Da Poliitics

The execrable leader of the conservative opposition party Peter Dutton not only didn't win the recent federal election, he presided over the loss of many conservative seats, generally to the Labor Party (I have emailed the returned to office Prime Minister, suggesting that with his huge majority, the party name should be changed back to the Australian spelling, Labour). Dutton also lost his own seat, lol. An inglorious end to an inglorious political career of a liar and charlatan. 

But who is to replace him? Two members of the opposition party have stuck their hands up. Both were in parliament during the unforgivable Robodebt scandal (Not so different to England's Post Office scandal), and as far as I am aware, neither spoke up against it.

There is one Angus Taylor, another 6O year old rich old bloke, a boarder at The King's College Paramatta, and a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, a path not uncommon for conservative politicians bred from landed gentry. 

He has been named as being responsible for poor economic policies presented by he party at the election. 

And then there were the Watergate and Grassgate scandals. The former being him being associated with an extraordinary amount of money being paid under the government water buy back scheme for the company's water irrigation water allowance. The latter as a part owner of a company that illegally poisoned  a large area of protected native habitat and grassland. Profit, profit, private company profit. He will do anything to ensure his ilk will make huge profits. 

For some reason, I apply carping more to women than men, and no doubt this is sexist. Sussan Ley is not the most carpy woman in politics. I think that honour goes to Victorian politician Georgia Crozier. 

Sussan is not an extremist in our conservative party. She was once a punk rocker and an airline pilot. Wow, she was born in Nigeria, lived in the United Arab Emirates and England and arrived to live in Australia in her teen years. She's been around, and that is a good thing, but has she blotted her copybook?

Oh yes, as the BBC explains. Just another snout in the taxpayer's pockets. However, par for the course, with such a large margin for Labor, she won't win enough seats at the next election to rule. Women seem to be always put in untenable leader positions as men fail. Nevertheless, I prefer her over more of the same, such as Angus Taylor.

Whatever, I am not keen on any government having such strong numbers in parliament. I like a strong opposition party. Maybe Ley is the person to modernise the party of fat old rich men. 

Friday Fun

These are a couple of clips that I just came across, that I thought were interesting, that I accidently downloaded, that I downloaded. 

I would expect a slim guy to be able to do this, not this quite solid guy. Clearly he is all muscle. Quite amazing, and as the audience is doing, I would give him a good clap.

I don't know that I approve of this guy's suggestive dancing. Nevertheless, he is rather nice. What are you saying? There is another guy in the clip? Sorry, I did not notice him. You know me well enough to know which one my focus was drawn to. 

Revisiting

I'd forgotten the name of this animal during our visit to Werribee Zoo and it is an oryx. Sami wrote that the Arabian oryx is Qatar's national animal.

The Buddhist cafe my neighbour and I visited today was busy, full of white middle class people, in East Brighton. The staff were a mix of south east Asian and white staff. It was vegetarian, which will please my Friend in Japan who is now....I am not sure what to call her now...., Wombat will do. The food was nice but nothing special. I ate my Middle Eastern meal but I felt like a sweet after, so we both had a small and delicious passionfruit cheesecake. Cafe Bliss is in a suburban street, with a Buddhist meditation centre and gift shop next door, opposite a lovely park. 

After lunch once I was home, at about 4.30 my phone rang, displaying HH's son's name. He lives in Queensland and although I had seen her a couple of hours ago, I was worried. 

We spoke on the phone for a minute or so, and created a plan. He was in Melbourne. I let him up to my floor and met him. I called HH and said there was a delivery guy in the foyer and he has a parcel for her, but didn't have the right apartment number. She said she would go down to collect the parcel, but in the meantime I let her son down in the lift to her front door, and as she was opening her front door, there was her son with a huge bunch of flowers for an early Mother's Day gift.

Oh dear, this morning I took my evening medications in the morning, which meant I also took my lunchtime medication that is in with my evening medication. This evening I took my morning medication. Some are the same, but a couple are not. I need to concentrate.

It must be fifteen years since I first hear the phrase 'plating a meal', and when the mushroom lady trial began, it is without dispute that she plated up meals, perhaps full of death cap mushrooms. But one reporter let it slip, and I am not sure how a young reporter would know, but food used to be dished up onto plates. "Dinner is nearly ready. I am dishing up." Phyllis plates up meals. I would just dish them up.

Remember the Arts Centre tour I recently took with HH? I could not remember the name of this painting.

My immediate research revealed nothing. Guugle was not helpful. A few days later, I had another crack using the normal easy search methods, but nothing. 

Two days ago, I was annoyed with myself for not finding it and tried again and I found it on the Arts Centre website. It is called Gloria Swanston's Last Silent Movie. I love it. 

