Click on the image above
Parliamentary Triangle, Canberra
A tour of the good and not-so-good
Have you taken a stroll around the Parliamentary Triangle recently?
ANCA meeting Place exhibition
Walking in on an artist’s install of their exhibition can be an interesting way to learn more about an artist and their work.
Filipino restaurant
Lolo and Lola Filipino restaurant opens in Watson (Canberra)
Justin Townes Earle
Album Review: Justin Townes Earle – Kids in the Street
This is an album I am playing a lot. My rating would be 5/5.
Urban Bites
GANG GANG arrives in Downer
Always good to celebrate when a suburban centre rises again.
K D Lang Ingenue
special 25th anniversary edition
here’s a re-issue of some really beautiful – magnificent music.
All Liberal – all men
click on the image for the story – and wonder which century these people live in?
Neil Young
J J Cale
J J Cale & Eric Clapton: Call me the breeze
post truth & politics & energy
A good article summing up the state of politics, where truth is an option to be discarded.
A WORD or TWO on Facebook
Check out links to news from our Facebook page.. click here
Elizabeth Lee and Dickson Parklands
You will often hear commentators state that politicians are unpopular. I don’t think it as simple as that.
New Poster: Fakewit
Architecture
The Problem Isn’t Architecture, It’s Urban Design
Interesting read – but I think they let the architects off too easily. Click here.
Inequality
What we can learn about fighting inequality from Australia’s convict past
Analysis shows that while land values per acre rose at 2.2% per annum, land rents fell by 0.3% per annum in the 1800s. Powerhouse Museum/Flickr, CC BY-SA
Being Trumped
They marched to demand Congress DO THEIR JOB and remove the President from The White House. click here
Malcolm gets a pay rise
Being Turnbulled again
click on image for the video
George Monbiot
George Monbiot on Brexit – where to now?
click on the image for this very interesting view on Brexit
Places for Children
click on image for article
Wonders of apartment heaven in Zetland
For people who live in the older tree filled suburbs of Canberra, being not only the inner north but also out to west Belconnen and the older parts of Woden, Weston and inner Tuggeranong – I have a holiday experience for you.
moratorium on Tony Abbott
Today Tony Abbott called for a moratorium on wind farms.
Share this if you think it’s time for a moratorium on Tony Abbott.
John Mayall
Fake Trump
Another laugh – well maybe? click on the image for the truth.
NO is NOT enough
New book by Naomi Klein
this is my second post on this book:
here’s a new review of the book on The Guardian – click here
Continue reading NO is NOT enough
Architecture
K D Lang
Randy Newman
Dark Matter – August 4th 2017
Dark Matter, Randy Newman’s first album of new material in nine years, is due August 4 on Nonesuch; vinyl on August 18.
Natalie Merchant
Uber and Defeating Sexism
The story of one woman who demanded to be heard
The Uber CEO is gone – why?
click here for the story in The Guardian and read about Susan Fowler, the person who did not do as advised – to ignore the sexist behaviour around her.
Ry Cooder
FLIX’N DICKSON – invite
Everyone is invited to the next Flix’n Dickson “Christmas in July” Party
Pauline Hanson on excluding the artistics
Setting the record straight!
Yet again the media has misunderstood what Pauline Hanson said!
Changing architecture of Dickson
Talking to locals in the last weeks there were stories of that knock on the door and the offer to buy the house. The reactions were a little different and also similar.
Chuck Berry
His last album: Chuck
You would have heard many songs over the decades – but this is something new.
Penguin Cafe
Rebecca Solnit on Trump
It’s Time (again)
It is definitely time for all forms of peaceful and concerted actions to adjust our democratic structures to deal with the damage being done by forces that have resulted in Trump and his cronies being where they are.
Noam Chomsky
Neoliberalism Is Destroying Our Democracy
the democracy experiment continues – but will it get beyond the influence of neoliberalism
inflammable clading
Nothing wrong here!
oh how we wish we could believe the Minister and the building industry spokespersons – of course here in Canberra we have the laws in place! But – we all know better than that.
Rijksmuseum 19th Century photography
the Rijksmuseum is presenting a major retrospective of 19th-century photography – click here
developers rule the day – again
Sad story from Manchester. Lesson? – watch out for the spin when developments are announced. click here
Anna Gray AM
Queen’s Birthday honour to former NGA curator
As listed: Dr Anne Mary Gray AM
Man of the onions
says it all.. the idiot of Australian politics
NO is NOT enough
New book by Naomi Klein
“This is one attempt to uncover how we got to this surreal political moment. It is also an attempt to predict how, under cover of shocks and crises, it could get a lot worse.
