Remembering PRESTAGS

Anchovy Pizza

Rome, Italy.

December 2017.

Sizzling Garlic Prawns

Madrid, Spain.

January 2018.

Bangers & Mash

Edinburgh, Scotland.

January 2018.

Fish & Chips & Mushy Peas

Edinburgh, Scotland.

January 2018.

Adventures in exposure

of digital sensors

I had occasion to have to walk to Kingston to get passport photos taken.

I took the camera with me, and took a few opportunistic shots on the way and return.

I played with shutter speed at the bridge over the creek, where there is a mini rapid as the water runs over steps.

SHUTTER SPEED First - fast shutter speed - brief exposure - freezing movement.

on the way back, supported by the bridge railing a slow shutter speed - long exposure

a crop of each shows the different effects - the fast shutter reveals individual water droplets, while the slow shutter speed makes a creamy image.

while waiting for the prints, I mucked around with the contrasty scene of the cafes. Red square is where the focus point was, rough red circle is where I pointed the camera first to get a light reading, and locked that reading in.

Matrix metering - camera is making a compromise based on all the light coming in. light sampling at the focus point - balanced over all

matrix metering again but I think with different metering point - in tree shadow - brighter over all

centre-weighted - camera uses light around chosen point but still takes account of the whole scene

first metering in the centre (running of memory, might even have been metering in the light?) - camera takes account of bright areas and reduces exposure

then centre weighted metering in the darker tree area before focusing on the centre - trees well exposed but not a white out in the light

then spot metering - the camera uses information from just that spot to calculate the overall exposure

first in centre - not bad balance but shadows are dark,

then metering in the tree shadow - trees exposed but white out elsewhere

Boys Toys

On my last day in Manila this year, the Philippines armed forces were putting on a recruitment drive. Foreigners were permitted to inspect, and my Telstra manager and I had to have a play. We decided this is a must have in the crowded waterways of the South China Sea!

The pinoys behind us were impressed with our enthusiasm, and asked for a photo with us. Go PRESTAGS! I know Paul will like this photo particularly was it is fond of attached phalluses.

Next we needed to take a victory circuit around Manila

Fist punches are instinctual in an APC!

Finally, we need to get intimate with the ultimate penis extender.

The photographer only pointed out later that I had ammunition right next to the assault rifle. I really could have lit that baby up!

Boy weekend

Be careful what you wish for!

After all my whinging about friends who could not find their bum with both hands, I suddenly found myself on an impromptu boys weekend three weekends ago.

My son had bought tickets to go on a dance weekend some time ago and became despondent a week before when the adult who was going to sign him in suddenly pulled out. Parenting alarm goes off and I say "Sign in? Why?" and am told that children under the age of 18 require a guardian. (He is 18 in Feb, so close, but no banana.)

"Well, if you need a guardian, that is supposed to be me," I retort, and am astonished when he was not opposed to the idea. (Normally, any suggestion that I would be involved in any part of his life gets an immediate,  unambiguous refusal. So if he was willing, I had the leave, and was pining to take the caravan on a tour!

The location was Pyalong, way down in southern Victoria. (See the sheep being herded on the right - we were in the middle of rural Australia.) It turned out to be about am 11 hour drive (as I take it slow with a caravan - about 80 km so others can overtake - and regular breaks). The trip down was great, as I could listen to the Third Test against South Africa all the way - we actually won that one to which made it more enjoyable - without anyone changing the channel or trying to involve me in inane conversation. (My son's ticket included a bus ride, so that would be more fun for both of us.)

Unfortunately, when I had 45 minutes to go, my son calls me to say his mate's ride had not showed up and he was stuck in Melbourne. Pyalong is about 90 minutes north of Melbourne, but I WAS NOT TAKING A VAN INTO THURSDAY PEAK HOUR. I called his friend and said "Catch a train as far North as you can!"

That turned out to be Epping North, so I added 30 minutes south and 60 minutes north to the trip and picked up a softly spoken young man with long hair. (Men with long hair understand each other's feelings and look after each other against the insensitive, heartless,. uninspiring short haired men.) Anyway, I reach Pyalong at dusk and had the joy of setting up a van in the cold and dark.

I must say, when the van was set up, I was ready to sell the house, retire from work and live happily ever after. It is so comfortable, simple and has everything you need and none of the things you don't.

But if I was going to be at a music festival for a 4 days weekend, I was going to take in some music, so headed out to explore.

