Spotlight

A couple of weeks ago when we went to the movies, I saw a trailer of this gripping film so we went to see it yesterday. Spotlight is based on a true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local catholic Archdiocese, shaking the Catholic Church to its core.

The Plot
In 2001 The Boston Globe newspaper hires a new editor, Marty Baron (Lieve Schreiber). Meeting with Walter "Robby" Robinson (Michael Keaton), Baron discovers that Robby heads the "Spotlight" team, a small group of journalists whose articles are investigative in nature. When Baron reads about in the paper about the pedophile priest John Geoghan, and a lawyer who says that Cardinal Law, (the archbishop of Boston) knew that Geoghan was sexually abusing children and did nothing to stop him, Baron urges the Spotlight Team to investigate the story.

They soon discover that it was not just about this one priest, who was moved around several times by the Catholic hierarchy, children abuse was endemic by Roman Catholic priests in Boston. The Spotlight Team discovered that about 90 priests had been involved in child abuse in Boston, over a number of years.

Spotlight was shown 72nd Venice International Film Festival. It has a stellar cast in Mark Ruffalo as Michael Rezendes, Michael Keaton as Robby Robinson, Rachel McAdams as Sacha Pfeiffer. The film was written by Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy and directed by Tom McCarthy.

This film can be well described as Gripping, Compelling, Remarkable. It is by far the best film I've seen so far, this year. Here is the trailer -

Australia Day 2016

Our neighbour Rob called in this morning asking us if we'd like to join them on a visit to South Bank where there was a food festival in honour of Australia day advertised in the Courier Mail. Well, we had nothing better planned, so we agreed. We never miss a chance to go out for lunch. Rob and Kathy picked us up around 11am and we drove to the Hyperdome at Loganholme, where the 555 express bus starts for Brisbane City,via South Bank. From the bus station we walked down to the river, where an area was fenced in with a handful of food tents. There wasn't much action yet, so we walked over the Goodwill Foot Bridge over the river to the QUT campus.

There were just a handful of people waiting at the food tents

As with every Australia Day Celebration, there was quite a large Police contingent everywhere including officers on horses at the southern end of the Goodwill Bridge.

Mounted Police at the Goodwill Bridge

The City Hopper ferries people from one side of the river to the other.

The sky looked ominous and we were not sure if we were getting a soaking. But we carried on over the bridge.

Dark sky over the city

A City Cat passed below us

The Goodwill Foot Bridge leads under the Captain Cook Bridge, the main arterial road into Brisbane.

Captain Cook Bridge above us

I had to change the memory card in my camera, so I took the opportunity to try the new card on a pair of feet.

Typical Australia day attire, Thongs (Flip-flops in UK)

Again there was a police present on the northern side of the bridge, cops on bikes. 

Are they looking for new recruits? Sorry, lady, too old.

The sky was getting darker, so we trundled back over the bridge looking for a place to eat.

Mangroves on the bank of the Brisbane River.

Back at the other end, time for a pose with the horses

By now the crowd was getting bigger. We checked the food tents but nothing took our fancy.

In the end, we decided to walk down to the Plough-Inn, where we found a table on the upstairs terrace for a nice lunch.

Then we walked back to the bus station where a 555 bus was just arriving to take us back to Loganholme to pick up the car for home. A nice day out for the Romans and the Bohlens.

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY everybody

"Youth"

We were told about this film as it was shot entirely in Switzerland. So we went to see it. It is a very unusual movie directed by Paolo Sorrentino who won an Oscar for "La Grande Bellezza".

Youth

Youth is about a couple of elderly gentlemen, Fred, a composer played by Michael Caine (80) and Mick, a director and screen writer, played by Harvey Keitel (74) who, while on holiday in a luxury Swiss Hotel, reflect on their lives. Also along the ride is Rachel Weisz (44), wife of Bond star Daniel Craig, who plays the composer's daughter (Caine) and 60s sex symbol Jane Fonda (78) who plays the movie director's ex-wife (Keitel).

Composer Fred (Michael Caine)

Fred is visited by his daughter and personal assistant Lena, who is fraught by an imminent divorce. Mick is co-writing a new movie with several passionate youngsters, a film he considers his testament to cinema, and which he hopes to make together with the actress he helped make famous. But the passing time makes each decision harder to stand.

