thEy dOn't mAkE Em likE thEy UsEd tO

it’s bEEn A hEAvy wEEk.
At 8.02Am On fridAy mOrning i cOppEd thE nEws Of michAEl jAcksOn’s dEAth.
it sEEmEd kind Of EArly fOr A tExt mEssAgE - Michael Jackson! Can’t believe it! – fOllOwEd shOrtly thErEAftEr by AnOthEr – Michael Jackson is dead – And AnOthEr, And sO On.
As i scOUrEd thE intErnEt fOr cOnfirmAtiOn i cAmE AcrOss cOUntlEss tribUtEs And ExprEssiOns Of lOvE & grAtitUdE.

it wAs OvErwhElming.
sO mAny pEOplE fEEling sUch An AcUtE sEnsE Of lOss.
thE sAdnEss Of lOsing A lOvEd OnE - OrdinArily A vEry privAtE And pErsOnAl ExpEriEncE – On blAst. thE whOlE wOrld hEld its brEAth fOr A mOmEnt As thE mEdiA cOnfirmEd thAt michAEl hAd tAkEn his lAst. And thEn thE cOllEctivE rEspOnsE tO his UntimEly dEAth... wOw... nOthing shOrt Of ExtrAOrdinAry.
i wOn’t gEt intO All Of my pErsOnAl michAEl jAcksOn AnEcdOtEs bUt lEt’s jUst sAy thAt thrillEr wAs my first AlbUm EvEr And yEs i did rOck An MJ vinyl discO bAg in thE 80s. thE wOrld OvEr pEOplE hAvE stOriEs likE minE. yOU cOUld bE blAzing jUnglE trAils thrOUgh thE AmAzOn, didgEridOO jAmmin in thE AUstrAliAn OUtbAck Or sAving pOlAr bEArs in thE Arctic... whErEvEr yOU gO thE nAmE michAEl jAcksOn mEAns sOmEthing. it’s hArd gEtting my hEAd ArOUnd hOw OnE pErsOn cAn mAkE sUch A dEEp cUltUrAl impAct. sUch A rich mUsicAl lEgAcy... trUly phEnOmEnAl. trAcing thE timElinE Of michAEl’s lifE - frOm thE hUmblE bEginnings Of thE jAcksOn 5 tO his dynAmic risE tO stArdOm And thE mEdiA circUs thAt his lifE bEcAmE - lEAvEs mE fEEling inspirEd by his gEniUs bUt At thE sAmE timE dEspOndEnt On AccOUnt Of thE tOll thAt cElEbrity tOOk On him. in mAny wAys hE is A prOdUct Of OUr timEs – pOstEr bOy fOr thE mUlti-billiOn dOllAr ExcEssEs Of A mUsic indUstry All tOO rEAdy tO rEpAckAgE rAw tAlEnt intO whAtEvEr fOrmAt is mOst pAlAtAblE fOr mAss cOnsUmptiOn. if thE trUth bE knOwn, thEsE dAys rAw tAlEnt isn’t EvEn A nEcEssAry pOint Of dEpArtUrE. sOUl? nO... sOld.

nOw... my lAmEnt fOr thE king Of pOp brings mE tO thE crUx Of thE dilEmmA thAt’s bEEn bUgging mE lAtEly. At thE risk Of sOUnding A whOlE lOt mOrE prEhistOric thAn i Am... thEy jUst dOn’t mAkE Em likE thEy UsEd tO.
Or if i might rEvisE this AdAgE... thE prOblEm is in thE mAking. bAck in thE dAy EvErything wAs lEss mAnUfActUrEd And cOntrivEd. if sOmEOnE cOUld sing & dAncE, yOU wOUld stick thEm On A stAgE And wAtch thEm sing & dAncE. nOw it’s 2009 – thE AgE Of mAdE in chinA, drivE thrOUgh mEAls And digitAl sOlUtiOns. thE Air is tEEming with invisiblE infOrmAtiOn, nAtUrE stAvEd Off with bOtOx & silicOnE, pEOplE sOciAlisEd in cybEr spAcE And mOrAl cOdEs ArticUlAtEd in dOllAr vAlUEs. nOthing is As it wAs.

