The pond is on the home stretch now and thought it should perhaps freshen up its Monday act before signing off.
Sure, the pond's old reptile reliables are out and about, but what about this heartfelt cry, this plea ... why, it almost moved the pond to tears ...
Indeed, indeed, who cares about the planet? We must instead worry about legitimate businesses going on about the legitimate business of fucking the planet, and the pond was pleased that the reptiles had spared the space for this corporate anguish ...
Say what, all that bleating came from Adani? And Lucas is the "in country" head?
Oh the pond is terribly sorry, what it meant to say is why doesn't Adani just fuck right off, right out of country?
And so to another voice the pond frequently overlooks ...
Here the question that sprang to mind involved that reptile use of inverted commas.
Are these hideous subsidies 'Secret' or are they just boring old secrets? If they are 'Secret', in the old sense of furtive, or secretive, or hidden, or a mystery, why do they need inverted commas? Aren't they just Secret Chinese subsidies?
Never mind, the pond knew the reptiles' ongoing war with China needed secretive fuel, and who better to explain the danger of the hordes coming down from the north than a man bearing the distinguished name of Salvatore Babones?
To say that the pond was alarmed is something of an understatement, and yet it seems that Mr Babones is content to distract from Chinese students, and focus instead on all that research loot. Remind the pond again of what Mr Babones does ...
Eek, what the fuck, what's that "secret" language right there?
Does the A/Prof realise that the University of Sydney sees him as some sort of "stooge" with a "secret" name designed to appeal to pesky, difficult furriners?
And so to the real reason that the A/Prof is out and about, and it's not just because he's a devotee of simpleton Sharri ...
Ah, he's got a book to flog, along with the hysteria ...
Hmm, the pond isn't familiar with that company ... tell the pond more ...
Ah, excellent, the pond learns something new every day, but forgive the pond if it passes on that invite to a 30 min consultation or "learn more" ... though there's a lot more to learn ... why, there's quotes freely given ...
And there's lots of reassuring guff ...
What a fascinating world, and not secret at all ....
Well enough of all that, anyone wanting to learn more can easily google, though it might be handy if you had a wad of Chinese cash in your possession ...
Now, as the pond began this section with that issue of secret Chinese influence, it seems only fitting that the pond finish with the lizard Oz editorialist ...
Why did the pond bother? Well there's the lizard Oz quoting Sky News tracking every thought and word and deed of the mutton Dutton - a burgeoning trend in reptile la la land - and being deeply into conspiracy theories, the pond thinks that if things continue the way they have done, at least up until the break, this mutton Dutton might very well be a goer in the new year ... something to look forward to ...
The pond regrets that it's now very unlikely that the war with China will erupt before Xmas, and if it does, the pond will be on a break, but fair dibs, it's not for want of reptile trying ... though a little doubt crept in, with the reptiles seeming to suggest that - gasp - the opposition might win the election ... and so would have to maintain the war on China in their own way ... as good a case for the mutton Dutton to take over as might be made ...
The mutton Dutton floated an idea, and it immediately sank without trace?
Oh that's not good for the pond's conspiracy theory, but still there has been much to celebrate, and the new year promises more to come, including more immortal Rowes, with plenty already here ...
DP - as you take your so well-deserved break, you might like to play a little game. It is likely that you will venture into a village or town every couple of days, and the local general store, or, in more civilized town - library - will have the tree killing edition of the Flagship anchored where a passer-by might be able to check the front page, at least.
ReplyDeleteSo - what is the little game? Clearly a version of the ‘talking stick’ is being sent around those avowedly independent thinkers - the ‘opinion columnists’. Its purpose is to tap each such columnist in turn to put together what we now see as the ‘Independent candidates might look good on the surface, but deep down they are shallow.’ (OK - recycled joke, but a lot is recycled these days).
My Source tells me that, for this day, the Oreo was called to ‘Independent duty’. She (Source, not Oreo) did not burden me with much content, just said that it was the standard innuendo, although the Oreo did wrap up with a piece of advice - ‘Before casting your vote, . . . . . . . .request a copy of their economic plan to reduce our national debt.’
In context, this was intended to be a request only of any of those pesky, dubious, ‘independents’, but - would be an interesting exercise to ask that of every candidate in the next election, if only to see what their fundamental understanding is of this ‘national debt’.
But the game will be to try to pick who will be next to have to traduce the independent candidates. In a completely independent way, of course.
You sure can pick 'em, DP: so for an Xmas treat instead of Maj. Mitch. we get "the chief executive and country head of Adani Australia". Wau, we are so very privileged ! But I reckon the reptiles got the post leader wrong, it should read: "Even extreme activism offers no protection from planetary destruction".
