The pond was hoping to begin with talk of the scandalous behaviour of the neighbours, who invited over some friends and held a convivial Easter party on the weekend in the backyard, all of two feet front the pond's backyard. Social distancing, moi?
But what have the reptiles gone and done to distract the pond?
Launched a full Monday viral attack which quite overwhelmed the pond's puny defence systems …
Just look at that line-up.
The dog botherer, the Oreo, the Caterist, our hole in the bucket man, the lizard Oz editorialist in top-notch form. And elsewhere on the digital front page, though on a more elevated plane above the ruck, there was the the Major in parade …
There had to be some weeding done, some natural selection, some whittling down, and the first to go was the Caterist. But who should be at the top?
In the end, there was no question, even if the pond might squirrel away a few reptiles, as a guard against boredom should a lazy Tuesday disappoint …
Come on down, our Henry, lead the way.
It was obvious why our Henry should hold centre stage.
Our hole in the bucket man had scored the golden Lobbecke, and it was a cryptic, gnomic visual fraught with meaning … or alternatively, about as silly as our Henry's outing, which took on the form of a surreal dream ...
Phew, at long last our Henry gets to the point. After much cribbing of Camus, it's going to be an assault on the devious, deviant Chinese … even if there's been so much winning elsewhere …
Not bad to top the world deaths and infections - is there nothing the Donald can't win? - but our Henry's job is to demonise the Chinese, so on we must go ...
Ah, it's like decoding that Lobbecke … words conquer affliction … and has that ever been truer? Just think of the Donald's many wise words in those two hour long exercises in debriefing tedium ...
So much winning …
And so to the final gobbet, and no doubt there will be some pedants who want to quibble, but the pond is certain it made the right choice by making our Henry the lead for Easter Monday ...
Well played, and not a word about the pharaonic brutality of the Donald and the GOP, and for that our Henry scores double points, as well as the Golden Lobbecke …
And so to a few more casualties …
It is with great regret that the pond had to rule out the dog botherer, and the Major …
As you can see, the Major was yammering away at the ABC yet again, and so was the dog botherer, and frankly it was tiresome, boring and tedious …
The reptiles, and the so the pond, have been to that well so many times before …
The Major could be despatched with his last few lines …
Well might we ask why Murdoch's reptiles have not held those pedophile priests to account, and the Catholic church in general, in the way that others have done …
How weird is it to assail the Vic plods and the Victorian criminal justice system for failing to hold to account pedophile priests and the Catholic church …when the reptiles have studiously ignored much of the church's behaviour, and has spent this past week in unseemly gloating at Pell getting off, and not giving a toss for the victims?
What a bunch of reprehensible hypocrites, and none more so than the contemptible Major, still looking for that Order of Lenin medal ...
There's more Wilcox here, and after that brush with the Major, the pond turned to the last reptile standing … the recovering, reformed feminist, the Oreo …
Yes, it's a perfect storm of recovering feminist paranoia, and the pond almost feels cruel dropping in a hint of noodles, even if they're from the wrong country …
Oh okay, maybe they're in short supply too, but the pond doesn't want to sound complacent by saying that Australia seems to be muddling along at the moment in terms of supplies - it's the cash in the paw to buy them, jobs, rent and such like that are the issues.
Deviant law-breaking Pommie neighbours aside, restrictions are being observed, though how long that will last in the face of the destructive behaviour of the reptiles and their chairman must remain an open question …
Deviant law-breaking Pommie neighbours aside, restrictions are being observed, though how long that will last in the face of the destructive behaviour of the reptiles and their chairman must remain an open question …
And so to the important part of the recovering feminist's treatise … putting the boot into the Chinese ...
Now a warning. There will be a sting in the tail with all this paranoia about the Chinese and dependency and such like fear and Oreo loathing, but first we must get through the final gobbet from the reformed feminist ...
We cannot afford to be complacent? Oh come on, there's been so much winning of late, of course we can be complacent …
And so to a bonus …
How could the pond pass up the lizard Oz editorialist, in sublimely positive mode?
Yes, yes, a minerals boom will save the day. We'll ship out coal, we'll ship out iron ore … Gina's mob will save the day, the IPA will flourish once again, Dame Slap will enter the halls of Valhalla …
Oh wait, who will we ship the coal to? Who will want our iron ore?
