on that

I had the misfortune, last week, to enter one of the larger sorrow palaces. aka, Kmart.  Just reiterating that this was a month out from Christfest.  First thing to get all huffy and superior about was the sheer fkn weight of humanity in the place.  By that I mean head count, but it could equally be said about the actual weight of the humanity in question.  The place was literally packed with fat bogans, waddling around trying to find as many ways as possible to diminish their potential to meet the next mortgage repayment on the mcmansion (and the 89" tv, and the brand new 4WD, and the harvey norman furnishings).  I actually swore out loud at one point.  Imagine that, a thin (sacre blerrr!) hippy standing in aisle of crap #3, talking to herself about fucking ducks.  A startling and unexpected sight, and not what the fatsos were expecting to encounter on an otherwise culturally pure morning At The Shops.

Anyway, as I strode purposefully (sans waddle ... the lingua franca of kmart perambulations, apparently) to my destination, I happened to pass the lay by desk.  Now, I know youz'll probably have heard this whine before, but it must be repeated.  WTF!  I would hazard the guess that there were 30+  in the line, most of whom had trolleys overflowing with immense, hideously expensive plastic toys in boxes.  Again, WTF!  Here's a tip. If it's so far outside your budget that you need to pay it off, you probably shouldn't be buying it.  It was all very bizarre and arresting to the delicate sensibilities of a parental who feels unclean at the thought of forking out more than $200 for 10-15 gifts.

But wait, there's more.  Had to meet someone from the Big Smoke for lunch yesterday, and she picked the Satan Plaza as it was near her work related hobnobbery.  O.M.G.  each year I'm shocked anew.  A vast sea of undulating superfluous flesh.  And that was just inside.  Trying to get OUT of the carpark afterwards was for the birds.  I sat behind a line of late model 4WD for close to 40 minutes - containing XXL women and 'my family' stickers on rear windows.  Which brings to mind this - they're not truthful, are they?  The family stickers I mean.  They're stick figures of childlike innocents. Stick figures. Furthermore, you can't show a southern cross tatt on a stick arm.

and further furthermore ...

a timely reminder to resist the devils

Mc Donalds Protest The 7:30 Report

Also, this-

No Maccas in the Hills

Our website is:
http://www.burgeroff.org/

come visitxxx

I'll be indoors eating cakes with Nigella

incidentally, Nige is probably older than the orange beach lizard.  go the burkini!

summer starts in under two weeks. yay ....

What I did last Fri night....

...The guy who owns this store, about 10 minutes from the hills, is the guy who is going to build in the Dandenong Ranges. So we thought we'd pay him a visit....

the other end of the spectrum - circa late 60s

this is my all time favourite Nick song.  seems to fit with his demise, somehow, but at same time it just glows with warmth and gentle happiness.  despite his more recently popularity amongst the proletariat, I'll always adore this beautiful dead hippy poet boy.  they don't make these anymore, either.

spectacularly bad hair - spectacularly good song

this sort of classifies as an example of a bad 60's popster.  as regards hair and pantaloons, at least.  not to mention the keenly spied russian president on lead. the song absolves all sin, however.

Newspaper Review...

Just had to share...heeehee..my fave part? The question: Just when is someone going to ask Taylor Lautner to play a serial killer???

I'm seeing...'Son of Dexter...'

Star chemistry all but gone as franchise is finally bled dry

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/movies/star-chemistry-all-but-gone-as-franchise-is-finally-bled-dry-20121114-29cxb.html#ixzz2CEuwBHcw

Reviewer rating:
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
TWILIGHT: BREAKING DAWN - PART TWO
General (115 minutes)
"I'm never going to get enough of this. I mean, we never have to catch our breath or sleep or eat. How are we gonna stop?" That's the newly 'turned' Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) - or to use her married name, Bella Cullen - and she's talking, in case you hadn't guessed, about vampire sex.

