tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post9128036890810003971..comments2024-03-29T22:18:45.103+11:00Comments on loon pond: In which the pond downs tools …Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-48344495258520733902019-05-31T14:41:11.324+10:002019-05-31T14:41:11.324+10:00I'm very late to the (farewell) party so you m...I'm very late to the (farewell) party so you may never see this DP, but I'm one of those who gradually stopped clicking, for the same reasons mentioned above. I do remember finding the site though, many years ago and being thoroughly entranced with your wit, style and intelligence. It was also great to find someone else in the world who felt about the Reptiles as I did (nothing's changed there).<br />Anyway we're pretty much done for now. The aspirationals have shown how us what they aspire to and apparently it's been mediocrity, all along.<br />I'm getting older and I have my fingers crossed my pension doesn't disappear before I do. <br />Tune of the moment (even though it's old):<br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE1ct5yEuVY (sorry for the enforced ad).<br />Good luck with all your endeavours, and thanks.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07035187477797489619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-31319790592574573622019-05-30T02:23:09.818+10:002019-05-30T02:23:09.818+10:00I don't know if you're still checking out ...I don't know if you're still checking out your 'awaiting moderation' queue, DP, but oh my ...<br />https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/may/29/ramsay-foundation-may-cut-ties-with-centre-for-western-civilisationGrueBleennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-49038878937633462502019-05-28T03:54:59.279+10:002019-05-28T03:54:59.279+10:00Well I for one enjoyed your various comments, GD.Well I for one enjoyed your various comments, GD.GrueBleennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-37894978706824509662019-05-26T08:46:59.685+10:002019-05-26T08:46:59.685+10:00Best wishes and good health to you, Dorothy. You ...Best wishes and good health to you, Dorothy. You will be missed.higgs bosonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-90161167389567048822019-05-25T20:49:01.648+10:002019-05-25T20:49:01.648+10:00Well, if you're downing tools after such a lon...Well, if you're downing tools after such a long dedicated mission, you deserve a break. It has been an outstanding service so much-needed as Chairman Rupert attempts to control the world.<br /><br />The series has been both a work of art and an important historic record how the Murdoch empire has corrupted our centuries-old democratic system of government. It was never quite as good as either the Athenians or the Romans imagined or hoped it would be. But it was better than most alternatives. But as Plato noted many millenia ago it can be debased by demagogues. Rupert has used his media empire precisely for that purpose.<br /><br /><br />Civilisations arose without democratic institutions in ways that many found acceptable. Various Chinese dynasyies survived without it. But judging by the Judge Pao legends they survived best with in independent judiciary to preserve some form of accountability.<br /><br /><br />Another seems to be clear, which runs very counter to Neoliberal theory is that an advanced civilisation needs a powerful, educated merit-based bureaucracy to ensure the whole thing functions effectively and its people fed, clothed and housed. If Rupert lives long enough to make himself emperor he will need that, but in all probability won't recognise the need for such support.<br /><br /><br />I was around in the early days of The Pond. I engaged in quite a bit of dialogue in the manner of GrueBleen in later times. I eventually semi-retired from that, as ageing and an earlier battle with lymphoma (successfully overcome luckily) have sapped my staying power. I'm now finding it easier to cope with the shorter form like Twitter.<br /><br /><br />But I've long been one of your greatest admirers and believe you provided a service desperately needed. <br /><br /><br />I wish you joy on whatever the future holds for you.Gorgeous Dunnyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10540625260311418333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-14070028408421639082019-05-23T15:53:58.505+10:002019-05-23T15:53:58.505+10:00Maybe I'm "the last one at the party bray...Maybe I'm "the last one at the party braying at something or other in his usual gibbering, righteous way"!<br /><br />I too lapsed in my visitations here, as the lizard commentary and repetitiveness became overwhhelming. I was always here in spirit though. <br /><br />I must second this suggestion; <br /><br />"There is no doubt you have a book in you, perhaps a literary road trip across Oz, ala Mark Twain's travel books combined with your own perceptions rendered in your purest Gonzo mode?<br />Don't just dismiss the thought, get 'er done. Please.". Pretty please?<br /><br />And one last request. YOUR list of your / their greatest hits and misses. As this site WILL be studied. Your greatest hit list can then be referred to ad infinitum, as surely as the sun comes up, your commetary will be applicable for the foreseeable future.<br /><br />Thanks, thanks and thanks again Dorothy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-83283366692204179602019-05-22T22:53:27.753+10:002019-05-22T22:53:27.753+10:00Hi Dorothy,
Dunno if this has shown up in your Twi...Hi Dorothy,<br />Dunno if this has shown up in your Twitter feed...<br />https://twitter.com/davpope/status/1131174285177810944<br /><br />All the best from me, too.JohnInoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-57623374855535614182019-05-22T12:02:28.301+10:002019-05-22T12:02:28.301+10:00So... The Australian loses another reader.
