MURDOCH BARISTA BASHING BRIGADE LASH LATTE LOVERS

Murdoch newspapers appear to  have an absolute  obsession  about  latte drinkers , making out  that  imbibers of  such  stimulants are  lacking in some way- effete, wimps , ABC/SBS reporters , tree hugging greenies et cetera , et cetera . In the  case of  the Northern Territory News , it  frequently   railed  against southern   latte sipping  journalists  , particularly  those in  Sydney , especially those  who  they scoffed had been no further  north  than  the seaside suburb of  Manly .  Not   only  ordinary  moo  juice   latte  imbibers ,  but  soy  milk , lo-cal ,   latte  guzzlers...a  clear  indication  of   their   inferiority . The  paper's frequent  mocking of  latte drinkers  is  responsible  for  the cup of  latte  in   this  blog's masthead   illustration .

 

Just recently , another  windy nag in the Murdoch  stable, The Townsville Bulletin , ran yet another  Sydney Telegraph- like story ( the editor  recently came from there )  about  a  campaign to get latte drinking  southerners  to  move  to   the   city  and   settle . 

 

Smart    Sydney  latte sippers  might feel disinclined  to move to North Queensland  if  they   feel  the  local rag  thinks  people  who  sip latte through  a straw  are lesser beings  , especially after learning that leading footballers, obviously not  latte drinkers,  run about at night throwing eggs  at people and cars .   

Southern  latte drinkers  warned  about   low  flying  Townsville yolks and yokels .

 

In Darwin , obviously,   hairy chested  blokes    who stick  crackers up their clackers,  are  not  card   holding latte  drinkers.  Some  scruffy Territorians , the News  reported ,  have  wild   fantasies    that  film  star  Angelina  Jolie , who  split  with  Brad  Pitt,  would  be  interested  in  their  rotund  bodies and pet, warped  thongs  which  they  wear  to  bed . 

 

Another Murdoch paper, the tattered  flagship, The Australian , is badly in need of a   double shot  of  real reporting  , less  flat , predictable  opinion  pieces  and   frequent attacks  on  the ABC , unions, the   ALP and  the never ending   garrotting of  Gillian Triggs   leave a  taste  like bitter old  coffee  grains and a  feeling why  buy   and read   the   obsessive  blat.


The   business  section recently   ran  a  report   about   latte breaks  being   no  good  for  business .  Let  that  be  a  warning  to  staff,with  further cuts  under  way .  Latte drinkers in  Brisbane who live in  ghettoes  get  the  blame  for problems  in  regional  parts of  the state , according   to  an  article in   the  latest  Weekend Australian Magazine .  

 

Here is a subject for an alert investigative reporter :  How  many Murdoch reporters  drink  latte on  the sly ?  It is obvious that the  greatly reduced number of  churnalists  in  news/celebrity/social media  watching  rooms  get  little chance  to  slip out  for  a ninny-broth  hit ;   certainly not a  quick glass or  two of   lant  in  a Townsville  pub  , reporters there  warned  against  the  ancient   tradition , thus missing out on  much of  the  city's  scuttlebutt  and   good yarns. . Going on  some of  the  crap   being  written  in Australia  , it  would appear  that  glue sniffing   is  on  the  rise .

The NT Spews   recently went  big  with a typical (for it ) hard news  story about a bionic penis- the ultimate   trendy  gadget  to  put  a  nice  froth  on  your  latte , one  would   think . Enjoy !

ON THE ROAD TO RIO VIA JOHBURG

Fossicking through  a  box of   road directories, maps  and  other  guides  at a   church garage  sale   and who should  pop    up  but  the  1987  Queensland  Minister for Local Government , Main Roads  and  Racing, Russell  Hinze , top ,   known as  the Minister for Everything , lover of mud crabs and Four X ,  in   the  rotten  Joh  Bjelke-Petersen  Government which was   run off  the  road  by  the  Fitzgerald   Inquiry. A cartoon  portrayed him as a bulldog   with dark glasses and  a  white cane  outside  a  Valley , Brisbane , brothel , saying he did not know it  was  there .  

The  silverfished  Ken Done  adorned  Sydney visitors  map  includes  an advertisement  for  long  gone  Ansett  Airlines. Also silverfished, the Gregory's  guide around Sydney , with a  full page  advertisement for  Halvorsen's  cruisers , brought  back memories of  teenage acne days  when  this writer  had a weekend job cleaning out  hire  boats  at   the Norwegian  boatshed   at    Bobbin Head.

Loosely inserted in the New York pocket  atlas  were  three  colour  postcards   of  the Big Apple -printed  in  Spain and  France . There is an opening  for  Donald Trump to   make  the American   postcard  printing  industry  great  again. 

The  guide to Melbourne public transport proudly  boasts  it  has  Australia's only  extensive tram service .  In the case of the circa  1980 Canberra guide it points out that  a new  parliament house is expected to be  built by 1988 , for the bi-centenary .The three column   carillon  bell   tower  illustration   on the front  was a  gift  from   the  British government to mark Canberra's  50th anniversary . Under construction was the  Australian National Gallery  to house the  $50 million  collection .

A fold out  map of the  Queensland  mining centre  of  Mount Isa -beryllium , copper, lead, silica, silver, uranium and zinc-  shows the  many  mines  in  the area , with a variety of  names - Tin Lizzie , Miami , Labour Day, Shooting Star , Flat Tyre, Folderol , Mothers Day, Never Can Tell , Bambino , Spinning Wheel , Hidden Treasure, North Star, Doolan's Hope , Cabbage Patch, New Ring , Parsons Knob , Lucky Break , Martha, Theresa , Millicent  , Early Bird , Hilton, Skippy Janelle , Pauline, Anne  and Pamela .      