Little in Breaking Dawn Part Two lives up to this memorable speech. Bella already looked set to live happily ever after at the end of the previous instalment of the interminable Twilight saga, which saw her happily married to her vampire boyfriend Edward (Robert Pattinson), the proud mother of a half-undead baby girl, and a full member of the creepy but nice-when-you-get-to-know-them Cullen clan.

This final instalment is something of an anti-climax, so to speak, though we do get to see Bella testing out the full range of her new powers, which include enhanced eyesight, super strength, and the ability to zip from one place to another like Speedy Gonzales.

The cartoonish portrayal of these abilities only adds to the film's warped, disjointed sense of space. The director Bill Condon piles on the close-ups while ensuring his leads spend as little time as possible in the same frame.

As a result, these supposedly passionate lovers show less chemistry than ever. Stewart, a talented but tense actress, still has problems expressing happiness or fulfilment; the reliably disengaged Pattinson sticks to downcast looks and smirks.

The third side of the romantic triangle used to be Taylor Lautner as Jacob the muscly werewolf, who has ceased to be any kind of rival for Bella's affections. Still, he hangs around like a loyal retainer, allowing Lautner to show off his ability to simulate various human emotions (how long before someone asks him to play a serial killer?).

After nearly two hours of padding, there's a laughable climactic battle sequence with heads shattering bloodlessly, Michael Sheen carrying on like Dr Evil, and giant wolves emerging from the shadows as if hoping to be immortalised on a T-shirt.

Of course, the Twilight films have always been bigger than life - the entire series is nakedly one big, operatic metaphor for the journey from adolescence to sexual maturity.

But at this point the journey is well and truly at an end. Melissa Rosenberg's script regularly falls back on campy, nudging in-jokes, placating the fans while acknowledging that the series has little left to offer.


Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/movies/star-chemistry-all-but-gone-as-franchise-is-finally-bled-dry-20121114-29cxb.html#ixzz2CEuqgO77

the Fancy Bogue

whilst hobnobbing over a bad cup of coffee this morning, one of the WOACAs mentioned having been incarcerated at 'girls night in' recently.  apparently it was peopled by moderately well heeled conservative types, ranging in age from about 30 to about 50.  the thing that stood out, apparently, was their titillation at the sight of a .. wait for it ... chocolate fountain (which is bad enough). but what really impressed was the fact that it was spewing a sort of mid-grey slurry of something only very loosely connected with actual chocolate.  better yet, they had strawberries to dip in same.  after a an hour or so marvelling at the dairy milk fountain, talk turned to cleaning products.  not a word of a lie. 

so here's the idea ... the aspirational bogan (such as this lot were) is still living in happy oblivion to the delights of chocolate containing any more than 20% cocoa.  also, they enjoy a good clean. 

Book Review - The Year of the Flood

Another book by Margaret Atwood, this is told in present tense, with flashbacks, from 2 point of view characters - one in first person, the other in 3rd person. Sounds shit - but it wasn't. The story is set in a far-fetched future, where:

• pharmaceutical companies produce both maladies & cures, unchecked by any authority
• Secret Burgers won't divulge the secret ingredients of their popular fastfoodstuffs, & the rate of vagabonds in the city coincidentally plummets
• the police force & army are privatised & sponsored by corporations
• religions interpret the bible to suit their own purposes

After an apocalyptic viral epidemic, the survivors are members of a religious commune, called The Gardeners, vegetarians whose purpose it is to grow organic foods & reduce, reuse & recycle. Radical! A top book, & topical to boot.

Festivals for the over Forties

Deckchairs, Tupperware cheese platters, chiller bags, pot bellies, vino, sunshine, intoxication, and 10 acres of MILFS (the latter being the description of James Reyne, not myself) made up the recent Day on the Green at a Brissy semi-rural winery on the weekend. School gate mums, council employees, hairdressers & accountants all put aside their tools of trade & fruits of loins to gather hillside & rock on to their fave bands of a youth long gone. The line up consisted of Boom Crash Opera, the poetic James Reyne, Baby Animals, the Angels, & my faves, Hoodoo Gurus. Kenny the toilet man could have upped the ratio of porta-loos to patrons, but aside from that, it was a chilled arvo.

