John Fitzpatrick. About New China, the Koreas, Myanmar, Thailand, and also about Japanese and Chinese writers and poets. The main emphasis is on North Asia and the political tectonics of this very important, powerful, and many-peopled area.
Monday, 30 January 2017
I don't think Trump is likely to be assassinated. Obama was a far more hated figure to most folk who owned guns (and bibles) in the US and Obama got through 8 years unscathed. I expected Trump will do so too. And if one did knock off Trump, you'd have Pence as President a straight down the line ambitious bright Christian Republican, and who wants that? That's worse. Give Trump his 4 or 8 elected years I'd say. people did vote for him because most hated the way things were, that's true. So let's see if things improve. Principles of democracy in action.
very Funny stuff.: Australian Prime Minister to Trump: Please continue with our agreement for 200 refugees we have locked up in prisons on pacific islands (all found to be very good refugees by legitimate international standards) to be sent to the USA... Trump: Of course we agree but we do not diminish our right to deny access to a percentage of them...up to 100%...but we do agree, of course... Australian Govt: We have an agreement! Yah! All these people have been vetted by the pre-Trump govt. Trump: Yes, so they will all have to be re-vetted now under much more severe criteria...but everyone of them, apart from males, or men, children, or families, should be fine, but then, that depends...and we haven't worked that out yet...but sure, the agreement is solid. Australian Govt: YAaah!
Melbourne is changing. House across the road, 4 bed, 2 bathroom, 20 years old, cream double brick, 2 garages.big. Nice looking house. This morning, they tore it down to make way for a bigger 2 storey mansion type house. Like the house we live in, there was nothing wrong with the house they tore down. Remember when people used to buy house to live in? This is an old expensive established area with some brilliant houses more like citadels built 1920s etc They seem to stay, but anything from the 60s...I guess they weren't great design years, they seem to just be bulldozed. The unfortunate thing is that the new mansions that replace them take up so much space there's no room for gardens and yards etc. Still, as Mr Dylan noted sometime back..."Hey the Vice President's gone mad..where? Downtown, when, last night...Well, that's too bad...nothing I can do about it, just something else I'll have to forget...then I went and checked the line to see if the clothes were still wet."
Sunday, 29 January 2017
I see the Australian Prime Minister is on a furtive phone call today to Mr Trump asking him to PLEASE accept 200 refugees from Iraq/Iran etc currently being held on a Pacific Island nearby as prisoners... the deal was worked out with President Obama but he's not there any more. The deal is to trade 200+ Iraqis/Iranian genuine refugees for 200+ Central Americans the USA certainly does not want, and will not allow...and wouldn't accept even under Obama. The notion is that this deal will show that Australia is a kind country...even though the Australian Govt hasn't really mentioned we will be receiving the 200+ Central Americans to the Australian public. Soo, 200 genuine refugees to be swapped with 200+ non-acceptable, non-genuine Central American refuge seekers who never wanted to come here...hmmm. Now there's a plan.
Friday, 27 January 2017
Young People grow up more beautiful and their parents grow older and dull and repetitious. Unfortunately, as the leader of all the cats in the world said..."Our war on string may be unwinnable." Things are as they should be. Happy New Year. And, yes, Madonna, who always wanted to be disgusting, well, now, yes, she is.
Mrs Fitzpatrick attending to preparations for Chinese New Year...So intricate...and so important...ten ingredients in the salad as ten is important, it is a number of completion...no chicken as its not good on New Years Eve, fish is good. Prawns, sure, pork, absolutely, but not chicken. I learn slowly. the fish is barramundi from local chinese seafood market...fresh from either australia or thailand who grow very good barramundi these days... the salad is bamboo root, fungus, celery and 7 other things. Later on Mrs Fitz will make dumplings for midnight as the shape of dumplings indicate the shape of traditional chinese gold ingots, thus attracting good fortune. Learning as I go. Amazing. I am a fortunate man through no good deeds of my own that spring to mind. So, I am appreciative indeed.
All in all, I am appreciative of my life, of having life etc but I do cower away from the notion of somehow being grateful for life. What kind of sycophant wanker does that? We should give a nod to what we appreciate, I think, but we shouldn't just go overboard about it all. After all, life isn't everything.
Beautiful afternoon here. Sun on the green leaves in the trees in the yard, moderate climate, hot sun, cool shade. It has been said that Nature should really design the world as people design the best golf courses, and I agree...except, it should be the best backyards.This one is lovely. One doesn't have to own a golf course, nor a back yard. The important thing is occupying it for awhile and smelling the sunshine that only falls in that yard in particular.