Travel...So... The Australian loses another reader.<br /><br />Travel well DP.Mattoxichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14552242601998972584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-25346154517032616022019-05-22T11:51:38.500+10:002019-05-22T11:51:38.500+10:00Dot, thanks for you time and effort. I very much e...Dot, thanks for you time and effort. I very much enjoyed your work and it became an essential part of my day. All the best.<br /><br />MattAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-26430672568706882732019-05-21T20:58:24.878+10:002019-05-21T20:58:24.878+10:00I always wondered whether the reptiles ever read L...I always wondered whether the reptiles ever read Loonpond. It’s not hard to imagine Henderson doing an internet search for any mention of his name, then holding a grudge for the rest of time. But then you would have expected him to retaliate. Maybe he’s only got as far as settling accounts from the 1950s, and it will take time to get to DP. <br /><br />No doubt the blog was hard work, but it seemed like the words flowed out spontaneously. So much wisdom and wit in a single sentence. The opposite of a reptile gnawing away interminably at a stale old topic.<br /><br />Thanks DP.<br />NHnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-43568558002516307522019-05-21T18:43:18.534+10:002019-05-21T18:43:18.534+10:00Dear Ms Parker,
Thank you for all the effort and a...Dear Ms Parker,<br />Thank you for all the effort and all the laughs.<br />Getting up at sparrow fart every morning, donning the gas mark and wading into the foetid drivel emanating from Murdochia was a heroic task.<br />Obviously, three or more years of triumphant scribbling in lizard tongues is more than any human being should attempt to endure.<br />Loon Pond has been a treasure that helped keep me sane. Now I will have to take responsibility for my own mental health and a bit like you, I have decided to switch off politics as it is going to be tedious beyond all measure.<br />May you have many happy times snoozing under the doona.<br />All the best.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-59247013045582225622019-05-21T17:30:39.226+10:002019-05-21T17:30:39.226+10:00I will admit to boredom. The repetition of reading...I will admit to boredom. The repetition of reading the same thing over and over again was bearable for only so long. Reading a 1000 words a week blaming the ABC for everything can only get one so far in the end. The extremist who owns Corpse knows this will wear some of us down but not his employees. Boredom Personified.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08082009560002523604noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-22312767052940904022019-05-21T14:15:10.960+10:002019-05-21T14:15:10.960+10:00The Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow ? Strewth mate, t...The Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow ? Strewth mate, that was the first movie I ever saw in a picture theater at the ripe old age of about 4 1/2 - which was about 8 years after its screening in the USA. The Wizard scared me half to death at the time<br /><br />Otherwise, nice of you to say as you did, and glad that your overseas "DP Club" members enjoyed the wonderful words of this Dorothy ... which aren't all that far removed from the words of the other Dorothy:<br /><i>Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high<br />There's a land that I heard of,<br />Once in a lullaby</i><br />(From memory)<br /><br />Anyway, just in case anybody really wants to credit our "Where the bloody hell are ya" Pentecostal with making miracles, here's a few words about little (dis)honest John Winston Howard:<br /><i>Remarkably for a politician governing during a long boom, each election saw Howard come from well behind, needing to pull ‘a rabbit from his hat’ to use the expression that became a cliché by the time Howard’s time drew to a close</i>.