Reading John Fante - Ask the Dust, Wait Until Springtime, Arturo Bandini

Two books 📚 into this writer John Fante. His poetic ramblings are psychologically insightful. I preferred his first book "Wait until Springtime, Arturo Bandini" to the overhyped "Ask the Dust". However, I throughly enjoyed his famous book about L.A as well. His writing is poetic, like movies 🎥 projecting in the vivid matrix of the human mind. It's also nice to read about an Italian writer battling it out in America. Fante has a distinctive voice. You feel the emotion of the characters in his writing. One can easily relate to the pain and anguish of the anonymous people he writes about. His books are first and foremost about the subjective experiences of living life. There is a strong existential (philosophy of existence) theme running through his books. Questions surrounding religious faith and atheism are constantly simmering under the surface. The philosopher Nietzsche is cited in his works. The "death of God" stalks his characters constantly. Fante like Nietzsche seems obsessed with human suffering. Fante's stories are played out in a godless world 🌎 where faith is mocked and fundamentally prized at the same time. Intricacies, contradictions, suffering and euphoria are all themes that permeate this writers thoughts. There is also a strong sense of 'the will to power', the metaphysical foundation of Nietzschean thought. That above all human beings desire power, success and expansion of the self. This is seen in the desire and will of the writer to become famous in "Ask the Dust", here is a man willing to sacrifice everything for greatness 🙌 thanks to my Dad for putting me on to Fante. Cool stuff 😎

I Want to Laugh in the Face of Death

i want to laugh in the face of death 

get inked up, dead man walking across my chest 

I want to laugh so loud that my face turns red 

scream so hard that my cat drops dead

you see, im passing through, so how bout you

with our bodies worn no sign of youth

destined to become what we always knew

like worms in the soil twisting and turning

a stupid rusty screw loose in your head 

waiting to maybe take you on that fateful dance 

a long slow waltz

with deaths hand gripping your beautiful ass

your drowning in black and white

while i'm freezing in multi-colour baby

of all the sweet joys of life 

imagine music lost and unheard

For on your fatal day, betwixt two worlds

suddenly abruptly rudely wrenched from your dreams

one finds the world not destroyed but continually reborn

for what is crushed in an instant  

is destined to eternally recur 

Phill Goff has no mandate to be Mayor of Auckland - 39.5 % voter turn out to LOW

Good work everyone great to see Aucklamd is making a stand and deciding not to vote in the latest local body election. Hopefully we can get it down to 35% voter turn out next mayoral election. Currently we're sitting pretty on 39.5% so we're well on our way. Voting is a system that strips away all political expression from everyone living in Auckland. Year in year out we see career politicians like Phill Goof elected to run OUR affairs that the rate payer funds. I have a modest television I mean dream were we can drive down voter participation so low that we can force change in the way our city is run by the council and all those slimy beaurcrats wasting money and achieving fuck all. It really cheers my spirits to see people abandoning voting it is just veiled oppression of the people by big money and national political interests. If voter turn out isn't at 50% it should be declared a vote of no confidence by the public basic bloody stuff. Phill Goff does not have a mandate from the people to make OUR decisions on how to run the city to be blunt he needs to jog on and crawl back underneath that red Tory rock we all paid for!

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/315243/low-turnout-prompts-online-voting-rethink

Aaron Smith Illegally Recorded in Disabled Toilet - Legal Argument from Jeremy Bioletti

The recording of All Black Aaron Smith and the woman he 

allegedly had sex with in a Christchurch Airport toilet raises

the important issue of whether the recording may have been

a crime under the privacy provisions of the Crimes Act.

According to media reports a person directly outside the

disabled toilet where the incident occurred used a cell phone 

to make an audio recording of the activity that was occurring. 

This apparently “left no doubt as to what was occurring.”

Although I have not heard the recording it may well be that

communications occurring between the two people involved 

were captured by way of the recording.  Clearly at no stage 

were they interrupted to inquire as to whether they consented

to being recorded.