i cAmE AcrOss A cOUplE Of fAmily hEirlOOms rEcEntly. twO hAnd pAintEd plAqUEs thAt my grAndfAthEr hAd mAdE bAck in thE fiftiEs; hE mAdE his living As A sign writEr. i AlwAys thOUght his jOb sOUndEd likE sO mUch fUn. i nEvEr hAd A chAncE tO mEEt my mOthEr’s fAthEr. hE diEd frOm A hEArt AttAck whEn shE wAs qUitE yOUng. thE pAir Of plAqUEs wErE mAdE with A crAftsmAnship, A stEAdy hAnd And A pAtiEncE thAt in 2009 sEEms rEdUndAnt. sAd tO wAtch simplE plEAsUrEs mAkE wAy fOr prOfit-drivEn, high-tEch EfficiEncy. rEflEcting On thE AntiqUity, thE impErfEctiOn And thE chArm Of thEsE kEEpsAkEs lEAvEs mE wOndEring whAt cOmpArAblE trEAsUrEs my dEscEndAnts might hOpE tO stUmblE UpOn whEn i Am nO lOngEr Of this EArth. i hAvE tO sAy it’s nOt lOOking sO crAsh hOt right nOw. Of cOUrsE i’ll kEEp thAt thrillEr LP AsidE fOr thEm... And thErE is EvidEncE thAt i knOw my wAy ArOUnd A sEwing mAchinE... i dO in fAct hAvE A cAchE Of fAmily phOtOs (nOt jUst digitAl filEs... prints!) And my vintAgE Art cOllEctiOn will pUt A smilE On sOmEOnE’s fAcE fOr sUrE tOO. bUt rEAlly i gUEss thE mOrAl tO this stOry is thAt wE might dO OUrsElvEs A fAvOUr by slOwing things dOwn A littlE. bE sElf-mAdE with lOvE And EvEr wAry Of cOmprOmisEs pAssEd in thE nAmE Of prOgrEss.

bOys, tOys n tErrOrism

While images and accusations of terrorism feature prominently in the mainstream media, a universally agreed upon definition of terrorism evades us. This is due in part to the subjective nature of describing terrorism. As American political critic Chomsky points out “It’s hard to craft a definition of terror that applies solely to the terror that they carry out against us and our clients, but excludes the terror (often far worse) that we and our clients carry out against them.” The us/them dichotomy referred to here is a crucial consideration in observing and understanding how issues of terrorism are addressed in the public sphere. Political discussion of terrorism is often scripted in unconditional terms of good versus evil to engender moral panic. The profit-driven media amplify the pitch of panic to shape the debate further. Little attention is paid to the cause of conflict and absolute attention is paid to the effect. From this reactionary position politicians can assign blame to an ominous ‘other’ and be absolved of accountability. Although every conflict or dispute has two sides, through the smokescreen of moral panic the public is informed by fear rather than rationale. This atmosphere of vulnerability is the ideal condition for the state to step in to restore ‘order’ and thus maintain hegemony amidst a sense of crisis.
In the media coverage of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the USA in 2001, then President George W Bush announced unequivocally “You’re either on our side or you’re on the side of the terrorists”. Rather than exploring the possible causes of this thing we call terrorism and seeking out a peaceful solution the Bush administration’s reaction was to indict the speculative Islamic ‘other’ and declare a ‘War on Terror’; a “facile polarization which demonizes dissent and muzzles critical debate.” (New Internationalist) This public crusade against terrorism instilled fear and triggered devout patriotism in Americans and bolstered the President's approval rating to an unprecedented 90%.
While the history of terrorism dates back beyond the inception of the modern nation-state, the September 11 attacks immediately took the title of the largest and most notorious act of terrorism in modern history. The world looked on in awe at saturated media coverage of Islamic terrorists in hijacked civilian airliners attacking the Pentagon and the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. In response to the September 11 attacks the United Nations defined terrorism as “criminal acts, including against civilians, committed with the intent to cause death or serious bodily injury, or taking of hostages, with the purpose to provoke a state of terror in the general public or in a group of persons or particular persons, intimidate a population or compel a government or an international organization to do or to abstain from doing any act.”
From this and other similar definitions of terrorism, parallels can be drawn between acts of terrorism, dissent, war, state-sponsored terrorism, rebellion and separatism. Human conflict that results in violence is an unfortunate tendency in all societies. The us/them political discourse pertaining to terrorism deems certain methods (their methods) of violence unacceptable even though U.S. Foreign Policy has a long history of supporting, financing and inspiring state terrorism in Asia, South America and the Middle East.
The scale and spectacle of the September 11 attacks gave a dramatic visual representation of terrorism. Public anxiety and vulnerability escalated as the footage of the attacks was aired countless times. Like civilians in a war zone, American citizens felt vulnerable to the threat of terrorism. Though the likelihood of further attacks was unknown “fear and paranoia were mined by the usual array of right-wing militants, ‘security experts’, knee-jerk patriots and academic hacks from corporate-funded think tanks.” (New Internationalist)
I was living in New York at the time and in the months following the attacks the city was stifled by uncertainty and distrust. As revisions were made to the death toll, the President waxed lyrical with a spurious rhetoric of weapons of mass destruction and commercial TV and radio broadcasts transmitted misguided propaganda. The Department of Homeland Security implemented a colour-coded system for measuring and communicating the terrorist threat level in the U.S. Every time an Amber Alert was announced duct tape sales would surge as the credulous masses prepared to seal their windows. And though there were no successive attacks in New York I was bombarded with daily Threat Condition warnings. Discussion of an “Axis of Evil” dominated the media and a spate of racist attacks against Muslim Americans stirred the melting pot.
The fear and ambivalence that New Yorkers felt, and indeed the entire Western world felt, was a natural response to tragedy and conflict. Fear breeds vulnerability and vulnerability in turn provides a window of opportunity for the hegemonic institutions of government and media to manipulate public perception to the tune of dominant ideology. Where people lack experience on which to make a judgement, they accept the dominant ideology. By focusing attention on fear tactics and retaliation the state reinforces it’s role as defender and avenger. Terrorism and counter-terrorism end up shadow-boxing in a theatre of cruelty which by its nature reduces active citizens to fearful, anxious spectators. Meanwhile the underlying lines of power and control remain undisturbed.

