geographies: Longerenong

 

wednesday newstrip

Man dies after falling from hot-air balloon in Melbourne’s north · Putain has no successor, no living rivals & no retirement plan – his eventual death will set off a vicious power struggle · Uber to pay Australian taxi operators $272 million in class action settlement · Sharon Stone names co-star she was told she had to sleep with to ‘save’ a movie · billion-dollar deal to supply Australian-made Boxer military vehicles to Germany signed · first patient of Elongated Muskrat's Neuralink brain chip implant demonstrates playing online chess with his mind · DoNuts T.®ump has promised to "root out" what he called "radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country that lie & steal & cheat on elections".

headline & response

Whatever, Thor.

wednesday newstrip

Swept away: $500,000 sand dune built to protect US homes in Massachusetts disappears in days · McDonald’s restaurants hit by technology outage at outlets across Australia · vote against T.®ump, former supporters urge in $50m video campaign · Pandemic PPE: how Australia entrusted a small-time retailer with $100m & got 46m unusable masks · Covid-19: U.K. Government writes off £10bn on unusable, overpriced, or undelivered PPE · fury as waste disposal firms are given £35million of taxpayers' money to burn unused PPE · the Australian Tax Office is reviving old tax debts totalling billions, threatening some taxpayers with bankruptcy · Love Lies Bleeding stars Kristen Stewart in a blood-splattering revenge tale that is already queer heart-throb canon.

wednesday newstrip

South-east Australia to bake in near-record heat while cyclone threat returns to north · as Gaza teeters on the brink of famine, Israeli girls drink water & try to block aid trucks at the border · Tasmanian dumpster divers tell supermarket prices inquiry about 'massive' food waste · Irish referendums: voters reject changes to family & care definition in the constitution · ‘Not good enough’: Australian Federal Minister lashes Meta as losses rise from scams on Facebook · a video of three children with their wrists cabled-tied together was taken in Broome, Western Australia, earlier this week, & sparked national outrage.

rare bits

wednesday newstrip

Out-of-control wildfires scorch Texas Panhandle, prompt shutdown of nuclear weapons facility · T.®ump's claim of being a 'prophet' appears to be a sign of his 'mental disorder' · University of Florida terminating all diversity, equity & inclusion positions · changes around Māori language come into focus as New Zealand government approaches 100-day milestone · thousands defy Kremlin to attend Navalny’s funeral · Haiti violence: gangs free 4,000 inmates in mass jailbreak · new RMIT, CDU study finds cannabis has 'deadly' effect on melanomas in laboratory · proposed class action lawsuit accuses Apple of monopolizing cloud storage for its devices · controversial pro-life society at University of Manchester founded by a male president who 'opposes abortion' shares photo of its first official meeting after the event was met by thousands of protesters · DoNuts T.®ump suffered his first loss in a GOP 2024 primary on Sunday, & he didn't take it very well.

Ruby Tuesday

A couple of notices.

Have a chapbook, Melancholy, out from SurVision Books.

(Cover image by Victoria Chernyakhivska)
Available at http://www.survisionmagazine.com/jamestateprizewinners.htm.
Price €7.50 plus postage.

*
At Dichtung Yammer, Thomas Fink has an exchange with me about "A line from Mick Jagger," a poem included in my recent Ley Lines II, out from Sandy Press & available through Amazon.

Mick Jagger seems quite excited about it.

Don't ask why

because I have no idea, but Ogden Nash is running around in my head this morning.

I think that I shall never see
A billboard lovely as a tree.
Indeed, unless the billboards fall
I'll never see a tree at all.

(&, in passing, I never knew, or perhaps had forgotten, that Joyce Kilmer was a guy.)

wednesday newstrip

Kilt-wearing pervert is arrested after going into antique stores & shoving items up his rectum before placing them 'back on the shelf for display' · Victorian man vanishes after receiving about $500,000 in cryptocurrency account error · DoNuts T.®ump wins South Carolina Republican presidential primary beating out the state's former governor Nikki HailMary · Australia is condemned as a 'police state' after Americans notice unusual detail at Taylor Swift's sold-out concert in Sydney · China's new patriotic education law targets its people living overseas, but is law possible to be enforced in Australia? · Ukraine war: Zelensky says 31,000 troops killed since Russia's full-scale invasion · NotJustanyahoo: Cease-fire would only delay Rafah invasion 'somewhat.'

Now out from Otoliths

Otoliths has just released my un saut de chat.

Mark Young
un saut de chat
b&w
118 pages
ISBN: 978-0-6455483-2-7
$US17.45
Direct URL: https://www.lulu.com/shop/mark-young/un-saut-de-chat/paperback/product-v8k9n2k.html?page=1&pageSize=4

“I’m a couple of years into my ninth decade, & have decided it’s time to tidy a few things up, specifically creating some trope-based collections, rather than collections of recent work.

“Retrospectively, my Ley Lines II that came out in November 2023 from Sandy Press should probably be considered the first collation: a single trope (‘A line from . . .’), a significant number of poems (just under 100), & written over a number of years (2014-2021).