The place was arranged along a creek with accommodation on the slopes with flagged roads and a village down by the creek. I was annoyed to find all the spots gone on "Warp Drive" and "Astral Street", but did OK on "Doofhard Road". (Doof is a generic adjective that describes the music, people, outfits, accessories and dancing at the event.)

The village was a lot of fun. Very hippy. They had weird art (dog and neon sign that Paul would approve of shown), lots of shops with important accessories, like feathers and beads. They had a new age place where you could perform activities under the sign of water, earth, fire and air. (I meant to do one of these, but did not get time.) And lots of fast food. I was particularly impressed to see the Pyalong Cricket and Netball club running a near non-stop sausage sizzle. I read later that the Primary School made a bit of money leasing equipment to the organisers.

Interspersed amongst the stalls were small music venues. The music was universally Psycho-Trance, or "Doof Music" to the locals. That was the only downside of the weekend to me. I was hope for soulful songs about love, betrayal and the insensitivity of society to the aspirations of the young. Unfortunately, Doof has no words (Oh, Doof is a noun and an adverb too. It is often an ejaculation, but I am not sure what it means in that context.), and involves electronic "acid-jazz" style sounds that build to a crescendo and then fall away sharply leaving a loud drum beat, often the double beat of a human heart. Each time the beat emerges from the sound, the audience cheers and begins dancing with their hands in the air for about a minute until the beat dies away and they just move slowly until the next crescendo.

The DJs (what they are called, despite no obvious use of disks - all thumbnail drives I think) as largely composing live. I was not there long enough to really work out what made a good DJ and an average one. I noticed that two stands always had big crowds and the rest were lucky to have 6 revellers. I asked a few of the locals and was told "It is doof, man!"

For me, the highlight of the weekend were the young people. They were very accepting of me, provided I wore my hair loose, and chatty. The standard outfit was multi-coloured, wool ponchos, but there were a huge range of variations in the minority. Many young women dressed in cabaret styles, and a few were effectively topless. (No photos as that would be make me a dirty old man.) Some guys dressed in "movie outfits" - I saw a few fantasy vampires, demon warriors and ghostly beings. Most had doof sticks. When you are doofing, you hold a stick with a totem attached, often with flashing LED lights. There were a couple of requisite phalluses, eagles, hands, cartoons of favourite DJs, but one woman did a brilliant, multicoloured crushed paper floral arrangement in the shape of a fan - it would have taken her hours.

Dancing was a 24 hour activity. The above photo as taken a 6:45am, so most of the crowd had petered out. I doofed a bit, but also sat in my awesome caravan, read some S&T and a sci-fi novel and caught up on some Zzzzz. At the end, I had ticked a bucket list item. You see, I grew up about 80 km south of Woodstock, and when I grew up everyone was talking of it and I always wondered what it would have been like. Now I know, but would have liked some lyrics all the same.

Oh: Sex, drugs and rock and roll. I think there was lots of the former. The village had police on patrol, so the only "drug use" I witnessed was Nitrous Oxide. (Some groups seemed to spend the whole weekend doing that. They offered it to me, but drug use is not on my bucket list.) And rock-and-roll: Zilch in the musical sense.

Spelling and originality were optional!

 

Fine, fine, fine - personally I don't blame anyone (today)

A beautiful day today. Kids had a good time.

Boys Weekend Potential

My recent trip to the Hunter Valley has disclosed a location with great Boys Weekend potential. The Chateau Elan is a golf resort with accommodation in suites in detached villas. The suites are luxurious and huge. There is a fully equipped kitchen for self cooking, but also a great restaurant at the resort for eat out and an awesome buffet breakfast. There is even room service for those emergency pepperoni pizzas.

And the best thing: two dining room setups (aka wargame tables), one inside and one on the covered balcony.

The location is a 2.5 hour drive from the Sydney CBD. There is no shortage of nearby activities, with everything from wine tasting to balloon rides to helicopter rides etc.

And plenty of invigorating fresh air. Here is a shot of dawn taken from my verandah, which also shows some of the other villas.

 

Bush Tucker al la Junee

We has a break from Bush Tucker at the Junee RSL.

Bush Pizza

Margo and I find ourselves in Rutherglen without responsibilities. We have made camp just outside of Rutherglen (yes - tasting tomorrow) on an unmarked spot called Stanton Bend.