pAris... yOU hAd mE At bOnjOUr

it wAs A whirlwind 4-dAy dEbUt in thE city Of lights And bOy wAs it swEEt sEdUctiOn. At OncE i wAs EnAmOUrEd with thE wAy Of living & Of bEing. sO mUch tO AbsOrb, tO hEAr, tO sEE, tO fEEl, tO smEll, tO tAstE, tO lEArn... sO littlE timE.
bUt nO rOOm fOr rEgrEt fOr if pAris tAUght mE OnE thing AbOvE All it is thAt qUAlity dOEs indEEd rEign sUprEmE OvEr mcqUAntity. wOrking with A shOEstring bUdgEt i nEvEr OncE fElt likE i wAs missing OUt On Anything. i didn’t nEEd tO indUlgE in dOm pÉrignOn And fOiE grAs Or drOp A fOrtUnE On thE chAmps-ÉlysÉEs tO gEt whAt i gOt OUt Of pAris. sOmE Of thE bEst mOmEnts i ExpEriEncEd in pAris wErE frEE.
sitting by thE sEinE On A wArm spring AftErnOOn drinking frEnch winE with friEnds - windOw shOpping On winding cObblEstOnE rUEs dOttEd with dUsty Old bOOk shOps And vintAgE clOthing spOts - wAtching ElEgAnt wOmEn in sidEwAlk cAfEs sUcking At cigArs - sAmpling frOmAgE At thE mArkEt – EnjOying thE simplE & timElEss mOdE Of pAssing frEnch fAshiOnistAs.
it wAs All i cOUld dO jUst tO hOld bAck frOm singing All mAry-pOppins-likE “thEsE ArE A fEw Of my fAvOUritE things.”

And thOUgh cOnspicUOUs cOnsUmptiOn wAs nOt On thE AgEndA i did wAnt tO find A littlE piEcE Of pAris thAt i cOUld sqUEEzE in my sUitcAsE And tAkE AwAy with mE. A littlE sOmEthing tO rEmind mE Of my 3-night stAnd with thE rOmAncE cApitAl. thE EUrO wAs flExing And mAking intimidAting fAcEs At thE US dOllAr At thE timE sO i wAsn’t in A grEAt pOsitiOn tO spEnd. i hAd tO chOOsE wisEly.

dOnE sipping On my silky cAfE AU lAit, i spEnt dAy 3 wAndEring ArOUnd lE mArAis. OUtsidE An Old chUrch A crEw Of hipstErs ArmEd with A whOlE lOttA brAss wErE stylEd Up in blUE And gOld And rOcking jAzz stAndArds. Only in pAris! AftEr A fEw pitstOps... qUichE hErE... winE thErE... i fOUnd my littlE tOkEn Of pAris.

mAdE in pAris dEpUis 1936... clAssic whitE lEAthEr snEAkErs... cAptUring thAt qUintEssEntiAl frEnch stylE... spring cOUrts. i fElt likE cindErEllA As i slippEd On my nEw kicks... vOilA... missiOn AccOmplishEd!