WET DAY ON A TROPICAL ISLAND

Three masted schooner,  Kulu ,  berthed  in the  Magnetic Island Marina, offered   for  sale   at  $450,000 by  Sea  Boat marine brokers ,  can accommodate  14 people in  five cabins ,  with  all mod cons ,   ideal  for expeditions , adventures  and  go  anywhere . All  steel,  the yacht was launched  2003  and is  35 metres long .

Raindrops , leaves , coral  polyp  spawn , wind  and  a high  tide  produced these  surreal  works  of  art  from  Davy  Jones'  Locker .

 

  

The continuing  rain resulted in a swarm of  insects , not flying  ants, which brought out a  number of  small  lizards , some with tails damaged by a close encounter with a bird , who chased and  ate  them . One  such  lizard  below  .
 

I SPIED ON MENTOR OF DONALD TRUMP APPOINTEE

True   Confession   by   Peter  Simon 

The  decision by president  elect  Donald Trump  to appoint  Darwin  born  millionaire  Andrew Nicholas Liveris  - pronounced   Liv  Eris  by  an  Australian   commercial  TV newsreader -  to  head  the  American Manufacturing   Council  brought  back  fond  reporting memories  of   the   Northern  Territory more  than   half  a  century  ago ,  particularly  the  episode in which   the  editor  of  the  Northern  Territory  News , Jim  Bowditch , defied  attempts   by   authorities to deport  Malays who  had  been  employed  in  the   pearling industry .

Dubbed the  Stayput  Malays , Bowditch not only  hid them in his own house , which was  raided  by  police , but  in a  dramatic night  dash  drove  them  at high speed down the track , expecting roadblocks , to a hideaway farm , blowing  a  tyre  in  the  process ,   and   ploughing  into  the  bush  along  the  way .

When they came out of  hiding  with a guarantee  that their case would be investigated , Bowditch received  word  from an impeccable source that  when they  next checked into  the Immigration Department office in Darwin  they  would be  arrested  and  flown out of  the  country .

This  caused a   flurry of  activity in the  News office . Bowditch frantically rang  round trying to find the Malays  who were   thought  to be  in   town  shopping . Before  he  ran out of the  office  and drove off  at speed,  he instructed me to  take up  a  position  outside Immigration , and on  seeing the Malays  I should tell  them to run like hell  , go into  hiding  as  they  were  going to be  arrested and  deported .

In  my  distinctive  first car , a   white  Mayflower  , with    great  red  upholstery , which  had   belonged to  the  wife of  the Rum Jungle uranium mine manager , I took up  my  post ,  glancing up and down  the street . I  waited  and  watched , waited  and  watched .

Then , the  Holland  blind  at  the  front  of  Immigration  was  parted  roughly by a pair of hands ... and  there was  the head of  Immigration - Les Liveris,  uncle of  Andrew Liveris - peering out .  Fighting back  the  urge  to wave , I  peered  back . The  Malays did not arrive on the scene. An official   report  of  the  Stayput  Malays  said  the  Immigration office  had  been  kept  under  observation .

Les  Liveris , well regarded  in  the Greek and  wider  Darwin community , took Andrew , born in l954,  under  his wing when his father  died , became his mentor . Andrew  went to the  Darwin  High School  ( later donated  $500,000 to the school kitty  ), became a highly successful businessman ,  chairman  and  chief  executive  of Dow Chemicals . In  1980  Les  Liveris  received  the Order of Australia for public service  and  service to the community  and a  library was named after him in  the Department of Immigration and  Ethnic Affairs .   The Malays  stayed on  in  Darwin, one becoming  a prominent chef at the Parap  Hotel .

CAIRNS IN THE FESTIVE MOOD

Decorated  Cairns  City  Council building  and  another  spectacular  sunrise . Abra  Photographs.

DARWIN 1947 CHRISTMAS CARD



Northern  Territory Archives  Service  photograph .
 

Taken from a water tower, in the foreground is  the Vic Hotel in Smith Street , now a mall ,  The Star  Theatre  across the road , Cashman's Store, still  there , and  far right  is  part of  the Bank of New South Wales ,  bombed  by the Japanese , some  damage  seemingly apparent .  Cavenagh Street  is the parallel road in which the two storey building could  be what  became  the  Don  Hotel with its  infamous Bamboo Lounge  in the l950s.  Behind  the building , slightly to the right at the back of  the snap, could be the  Chinese  temple , looted during  the  war . 

JAPANESE TRAIN , DRAGON MYSTERY



In  all  the hype about the  Adani   Coal  Carmichael bonanza/mirage  in the past month , the  fact  that   a  Japanese sushi  train  disappeared -like a ghost train - in  a major   Townsville  shopping  centre  went  unnoticed  by  the  mesmerised  media . At  Castle Town , the  above  honourable  dragon  graced  the  wall outside  a  sushi  eatery  right next to Westpac .  Suddenly, like  a  deadly   event  on  the Orient  Express,  the  shutters went  down , the  train was  shunted into a  dark shed or sold to a Japanese  scrapmetal  dealer  ,  and  the dragon  vanished  , leaving behind  an odd  replacement   sign  , below,  which  appears  to  be  for  a   new   business , The   Hole  in  the  Chinese  Wall   Café .

 In  another  Townsville  silly  season event , the  authorities  finally got  their act together and  have just  started  to  try  and  refloat  the  grand old  sailing  vessel  Defender   which sank  in  Ross    Creek  in   January