Also brilliant is the fact that we have internet access here, so I can get an EDEE turn if someone can be bothered sending one, Otherwise I might consider the great John Michael Young's panic rules.

Earlier today I stopped off at Sarvaas Park in  Albury

I wonder if my friend went to the school opposite.

Safe Travels

Paul wishes very safe travels to Python, Mrs Python and Python Jnr.

 

Don't forget the Rules of Adventure.

An Epic Adventure

Return safely Python.

Good Bye (For Now)

PythonMagus is about to begin his great trek.

An Unfortunate Car Park

This is my unfortunate car park. Can you guess where? This is an easy one.

The World is Returning to Normal

I have been very disoriented by the world because MY bench at Croydon station was damaged by evil forces unknown and then removed. This was extremely serious, because this bench is where I place my backpack while I wait to be picked up from the station. These little certainties of life are most important and are not to be tampered with under any circumstances.

After a terrible absence, MY bench has been returned, and indeed it is a brand new bench. The world is returning to normal, and so am I.

 

Californian Drought

In 2011 I visited California, and I remember the scenery was beautiful and there were many areas of luscious forestation and agriculture. I took this photo of San Francisco bay:

Over the last year there has been a terrible drought, and the State and its economy have been devastated (even more than the general devastation of the US economy as the Federal Reserve prints money and sets up the entire nation for an apocalyptic crash). I saw these photos today that compare the 2011 that I remember with the situation today:

What has caused this drought?

The Python would say it is global warming, but he has a tendency to look at selective data, and ignore other parts of the United States where there has been increased rainfall over the same period.

ThygoCanberra would say it is a punishment for evil. A valid hypothesis, but if correct why not other equally evil areas of America. Washington DC comes to mind.

I prefer conspiracy theories. Perhaps the US government used its weather control technology to cause rainfall in the Western Pacific and to prevent rainfall on the West Coast. Why? Because the rain carried radioactivity from Fukushima. Maybe. At least this theory does not involve any aliens.

Farewell to Middle Earth

Sadly tonight is our last night in New Zealand. Back home tomorrow.

We will definitely visit this wonderful country again. Still, looking forward to home as you always do.

Farewell Middle Earth, until next time.

The Nikon Zoom

The photograph below is of the girls on their beach horse ride. To my naked eye, I could just make out the yellow of their vests but this is not in the photograph. The horse trekkers are right at the end of the beach about to turn around the bluff.

This photograph was taken a second later using the Nikon's optical zoom at about 38x:

This is Why We Have Guardian Angels

Yesterday while the girls went horse riding at Muriwai Beach I headed off for a walk in a different direction. After some quality quiet time I returned and only then did I see the sign marking the area of my little excursion:

Profound thanks to all the Holy Angels.

Hobbiton

There is only one place where the movie set from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies remain in place, and that is Hobbiton. The set at Matamata in the Waikato region has now been made permanent as a tourist attraction. It amazed us with attention to detail, where a team of gardeners ensure that all the hobbit holes have beautiful real flowering gardens and vegetable patches.

Notice that the yellow flower in a pot next to Bilbo's famous green door at Bag End is still there and still flowering today.

The view across Hobbiton towards Bag End as it is today:

Bywater Mill today:

The last scene in The Return of the King at the end of The Lord of the Rings trilogy is Sam returning home to his family, after bidding farewell to Frodo and Bilbo at the Grey Havens.

Sam Gamgee's hobbit hole today:

We had lunch (and I had an ale) at The Green Dragon, which is now an operating pub and replica of Hobbiton's pub from the movies. Even the exit sign was in Middle Earth font!

Scenes of Middle Earth

Ringwraith

The Black Riders, or Ringwraiths, pursued Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin in The Fellowship of the Ring. In one scene a Ringwraith was silhouetted on a path at the top of a hill:

Here is the pathway and hill where the scene was filmed, at Mount Victoria in Wellington:

There is another scene where the hobbits hide under a tree, and a Ringwraith rides on the path overhead. The tree was artificial and created by WETA, although the scorpions and spiders that emerged from the Ringwraith's armour and crawled over the hobbits were real.

All that remains today is a hole near the path, above which the artificial tree was placed. This is a side on view, and is also Mount Victoria:

Forest Pathway

In an earlier scene, Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin had rolled down a hill and fallen onto a pathway.