One of the things about both being 63 and having an old complex trauma-PTSD from age 9 is that every now and then my mythical Egyptian Minor-Deity, Phil, the Dog, puts on a black coat and becomes the tedious, generic, Black Dog of Depression, and roams about the place and he is a dark critter indeed in that get-up. At the same time, he is so well known to me over the many decades that he has a name...Black Phil. It's amazing that even though all is going pretty damn well, the weather great, the family fine, that Black Phil turns up and I guess it is to be expected after moving house to a very different and new environment, new challenges etc. A big adjustment often smacks of some disorder or syndrome response, naturally enough, and it all takes quite some time, and it is very bleak, to be sure. One of the consolations of having such an intimate knowledge of Black Phil, is that, one day, should I die in Melbourne, in this most liveable of cities, Black Phil will die also. I remain happy to be alive and optimistic, and sometimes funny, and curious, in my own way. Black Phil is a cunt of a dog, but he is deeply acknowledged within, and even respected, and sometimes when acknowledged, and personally respected, he doesn't make such a awful mess of me. "I'm feeling better now" I said. "I'm sorry about that." "Why do you say that?" I asked and Black Phil responded (echoing Austin Powers): "I'm sorry that bug up your arse had to die." Happy New Year Comrades! JAIYO!
One of the things about both being 63 and having an old complex trauma-PTSD from age 9 is that every now and then my mythical Egyptian Minor-Deity, Phil, the Dog, puts on a black coat and becomes the tedious, generic, Black Dog of Depression, and roams about the place and he is a dark critter indeed in that get-up.
At the same time, he is so well known to me over the many decades that he has a name...Black Phil.
It's amazing that even though all is going pretty damn well, the weather great, the family fine, that Black Phil turns up and I guess it is to be expected after moving house to a very different and new environment, new challenges etc. A big adjustment often smacks of some disorder or syndrome response, naturally enough, and it all takes quite some time, and it is very bleak, to be sure.
One of the consolations of having such an intimate knowledge of Black Phil, is that, one day, should I die in Melbourne, in this most liveable of cities, Black Phil will die also.
I remain happy to be alive and optimistic, and sometimes funny, and curious, in my own way.
Black Phil is a cunt of a dog, but he is deeply acknowledged within, and even respected, and sometimes when acknowledged, and personally respected, he doesn't make such a awful mess of me.
At the same time, he is so well known to me over the many decades that he has a name...Black Phil.
It's amazing that even though all is going pretty damn well, the weather great, the family fine, that Black Phil turns up and I guess it is to be expected after moving house to a very different and new environment, new challenges etc. A big adjustment often smacks of some disorder or syndrome response, naturally enough, and it all takes quite some time, and it is very bleak, to be sure.
One of the consolations of having such an intimate knowledge of Black Phil, is that, one day, should I die in Melbourne, in this most liveable of cities, Black Phil will die also.
I remain happy to be alive and optimistic, and sometimes funny, and curious, in my own way.
Black Phil is a cunt of a dog, but he is deeply acknowledged within, and even respected, and sometimes when acknowledged, and personally respected, he doesn't make such a awful mess of me.
"I'm feeling better now" I said.
"I'm sorry about that."
"Why do you say that?" I asked
and Black Phil responded (echoing Austin Powers): "I'm sorry that bug up your arse had to die."
"I'm sorry about that."
"Why do you say that?" I asked
and Black Phil responded (echoing Austin Powers): "I'm sorry that bug up your arse had to die."
Happy New Year Comrades! JAIYO!
Wednesday, 25 January 2017
Well, the Australian of the Year has been announced and he seems to be moderately worthy, I guess. Some kind of scientist involved in some kind of ... science. Good for him. Still, I would have preferred it be me, or maybe Wanyi, Ellie, Bonnie, or Viv, or Eileen, or Richard, or Penny, or Coral, or Siobhan, or Jordy, or Sarah, or Florence, or my brother Laurie, or my nephew James, or Ivy Rose, or Heidi, or Deb, or Sarah or Katie . I really don't know what is wrong with these judges. What were they thinking? It will take a long, long time to fix up Australia, that's for sure.
The winner, after me and my brother Laurie, should have been our nephew, James Fitzpatrick.
It is interesting to note that it was China who first said "Trump will win" not based upon what was good or bad for China, but simply based upon the highest quality scientific analysis of the situation. They are doing this all the time, analysing every country, but mostly analysing China. They have more people, and much brighter people, analysing the Australian economy than Australia has. They know what is coming for Australia because they have bothered to invest in knowledge rather than in political rhetoric...and they make very good decisions based upon their analysis rather than upon our outlook, or what we say or what we do in the short, medium, or long term. Because they have this massive amount of knowledge about us, it may be useful, for Australia, to be close to them rather than to plan how to bring them down. They don't need us, but we as a small people, do need them...and we do need their knowledge. You don't get that knowledge by having a US Military Strike force based in Darwin with the sole purpose of stopping China trading ...with us.... That's not how you do business with China. America, as the only Super Power on earth, can fuck around with China, for sure, but we can't do that because we are not a world super power. We are where we are, an entire nation with a population less than one major Chinese city.
Noting Mr Obama's comment about rural Americans...'they cling to their guns and their bibles...' the kind of thing any hip 21st century cerebral city person would say, and it's true. Still, they clung to their guns and their bibles, and they won. Because they won, with America being the only Super Power there is, the world will change a bit. Some folk will like it and some folk won't.