Can someone please catch the Oreo? She seems to be wobbling on her pins, and toppling towards the floor, the 4711-laden hankie not enough to save her and revitalise her clouded mind …
Oh dear, it seems she's just had a fainting fit at the thought of doing business with China …
Please, lizard Oz editorialist assault her feeble, delicate, recovering feminist sensibilities with more sublimely optimistic talk of exports …
Oh it's China, China, China all the way ...
Hmm, seems like the reptile war on China and other deviant Asian countries was a very short-lived one.
Will someone else tell our Henry and the Oreo? The pond couldn't deal with more bleating about Camus and the dangers of the noodle trade…
Instead why not close on one of those shots of LA that have been travelling around the world, proving that you don't really have to live in smog if you take steps to stop it …
That one here, and now why not a Toles to wrap things up in a way that will gladden the heart of the climate science denialists at the lizard Oz …
Definitely a Golen Lobbecke, DP. Although I had (almost) vowed never to offer any interpretation of the Cult Master, on quick glance I wondered if the implement had been inspired by that found with Ötzi the (original) Iceman. Not quite, although the symbolism of association with Henry would have been amusing, but probably too obvious.
ReplyDeleteThat had me looking more closely at the tool depicted by the Lobbmeister. Difficult to tell what it is based on. No obvious function for the binding; blade in woeful condition, even though double-edged. How do you cut with the back of a scythe or reaping hook? If it is to represent the scythe usually shown with that reaper character - either the blade, the 'chine', needs to be set at an angle, or the snath - lovely word - be curved to present the chine at an angle. Otherwise the reaper would be grim because he would have chronic back pain.
As for the semiotics - pass.
Other Anonymous.
Hi OA. Just thought I would add a bit more to your admirable scrutiny of the Lobbecke scythe thingy.
DeleteIn keeping with his rebellious MO, crypto-anarchist Lobbecke has used this illustration to surreptitiously skewer Erghast’s fatuous premise that viruses kill words. The cult master has abandoned his usual confused pastiches and entered a more direct quasi-heraldic phase by incorporating stark Constructivist elements into his work.
With a nod to the graphic reductionism of revolutionary poster design, the bold sharpness of this piece effectively countervails the muddled verbosity of the writer. In decoded Lobbeckian semiosis the empty word bubble pierced by a proletarian pick-axe is a warning to the discerning viewer that the article following is a complete waste of the reader’s time.
Well, what a lovely read today: Henry, Oreo and The Editorialist.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the magnificently perspicacious Holely Henry: "But stifling communications, that "carrier of infection", suffocates creativity itself, condemning authoritarian regimes, despite their much-vaunted efficiency, to the pestilence of dysfunction, stagnation and collapse."
Ok then, so no matter what happens, "dysfunction, stagnation and collapse" will always triumph. Good to know that. Especially as it seems to have been the way of humanity throughout its entire documented history.
Other than that, well Camus is Camus, I guess, and long may he remain so. But just one other thing: there never was a Jewish "exodus" from Egypt, it's a myth with no historical evidence.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-biblical-exodus-story-is-fiction_b_1408123
Moving right along to the Oreo we have: "The United Nations, charged with human rights and international solidarity, watched on as Western countries fell vulnerable to disease and economic devastation."
Maybe somebody should tell the Oreo that the historic, successful resistance to a United Nations World Government was proudly led by one of her own, the brave Dame Slap. So, what could the weakened UN do ? Nothing much, which is pretty much all that it's been able to do since roughly the day it was formed.
Perhaps for her next effort she can explain why the League of Nations couldn't stop WWII.
Then there's The Editorialist who gleefully wished to inform us that: "Border shutdowns and travel limits have cut the number of interstate fly-in fly-out workers from more than 10,000 to less than 1200 in just three weeks, but work is continuing."
Nonetheless, he also claims that: "Iron ore production and jobs are being maintained, with exports on track to break records." Wau, so either all of those 1200 still working are in iron ore or the mining industry has been employing 8800 supernumerary workers. It's good to know that.