The hill and drop onto the pathway were also filmed at Mount Victoria, and here is the exact spot:

Gardens of Isengard

Before Gandalf realized that Saruman had been seduced by Sauron, he sought Saruman's counsel in the gardens of Isengard. This scene was also in The Fellowship of the Ring.

The gardens are in Harcourt Park in the Lower Hutt Valley north of Wellington:

Aragorn and Brego

In The Two Towers Aragorn is flung over a cliff into a river, where he drifts downstream. Aragorn ends up on a pebbled shore, where he is rescued by his faithful horse Brego.

Here is the exact spot where this scene was filmed:

A Train Through Middle Earth and the Thygocarriage

Yesterday we took the famous Northern Explorer train from Wellington to Auckland. This journey takes 11 hours and travels up most of the North Island. It is a brilliant way to see Middle Earth.

You have to give Kiwis credit for thinking of photographers. The last carriage in the train, which we dubbed the Thygocarriage, is an open air carriage from which photographs can be taken. I spent many hours out there and got some great shots even allowing for the moving train.

The North Island has less mountains than the South Island, but there are still amazing mountains and volcanoes, and snow in the middle of summer. The entire trip all of the landscape was hilly and completely green. This is so unlike Australia, which has lots of flat and lots of dry.

This photo is pure Middle Earth. It could be a scene from The Two Towers:

The train crossed over some huge aquaducts with views down into the gorges below:

Wow, a volcano:

The amazing thing is that airfares from Australia to New Zealand are very cheap, so NZ is a great holiday option. I wish we had visited years ago.

Super Computers and Trolls

We are having a great time in New Zealand and have visited many of the sites around Wellington where scenes from The Lord of the Rings were filmed.

We have driven past the famous Stone Street Studios, which is now closed up for Christmas. The giant outdoor green screen wall is clearly visible.

We also drove past WETA Digital, where there are blue cooling towers on the roof to deal with the enormous processing power of their computers and graphics. Now THAT is what I call a graphics card.

The WETA Cave was a highlight and a mecca for Tolkien memorabilia. Serious damage was done to the wallet at the Cave, and I got some nice t-shirts for Python and Thygocanberra.

There is a famous photograph of Legolas that was used for the marketing of The Lord of the Rings movies. Take note of the tree on his left.

We visited this tree! Awesomeness for die hard LOTR fans.

Love Their Work

The emails I receive from Air New Zealand still bring a smile to my face every time.

Gollum in Wellington

I have been checking out airport transport options in preparation for a planned holiday in Wellington, New Zealand.

When I visited Auckland airport last week there was the awesomeness of the Giant Dwarf Statue.

I have now learned that not only does Wellington Airport have a great Middle Earth logo, but there is a giant Gollum to look forward to.

This sculpture was built by Weta Workshop. I obtained the following information from the Wellington Airport newsletter for March 2013:

I can't wait to see this.

He Strode as a Giant Among the Geeks: OSDC 2013

I always intended to report upon the OSDC in Auckland. Thygocanberra has requested that I report upon: “how did NZ trip go? victories? triumphs? feasts? spoils?”. There were indeed all of these things, and more.

AWESOMENESS

I have already posted as to the awesomeness of travelling to New Zealand on the Air NZ "Hobbit" plane. We saw some unusual aircraft on our journey, but nothing came close to the Hobbit plane which boldly proclaimed itself "The Airline of Middle Earth".

TRIUMPHS

The conference itself was well organized and a success. For a lawyer attending a hard core geeks convention I found it surprisingly enjoyable and genuinely interesting.

The triumph was PythonMagus, who strode through the conference as a giant among geeks. The Python's talk "Creating Masterpieces with Raphael" was the highlight of the whole conference, and I got a massive buzz seeing PRESTAGS Moderni Agone on the big screen. We met an intense young developer who told us after the talk that he has been working on a computer game for three and a half years. The Python completed MA in three months. Even in the small photograph on the below left one can recognise PRESTAGS Moderni Agone.

After his talk the Python was able to relax a bit, however he still maintained 'the stance'. That is the stance of triumph, which has not been seen since the cover picture for PRESTAGS Viking in 1975. The Python was also able to enter 'The Great Room', where only the great dare to venture.