And it’s a plan for how, if we keep our heads, we might just be able to flip the script and arrive at a radically better future.” — From the Introduction
Looking for arts policy
will we ever have an arts minister?
While Australia is a great country – it has been a long time since we have experienced a government that was actually committed to its culture.
Steve Earle
New Album: So You Wannabe An Outlaw
A new Steve Earle album is due out soon – this time, with a few friends, moving back to his roots – being country music.
The tricks governments play
a story of Architecture, social housing and parklands
Local politicians, like our federal friends, love to take a key social issue and link it to another in order to wedge the residents.
Trump hair
Turnbull not so generous
Being Turnbulled
Once Australia was a leader in supporting equality and was generous in its assistance to other countries. Oh how things have changed. Here’s a post from Michael Moore on the greedy nature of the Turnbull government – click here.
Culture Heist
Book Notice: Culture Heist, Judith White
ART VERSUS MONEY: The fight for the soul of a
great public institution
Emmanuel Macron
The world leaders are stepping forward! – click here for the story
MIT and Climate Change
MIT Speaks for Science & Climate Change
A message from the MIT President in which he reacts to the Trump announcement on how Trump is yet again out of touch with the rest of the world. Yah for our scientists!
Lyle Lovett
Review: Lyle Lovett Greatest Hits 2017
It has been a while since we have seen a ‘greatest hits’ by Lyle Lovett – and this collection is one to have.
A tale of two parklands
Very strange things happen in the urban design planning space in Canberra.
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton makes a fiery commencement speech at her alma mater – taking aim at Trump and his colleagues. She makes the speech nearly 50 years after graduating from Wellesley College in 1969
Being Negative
The message from ACT Labor friends
There’s definitely something evil being played out locally.
George Monbiot
George Monbiot on how dark money is subverting democracy in the UK.
Click on the banner above
ACT labor and the need for new leadership
Very strange events have been unfolding since the local ACT elections in late 2016.
Monbiot on Terrorism
Nicole Lawder, a Liberal who has your back
We expect a lot of our politicians. People rightly expect their elected representatives to do just that – be representatives of the people who elected them. That’s not always a success story.
Sgt Pepper turns 50
Sgt Pepper’s at 50 – the greatest thing you ever heard or just another album?
Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band : is this the best popular music has to offer? Paul Townsend, flickr, CC BY
Frank Hurley and Australian Native Plants
INFORMATION CALL-OUT: FRANK HURLEY
Searching for Frank Hurley along our northern beaches
Did you know that Frank Hurley was a very keen gardener and photographer of wild flowers?
In April 2018 The Manly Art Gallery and Museum will be launching a very special exhibition titled: Frank Hurley – Sydney Harbour photographer: From Circular Quay to Collaroy.
Willie Nelson
Canberra Park Resort
Popping up on the northern edge of Canberra is a new set of buildings – known by its gateway title as Canberra Park.
Dickson on Northbourne
There’s significant redevelopment underway on Northbourne Ave in Canberra.
Tram stop design
There are not too many places that have tram (light rail) stops that are exciting designs. Most are functional and are usually simply places marked where you stand to catch the tram.
Remember they are people
A lot has been written about the ACT Government’s announcement to establish small government housing estates on community-zoned land in Weston Creek suburbs.
Tracey Moffatt at 2017 Venice Biennale
Tracey Moffatt’s exhibition in Venice
click here for my review and comments on Tracey Moffatt’s exhibition at the 2017 Venice Biennale.
Hillary Clinton
Inventing the Wicked Witch: Review of Susan Bordo’s The Destruction of Hillary Clinton
Penguin - Michelle Smith, Deakin University
Canberra Visual Arts in May
Recommendations for Visual Arts exhibitions May 2017
Here’s a few of the exhibitions in Canberra this month.
The Future of Books
Has the print book trumped digital? Beware of glib conclusions
What will an eBook be 20 years from now? What will a book be? Voyagerix/shutterstock
Nick Earls, The University of Queensland Continue reading The Future of Books
Architecture – on local TV
Do we have examples of good residential architecture in Canberra?
Hillary Clinton
A message to all the purists liberals
see message below – very appropriate for all those who bought the lies
Architecture – addressing the climate
Real sustainability arrives in Canberra
A wonderful sign of things to come.
Apple MacBook Pro 2016
This is a follow up to a previous post back in 2016 – when I questioned some of the ‘innovations’ being offered in the new MacBook Pros.
Hillary Clinton
The Destruction of Hillary Clinton
I have already reviewed this book – click here.
