Street art 2

I'd read about these artworks in the newspaper (question and answer) but hadn't seen one in real life until a few days ago. This is the city bus stop opposite David Jones in Castlereagh Street.













Here's a close-up of the installation:

Street art

This is literally a piece of street art: I found it lying face-down in the road. After rescuing it from the wheels of passing cars, I propped it in the bus shelter nearby in case the artist came back for it.

Two days later, it was still there, so the Dude and I brought it home. Maybe we'll finish it, or maybe we'll just paint over it.

There's nothing like a found object for inspiring creativity.

Emissions of hot air

With the imminence of legislation for an emissions trading scheme, yesterday's newspaper printed pro and con pieces. Cory Bernardi, speaking against the motion, raised the argument that Australia can't afford to be a world leader in this matter: "Introducing an ETS in Australia before the rest of the world is not in our national interest."

I've previously recommended a Pascalian wager on climate change, so I want to ask the honorable member, "Can we afford not to?". If everyone is standing back and waiting for someone else to go first, why shouldn't Australia be the one to dive in? Then K-Rudd could go off to Copenhagen with a real reason for his self-satisfied smirk.

World gone mad

Am I just out of step with reality, or do other people find these things weird, too?

1. There is a sign up at my local shopping mall advertising a day on the weekend when you can bring your pet to get its photograph taken with Santa. I'm considering turning up with a goldfish in a plastic bag... but you don't get a prize for guessing that 99.9 per cent of the pets that appear on the day will be dogs. I'll say it again: dogs are not people! They're not naughty or nice, they're just dogs.

2. I visited a major grocery chain store, where my purchases included two polystyrene trays of meat, firmly wrapped in clingy plastic. I produced my own shopping bag. The motherly looking check-out chick asked me if I wanted the meat trays in a plastic bag, to which I replied, "No, thank you" – the meat was sealed, my other items were sealed, and if the worst came to the worst I could always wash the shopping bag. She proceeded to place the meat trays in a plastic bag anyway. When I repeated that I didn't want a plastic bag, she gave me a disdainful look over the top of her spectacles – as if to imply that I didn't know what I was talking about – and said in a pedantic tone, "You'd better have one just in case." I gave up arguing at that point.

So, is it just me?

Warning: contains nudity

Nakedness at Sculpture by the Sea on Sunday:


A modern version of the bounteous-breasted Venus of Willendorf.

















The Lost Boy: I didn't crop out the annoying woman, who is about to ignore the "Please do not touch the sculpture" sign, to indicate the actual size of the sculpture, which was finally allowed to be exhibited sans budgie smugglers.











This is my favourite photograph, not because it has nude men in it, but because I -- completely by accident -- lined up the horizon with the guys' feet, so it looks like they're walking on water!

Pascal's wager on climate change

Got 10 minutes to change the world? Watch this.