<br /><br />That comes from an article praising Bob Hawke:<br />http://clubtroppo.com.au/2019/05/17/rip-bob-hawke-a-repost-from-2008/#more-32854<br /><br />Anyway, fare thee well, as my ancestors were wont to say, and maybe, with a lot of luck, DP will resume her true calling in the not too distant future.<br />GrueBleennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-85685470543469125042019-05-21T09:47:41.244+10:002019-05-21T09:47:41.244+10:00"GrueBleen - And thanks to you for your frequ..."GrueBleen - And thanks to you for your frequently "provocative" input, FD, I always enjoyed reading you (and DW and Mercurial and via collins, Jersey Mike et al)."<br /> <br />Right back at you, GB. I will miss FrankD's, yours and most of all Dororthy's musings. Jesus, I sound like the other Dorothy at the end of The Wizard of OZ saying how she'll miss the Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow. <br /> Dorothy, you can tell me to take a hike but when one has your talent it's a crime not to use it. There is no doubt you have a book in you, perhaps a literary road trip across Oz, ala Mark Twain's travel books combined with your own perceptions rendered in your purest Gonzo mode?<br /> Don't just dismiss the thought, get 'er done. Please.<br />As for your readership, every day I forward your latest to 5 people in 3 countries, including a federal Canadian senator, a West Point prof plus a Scottish Nationalist garbageman and his wife Krazy Kate. So your stuff does travel, as Kate sez, "you give the forks to all the Nobs everywhere." I'm not sure what she means with the cutlery but I get the sense.<br /> It's like Jazz or The Pond:<br /> "If you have to ask, as the poet said, you'll never know."<br /> Quo vadis now, baby?<br /> <br />Jersey Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03971745484768920799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-11250923268210180472019-05-21T08:11:44.807+10:002019-05-21T08:11:44.807+10:00Thank you.
And good nightThank you.<br />And good nightAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-69548546666477256402019-05-21T04:34:37.920+10:002019-05-21T04:34:37.920+10:00And the cartoons too !
And thanks to you for your...And the cartoons too !<br /><br />And thanks to you for your frequently "provocative" input, FD, I always enjoyed reading you (and DW and Mercurial and via collins, Jersey Mike et al).GrueBleennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-8486151820285457372019-05-21T04:27:22.362+10:002019-05-21T04:27:22.362+10:00To my recall, FD, the Federal Pubserve was conside...To my recall, FD, the Federal Pubserve was considered well and truly 'politicised' - though by osmosis rather than deliberate intent - by the time Gough Whitlam formed his first government and began a 'cleanout'. For which he was roundly criticised as himself having 'politicised' the PS. So I guess I'm more of the opinion that Tones the Muncher 'abbottised' the PS rather than 'politicising' it.<br /><br />Perhaps we would be better off with a more USA system with a clear public process for appointing the PS "top" and a defined limit of how far down the hierarchy that can go.<br /><br />As to frank and fearless advice, I don't expect your dedication to that did your career any good - there hasn't been all that much of "frank and fearless" since Nugget Coombs has there ? - but then mayhap there were others doing that, at least occasionally, too.<br /><br />And corns do have flowers (tassels) you know.GrueBleennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-29498411773468563012019-05-21T01:24:48.132+10:002019-05-21T01:24:48.132+10:00bah... -flour, of course.
