THE STREAM (pay no attention to the screaming man behind the screen)

Sometimes you hear about a movie and you want to like it for any of a number of good reasons, in my case I have never really got taken over by Bollywood films seen a few but to date ... My name is Khan had me even with the quite daggy line ... " My name is Khan ... and I am not a terrorist!" which is repeated over & over. Don't get me wrong the film has a fantastic premise Indian man grows up close to his mother which makes his sibling jealous, mother dies, both sons end up in America ... then 9/11... lots of tension to work with there, he eventually goes on a pilgrimage to meet the president to say... " My name is Khan ... and I am not a terrorist!" even the fact that he suffers from Asperger's Syndrome could work and I can certainly see where it would make the character more acceptable to American audiences but it led to some very bizarre situations at some points, like Khan's visit to Willamina Georgia where he meets "mama" Jenny &...

I like podcasts... I think that hearing the views of people be they famous or anonymous is interesting. I listen to some casts on Photoshop, technology, Tai Chi & Dr Karl's triple J science podcast, Recently I added a new one to my list "The field Negro's guide to arts & culture" besides having a great title it has a couple of things going for it, namely the hosts, Comedian W. Kamau Bell & Guitarist Vernon Reid from what I've heard so far two literate, funny, knowledgeable & well spoken hosts. Right off the mark the hosts made a disclaimer about this podcast not being about race, and from the first two episodes I can say that is true, but the fact that the statement had to be made in the first place... well that says something doesn't it? Now as you probably know I am quite fond of long rambling dialogues, lengthy monologues (mostly My own) & stream of conscientiousness patter so really the podcast format is really made for me. The next epi...

Now I know I've said this before but... I really must write more! I really do believe in bogging and I want to be a part of it... Ahhh but time, I never have the time but this time... No really … … I quit smoking didn't I? Yeah... I will do it! So now what? Right... A topic! Hmmm... I have it! In honour of the shenanigans involving the ATO ( Australian Tax Office) and Paul Hogan I want to make a list. People who get a pass on questionable behaviour (Providing they are not caught... on tape... clubbing baby fur seals... in Klan sheets... while the camp-fire they made earlier using the bible, Torah, Koran, the Declaration of independence, the Magna carta & the collected works of Tom Clancy burns away in the background) People who through their work or actions have enriched us beyond the point that we should ever give them grief about something stupid they may have said or done. For example... Paul Hogan... Actor, Director, Comedian (Stop laughing) He is all t...

Melbourne is the mistress of the "soft" launch... We are the home of deaf & Mute art installations, ridiculously unpublicized concerts, clubs that have no profile ... I could go on & on. And now with only a minimum of fanfare this fantastic, profoundly livable city has outdone itself with the understated ... strike that ... whispered launch of what could have been an important program. Modeled on a European style hire system , not really but that's what they say. This is a government program that could have been made much more successful with just the smallest amount of advance information as I walked through the city I practically stumbled over the bike racks on Swanston street and really only noticed them because of the one or two citizens there reading the instructions on the rental unit and scratching their heads an action I soon joined. If we are going to have these ideas succeed there has to be some noise made ... at this point even a red balloon tied to o...

Ok ... I don't want to be a worry wart but ... is anyone else concerned by a giant Ice burg off the coast of Western Australia. For those that don't know... this is not an ordinary event!

Listen I know that we are all entitled to say just about anything we want in the many forum, pages on the street and well just about anywhere but I just read a post written by a person that alleges to be a teacher, parent, spouse and American and while claiming to be all these things still found a place to keep the fear & hatred inside safe from the light of rationality. This particular post was commenting on the Obama presidency what this person wrote is really irrelevant... it's the motivation that I think is most interesting. We have all heard it before, griping from the loser in some contest ( in this case a presidential election ) but what is important to remember is that this is not a ball game or some other contest this is about the direction of our country and there is not supposed to be a loser. The idea is that whoever we pick the poor bastard should be working for us. In the interest of full disclosure you should know I do not write from within the borders of America...

Listen... It is sad to say but No matter how hard we try... none of us can avoid being put into some group. Black, White, Asian, Jew. Man, Woman. Straight, Gay. Those are just the easy ones... it seems the longer I live, the more subsets I hear of and/or are added to, I guess that just comes with the gift of life. I have never really understood why the desire to break life down to subjective groupings is so attractive. I have to accept it ... I guess... but i can't shake the feeling that we'd be much better off if we could take the judgment out of our little groupings. There has... as long as I can remember, been one particular bit of nonsense that gets my blood boiling and sad to say that I have heard this same nonsense come from the mouths of just about every kind of person. I'm sure you know it... it goes like this... " I have no problem with _ _ _ _ _ _ " or " _ _ _ _ control everything" or " _ _ _ _ _ _ just need to get over it" or ...

Driving around Australia off and on for these years has taught me a few things ... but I think the most important thing for me is that I learned how to pause... How to stop and take in the scenery... even scenery that doesn't have buildings in it! There has been lots of time to consider the scenery and a fair bit of time to reflect on the images I have taken along the way. I'd like to spend more time doing the same thing in the states as I remember it most places I experienced were blurred by the rush to get there our the rush to get back with barely anytime to just let it unfold ... I think I need to fix that!

There is one thing that bothers me ... well actually there are a lot of things but for this post let's try to focus on one. No it's not that Oprah will not be doing her thing on our TV screens ( It is a concern though ... think of all the comedy routines that will never be written) or the uneasy feeling I get when thinking that politics might be her next thing! Again... a valid concern but the real thing that gets me is a strange phenomenon that occurs anytime a "black story " happens. Anytime Oprah, Michael Jackson or any other black personality find their way into the daily news report ( News... that is funny) a fantastical thing happens, Black reporters that have not been seen since that last "Black Story" suddenly appear on on our screens but hey let's not make this a black thing... same thing happens with Koreans , Latino, Chinese , Japanese ... it's like there is some strange journalistic Green Room where "ethnic" reporters wait for ...