The 2012 Shonky Awards

The 2012 Shonky Awards

more eye-tie pop wunnerfulness

this chick is just SO cool.  such knowing sauciness combined with such grace and elegance. nope, they just don't make popsters like they used to, mores the pity.  meanwhile, from a hoofers point of view - such eloquent hands!

would you like fries with that?

I lifted this wholesale from some blog about Intentional Communities in Australia.  thought it worth posting, in the light of the Anti-Maccas/Cittaslow thing.  The Common Ground cafe at Katoomba is probably the best cafe in Australia.  And I say that having visited only about half the country :p.  Seriously, though, it IS fabulous.  There's simply nothing like it anywhere for sheer personality and good vibes.  The staff are beautiful, calm, efficient and NEVER proselytize. and it's CHEAP, and it's HEALTHY.  Take that, Ronald !!!!

Twelve Tribes Community, Katoomba, NSW

Intentional communities are groups of people living together united by a willingness to share and co-operate, often sharing a belief or philosophy. While in the Blue Mountains recently I happened upon a community united by their religious belief. This was the Twelve Tribes, a ‘ Massianic’ community, which has spread from the US into many countries around the world. Now there are thousands of members, living in numerous smaller local communities. I found this description of their idea of community on their website:
‘ “Community” as we use the term means those who love one another so greatly that they are of one heart and mind, holding all things as common property, living together, taking their meals together, devoted to one another because they’re devoted to the One who saved them from death and misery.’

I found a their description in the WWOOF book as they accept volunteers, and went to drink a cup of mate in their cafe in Katoomba to have a chat. I talked with a vibrant, happy young woman called Simcha, which means ‘giver of joy’. This is not her original name but when she joined the community with her mother at the age of 5, she was given a Hebrew name, as all members are. Our conversation gave me a fascinating insight into their lives.
The Twelve Tribes is a fairly new religion, based on ancient beliefs and culture. They believe in God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Creator of all things. They say theirs is the original religion and they worship Yahshua, or Jesus.  The Twelve Tribes started having their meetings in 1975. Those who attended were Christians, deeply unhappy with the modern day practice of their religion, and they decided instead to practice in a ‘traditional and pure’ way that they believed God would have truly wanted. This soon grew into huge movement, and has now spread to Canada, Brazil, Argentina, UK, Germany and Australia with thousands of members. They believe in unity, in co-operation, in sharing, in forgiveness and caring for one another with love and compassion. Their way of life may seem quite old fashioned to us. They dress moderately and make their own clothing, they strongly believe in marriage, they often have traditional gender roles (although not as a rule), they home school their children and they live communally together.

So what is their community life like? Well, there are around 25 living in the Katoomba community right now and around 50 in their closest community on a 22 acre farm in Picton, NSW. They all live in a large house with many rooms. Families often have a room for the parents and a room for the children, and singles sometimes share in dormitories. The communal space and kitchen is shared, as are house keeping duties and cooking. They do not have a TV, and instead fill their time with more wholesome activities. Each morning they gather at 7am for a ritual of singing and dancing, sharing and reading. Simcha called the “heartbeat of our life”. The children are home schooled with a curriculum of both intellectual, creative and religious content. The teachers are members of the community, often parents.

Decision making does not seem to have any formal structure, but small-scale specific decisions are taken by those it is immediately relevant to, for e.g. the cafe team, or the household team. Larger decisions are taken by the whole group, but those who are deemed to possess higher wisdom i.e. the elders or those with more experience tend to have the final say. The others in the group put their trust in this wisdom. If any conflicts arise, they try to to deal with each scenario in a natural way as possible. They believe in solving issues, not leaving them. There are no rules as such, but general standards and a common knowledge of ‘what is right’. Talking with Simcha, I generally got a sense that this seemed to work well for them. She admitted that of course their community is not perfect, and there are often conflicts that arise, but that their deeper spiritual connection reminds them of their common purpose, and their need to seek a resolution. But I can’t help feeling a little uncomfortable with the apparent traditional patriarchal system of the hierarchy of the elders, particularly men. I feel we have moved beyond this, and this community seem to be stepping back in time.