Not having cable/foxtel tv here by choice, it is interesting how my news-seeking habits have changed. I still haven't resorted to watching Australian television but have found the internet quite useful in just updating things as days go by. One of the truths underlying the massive global '24 hour news cycle' in all the news broadcasters, is that there's not really many people there at all. Stories are bought by one source from another etc...much cheaper than having reporters yourself etc, or investigating anything.....and on it goes. Without access to TV CNN or Fox or BBC you do miss out on a lot of talking heads sprouting rhetoric and various dooms etc, but you don't really miss out on anything of importance...except how important each news service keeps saying it is. Concerns about fake news? I'd suggest about 90% of it is always fake, because fake is cheaper...and people prefer it.
Tuesday, 24 January 2017
I think that in the great scheme of things, as you get older, you start to like yourself more. No one else has to. You just end up being yourself as best you can be yourself. This is one of the very satisfying things about not knocking oneself off at 18...although, if you really want to, of course you can, no harm done. It isn't a race. The rest of the life-demands on the individual, be they physical, mental or spiritual, are simply someone else's demands of us, and as usual, always advertising for some kind of profit to them. Find your own way. That's the only way. Don't worry about Meaning, it comes and goes, like the breeze. You mean as much, if not more, than anyone who has ever ever lived. That comes with you being you. It is granted in that brief light and warmth of mortal conception. You belong.
Saturday, 21 January 2017
Modern Times
I think the problem with our understanding of the various cancers is that we don't understand their purpose, and we refuse to.
The Cancers are normal and essential for the future survival of the human species.
Cancers are not something that goes wrong within a body, they are simply catalysts for the future of the species.
Some are bad, some are good. Cancers are evolution at work. Cancers are Nature.
I think this is an interesting position for someone who has worked in that area for a lifetime.
My genetic stream doesn't include cancers, my genetics are purely cardiac. My life will reach its end due to the impact of my heart-genetics in the scheme of things...that is normal. That is quite good.
Cardiac is another realm of evolution at work every day.
These diseases all make sense when one looks beyond the self for meaning.
Dementia, too, makes sense in the holy human paradigm.
The human body and mind is always at the behest of nature, being bended through physical and mental illness, towards a long time viability of the collective.
I wonder if it is somehow still wrong to say what one thinks.
I accept that these are our Modern Times, to us, but I can't accept that these times are in any way Enlightened Times. Enlightenment does not involve refusal to accept Humanity as it is.
It was good to watch the US Presidential Inauguration as a historical event. I recall watching the initial inauguration of Barak Obama when he said 'Change has come to America'. Looking back, I guess, little did he know that the change would, in fact, be Donald Trump. It appears as though the USA is going into a relatively Isolationist mode which I think is a very good thing for America, firstly, and for the rest of us. Although I would have preferred a Socialist Bernie Sanders as US President, I still think Trump may be very good for America. He is, essentially, an "American President" and his interests seem to be, in prime focus, at home, which is great for everyone else. I wish the Americans well in the country of their own making.
It was good to watch the US Presidential Inauguration as a historical event.
I recall watching the initial inauguration of Barak Obama when he said 'Change has come to America'.
Looking back, I guess, little did he know that the change would, in fact, be Donald Trump.
It appears as though the USA is going into a relatively Isolationist mode which I think is a very good thing for America, firstly, and for the rest of us.
Although I would have preferred a Socialist Bernie Sanders as US President, I still think Trump may be very good for America. He is, essentially, an "American President" and his interests seem to be, in prime focus, at home, which is great for everyone else.
I wish the Americans well in the country of their own making.
I recall watching the initial inauguration of Barak Obama when he said 'Change has come to America'.
Looking back, I guess, little did he know that the change would, in fact, be Donald Trump.
It appears as though the USA is going into a relatively Isolationist mode which I think is a very good thing for America, firstly, and for the rest of us.
Although I would have preferred a Socialist Bernie Sanders as US President, I still think Trump may be very good for America. He is, essentially, an "American President" and his interests seem to be, in prime focus, at home, which is great for everyone else.
I wish the Americans well in the country of their own making.
Wednesday, 18 January 2017
I recall reading an auto-biographical note by the superb humorist, Spike Milligan, recalling, in World War 2, as a UK soldier being in an open caboose on a train at the top of a high mountain in the Middle East when the train driver was shot and the train rolled fast backwards down the steep incline into a steep murderous valley whilst he was being shot at by the Enemy. His comment: "Roll on, brave new bloody world, roll on". Now, I have used this comment a few times in my life at various intersections. The important thing was that , although he had a great sense of humour about life on earth, he, following this event, through surviving it, developed an even better one.
Tuesday, 17 January 2017
I'm sorry I dropped off the screen during the odyssey from Cairns to Melbourne but half way through I left my coffee maker in the hotel...
So we are in Melbourne now, and it is good to be in better weather and within 7 miles of the cbd of a city, a basically happy and liveable city of around 4 million.
Wednesday, 11 January 2017
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