Mick (Keitel) and Ex-wife (Fonda)

Some people might find this movie a little weird, but I did enjoy it very much. The Swiss alps make the perfect backdrop for this emotionally packed scenario. It's easy to see why Sorrentino is an Oscar winning director.

Check out the Trailer:

A bloody Good Read

Every now and then you come across a fabulous book. At the airport on Wednesday, while we were waiting for our flight to Sydney, I strolled into the book shop next to the coffee shop we were sitting in. There it was:

THE  SHORT AND EXCRUCIATINGLY EMBARRASSING REIGN OF CAPTAIN ABBOTT by Australian columnist Andrew P Street.

Just the sort of funny book I like while away from home. I started reading as soon as we were off the ground and was hooked by the time we got up to cruising speed. Now, I have never been a fan of Abbott so maybe, just maybe I am a little bit biased against this bloke who has absolutely no nous for politics, why else would he knight the Duke of Edinburgh.

Andrew covers just about every gaffe and blunder the Abbott government committed during their short turn.

Who could forget Treasurer Joe boldly declaring that poor people either don't have cars or don't drive very far. Who could forget Kevin Andrews boldly declaring his support to the government of Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard. Or who could forget Senator George Brandis making a statement that people had a right to be bigots.

The book is written exceedingly funny. Andrew rightly points out that it is very difficult for a leader to find people who will tell him that something is "a really bad idea". With this in mind, Andrew guesses a possible conversation between Abbott and an imaginary staffer:

ABBOTT: So anyway, I've decided to confer a knighthood on Prince Phllip.
IMAGINARY STAFFER: ...I'm sorry .. Prince Philip?
ABBOTT: Yes.
IMAGINARY STAFFER: As in the husband of the queen? That Prince Philip?
ABBOTT: That's the one.
IMAGINARY STAFFER: Oh. [Pause] And, um, why?
ABBOTT: What do you mean, why?
IMAGINARY STAFFER: Well, you look at the other people who are getting honours--- like co-Australian of the Year Rosie Batty, who's been a tireless campaigner for domestic violence reform in Australia, or Professor Denis Wakefield for his lifelong work on ocular immunopathology. You're giving him an Order of Australia.
ABBOTT: Yes, and...?
IMAGINARY STAFFER: Well, I'm just curious as to what Prince Philip has actually, y'know, done. Especially as a British citizen of Greek descent who has been in the country, what, half a dozen times?
ABBOTT: Well, he's the prince!
IMAGINARY STAFFER: ...And?
ABBOTT: And it's about time he got some recognition for his life of service.
IMAGINARY STAFFER: Recognition?
ABBOTT:Yes.
IMAGINARY STAFFER: Prince Philip?
Abbott: Yes.
IMAGINARY STAFFER: He's already a prince, you realise?
ABBOTT: I do realise that, yes.
IMAGINARY STAFFER: And he is the Duke of Edinburgh.
ABBOTT: Yes.
IMAGINARY STAFFER: And he is also the Earl of Merioneth, Baron Greenwich, Royal Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. Extra Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, Member of of the Order of Merit, Grand master and First and Principal Knight Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Additional Member of the Order of New Zealand, Extra Companion of the Queen's Service Order, Royal Chief of the Order of Logohu, Extraordinary Companion of the Order of Canada, Extraordinary Commander of the Order of Military Merit, Canadian Forces Decoration , Lord of her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Privy Councillor of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Personal Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty, Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom, right?
ABBOTT: Yes.
IMAGINARY STAFFER: And he needs to be given some recognition, you think?
ABBOTT: Look, just send the damn email.
IMAGINARY STAFFER: Rightio then. Anything else I should know about?
ABBOTT: Well, I'm also thinking we should make Queen Elizabeth a dame.
IMAGINARY STAFFER: Let's save that one for 2016, maybe.
ABBOTT: Eh, fine. hey, how's about Pope Francis?
IMAGINARY STAFFER: Well... oh, my phone's ringing, I really have to take this.

This is just a great book describing a very embarrassing period in Australian politics. Let's say about 55% of the Australian population will find it very funny while 45% of the population may not, but at least cringe, one hopes.

I strongly recommend it.

