bold criticism would only make things worse and probably bring vicious retribution via further funding cuts.

We now have some of our best research scientists sorting mail, servicing photocopiers and doing everything a maintenance worker should because of the cuts of over $100,000,000.00 to CSIRO.
And "Rabbutt-the-Hun's" brilliant decision not to have a Science Minister makes pleading their case all the more problematical.
But then, he's busy... he's got himself a "Humanitarian"War to play with.
.Y'know one of those wars where you have to kill people to save them 
Not content that his mentor, "Little Johnnie" Howard as Prime Miniature was complicit in the lies over "Weapon's of Mass Destruction" and as responsible as Bush and Blair in the destruction of Iraq in "saving" it from Saddam Hussein,  thereby assisting in the proliferation of Al Qaeda and its murderous spawn The Islamic State; now "Rabbutt-the Hun" wants his shot at reflected glory.
Of course, it has nought to do with the most unpopular budget since Federation, or the complete prats his Ministers make of themselves every time they open their mouths
It has nothing to do with the economy slowly going belly-up, unemployment rising or the stench of real corruption seeping ever closer to Canberra. It has nothing to do with the despair our scientists feel or that of many young people now faced with a huge debt for wanting to be educated or the fear of super-annuants watching their government erode their savings whilst bolstering the caches of the wealthy. 
Nah, none of that... we're gunna save the world... with 600 SAS, 8 Super-hornets, one AWAC and probably a Partdrige in a Pear tree. 
"Rabbutt-the-Hun" is probably Madder than the Hatter! 
This is like the fights he had at Oxford, or the kicking down of  doors and punching holes through walls as a student at Sydney Uni. Aggression, agression, agression.
Does he sound like a psychopath?
Now, on a world stage he can strut and play hero. And cause more death and destruction and misery as he pretends to chase down the approximately 60 loopy Jihadists that have left Oz and who in all likelihood would be arrested on return to these shores after being "heroes" themselves in another world
Is Abbott really mad?
His government is almost totally dysfunctional, vision-less for our long term future, let alone Iraq's.
So much for all the lies about a budget emergency. He, like his mentor, "Little Johnnie" is squandering the country's future because he's incapable of being a real leader.
And let's not mention Senator Arty "Da Spiv" Sinodinas who happily walked from the ICAC enquiry thinking he was off the hook. Poor Arty, paid Zillions for 5 minutes of meetings by a shonky business and chair of the Liarbril's NSW finance committee channeling  illegal donations of which he says "I know Nuffin" ... oohhh dear... he's either stupid, corrupt or incompetent or all... but George "Bookshelves" Brandis thinks that "... as a man of integrity" it's time he re-joined the rest of the conservative incompetents regardless of these qualifying impediments. Stupid? Corrupt? Incompetent?... but has integrity? 

Hoo-roo Petals,
Shane
terrorist
The only Terrorists I know in Australia

Night lights
.Night Lights, the Way Ahead




Tuesday 9 September 2014

to a birthday.. Oohhh, look over there!



Shane with Damocles sword
Shane with Damocles sword
Like our pastiche of a federal Government whose birthday it is, the Sword of Damocles hangs over our nation.












G’day Petals,

And like what we will further document in Wombat Droppings, this blog too, is all over the place. 





Neighbour, artist and friend Paul Anthony presently has work on exhibition at Backspace Gallery, Ballarat.

Backspace Gallery
Paul, (right) at the Opening
“Beneath the Surface” The Floating World of Paul Anthony, paintings derived from images taken whilst diving at the Ewans and Piccaninnie Ponds in South Australia.As Paul says in his introduction “I respond to the organic forms, shimmering light…in essence… it’s the interaction of water and light .. elements essential for life…… these evoke the transience and fragility of life.”
Backspace Gallery
His title: Floating World also had me thinking of the Japanese for this Ukiyo-e but not the ennui of the pleasure seeking Tokugawa period but more of the Japanese Buddhist word for  “sorrowful world” the perpetual cycle of rebirth, life, suffering, death and rebirth that Buddhists seek to transcend.

Backspace Gallery
The earlier paintings are very evocative in their literalness of his stated aims but I have to admit that the later evocations from the Carnarvon Gorge in Queensland and the Ben Shahn- like astringency of the underwater ladders present other dimensions which are heading toward a more pure painting rather than simple representation.

Backspace Gallery

Backspace Gallery
Exhibition is on till September 14, Backspace Gallery, 14.00 -16.00 Alfred Deakin Place (down Police Lane or Camp St.) Ballarat.