Part 9A of the Crimes Act defines crimes against personal privacy.

Section 216A defines various terms used in the offence provisions

of the act. Under Section 216A intercept includes in relation to a

private communication to record the communication while it is

taking place. Obviously here a recording took place.

 An interception device includes any electronical device that is 

capable of intercepting a private communication. 

The cell phone used on this occasion is clearly such a device.

The section defines private communication which means

a communication (whether in oral or written form or otherwise)

made under circumstances that may reasonably be taken

 to indicate that any party to the communication desires 

it to be confined to the parties to the communication; but

(b)

does not include such a communication occurring in circumstances

 in which any party ought reasonably to expect that the 

communication may be intercepted by some other person

 not having the express or implied consent of any party

 to do so.

As the activity occurred in the disabled toilet it may well be that 

the door was closed and the particular space was sealed off. 

Disabled toilets are usually a self-contained space within the

 toilet block. This would indicate a desire by the parties

 that any communication be confined to the parties and 

that there was no reasonable expectation that the

 communication would be intercepted.

Lastly under section 216A a party is defined as any originator

 of the communication and any person intended by the

originator to receive it.

Accordingly  party is an intended party to the communication

. The person recording the activity on his cellphone 

was not a party to the communication.

In this instance a private communication may  have been intercepted.

Section 216B of the Crimes Act  makes it an offence liable to

 imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years to intentionally 

intercept any private communication by means of an interception

 device.Section 216C makes it an offence to disclose a private 

communication or the substance meaning or purport of the 

communication of it or any part of it which has been unlawfully 

intercepted if you know it has come to your knowledge through

 an unlawful interception.

The actions of the person who made the recording and the media 

who publicised it may constitute a crime. Certainly the consequences

 for Aaron and his former partner have been severe. The woman involved

 whilst anonymous at the moment will be suffering from being hunted

 by the media and if identified may well suffer serious personal consequences.

In defence of Aaron Smith and Why we Shouldn't be so quick to Judge Others

When someone makes a mistake don't jump on them
understand why they did it and what thinking process lead to the action. Then see if there is a way to help them not make the same mistake again and again. Always try and show compassion to those who screw up within limits because you will one day find yourself with the roles reversed.You have be warned! Trial by public opinion is a brutal reality enabled by mass media and it's crooked lens. Nothing sells more newspapers than a glamourized individual caught in a scandal regardless of circumstance. When you are looking at something or someone else's personal failure you would be surprised to know how much relevant information you are missing on which you form your prejudiced conclusion on. Be slow to cast a stone at another but when you do give it a good throw haha

How can we Remedy the All Blacks Mis-Behaviour and Misogyny?

I certainly agree with previously mentioned points but can't help but feel that the excessive drinking culture of Rugby before after and during games coupled with the completely misogynistic nature of international Rugby aka yet to see a woman All Black or coach create this problem as well. When men are in a group they sure act differently than with a partner or female family members. Coupled with heavy levels of drinking and you get the Chiefs scandal one of many I imagine yet the single most publicised. It's also unrealistic to believe that such happenings of the current All Blacks failings didn't happen under the captainship of Richie McCaw for all we know he could be a horrendous person when not in the public eye.

I believe the quickest way to remedy the NZRU problem is to kick out all the old boys and clinger-ons and appoint people to the national rugby organisation who are first and foremost heavily invested in looking after the rugby players. At the same time I think its even more inclusive that woman be allowed to enter all roles that men currently have access to in the New Zealand rugby in management and on the field. Otherwise I feel these problems will just cropping up again and again.