A long walk

We needed some landscape pictures for our session on Monday at the camera club. Although we have plenty in our archives, we decided to take a walk along the recently refurbished riverwalk from New Farm into the city. About 4 km. So we drove to New Farm Park and set off for our hike.

The Blogger checks her camera

We walked past some expensive mansions on the way to the river walk

Someone goes to great length to keep burglars away,
ha ha, the RSL actually

About half way along the river walk, we veered off in search of a coffee shop. We didn't have to walk far. We found one in Moray Street, called The Moray Cafe.

The Blogger left her back pack there, so we'll have to go back there

Back on the river walk

The previous river walk was floating, rising and falling with the tide of the river. However a couple of years ago, Brisbane flooded and the current was too strong for the floating walk and it floated all the way down into Moreton Bay. The Brisbane City Council replaced it at great cost to a fixed model, hopefully strong enough to withhold any future floods.

The remodelled river walk

There are lots of residential units along both sides of the Brisbane River.

The Story Bridge joins the River City.

There are also old buildings on the river in the city

 When we arrived in the city, it was just past lunch time, so we joined the city workers in one of the many river pubs for a delightful lunch and a few glasses of refreshing water. YES - WATER!

After lunch we hopped on a City Cat back to New Farm Park.

The City Cats provide easy transport along the Brisbane River

Toward the Story Bridge, we passed the Kookaburra Queen on a lunch cruise

Passengers get on and off at the many stops

Finally we arrived back at the  New Farm Jetty 

It was an enjoyable day out and we got our landscape (or should I say waterscape) shots for Monday.

An unwelcome Overflow

Last week, while sitting in my office downstairs, I heard gurgling coming from the garage next door. Upon investigation I realised the gurgling came out of the downstairs toilet. Soon after that I saw waste water coming up from the floor waste. It kept coming until it eventually flowed into the garage. I realised Diane was in the shower upstairs. I sprinted up there and told her to turn the water off.  That stopped the water flow.

So we called our plumber and told him of the urgency. No dice, he said. Can't get there until tomorrow. Oh, great! What do we do in the meantime? Neighbours were good, they all offered for us to use their facilities until the problem was fixed. Kathy and Rob across the street even invited us to dinner, so we didn't need to wash dishes. It's good to have good neighbours.

Anyway, the plumber arrived the next day and stuck a camera down the drain further and further in without seeing any blockages. When the camera reached 30 meters, he told us that the problem was not on our property, but instead in the council's main sewage pipe. He phoned the waste water department and as he couldn't wait for them to get here, he advised me that the council would automatically deny that the problem could be in their pipes. With that he left.

Within the hour, the council workmen arrived and after explaining the problem, they assured me that the problem couldn't possibly be theirs. "Hang on a sec," I said and phoned the plumber. He explained to the council workers what he thought the problem was. They listened and disbelieving said they too would send a camera down this time from the main manhole, "just to prove to you that it is your problem", they said, adding, "what would a plumber know?"

To get to the manhole, which is actually on our land and totally covered by plants and trees, they had to call for a backhoe to start digging for the manhole. They eventually found it and were able to send a camera down the main pipe to the point where our pipe meets theirs.

After a couple of hours, the Forman came and informed me that they had found the blockage in THEIR pipe and that they would fix it at their costs. Then they started digging at the junction point, looking for our connection. They went deeper and deeper and by now late afternoon, they found it some 2.5m below the surface.

The work crew arrives

They start digging

Deep

And deeper

It looked like they were digging for ever

Until they find the inspection hole some 2.5m down

They cleared the roots from the drain and filled the hole

I must admit, I was very happy with the council. Not only did they fill the hole with good soil but they even covered the area with mulch again and planted some Grevillia trees. 

They left a surface inspection hole which is now regulation. Unfortunately it wasn't when we built the house in 1988. They advised me that in future, if there are any blocked drains, they can fix it through that inspection point. Unfortunately, the melaleuca tree next to the inspection point will have to be removed as they had to cut most of its roots off when they were digging. 

Finished

The Blogger is happy again. Garden fixed plumbing working. She is happy, so I am happy.

Shades of Monochrome

Time to do some monochrome shots. All these were taken the last couple of weeks.

Cactus

Feeding

Lizard

Miner Bird

White Orchid

Shadow and leaf

Work