FEASTS

Were there feasts? Yes, too many feasts! The formal dinner for the OSDC was held at Eden Park on the first evening of the conference. Eden Park is the most sacred place in New Zealand, and Aussies usually leave Eden Park on a stretcher, so it was a privilege to enter and survive this place. Dinner at Eden Park was great (it is hard to go wrong with a self-serve all-you-can-eat top restaurant quality smorgasbord) and the real treat was Yorkshire Pudding which I have not had in ages. I remember this pudding at the Python's wedding: is this correct?

The conference was held at the Langham Hotel in Auckland. I have stayed in quite a lot of 5 star hotels around the world and I can honestly say the Langham beat them all. I normally travel for business, and without family or friends, so perhaps I was particularly well disposed to the Langham because the circumstances were more fun. All of the food at the Langham was top notch. The morning and afternoon teas came with a huge variety of cakes and wraps. The lunches included numerous hot options, with no stinginess on the meat as is usually the case. The cheese platter was particularly memorable.

The view from my hotel window included an old red brick house among taller modern buildings. The house was now a posh French restaurant on top called "Number 5" and an earthy Italian restaurant below called "Da Vinci's". Python and I had an excellent two course Italian meal at Da Vinci's to celebrate his talk.

Feasts come in all shapes and sizes. I was well behaved on the first two mornings and had my own cereal breakfast, but on the last morning I went for the traditional hotel cooked breakfast of eggs and sausages.

The breakfast was first class. It was delivered precisely (to the second) at my nominated time of 7.15am and the poached eggs were still runny. A surprise was the toaster so that I could toast my own bread in order to achieve maximum freshness of toast. I have never encountered this before. The pot of strong freshly brewed coffee for one was enormous and I drank it all. I haven't slept since.

VICTORIES

There was a victory, and it was mine. Throughout the conference the Python and I continued our two player game of EDEE. How cool was this and how different to all the boring legal conferences I have been to over the years. Every couple of hours we would exchange turns, and even the uber geek talks with topics like "Clustering Web Apps with MariaDB & Galera" and "MySQL Roadmap, more flexibility with NoSQL API" could not hold the Python as he rushed to a quiet corner to do his move.

It was a particularly close and exciting game, and I had been rewarded with a radical opening strategy which the Python still refuses to concede is better than his opening strategy. In any event, after a particularly crushing counter move by me, the Python officially resigned in a game that he has dominated for years. It was a very satisfying victory indeed.

No PRESTAGS was played, although MI 22 and his friends did travel to New Zealand and they were remarkably well behaved.

SPOILS

The true spoils of the conference are knowledge. I learnt a lot, especially about cyber security and privacy which have always interested me. I really enjoyed a panel discussion on the second morning "Government surveillance of online communications" and the keynote address on the third day by Vikram Kumar, the CEO of Mega, which is a NZ based private cloud platform. There are so many threats to our privacy and even the geeks are struggling to hold back the ever increasing online Orwellian nightmare.

I learnt about Tor, which has a suite of applications to assist online privacy. I learnt about BeagleBone which is a credit card sized linux computer: absolutely brilliant and I want one. I don't need one but I just want one. I learnt that I cannot challenge the geeks when it comes to 'most nerdy' t-shirts or 'most nerdy' laptop stickers. I collected a lot of stickers at OSDC. But I still think my own sticker design of the linux penguin with the V for Vendetta mask was the most original at the conference.

HOME

No matter where you go or whatever you do it is always marvellous to get home. As the return flight descended over Sydney I was able to take a photograph through the window with a rather crappy camera. I am quite proud of this photograph. It captures the CBD and harbour bridge, and the bushfire haze that was still sitting over the city. Welcome back to Sydney.

A Big Thank You

A big thank you to PythonMagus for taking me to New Zealand.

And a big thank you to Paul for choosing my class photograph for the t-shirt.

Awesomeness in Auckland Airport

AAA = Awesomeness in Auckland Airport. A giant dwarf towers over the entrance hall in Auckland airport.

Totally Awesome Transport

How totally awesome: we flew to New Zealand in the Hobbit plane!

Already Packed

I have finished packing.

The Party is Crashed

Dear Mr PythonMagus and Mr Paul,

It is with some trepidation that I inform you of the actions of all the PRESTAGS units that previously complained (http://www.prestags.com/2013/10/all-you-get-is-complaints.html).

Unfortunately all of these units have ignored my directives and proceeded to New Zealand on their own account to crash the OSDC. I believe it is the lack of involvement of a class 1 leader that has caused this breakdown in discipline.

