“Conspiracy Theory”
APEC’s all over for another year and in the wash-up of comment after the fact… it was unanimously agreed that the annual conference had been a real hoot… and there really were very few recriminations all round… (here are the 21 delegates all smiling happily in their drizabones)
Yes… there were the requisite protestors… (some with a serious axe to grind)
some not so…
There were those who couldn’t figure out which axe to grind…
And those who didn’t have an axe to grind… so they brought along what they had…
and then there were those who just wanted to bury the hatchet altogether.
There were those without a cause…
and those whose cause it was to deal with those without one… (huh?)
And some were as confused as George Dubya himself…
Then of course… there were the village idiots from the ABC TV’s The Chaser’s War on Everything who could’ve got themselves seriously shot wounded maimed (or worse) after infiltrating the multi-million dollar security juggonaut to get within (oh heavens!) metres of the US President… (well… his Hotel anyway)
But they too had their supporters and detractors…
All in all it was a fun day (or two)… and the crowd had a whale of a good time..
And as the sun set over APEC… that was it for another year…
***Ahhhhh***
Oops almost forgot… I took your advice and gave “the one that got away” a bit of CPR. I think it’s finished except for a few tweaks here and there. I threw the book at it… what do you reckon?
artwork Copyright Jean Burman 2007
“Conspiracy Theory”
watercolour 22″ x 30″ on 640gsm Arches
September 11th, 2007 at 6:40 am
I love it Jean!!!!!!
Also loved your “round up” of APEC….. such an accurate summary!
September 11th, 2007 at 10:10 am
Just had to have another look at “Your girl talk” painting….it is really good Jean! Am wondering what it is that they are talking about…..girl on right hand side seems to be listening so intently!!! The wine looks really nice and mellow too, lol! Could be us in a few months time!!!!!
September 11th, 2007 at 10:47 am
hahaha… they’ve even got me wondering what they’re talking about! LOL
Thanks Jools!
September 11th, 2007 at 12:05 pm
Hilarious Jean! I just love your comments! Our country’s inadequate leadership has become such a global embarrassment..but you soften the humiliation with your humor and wry wit. It is plenty sobering however to think we skirt our civic duties by allowing brainless leaders to run our country. It’s not unlike irresponsible parents handing their two year old a loaded gun. I have faith that some day our constituents will wake up and vote responsibly, (I just hope this doesn’t require a catastrophic event to make it happen…)
I love your painting! The women definitely have something intense going on! Do you suppose they are talking politics? That would definitely require a glass or two…maybe a bottle…
September 11th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
Thanks Mary! Yes… why of course they are discussing POLITICS… most definitely! (((LOL))) Oh darn it… now you’ve got me started…
I hate to say it but the catastrophic event has already happened… in fact there have been quite a few… yet people still don’t seem to get it! Australia is now only playing a very small role in Iraq with just a handful of troops still on the ground… yet the mood of the people here is pretty angry. Had Australia experienced the loss of life sustained by the US in the Iraqi conflict there would have been total anarchy here by now! Aussie’s are not backward in coming forward… and most are not as polite as me! (((LOL))))
With an election looming at the end of this year Prime Minister Howard may end up paying the ultimate price for his loyalty to the Bush administration. Such a shame because I like him. And I guess we have to remember that there IS “intelligence” (gotta love that word) out there somewhere… that the public aren’t privvy to… which may go some way toward explaining the actions of our leaders (?) But when the bumbling incompetence becomes so blatantly obvious… and the blunders continue to occur… one has to wonder about just whom we are collectively following.
The President’s erroneous references to OPEC (man… what a freudian slip that was) Aust-rian troops and “Jeremiah” Isla-mumblefart (whoever HE is! LOL) did nothing to shore up confidence on this side of the Pacific… and served only to underline the fact that this man has seriously lost the plot. Not advocating anything here (you know I’m a peace lover through and through)… but in the past heads have rolled for less… no wonder this man needs a cast of thousands to protect him… (as well as armour-plated underwear!)
September 12th, 2007 at 12:01 am
You are so, (unfortunately) right Jean. The catastrophy has begun. It started when George dubya stole the presidency. That was a dark day for me. I remember being stunned at the news. The first thing I said to my, (equally stunned hubby) was, “Now we go to war…I don’t know how, where or why…but we will go to war and the world will hate us.” How about that for a prophecy?!
Today is 9/11. You’d think people would take a moment to consider all that has happened just within this presidency and act. Unfortunately, it takes time to shake up the political stupor that afflict most of us. So consumed are we with our micro-lives we forget our obligations to participate and contribute to the health of the bigger picture. I fear that one day we will lose our rights to do just that, (extreme? perhaps…one just can’t tell in this day and age!)
I can, as an American, only offer you my apologies. And, if it is of any reassurance, I promise to do my part at campaigning for better leadership. (The only other alternative is to ignore it all, hide in my studio and hope it all blows over…tempting…but…sigh…no…). Just know that we are not ALL violent war-mongers eager to dominate and rape the world of its last precious resources!
September 12th, 2007 at 5:01 am
Mary,
You certainly have my respect!
Jean,
I too “liked” little Johnny (notice the past tense), but I now think that he is too old to play “Follow the Leader!” anymore. The other alternative is an unknown quantity, although he does appear to have some substance……thank God Kim Beazley is not in the race!