The artist who painted the work is Noel Tunks, and I've never heard of him but my goodness, what a diverse artist he was. He lived in country Victoria and was just an amazing artist. Look at some of his works here. How have I lived so long and not known about him and his art? How come Hels has never written about him? 

A visit to 'The 'Rat'.

Well, this is a surprise. I thought Victoria's regional town of Bendigo was larger than Ballarat, but apparently not, and as I read it, not only is it the third largest Victorian city, Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat, it is the third largest in Australia, which would now be exactly the same as listed. Correct me if you will, and that is by population. 

So last Saturday in the company of ABI Brother who arrived here by train, we drove to Ballarat to stay a night, the reason being that Ex Sis in Law had been given a voucher for an attraction in Ballarat, so most of the family were there and stayed either one or two nights. 

Saturday was Phyllis' birthday, and he was manic with excitement and loud. I was glad to get away. 

There were roadworks on the way, leading to a 20 minute plus delay and very annoyingly, as we reached the end of the stop start traffic, all lanes of the motorway had just reopened. 

The family were all staying in four different apartments in the same accommodation. I feel I've written this before but I've successfully booked flights, trains, cruises, attractions and accommodation all over the world, yet for some reason I missed being mislead by booking.com and was steered to other accommodation.  weeks later before I realised my mistake and I could have cancelled the booking without cost but I just couldn't be bothered. As it was, it turned out fine. 

It was nice to spend some time with ABI Brother and we had some very relaxed chat. It was like catching up with an old friend. It's not that I don't see him often, it was just on a different level.

This is where we stayed, a large two bedroom apartment occupying the whole top floor, with a bathroom and a modest ensuite to the second bedroom. At the very front of the upper storey was a large triangular spa bath, with my bedroom being behind. Our building has a spa, so it is not a novelty to me, and I didn't take one. 

The metal plate at the front door must tell the stories of thousands of people who have entered the building, once a private home. 

From the street outside, I believe this is the Ballarat Town Hall tower. 

On the Saturday night from the street, the patrons of The North Star Hotel were really enjoying themselves, with the female voices dominating the loud voices from the pub. Our windows were double glazed, so no noise could be heard inside.

This is the mumsy entrance. Floor boards creaked, things fitted where they fitted, or not quite. 

See the beginning of the stairs to get to our apartment? They were steep and the type where you had to place your feet nearly sideways. 

Not quite across the road but nearby are old trains sheds.

And Ballarat train station, with a train about to depart. Across the road from us was a bus storage area along the street, where buses waited to meet trains. 

The private housing next door.

The next house, painted a soft pink with a non working weather vane. 

I believe this is the Ballarat Town Hall.

I believe this is the Ballarat Post Office tower.

Further along the street.

 

Sunday morning the remaining family members brunched at the cafe Drive. It was good. This is Oldest Nieces' phone case. Gummi Bears, as Phyllis informs me. 

Another fine building near where I parked at the cafe.

As I was leaving, I stopped to take a photo of the fire station.

And this monument. 

There was a major Australian Rules Football match being played on the day in Ballarat, and all hotels were booked out for dinner that night. Ex Sis in Law and her tribe of six adults and nine children ate Asian takeaway at their accommodation, while ABI Brother, Sister, Bone Doctor and Jo enjoyed an adequate Indian meal at a nearby restaurant. 

Then it was on to the show at Sovereign Hill, called Aura. 

The show began with us watching a film about how the universe was formed and eventually planet Earth. 3D glasses were involved, and I felt like ducking as meteors and rocks came screaming towards my head. The Big Bang was scary.

We were then bused to the next venue where we the First Nation explanation of how the universe was formed. Interestingly, it was narrated by the late Uncle Jack, a gay First Nation actor, with whom I had a mere acquaintance. 

Bused to the next location, the finale was as it has been for years but very much upgraded, as it tells the history of Ballarat with a strong focus on gold mining that made the city so rich in the 1800s, with a focus on gold miners who arrived from all over the world and their disastrous interaction with the  Colonial Government.

The whole tour lasted 90 minutes, and while children would be impressed by the special effects in the final part, it was more targeted at adults. 

It was back to our apartment for a drink and watch the election results. Next morning we caught up with some of the remaining family members for brunch at Drive, a rather good cafe on the site of an old car petrol service station. 

ABI Brother decided to save money by buying the day before his breakfast to heat up, and as train travel is free for seniors on Sunday, caught the 10.04 train home. I was annoyed. I felt I had responsibility to return him to his home to work on Monday. I had been getting offers from the accommodation to stay another night for half price, and I could have. Ex Sis in Law and her husband were staying that night before going on to northern Victoria. I won't make that mistake again. I must do what I want to and then think about others. 