The good news is that Septimus Severus has agreed to travel with me, and to restore order as required.

I am confident that with the assistance of Severus, the units will not cause too much trouble and they will be satisfied with appropriate photo opportunities in Auckland.

Counting Down #3: 1 Week To Go

My lanyard with usb drives is ready, including a bootable version of puppy linux. I have bought a secret 'computer nerd' t-shirt that I am hoping will defeat anything the Python brings and make him jealous. I have also put nerd stickers on my zenbook to further outclass the Python (not that zenbook with warp speed ubuntu really needs any help outclassing anything).

The Conference is now described as "The Greatest Conference in the Land" and I'm looking forward to it. The theme of security is a real interest of mine, especially as regards its abuse by the state and invasion of privacy issues.

It is not too late for MoonDuck to join us, although he has disappeared with such thoroughness that I am beginning to wonder whether he has been abducted by aliens.

All You Get is Complaints

It may have been a mistake to let the other units know I'm going to New Zealand. All I'm getting now is complaints. They should have shown some initiative like me with my long range exploration, insteading of sleeping in their counter boxes. Where were they when I advanced deep into the server room?

Rest assured Paul and PythonMagus that I will deal with these complaints, and hopefully you will not be bothered.

I received a complaint from Swordsmen SD 9. I have responded "Perhaps next time".

I received a complaint from Professional Spearmen PS 5. I have responded "If I could bring any unit it would be yours, unfortunately the logistics and long term bookings prevent a change of plans at short notice".

I received a complaint from Bowmen BW 4. I have responded "If you're going to fight over your bows you can stay at home until your learn some discipline".

I received a complaint from Militia Spearmen MS 7. I have responded "Do I really need to tell you what the chance is of a militia infantry unit travelling with a militia spearmen unit? You are pathetic. You look more scared than scary".

I received a complaint from Professional Pikemen PP 2. I have responded "I've said it before and I'll say it again, I have never understood where the professional comes from. Are you defending against sparrows?"

I received a complaint from Viking Fleet VF 3. I have responded "A whole fleet unit is a tad excessive. And I'm not sure that the boat will comply with the baggage requirements".

I received a complaint from Elephants EL 2. I have responded "You will be missed, however quarantine rules prevent your travel".

I received a complaint from Barbarian Infantry BI 19. I have responded "You are correct, I do owe you a favour. Let me see what I can do, especially if it is only the seven of you. I will need to speak to Mr Python".

And I even received a complaint from Militia Infantry MI 1. I have responded "No".

(I'm sorry about Eric's lack of proper attire. It tarnishes the good name of militia infantry everywhere. I shall write to him separately. And yes, Derek's helmet is a joke).

Counting Down #2. Two Weeks

At this time in two weeks, the Python and I will be airborne,  rapidly approaching New Zealand!

OSDC here we come.

Counting Down. Less than Four Weeks

At this time in four weeks, Python and I will be in Auckland at OSDC!

Favourite Aircraft

Favourite aircraft are these.

 

To Middle Earth Yoda wants to go.

Self Portraits

I thought we agreed that we would not put pictures of ourselves on the net?

Too late. Now that you have done yourself, I post a nice photo of Peter (right) and my humble self (left) at the Mensa conference in Paris a couple of years ago.

This was a great conference. We had hoped to visit some of the World War I battlegrounds afterwards, however Thygs had to rush up to Oslo to collect his Nobel prize in biochemistry. He always has been a party pooper.

150th Anniversary: Battle of Gettysburg 1-3 July 1863

Today is the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.

To all of the brave soldiers who perished in this terrible battle, I pray for your souls.

I congratulate the Americans for preserving the Gettysburg battlefield. Even today it is possible to walk the ground with a real understanding of what happened a century and a half ago, with numerous monuments marking important locations and events during the battle.

The little town of Gettysburg is one of those rare places that has hardly been changed by time, with many period buildings, some of which still bear bullet holes from the battle.

From the other side of the world, I remember.

 

The United States of America: A Love-Hate Relationship

Time for an over 50 rant. And to increase this website's ranking with the NSA.

I have a love-hate relationship with America.

I think this is about promise. The greatness and inspiration of what America and its history promised. And the fact that this promise has been so often broken.

I love the American constitution, which was a part inspiration for our own constitution. I hate the way America has trashed its constitution since 911 for no genuine reason. I really hate that most Americans don't know their own consitution. How can they value and defend what they don't know.