Backspace Gallery
Here in the burrow we have been busy building a greenhouse. One of our small tanks was giving up the ghost so we re-cycled it, with quite a few other materials, as part of the greenhouse structure. Although not in an ideal position it should still provide a better environment for Tomato, Capsicum and other plants that prefer warmer climes and a lack of Currawong and Chough attention.
Greenhouse
Greenhouse
And some pretty stuff before the horror story starts….Ballet Theatre Australia...
Ballet Theatre Australia, Photo: Lawrence Winder

Ballet Theatre Australia, Photo: Lawrence Winder

Ballet Theatre Australia, Photo: Lawrence Winder

Ballet Theatre Australia, Photo: Lawrence Winder
Wombat Droppings
or the chronicle of the demise of egalitarian Australia.

“Rabbutt-the-Hun” and his rabble of a Ministry this week, blundered to one year in office.

Their sagging poll popularity figures have firmed a bit on the distractions of the murders of the MH17 passengers and the bloody rampage of the Islamic State through Syria and Iraq.

Touted in the past week by “The Ugly American”, Murdoch’s relentless media assault on the non-thinking as STRONG LEADERSHIP, DECISIVE ACTION blah, blah, blah… “Rabbutt” and his Foreign Minister Julie “Death-Stare” Bishop continually and repetitively spout the obvious about Russia, (the sun was shining the day it was shot down), Terrorists (they’re baddies) and Security (put-em-up-Putin). They are hoping this will allay the electorate’s growing fears over the incompetent and unfair mixed signal budget. which is still in Limbo.


It’s this mean and unfair budget that the slogan wielding Aspirational Bogans of the “methodical, purposeful, adult” cult cannot deliver and if anything, looks more like a vision for this nation that our social parody of egalitarianism, the “Coot’s–With-Queer-Ideas-from a-Parallel-Universe,” IPA “ Right-Wing-Free-Market” want. Their agenda of destroying the Medicare system, crippling education, emasculating manufacturing and public broadcasting, Xtian-izing State education, fouling the environment, extending welfare to the wealthy via the poor and lower echelon’s superannuation benefits, as well as providing coal burning electricity companies with a windfall of profits from the repeal of Carbon Pricing whilst crippling investment into renewable energy with the withdrawal of the Renewable Energy Targets and cutting wages and penalty rates with their “Undead” WorkChoices, are real  fears that ARE being realised.
Murdoch Reporter

Vision is a word not found in the Liarbril lexicon.

The “Oohhh, look over there…” distraction of The Islamic State cannot obscure the fact that the real terrorists are here, now. The Liarbril Party, The IPA, The Coal miners, Gina Rinehart, Palmer, Forrest, and the Murdoch media are doing more damage to this nation than a few loopy Islamic zealots 10,000 km away will ever do.

The “Slippery Pete Affair” has reared it’s ugly head again with Rabbutt-the-Hun” proclaiming it a sordid affair of the past Government that is over … neatly but wrongly hinting at a Labor problem but “Tones” … all the players were LIARBRIL! 
Pyne lied, Brough is a political thug, Ashby is a … well that’s pretty obvious…. and “Slippery Pete,” a turncoat.
They’re all Liarbril’s Tone…all your boys.
Yes, it was sordid…. a very vindictive and nasty payback… but as we have documented before, this is what your people seem to do best, Tones!  No vision …but payback? Geez, you’re really good at that Tones!

And in a delightful vignette of the intellectual prowess of those who would take us to war in the Middle East again came this gem from the ICAC investigation into corruption in NSW (from The Saturday Paper, Mike Secombe 13-9-14)
"... Did you know that that was money coming from a property developer?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“What did the name of it, Elmslea Land Developments, tell you about it?”
“Ah, yeah...”
“What did you think it was doing?”
“Well, there are many different names for, for companies, ah…”
“It’s true, but this one was Elmslea Land Developments. What did you think that name meant? That it might have something to do with land development?”
“Yes, it could have possibly, yes.”
“And would it strike you that land development was another aspect or one aspect of property development?” ..



Tardis State (Where-All-Goes-Backward) Pretend Premier Dennis “Dodo” (Genus: Inutilus Rusticus) Naptime, has decided in election mode that it would be a good idea to let Crown Casino direct the legislative program of the State in return for a either a few Shekels or 30 pieces of Silver (it’s all about choice y’know) ... and re-fund Cranbourne Secondary School the money his party ripped away from the school four years before.  