Obviously my political preferences have been swinging due to my situation. Legislation brought in by the present Government has affected the Health system and the Workers Comp system in an adverse way! It is now designed to “build an industry”… not to help people!
Politics is “Big Business”……not for the good of humanity!
September 12th, 2007 at 8:48 am
Mary! I love my American friends (and I definitely count you as one!)
Absolutely no apologies are necessary I can assure you! I believe the world knows what’s going on… and understands completely… the powerlessness that everyday Americans must feel in the wake of the unfolding disaster lead by the Bush Administration. It is not the people’s fault. Those who voted that way voted in good faith… believing the way forward was this. Those who didn’t took it on the chin and accepted the umpire’s decision even though the result was seriously in question. (Can you imagine - even just for a minute - what a different world we would have today had the polls swung (even just a little) the other way!)
What I don’t understand now… is how supporters of this administration can CONTINUE to feel that way in light of their disastrous track record. It confounds me how General Petreaus (or anyone for that matter) could find a way to put a positive spin on what has happened in Iraq. Political analysts predicted this outcome almost to the letter… and the Bush Administration was warned. They did it anyway.
SEPT. 11
My heart goes out to the American people… and to the families of victims all over the world on this very sad day… September 11… six years on. It should never have happened.
September 12th, 2007 at 9:11 am
Jools… nah… I still like the PM. For all his faults… (and he has at least as many as the rest of us)… he still represents us on the world stage with dignity and decorum. I don’t think age (alone) is an impediment to success and achievement. There are prickly bits in all legislation… and I guess it can never please all of the people all of the time… (having said that… you know I am extremely empathetic towards your case and understand completely!) The thing that bothers me the most about Howard is his stalwart friendship with George Dubya… gotta wonder about that eh!
I am concerned about a swing to the relatively inexperienced “other side”. Heavens KR has hardly even been Opposition Leader yet… and we’re going to hand him the top job? Nup… not on my watch! *wink* And it would take more than a (smug) 30 minute conversation with China’s President Hu in fluent Mandarin to convince me! LOL
Ah what the heck… it’s all just a lottery anyway!
September 12th, 2007 at 9:32 am
I love your commentary and accompanying photos, Jean. Great job of pulling it together and giving it a face for us at this end of the world.
September 12th, 2007 at 9:54 am
Yep!
September 12th, 2007 at 10:12 am
Thanks John… it was fun.
September 12th, 2007 at 10:15 am
…if also… just a tad irreverent! :-/
September 12th, 2007 at 8:09 pm
In another life I was a professor of political science. I gave that up after retirement. I believe dubya will go down in history -if we have a history- as the worst President. he confirms my long held impression ofthe Ivy league as educational institutions,
September 13th, 2007 at 9:51 am
Roger… I wonder how one goes about giving up a career as a Professor of Political Science?! I guess… by developing the perfect foil… a successful career in the arts! Bravo to that Roger!
It must surely tempt you back on occasion though… when you witness the lunacy in the current political climate? I bow to your superior insight and wisdom on it all… my observations are after all… grass roots and rudimentary by comparison. But it helps to recklessly vent it here… for better or for worse!
September 13th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
So we have an American prez who tells the Australian primo that “we’re kicking butt” in Iraq. Kicking butt? 28 American soldiers dead in the last two weeks, another few billion dollars down the tube, the middle east in chaos, arguably some modest security gains but the political situation disastrous, and we’re kicking butt? Like some high school football team? This is surreal.
September 13th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
Surreal for us yes… but to the Iraqis… it’s as real as real can be. According to http://www.iraqbodycount.org there have been an average of 34 civilian Iraqi lives lost (men women and children) each and EVERY DAY since 2003!
Riverbend… in her blog… puts the number much higher… her claim is that many of her friends and relatives simply d-i-s-a-p-p-e-a-r-e-d and were never seen again! How someone who doesn’t exist anymore can be counted… one can only wonder at.
John… I have been holding my breath since the end of April when Riverbend last posted on her blog from her hometown of Baghdad. In that post she spoke of her family’s decision to finally leave their home, their families, and all that they had known to make the perilous journey to Syria as refugees.
And then NOTHING… for all these months. Not a day has gone by that I have not thought about her and wondered if she made it…
To my great relief… she posted again about a week ago! They made it… and are now in relative safety in Syria. Anyone interested can read her latest post here… http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com
Her poignant words put a very human perspective on the enormity of the situation for ordinary Iraqis in the Middle East. “There but for the grace of God go I” should be our eternal motto.
September 13th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
On a lighter note… here is the Chaser’s video telecast last night on the ABC
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/chaser/war/
An episode of Keystone Cops? No… apparently not… man… you can really tell that nothing really really bad has ever happened here in Aus… YET! We are mere babes in the wood… still wet behind the ears! *sigh*
September 13th, 2007 at 9:32 pm
We have absolutely no idea what suffering is really all about. To wonder, no…totally stress out about where the father of your children are, to wonder where your lover, brother, sister,mother, father, Uncle or Aunt are, are they alive - American, Australian, English, Scottish, French or Middle Eastern…… we CAN sit here and chew the fat over how terrible it must be!
September 14th, 2007 at 7:10 am
I didn’t think we were chewing the fat! LOL I think it’s important in life to at least try to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. If being grateful is the key to a happy life… then having empathy for another’s plight might be a good way to start. Talking about it here (at least) raises some small measure of awareness I guess…
September 14th, 2007 at 11:23 am
Sorry Jean….am overloading with emotions.