I love American people. I've always found Americans to be friendly, intelligent, humorous and above all generous. I even like their accents. I hate American politicians. They are so dishonest and so dishonourable and so dis-everything. They are even worse than our own politicians (which I didn't think was possible). I am perturbed by the street people who constantly ask for money, even in America's richest cities.

I love JFK's speeches and I love the way he delivered them. I don't like his personal life. I hate that he was assasinated. And I hate that this has never been properly investigated or explained.

I love American junk food (I prefer to call it comfort food). I love American serving sizes. Enough said.

I love American Civil War history, which is strange because I didn't like this period of history five years ago. I hate the bloodshed and the total futility of the Civil War and American Irish brigades fighting American Irish brigades. But I admire the courage of the Confederates and the sheer genius of the greatest Confederate generals. The victors always write the history afterwards.

I am not a fan of Abraham Lincoln, even though he is being particularly hagiographised (did I just invent a new word) at this time. I hate and despise slavery, but in the Civil War this was never the only issue and President Lincoln's 1863 Emancipation Proclamation which declared slaves in Confederate states to be free but not in Union states like Maryland did not show much courage or genuineness.

I hate the total hypocrisy and moral bankruptcy of American foreign policy. I hate that America has supported more dictators than any other nation since World War II. What part of defeating fascism did they not understand. I hate the pathetic American economic justifications for supporting vicious dictators and feudal regimes even today. I absolutely hate that dictators suddenly become an 'enemy of freedom and democracy' when their usefulness to America's corporate cartels has ended. Above all, when these dictators reach their 'use by' date I hate that America supports 'freedom fighters' and 'democratic rebels' (as if it's an episode of Star Wars) these very same 'rebels' use terrorism which America condemns elsewhere.  

I hate the militarisation of the American police. I hate the increasing use of the American military inside the United States. Great nations use their armed forces outside their borders and in defence. The Department of Homeland Security reminds me of nazi Gemany and it scares me. I love American military courage. I love the loyalty, initiative and determination of the average American officer and soldier. And I have not forgotten the American assistance in defending my nation against the Japanese. I deeply respect the American soldiers who died for my own country.

I love that America is full of overtly religious things. I love that Americans will sincerely and happily say that they are a Christian (even to a complete stranger) as a matter of course in ordinary conversion. I hate the immoral filth that is most of American television. They say that television is a window into hell. It may not be here, but it is in America.

I love American movies. I hate American movies.

I love that older American Catholic churches and their altars and statues were not destroyed after Vatican II. I love that Americans are sophisticated enough and  love beautiful things enough not to have ruined all their Churches after Vatican II. I love that America is a heartland of traditionalism. I love that many American religious are happy and proud to wear their religious habits in public. I hate that America is also a heartland of modernism. I hate that America is the spiritual home for feral nuns.

I love the American genius for science and technology. I love computers and jet aircraft and satellites and iPads and kindles and the internet and computer games and just about everything technological. But I hate microsoft. And I hate the total surveillance state that America appears to be 'one minute from midnight' from becoming. I hate that every email, website, phone call, text message and even what you type on your own computer is captured and stored somewhere. I hate that computer software always has a back door for a big brother I don't want.

I hate the mainstream American media. I hate that a handful of corporations own and control the vast majority of media outlets. I hate the shallow and manipulative propaganda that it pumps out. I love the American alternative media. I love that I am not alone in seeing the problems with America and that there are thousands of Americans waking up and speaking out, now more than ever.

I love the natural beauty of America's forests and parks. I adore giant redwood trees. I love that America has deserts and canyons and massive mountain ranges and snow that we don't have here. I hate the grime and soul destroying monotony of apartment ghettos in many of America's largest cities.

On this Queen's Birthday holiday in my own fair country I must say that I like the American republic. I love the absence of degenerate royals, inbred aristocracy and a fawning public. I love the idea of American egalitarianism and that any person can achieve success whatever their background. I hate the cult of personality, especially the preoccupation with useless and vacuous celebrities. I hate reality television.

And last (at least for now) I like ancient alients and modern aliens and UFOs. I like Roswell. Only in America.

I have been privileged to vist America twice in the last couple of years. I submit a very small selection of photographs taken on my visits:

 
These photographs say something about America. And about me.

May God bless America.

PS Of course I love America most of all because they invented PRESTAGS.