At thE timE i knEw nOthing AbOUt spring cOUrts. All i nEEdEd tO knOw wAs thAt thEy wErE frEnch And thAt thEy wOUld rEmind mE Of pAris. fAst fOrwArd tO jUst A fEw wEEks AgO whEn i mEt A friEnd fOr lUnch And thE first thing shE sAid wAs “nicE spring cOUrts”. A cOmplimEnt’s A cOmplEmEnt And i tAkE whAt i cAn gEt sO wE End Up hAving A littlE spring cOUrt cOnvO. sAid friEnd gOEs On tO tEll mE thAt thE shOEs thAt i’m wEAring – thE sAmE shOEs which fOr A yEAr nOw hAvE bEEn my mnEmOnic link tO pAris – ArE thE ExAct sAmE shOEs thAt jOhn lEnnOn And yOkO OnO wOrE thE dAy thAt thEy wErE mArriEd. it rEAlly dOEsn’t gEt Any bEttEr thAn thAt. litErAlly in thE sAmE shOEs As twO Of thE crEAtivE And philOsOphicAl hErOEs Of OUr timE. nOw i knOw it’s jUst A pAir Of shOEs... i hOpE i dOn’t cOmE Off likE sOmE kind Of mAtEriAlist cAUsE i’m jUst nOt... bUt i lOvE lOvE lOvE thE synchrOnicity Of it All.

wOrds

"thE idEAls which hAvE lightEd my wAy, And timE AftEr timE hAvE givEn mE nEw cOUrAgE tO fAcE lifE chEErfUlly, hAvE bEEn kindnEss, bEAUty & trUth. thE tritE sUbjEcts Of hUmAn EffOrts, pOssEssiOns, OUtwArd sUccEss & lUxUry hAvE AlwAys sEEmEd tO mE cOntEmptiblE."
AlbErt EinstEin

QF107 sydnEy > NY viA LA

thErE is sOmEthing strAngEly bEAUtifUl AbOUt AirlinE mEAls.
pErfEctly pOrtiOnEd & rAtiOnEd sErvings Of thE vAriOUs fOOd grOUps dElivErEd in EfficiEntly cOmpArtmEntAlisEd rAmEkins & rEcyclEAblE cOntAinErs.

thE sAlAd is mOrE Of An ElAbOrAtE gArnish.
thE prE-pAckAgEd sprinklE Of sAlt.
thE pEtitE 187ml plAstic winE bOttlE with OnE pErsOn in mind.
thE splAsh Of sAlAd drEssing.
thE mEAsUrEd hint Of swEEtnEss tO sAvE fOr lAst.

i ApprOAch EAch "sEctiOn" Of my mEAl with sUch fOcUs...
it's AlmOst ritUAlistic.
OpErAting in A limitEd spAcE & wOrking with dispOsAblE tOOls - i cAlcUlAtE my gAmE plAn. As i scAn my trAy frOm OnE cOrnEr tO thE nExt with qUiEt cUriOUsity i Am rEAssUrEd by its bAlAncE & simplicity.
thErE is nO tUrbUlEncE hErE
A pErfEctly timEd EnqUiry frOm A sUitAbly pOlitE & impEccAbly grOOmEd flight AttEndAnt...
"wOUld yOU likE sOmE cOffEE mAAm?"
OnE glAncE At my still-sEAlEd shOt Of milk And thE sAchEt Of sUgAr And i AccEpt grAciOUsly. this mAy nOt bE thE finEst cOlOmbiAn blEnd bUt it dOEs indEEd cOmplEtE thE sEqUEncE.
20-30 Odd minUtEs Of distrActiOn frOm thE fAct thAt i Am 10,058 milEs AbOvE thE OcEAn bEing hUrlEd AcrOss timEzOnEs, hEmisphErEs And dAtElinEs.