A fun fact in NZ colonial times there was a shortage of woman men outnumbering woman sometimes a hundred to one in gold-mining towns and in the first settled parts of the country. To remedy the issue men would create a mock woman made out of pillows with a woollen throw over her and place them at the table. The men would instantly act more polite and social responsible - if worse comes to worse we could enforce the All Blacks to engage in such historical practices to uphold moral and ethical standards if they can't do it themselves. mic drop

Hylas and the Nymphs (1896) by John William Waterhouse

What a seductive and beautiful painting. The artist was obsessed with depicting a femme fatale.

More background information & analysis on the painting plus artist here:

http://www.artble.com/artists/john_william_waterhouse/paintings/hylas_and_the_nymphs

On how Honesty can help you achieve your dreams

No matter how great your complex theory is if people can't understand it especially those educated in your chosen field or discipline you might as well have written or done nothing at all. One should never lose sight in the fact that we when we write, work, sculpt, play music, etc we are doing so in most cases for others and not ourselves. Anyone can create a work of art that they believe is a masterpiece in their own eyes, the trick is getting others to look at your work with the same beauty that you see! If one can not be honest with oneself sadly you are destined to remain mediocre. Only by confronting ones own short-comings can we in turn allow ourselves to find the steady footing to climb up and over ourselves and inch closer to greatness. Overcoming oneself is certainly easier said than done but it is worth it and mandatory for all great levels of achievements. When honest is harnessed in a positive and progressive fashion it is still painful but in the long run it pays out a considerable dividend and potentially even a jackpot for the luckiest amongst us.This is why when Nietzsche preaches about the strong human desire to attain greatness he always asks us to look inward instead of outward first. Being honest with yourself doesn't mean mentally beating yourself up. All you need to do is acknowledge your weaknesses for a moment then concentrate on rebuilding yourself up again with these cracks and flaws in mind.

Taking up the Piano and on Musicians

If you don't know I have recently taken up the piano and have been learning to read music which is really fun. I am also still studying the drums. I highly recommend learning two instruments at once. I am also wanting to pick up the trumpet too as I tried it once before once and didn't quite get the hang of it, but i'm keen to give it another try. The great thing about learning an instrument is it gives you discipline. While it also reminds you what drives you. If you want to learn something new passion is everything in my book. Practising your instrument should be equal if not better than preforming on it to others. I read a famous quote today about a famous piano player and once he got a standing ovation and people were celebrating his performance while he was already back stage practising on his piano again haha. It made me think hmm yes either the piano player was mad and didn't want to enjoy his success. Or after thinking about it a bit more maybe he simply realised that he enjoyed playing the piano more than drunken pats on the back and hollow applause and adulation. Which reminds I read something else that there are apparently two types of musicians those who play for applause and those who don't. Sadly some musicians get so invested in playing for a crowd and applause no matter how small or drab that they go off playing for themselves, I mean that should always be number one.   I recall the late Amy Winehouse saying music is just something I do and it's not dependent or tied to anyone else's opinion but my own, or words to those affect. The great artists don't need applause or magnificent standing ovation they do it to express themselves, come closer to who they are and try and understand this mad thing called life. The painting above depicts the famous composer and pianist Chopin playing some music to rich twits by the look of it! haha  

A Death in my Circle I lost my kind hearted friend Katie Oh

wow sad day throwing some dirt on my friends coffin not even 30 years old and they've past on. Makes you think about all the things you take for granted. While also fighting the want to turn the clock back and try to help them cause you never knew how much they needed you. Feeling melancholy cause you know the happy days and memories shared with that same person living and breathing less than a week ago are limited to the past tense. Your heart kind of cracks a little because you'll never be able to tell that person how much you loved them. It's so awful when you've treated someone like a family member but instead of them letting you help them they push you away and in the process they lose their personal battle with their demons and succumb all alone and die. You don't really get a second chance to save a life and you can't help but feel they had so much more to offer the world. My friend dying has me stronger and even more focused to chase my dreams, work hard and push on enjoying all the beautiful moments and things in life in their memory. Even if you would've wanted more than anything to have shared your journey in this world with them a little longer. Good bye for now Katie