ReplyDeleteBut Roopie doesn't care, does he - like me and thee he'll be gone before it really starts to matter. Never mind, in a million years hence, evolution will have remade the planetary life system - with or without homo saps saps - and may even have replaced the reef corals and found a substitute for the Bogong moth.
In the meantime, we have: "My business recently shared a video on social media [Facebook rides again ?] of these activists intimidating and abusing our workers at our Bravus Mining and Resources Carmichael mine in Central Queensland." And in the meantime we people have shared a 'lived experience' of Bravus Mining and Resources folk "intimidating and abusing our climate and out planet".
And who's gonna believe that a bunch of greenies could 'intimidate and abuse' a bunch of hi-vis miners ?
The Ed: "China's navy has 355 vessels, which would increase to 400 within the next nine years, Mr Dutton said." Oh boy, what a fortune in coal and iron we're gonna make providing all the necessary makings to China. And also: "...China's nuclear submarine shipyard is producing vessels expected to be able to carry long-range land attack cruise missiles. With the mobility afforded by nuclear power, such submarines could be within striking range of Australia from within days of leaving Chinese bases in the South China Sea."
ReplyDeleteAnd why, pray tell, would the Chinese want to do that when they have thousands of nuke weapon carrying hypersonic missiles in secure locations all over China that can target and reach any location in Australia within a few hours of launch ? And hypersonic missiles are a lot harder to stop than big, old nuclear powered and nuclear carrying subs. Hypersonic torpedoes, anybody ?
So anyway. MAD is now extinct I take it because China will have disempowered America and that will be the end of all that. So ok, when China has conquered the whole world and made it into one nation, what will the immortal Xi Jinping do about "national debt" ?
Last and least: Salvatore Barebonies is being "self published" by "Ocean Reserve Publishing". Isn't this the very same Barebonies who was at least once published by that incredibly radical house "Connor Court" ? Hmm, couldn't find any - maybe he wasn't ever ?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, when I saw the Ocean Reeve set of 'self-printing aids', all was clear. Particularly these bits:
"Editing a manuscript has four stages. The first is developmental or full structural editing. This is where the editor works closely with you on rewriting and restructuring your manuscript ... the third stage of editing is called a copy edit. Here the editor looks at the text, line by line, and cleans up grammar, punctuation, misspelling, and will cite any awkward expression."
Yep, Barebonies would need all of that. I wonder if Ocean Reeve worked on Catch-22 with Joseph Heller ?
Inspired by your diligence GB, the pond did go looking through Connorcourt, but could only come up with a group effort, Liberal Shock the Conservative Comeback, ed William Dawes. Prof Babones contributed Liberty, Liberals, and the Gay Wedding Cake, and he was in splendid company, including Peter Hitchens, Killer Creighton, Dyson Heydon, the onion muncher, farmer Anderson, etc, etc.
Delete"This collection aims to restore conservatism as it existed before the Cold War – that is, before traditionalists entered into a disastrous alliance with classical liberals and libertarians; before those with a humble appreciation for society got mixed up with ideology.
Timely perspectives on the present crisis draw from the timeless wisdom of the Western canon. The authors decry radical individualism in favour of strong communities. They call for a new settlement for the Australian Liberal Party, rejecting the failed fusion of Edmund Burke & J.S. Mill. They query the rhetoric of free-market capitalism for the sake of the common good. And they reject our prevailing moral anarchy in the name of the Judeo-Christian tradition.
Rarely have the ingredients for a conservative comeback been laid out so clearly."
Still an Xmas stocking filler for a tidy $39.95. Or not, as the pond will manage to survive without it ...
https://www.connorcourtpublishing.com.au/LIBERAL-SHOCK-The-Conservative-Comeback--William-Dawes-Editor_p_292.html
Yair, Barebonies doesn't seem to actually be a prominent author, even amongst the Connor Court Libs. And given the paragraph you've quoted, DP, then if Ocean Reeve can deliver even modestly on its editing claims it played no part in that publication.
DeleteBut considering Joseph Heller's fine work, how much is owed to that Ocean Reeve forerunner, Robert Gottlieb:
"In 1961, author Joseph Heller finally submitted his manuscript for Catch-18 to his editor, Robert Gottlieb. Although Heller had spent seven years perfecting the story, Gottlieb saw room for improvement. The editor taped the pages to his office wall and restructured the novel, giving more emphasis to the now-famous Major Major character and instructing Heller to delete entire 60-page sections. But most importantly, Gottlieb wanted to change the title."
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/08/from-catch-18-to-catch-22-and-other-great-moments-in-editing/261439/