Friday, May 28, 2010

10 years ago: Reconciliation march

28 May 2000
Taking 6 hours to march across Sydney Harbour Bridge a huge crowd estimated at something like 200,000 and 300,000, easily outstripping even the biggest anti-Vietnam War and nuclear disarmament rallies of earlier decades. A week later, about 60,000 people marched in Brisbane. Scores of smaller walks followed throughout the country, culminating in big marches in Melbourne and Perth at the end of the year.

By the time they finished, more than half a million Australians had marched, confirming reconciliation as a people's movement.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Monday, May 24, 2010

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Jessica Watson: Circumnavigator

Jessica Watson has become the youngest person to sail around the world, solo, non-stop and unassisted.

After 210 days and just two days shy of her 17th birthday, Watson sailed her 10-metre yacht Ella's Pink Lady up Sydney Harbour, the same spot she left from almost seven months ago.


Thousands of people lined the foreshore to welcome her home. As she made her way up the harbour, she was flanked by a flotilla and a crowd cheering loudly, waving banners with messages of support. Her name also appeared in sky writing above the harbour.
  • Jessica Watson began her journey on October 17, 2009
  • Returned to Sydney Harbour on May 15, 2010
  • Journey covered almost 23,000 nautical miles
  • Circumnavigation took 210 days

Katoomba morning






Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Greek protest song

Kanellos [the protest dog]

Kanellos A song for Kanellos Τραγούδι για σ. Κανέλο

Lena Horne: 1917-2010

Lena Horne: Cotton Club 1956

Horne was long involved with the Civil Rights movement. In 1941, she sang at Cafe Society and worked with Paul Robeson. During World War II, when entertaining the troops for the USO, she refused to perform "for segregated audiences or for groups in which German POWs were seated in front of African American servicemen", according to her Kennedy Center biography. Since the US Army refused to allow integrated audiences, she wound up putting on a show for a mixed audience of black US soldiers and white German POWs. She was at an NAACP rally with Medgar Evers in Jackson, Mississippi, the weekend before Evers was assassinated. She also met President John F. Kennedy at the White House two days before he was assassinated. She was at the March on Washington and spoke and performed on behalf of the NAACP, SNCC, and the National Council of Negro Women. She also worked with Eleanor Roosevelt to pass anti-lynching laws.




Monday, May 10, 2010

Katoomba autumn

autumn leaves
house and horse
cat and banjo
photographer and shot

winter fuel: ironbark
new planting

Steel house update

the house


the dunny
the view

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Picasso: $106.4 million

Nu au Plateau de Sculpteur ("Nude, Green Leaves and Bust")
Record price for a Picasso from the last depression
when things go bust buy a painting
when the oil runs out buy an old oil

Saturday, May 01, 2010

Mount Vic Flicks

Tanaka-san Will Not Do Callisthenics screening

Melbourne May Day 1910

I am sending a brief report of May Day in Melbourne. As usual the priest-ridden slaves came thoroughly organised to attack and break up our Anarchist meeting, but we held the fort and kept the Red Flag of Anarchy flying for two hours. I spoke for an hour and obtained a good hearing. A lady comrade, Mrs. Barnes, followed. She made a strong attack on property and authority, which ought to have called forth loud cheers and applause; but she was speaking to superstitious Catholic slaves, not free men, so it had the opposite effect. By this time there were about 7,000 people round our platform, and a rush was made to upset it; but I had reckoned on that, and made the platform as firm as the Rock of Gibraltar. When they failed in their attempt, the stones commenced to fly, and two ladies climbed on the platform.

The police, seeing the danger, interfered. Then these godly Popish serfs, feeling they were helpless, contented themselves by singing and howling like hyenas. An old comrade, Montague Miller, who is seventy-six years old, gave a revolutionary speech, making a strong attack on religion and superstition. But the fat little priest had sent his Pope's lambs, or wolves rather, to rend us if possible. They howled and groaned and shook their fists like lunatics. I told them I pitied them, but not the black slugs of priests who had made them their dupes. By this time a number of our comrades had formed a cordon round the platform to keep off any who attempted to interfere with us, so we continued until five o'clock, when three mounted troopers came and made way for us and escorted us through the principal streets, followed by a flock of maniacs anxious to have the scalps of two helpless women and myself. This is what the priests are doing for Australia, they are trying to make it another Spain.

The Labour politicians, flushed with their victory, withdrew from the May Day demonstration the night before, their excuse being that the May Day Committee had withdrawn the compulsory arbitration clause from the platform. But the true reason was that the cowards were afraid of being connected with antimilitarism. The election was decided on what the Labour Party calls "New Protection." They received the support of the Melbourne Age, which is a strong Protectionist paper. This, coupled with the help of the priests, gave them their jobs in Parliament. The workers appear jubilant because they do not reason, but their joy will shortly turn to deep regret, and experience will teach them that to rely on Parliament is courting failure every time. I am advocating Direct Action, the General Strike and the Social Revolution, and will continue to do so as long as possible. One hopeful sign is the increasing number of ladies who are commencing to take up Anarchism in Australia. We have been trying to obtain a hall for Sunday night lectures, but the managers are afraid to let us one. However we shall continue to work for Anarchy and the Revolution.

J.W.Fleming,

Freedom (UK), July, 1910.