Pedant to the end...bah... -flour, of course.<br /><br />Pedant to the end...FrankDnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-42077854545007982602019-05-21T01:22:59.095+10:002019-05-21T01:22:59.095+10:00Yes and yes, GB. The last six years has got a lot ...Yes and yes, GB. The last six years has got a lot worse in PS land. This is a mix of the maturation of deliberate strategy (where political appointments are not merely common but universal, and penetrating deeper down the structure) and the passage of time - the last of my generation are getting out now (though I have more years left than I care to contemplate, having boarded the not-really-gravy-more-gravox-with-corn-flower train as a third career), and they will be replaced by people who have no experience of when it was not, universally, a politicised shit hole.<br /><br />I was told more than 20 years ago, by no less than PS Minister Peter Reith, that my notions of dedication and service made me a relic, but I have stubbornly persisted in undermining the system by giving frank and fearless advice, providing value for taxpayers' money and eschewing political expedience since then, just to show him. Its the long game, but I'm sure it will pay off one day :)<br /><br />BTW, I might have just totally breached the PS's oppressive restrictions on online comments (Rugby Australia have a lot to learn about muzzling your employees), but I'm getting so I don't really care much.FrankDnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-37754513854203623772019-05-21T01:01:45.912+10:002019-05-21T01:01:45.912+10:00You have been an endless source of unexpected, hal...You have been an endless source of unexpected, half-forgotten or never-known delights Dorothy, with your wit and insight and wryness. I came here for the reptiles, but I stayed for the koans and the classic films and the lesbian erotica. <br /><br />If readership has dropped away, it is only that many of us feel that same sense of ennui you mentioned once or twice. It's often said that the hardest choice is to know when to retire, and I think you've chosen your moment with your usual good judgement; still the best, but with the reptile taxonomy (or perhaps pathology) complete, is there any more to say?<br /><br />So the dogs will go on barking, but the caravan will go on moving. It's been a fantastic ride-along with you Dorothy.<br /><br />And to the all commenters here, who have only made the Ponds offerings more delectable, but especially DiddyWrote and Mercurial and Via and, of course, the tireless GrueBleen, thank you and goodnight.FrankDnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-42402204064401750242019-05-21T00:01:49.769+10:002019-05-21T00:01:49.769+10:00Brilliant job DP. We'll all miss the best medi...Brilliant job DP. We'll all miss the best media commentator in the country. Jarijarihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18111807275156784855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-84749071675779692472019-05-21T00:00:34.755+10:002019-05-21T00:00:34.755+10:00More terrible news! Loon Pond has been a fixture o...More terrible news! Loon Pond has been a fixture of my life for 10 years, the regular roundup from la la land was an invaluable benchmark of rightwing nutjobbery. Thank you so much DP, his noodlely blessing be upon you.Patrickbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09965709616278735547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-57329855788008597982019-05-20T23:31:46.897+10:002019-05-20T23:31:46.897+10:00To quote Terrence Mann in "Field of Dreams&qu...To quote Terrence Mann in "Field of Dreams"<br />This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come. I was the East Coast distributor of 'involved'. I ate it, drank it, and breathed it. Then they killed Martin, Bobby, and they elected Tricky Dick twice, and people like you must think I'm miserable because I'm not involved anymore. Well, I've got news for you. I spent all my misery years ago. I have no more pain for anything. I gave at the office. <br />The "Pond" has been your office and you gave a helluva lot<br />Good lucksurveyor6107@gmail.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13127166975141602867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-25899529571180909242019-05-20T22:14:29.873+10:002019-05-20T22:14:29.873+10:00As others have commented, you've been a consta...As others have commented, you've been a constant source of wit, spark and joy in a world of loonary.<br /><br />Will miss my morning dip in the pond.<br /><br />All the best and thanks for the laughs. <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462488453822156883.post-92202857628682175342019-05-20T22:00:14.734+10:002019-05-20T22:00:14.734+10:00Thank you for the many years of sanctuary you have...Thank you for the many years of sanctuary you have provided to this stray mind.<br />All the best DP.<br />LouisAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04856738132723875149noreply@blogger.com