PS CA, you probably have or know this one, but just in case:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT443tAKBU8
Guthrie Senior regarding Trump Senior - history repeating (or rhyming)
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jANuVKeYezs
Enjoyed that one GB. Trouble with the Tube .......there goes 2 hours.
DeleteTerrible to see this shitty virus take John Prine also.....you know you rightfully hold court when Dylan hails you.
Cheery Anon.
Duh! Go my replies arse about. Sorry GB.
DeleteHi Unknown. Never seen that before. The Apple never falls far from the tree eh! Good find.
Why am I not surprised comments are closed......Cheery Anon.
DP: "Instead why not close on one of those shots of LA that have been travelling around the world, proving that you don't really have to live in smog if you take steps to stop it …"
ReplyDeleteSpot on. Check this out:
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/drop-in-air-pollution-over-northeast
The reptiles are just swinging between fear and greed today. I was tempted to say "racism and greed" but racism is really just fear anyway.
ReplyDeleteMake up your minds, are the Chinese saving us or crushing us under the jackboot (well, tai chi shoe maybe)?
The reptiles don't seem to be able to come to terms with the fact that our major trading partner is not our major strategic partner. You don't have to pick a side here, but you do need to recognise that you are likely seeing a change of empires. Hole in the bucket Henry may be right about "dysfunction, stagnation and collapse" but be talking about the wrong regime. A friend with Croatian connections has sent me a couple of links that show how adroitly the Chinese exercise soft power and how crudely the USA operate abroad.
https://www.croatiaweek.com/60-tonnes-of-protective-gear-lands-in-zagreb-from-shanghai-on-sunday/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/02/global-battle-coronavirus-equipment-masks-tests
You have to wonder what hope you can have for a nation that could elect an oafish clod like Donald Trump.
A bit off subject, but interesting
“counties with the greatest share of votes for Trump in the 2016 election were least likely to practice social distancing. And the greater the share of residents who disagreed with the statement that global warming is happening, the worse the county’s grade received in the Social Distancing Scoreboard.”
https://www.vox.com/2020/4/10/21216216/coronavirus-social-distancing-texas-unacast-climate-change
Oh my stars and garters!!
ReplyDeleteThe Dog Botherer would be well within a Dog Botherer's rights to be outraged at not getting a posting here today. Arguably, and I'll likely never see it now, but arguably his least self-aware piece of writing in his storied career.
Australia's least respected journalist has written a screed on the problem with journalism?
Pass the cognac Agnes, I'm having a lie down.
I thought the headline "why journalism is held in such low regard" next to his photo said it all.
DeleteIt seems the cookie queen is just indulging in a bit of look over thereism......look anywhere except to our basket case overlord, whereas the Ed. is staying schtum....all we need is more of the same BAU. More coal!
ReplyDeleteGB’s link to NASA made the point rather eloquently. 30% is no small figure over such a short time span.
Exaggerating the transition is no longer the way to the future, but the issue is problematic when the US hold all of our cards.
https://theconversation.com/worried-about-agents-of-foreign-influence-just-look-at-who-owns-australias-biggest-companies-123343
Nothing has really changed since the days of Rod Taylor spruiking Utah mining.
As for the social distancing in your hood, it was the same in the daughter’s. The adjacent unit block’s young ones decided on a bit of partying. Unfortunately someone chanced up the stereo and the plod arrived shortly afterwards.
Expensive no doubt. Distancing from the wallet will help the message sink in, hopefully.
I'm surprsed that there's still a few (Telstra, Transurban, Resmed) where 'Australian' still exceeds American, but in none is Australan investment more than 50%, whereas American investment is more than 50% in all but five (Telstra, Transurban, Brambles, Fortescu, Resmed).
DeleteCourse there's a few missing: Coles Group, Visy for two. The other three big banks (none are majority Australian owned AFAIK), and not forgetting large parcels of country land.
The saddest I think is CBA and CSL. Both have gone from Australian government hands to foreign hands.
What's the state of Utah Mining these days - still "the biggest" coal miner in Australia ?
Utah.....buying Australia since 1977. Cheery Anon.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pyDDV0dfjQ&feature=share
Ain't it the way. After all, we went and died at Gallipoli for no good reason, and volunteered to do it.
Delete