Each community has an industry to support themselves, and this is usually a cafe. This not only supports the community financially but also acts as a meeting place for them to spread their message of God and love. This might sound a little contrived, but Common Ground cafe in Katoomba is hugely popular, and a mere 10 minutes after opening we were already being shuffled into the overflow section! Their food is delicious, wholesome and healthy and people really enjoy the warm, welcoming feel of the place. The profit made goes into paying for the upkeep of the community and the buildings, and other expenses. They are still paying mortgages on both the cafe and the residential buildings. No member earns a wage, but is expected to serve within the community, for example by working in the cafe or teaching the children. The community supports all their needs in exchange for this service. This is the most extreme case of communal living I have come across yet. The members do not receive a stipend or have their own spending money. They do not believe in idle consumerism, so if there is something they need, for example shoes or clothes, they ask the community to provide it. Simcha seemed very happy with this arrangement, and it seems as though those in charge of the finances are pretty reasonable should a member request something. This really is a step away from modern individualistic lifestyles where we all feel we need to earn our own money so we can buy our own stuff. They must truly put their full trust in the community.
I never imagined I would be so interested to write about a religious community but I really am. Even though I am not religious, in fact I have been positively anti-religion my whole life, it seems as though there is something here that many other communities have been lacking. They tick a lot of my boxes, to mention two: They have a strong community glue binding them all together which is their religious /spiritual belief, and they are self sufficient in supporting themselves with their own small industry. Not only this but they practice a simple, non-consumeristic lifestyle where love and compassion are at the forefront of everything they do. Our host Simcha positively glowed with love, and the others who greeted us were warm, pleased to stop and chat and welcoming. It is not often I have been welcomed in this way into a community.

The glue. The key to community is the glue. The stuff that binds us together! And the glue doesn’t need to be a religion, it just needs to be a common belief, a common goal which we all share. Many communities I have visited seem to be lacking this binding factor. Yes we all want to live together. Yes we want to reduce our environmental impact. Yes we want our kids to grow up with other children and with support from other families. But is this enough? When the kids get older, the families drift apart. When a dispute arises, the community splits. When house prices in the area rise, many sell up to make a tidy profit. I’ve seen all this. I’m not saying that this is the case across the board, I’m only saying it can happen. Now if a community were to set out its very specific common beliefs, what really lies at the heart of them all, they would have something to live together FOR. The people in Twelve Tribes don’t live together for the sake of living together, their living together is only a side product of their religious beliefs. In Victoria, the members of Common Ground Community Co-operative are together because they believe in working towards social change. This is their glue. A farm. A co-operative. A not-for-profit. A specific spiritual practice. An environmental issue. These can all be ways in which communities bind themselves together. This way when conflicts do arise, there is a good incentive for sorting them out! There is more at stake, more to risk. Now there is plenty of press about Twelves Tribes. There are many stories out there about the negative side of the community; they are even called a cult and accused of putting pressure on vulnerable people and attempting to brainwash potential members into joining. But I don’t want to explore these issues, nor am I ignoring them. I simply want to share what it is I found so fascinating about them.

hammer time

...We dont usually post piccys of ourselves on here, but this made it to our local paper and I couldnt resist. There weere many many more of us there, all singing a song by a local songwriter Brian Baker. Speshly love my husbands sarspadiddly expression & my son blocking his ears....the little girl playing harp is just divine. No Maccas, No! Will post the video of everyone once its done

Whats with our back ground at the mo?

Symbolic of our nation's dentention centres/ concentration camps' renaissance?

Murrundindi - Welcome to Country Smoking Ceremony Tecoma 2012

Very excited this week to have been able to invite the Ngurungaeta of the Wurundheri Nation to join us in our Maccas struggle. Here's footage of his Welcome to Country on Sunday. If you look closely you'll notice our local wizard hanging out in the backgroud :D