 Pity that Ambo’s are still waiting for a settlement on their two year old pay dispute, that hospital waiting lists are worse than when Big Bird (Genus: Sivertail Incompetens) Baillieu scraped into power….but there is still no sighting of a business plan for the $8,000,000,000.00 tunnel to nowhere.
On a funnier note, Geoff “Fiddles” Shaw survived…another ex Liarbril, self admitted crook gets away with it…Good one, “Dodo!”

Dear reader, does this sound like a nightmare?

It is.  Welcome to Australia.

Hoo-roo Possums,
Shane.

Quote of the week from Jonathon Biggins (Actor, Satirist, performer) on Q and A  ABC,

 8-9-14. “The Daily Telegraph: it’s like Pravda …without the balance.”

Monday 1 September 2014

and went spring: Boing!


Shane at Bean Barn
Shane at Bean Barn
G'day Petals,It's been a while.... but we've seen some shows put one on and unfortunately remained appalled by the insanity of our Federal Government but more of that in Wombat Droppings.

Bean Barn
"Class" at the Bean Barn

It's a smallish show as you can see; photo's from dance class. I think, looking at it that there should have been more or perhaps grouped into blocks of images.


It's interesting that each show you have has a different dynamic and even when you know the space scale, content and framing all make for a different idea.

The works are very quiet in content so I decided that small frames (which are also quite old-fashioned) would be suitable. I'll be interested to find out if this idea makes viewers examine them closely or just glance and pass by.
"Class" is on till last week of September at "The Bean Barn" 217 Sturt St. Ballarat.

And using coffee as a segue' when Mrs Wombat and I recently went to Bendigo Art Gallery to see "The Body Beautiful," Greek work from the British Museum we stopped off before to have a very smooth coffee at


It's called that because of the manner in which the coffee is made, variable atmospheres and things ...as I said, a very smooth drop from Jess and Leeanne






Jess and Leeanne "Get Naked" Coffee
Jess and Leeanne "Get Naked" Coffee













Jess and Leeanne "Get Naked" Coffee
Jess and Leeanne "Get Naked" Coffee










The jewellery in the Bendigo show was exquisite as were the lively drawings in both red and black figure style on the amphora and plates.

Bendigo Art Gallery
Bendigo Art Gallery

It has been a while since I have looked hard at sculpture and the Kouros on entry to the exhibition was a revelation of incipient movement from 6th BCE
Kouros
Kouros


Bendigo Art Gallery
Bendigo Art Gallery

Discobolus
Bendigo Art Gallery
Bendigo Art Gallery
Bendigo Art Gallery
Bendigo Art Gallery


Wombat Droppings

Pathetic excuse for an Education Minister, Pyne the-Whyne-and Perfect-Prat-of-a-Prefect" is hell bent on destroying Tertiary Education and making it impossible for those without enough money to afford university or if they do get there, financially crippled for the next twenty years after graduating.
In typical Liarbril fashion that sees nothing but what what they want to see and believe only the fantasies promulgated by "The-Coots-With-Queer-Ideas-From-a-Parallel-Universe" The IPA, Pyne seems oblivious to the notion that as well as destroying the tertiary sector the collateral damage he will occasion just might impact on Private schooling... in other words shoot himself and his putrid political party in the foot.

Prime Miniature, Rabbutt-The Hun is telling everyone "....the public don't want another election..." which is not true; HE doesn't! In a bid to distract a less than gruntled electorate  "Rabbutt" is practising Muslim Mugging and organising Oz to become a Gun-Runner for the Yanks. He's looking very jaded and is losing his hair.... may this continue at a quicker rate.

I managed to watch ten minutes of Andrew "Blot-on-the-Landscape" Bolt's TV program recently... Hmmmm ...Play-Skool for retarded right-wingers. It's so bad that I can't imagine it would have much of a following.

There is so much happening that is bad that it is almost impossible to list just how incompetent this Government is. I found another's blog (Damien Smith  http://theaimn.com/open-letter-tony-abbott/  )expressing a similar thought saying, "Stop, I need a break."  The damage these mongrels are doing is beyond comprehension.
On a bright note, IPA Head Jon "Jongleur" Roskam is attempting to gain pre-selection for a safe Liarbril seat in State Parliament. Not content with with trashing Liberalism with the IPA's insane ideas, he now wants to corrupt it from the inside.
I wish him well but there a quite a few Liarbrils complaining at how "far-right"  their political party has become.. .. ohh, and it's a full purgatorial year since these incompetents have been elected federally. All these destructive children have managed to do is dismantle almost everything that made Australia a notable nation and have shown themselves by their actions, words, associations and deeds far worse and far more stupid than anyone could have predicted.
 Happy anniversary Rabbutt!


hoo-roo Possums,

Shane.