However I cannot stop pondering the challenge this story throws up for anyone interested in equity, fairness, and the role of the media in so many aspects of our daily lives.
If we had a real media, this story would have been totally different. Instead what happened here was the total manipulation of the media and through them members of the public, by all forms of malicious groups of people and individuals.
Architecture
a note to the ACT Chief Minister
About the architecture along Northbourne Avenue
Architecture
How to waste public money
The saga of the proposed Garden Bridge over the Thames in London has been well covered in the UK press. It is indeed a saga. It is about a folly.
Books and Reading
click on the banner – and bookmark the page by Jan Bridges.
Hillary Clinton
The Destruction of Hillary Clinton
It was on hearing certain phrases used over and over again on Australian TV programs talking about the 2016 US election campaign that I became suspicious that we were witnessing a lazy press.
Almost daily the media was taking the same phrases and words and using them over and over again – with no evidence that they could be accurate except that they were the words and phrases being used by most journalists and commentators at the time.
On the basis we were supposed to accept their words as fact.
Caroline Le Couteur MLA
Canberra’s planning system remains super complicated and out of reach of ordinary citizens.
Higher Education
Australian Universities screw themselves
Australian universities have made a mess of their own advocacy – at the expense of students.
Julia Baird
Julia Baird on the sleaze bags that affect people’s lives – click on the image
Regis Lansac
Head On Photography Exhibition
Exhibition of Regis Lansac’s photographs at Janet Clayton Gallery:
3-28 May 2017 – click here for more on the-ARTMUSEum.com
Being Turnbulled
Australian Values – The Master of Spin
Australians are again being subject to being Turnbulled. Yet Again.
The New Yorker
A great magazine cover!
Anzac Parade – public art doing service
There is no doubt that Anzac Parade is very special.
Photographing Singapore’s public housing
Photographing Singapore’s public housing
There’s an article in Straits Times about photographer Koh Kim Chay and his decades of photographing the ubiquitous government flats of Singapore.
Another Dickson auction
Rhiannon Giddens
Music Review: Rhiannon Giddens: Freedom Highway, February 2017
My comments have nit changed much from my previous post on Rhiannon Giddens: This 2017 album features a woman with a strong and beautiful voice – singing folk songs of America – making very beautiful Americana music.
Neoliberalism has run its course
A few stories on this topic – and the world needs more people to identify this and to lead the change away from this nasty ideology.
Urbanity Bites
Weston Creek and public housing
There’s been some great public discussions in the media around the spin that has been put out by the government to distract from the real problems with the decisions to place new government housing developments into several Weston Creek suburbs.
SHOUT and Jon Stanhope
Sometimes you wonder just what is going on in the heads of our local government and its bureaucrats who make funding decisions.
Ry Cooder
Ry Cooder – Jesus on the Mainline (Radio 2 Folk Awards 2017)
Wonderful music from Ry Cooder – see Youtube below..
New Philosopher
Totally recommended reading
The theme being – Future thinking
From the publishers:
Although the term and precise starting point might be disputed, many anthropologists believe that ‘behavioural modernity’ – when certain traits such as abstract thinking and symbolic behaviour are said to have emerged in humans – started around 50,000 years ago.
Quarterly Essay – David Marr
David Marr – The White Queen
From the publishers: Most Australians despise what Pauline Hanson stands for, yet politics in this country is now orbiting around One Nation. In this timely Quarterly Essay, David Marr looks at Australia’s politics of fear, resentment and race. Who votes One Nation, and why? How much of this is due to inequality? How much to racism? How should the major parties respond to anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim voices? What damage do Australia’s new entrepreneurs of hate inflict on the nation?
Heritage yes – but some stuff should go
Two things to consider: One is that heritage is about to be celebrated here in Canberra with a festival from 18 April till 7 May 2017.
Woden planning
When the government says one things but does the other…
The press release from the Woden Community Council points to the problems with planning in Canberra.
Weston Creek Community Council
Weston Creek Community Council – in the news
click on the image for the piece in the Canberra Times.
Weston Creek Community Council
Weston Creek Community Council – Media Release
A group of Community Leaders met late last night to discuss the outcome from last week’s Weston Creek Community Council Meeting, which had to be postponed due to an overwhelming attendance.
Bob Dylan
Review: Triplicate – 3 CDs, 2017
Here’s a challenge – Bob Dylan in slow swing doing this set of 30 songs. I recommend listening to these with the volume up – not soft.
I enjoyed 2015’s Shadows in the Night & also the 2016’s Fallen Angels. I recommend both of those albums.