I am sure this post needs a good edit, but here it is raw. 

Tuesday Titillation late post

I don't know why I keep seeing images like this in my various media feeds. Have a closer look. Ah, you are already. A very handsome guy but the rest of his body looks very fake construction to me. What is your opinion? 

But if it is an AI image and I was constructing it, I would have given the very nice looking guy a bigger bulge. Maybe as it is, keeps it realistic. AI images and AI writing are making me so sceptical about everything. I am not liking this AI. This was posted on FB, and while there were many comments, no one named him as an actual football player, making me more doubtful. 

Bits

My newest Mondegreen: I wasn't really paying attention to the tv and when perhaps Gardening Australia was being broadcast, my ears pricked up, as I heard 'To bully him'. What??? It was so out of context. Fortunately the Fetch box allows me to go back, even though I am not actively recording. It was the single word 'tabouli'. Yes, I did have my hearing aids in my ears. 

There was a cool new show on ABV TV last night where piano players (I could have used the word pianists, but I am not sure they all are) play in a public space and they are listened to by Australian pianist Andrea Lam and the internationally known, Harry Connick Jr. The 103 year old pianist competitor probably doesn't have much of a future in the music industry. 

Well, the Australian election result was a shock. The Labor Party won with a landslide. The last time I tuned in, the state of Tasmania has no conservative party Liberal/National Party members. The conservative Liberal Party was pretty well wiped out in all Australian capital cities. 

My opinion is the leader of the opposition party, the Liberals, has an ugly character and came with so much baggage as he was a member of a former ruling conservative government. Once he announced his policy of the sacking of a huge number of public servants, DOGE like, and a stupid member sprouting Make Australia Great Again, he was a goner. How to scare the voters #101. Then he sprouted off about the first nation welcome to country speech used at many public ceremonies, suggesting it may be overused. I don't think it is. My sister had a brief welcome to country speech at the wedding to her wife. Mother later remarked, was that really necessary. In my mother's mind, aborigines were trouble. She was a person of her time and quite racist, conflicted by her lovely and kind Filipina neighbour, and the medical staff from wherever in the world who looked after her for so many years.

The Murdoch media, and its newspaper editorials suggesting to vote for the conservative party would be a good thing to do, was clearly out of step with the Australian populace. As for the execrable Sky News, my god, what a fuck up this also Murdoch media tv station is. 

The fallen leader of the conservative party went down the road of nuclear power, on a long time line. Nuclear power is great and perfectly safe, until it isn't. Even one of most technically advanced country, Japan, could not ensure nuclear safety. 

As I type, Phyllis and Kosov are making my dinner. My Meals on Wheels, technically three days worth were delivered today. 

I did something wrong on my desktop and screen shots can no longer be found in Pictures/Screenshots, after pressing Windows+Print Screen. The pics are saved, but I cannot find out where. It took me some time, but I found out that I can press Windows+Control+S, and that works for me as they are saved to Clipboard, a place in the Windows tree I'd never heard of. Is it a new name for Notepad? 

Back to politics. I stayed in accommodation with my ABI (Acquired Brain Injury) Brother in Ballarat for a family gathering. More later about that later, but we were back at our digs and were watching the election results on the Saturday night as we drank a wee dram. I was astonished when he said he voted for Dutton, the conservative party leader. I expressed something that indicated I was mega surprised. He replied, I voted for Jason Wood. I know him and he is a nice bloke.  After hearing Mr Wood interviewed on radio yesterday, he seemed like a decent person and not one of the hard right members of the conservative party. He seemed like a reasonable person and that is how the conservative Liberal Party, that seems to have become a party of extreme #47 like policies, needs to rebuild itself to recover from its devastating loss of popularity, full of reasonable people. 

Dutton was a government minister who could have stood up and spoken up about the disgraceful Robodebt scandal. I can never forgive any of the party at the time for Robodebt that led to suicides. Beyond the failures of men in the party, it certainly in the future should not be led by woman who was also Robodebt compliant. Yes you, Sussan Ley. You cannot be a part of an invigorated refresh of the conservative Liberal Party. 

My neighbour HH is driving me in her motor car to a Buddhist cafe I know not where for lunch on Wednesday. What on earth is Buddhist food like? One may not like surprises, but one lives for them. 

Monday Mural

I am joining in with Sami and others for Monday Mural.

I recently used the phrase in relation to myself 'You can't put lipstick on a pig', which is rather unfair. Pigs look cute, even without the lippy. Is it man pig or a woman pig? It looks slightly masculine to me, in spite of the lippy. Maybe it is the pig's birthday, as it is wearing a party hat.