“un saut de chat is composed primarily of prose poems, with some found poems & a few ficciones included. There are around 140 pieces in the book, from the past twenty years. I feel, displayed this way, that it gives greater insight into thematic aspects of my work that are not so easy to discern otherwise.

“The next book in this loose grouping will be my entire Magritte poems, all twenty years of them. It will probably come in at around 600 pages, & be ready for printing around the end of the year.”


[Lulu have discounts running during the week. Promo codes for the current week can be found each Monday at the Lulu Press Facebook page.]

wednesday newstrip

DoNuts T.®ump must pay $US355 milllion in penalties, barred from NY business for three years, judge rules · key event in Sydney Mardi Gras calendar scrapped over asbestos mulch concerns · fake alligators at Riverview Park in Mesa, AZ., fooling people into calling emergency services · Federal politicians pass motion urging US & UK to allow Julian Assange's return to Australia · Kristen Stewart stripped down for the most recent cover of Rolling Stone last weeek, posing with her hand inside a jockstrap · getting the brush-off: First Nations artists walk away from Brisbane Portrait Prize over AI · jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny dead at 47, region's prison service says · DoNuts T.®ump again threatens to sacrifice NATO allies to Russia.

wednesday newstrip

Israeli prime minister rejects Hamas cease-fire offer, vows to fight until 'absolute victory' · Woolworths responds to mud cake outrage after ‘final straw’ for Aussie shoppers · Pink is partnering with PEN America to distribute 2,000 banned books at her shows in South Florida, CNN reports · Taylor Swift has issued a cease & desist to a Florida college student who uses public data & social media to track her private jet · Sydney motorist ordered to surrender 'OCT7TH' personalized number plates · World Surf League spits on greatest ever surfer Carissa Moore after Lexus Pipe Pro exit · Notjustanyahoo tells Israeli army to prepare to evacuate Rafah before invasion to destroy Hamas — but where can 1.5 million Palestinians go?

Today the post-
woman brought
me a fart in a

jar. Damn that
voice recognition
AI software—I'd 

asked for a jam 
tart to go with my
morning coffee.

wednesday newstrip

A woman wearing what appears to be leather lingerie has been charged with drink driving following a collision with an e-bike in Sydney’s Moore Park overnight · BidenMyTime called T.®ump the 'sitting President' during January 2024 speech · Lowitja O’Donoghue, celebrated campaigner for Aboriginal Australians, dies aged 91 · Victorian police chief labels protesters who confronted police taking part in a Pride march 'an ugly rabble' · King Charles has reportedly given his blessing to Prince Andrew & Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, to remarry each other · rallies held in support of offshore wind farms as Newcastle, Wollongong residents hopeful of job opportunities · Australian academic Yang Hengjun given suspended death sentence by Chinese court.

Waitangi Day

https://theconversation.com/waitangi-day-2024-5-myths-and-misconceptions-that-confuse-the-treaty-debate-221973

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/has-this-years-waitangi-day-reached-flashpoint-maori-voices-speak-out/qr5ct96je

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-06/maori-protesters-nz-clash-with-nz-prime-minister-waitangi-day/103421202

wednesday newstrip

Australia must consider bringing back conscription as ‘all-out war’ with Russia looms, expert says · NotJustAnyahoo is defiant after UN court ruling, says Israel presses offensive for 'complete victory' · Rip Curl joins Australian swimwear companies in heavy pivot to growing trans market · women over 50 are the new gamers · Pram Minister Anthony Overeasy has been booed by the crowd at the Australian Open tennis men's final · North Korean leader Kim supervises tests of cruise missiles designed to be fired from submarines · activists throw soup at Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa in the Louvre in climate protest.

What AI is up to these days

aka The six-fingered demon who wants to rule the world.

Today the post-
woman brought
me Tropical Cy-
clone Kirrily. I
was blown away.

wednesday newstrip

Israeli Prime Minister BeenJammin’ NotJustAnyahoo rejects US calls for Palestinian state after Gaza war · Māori leaders & others in New Zealand attend a rare national meeting called by the Māori King due to concerns about the new government’s policies on indigenous rights · ex UK Prom Minister Bore-us Johnson says T.®ump back in White House is ‘what the world needs’ · Microsoft discovers state-backed Russian hackers accessed emails of some senior employees · Palworld, aka ‘Pokémon With Guns,’ is tearing up the steam & twitch charts · Jodie Foster is showing us all how to age naturally.

waiting in the wings

We're the red X.

Today the post-
woman brought
me a leporidae
farm. It had

been beautifully
maintained,
not a hare
out of place.

wednesday newstrip

Former New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern ties the knot with Clarke Gayford, as anti-vaxxers picket the wedding · Australian students handed ‘wellbeing shots’ made by subsidiary of British American Tobacco · DoNuts T.®ump returns to court for new E Jean Carroll trial – & it could prove costly · recovering the ‘Aryan worldview’: the Western Australian book publisher under scrutiny over far-right texts · console owners played more Fortnite than GTA V & Call Of Duty combined · “Chicest” is not a proper word, would not even be the best word to suit your intended meaning &, most of all, it's just such an ugly word · UN says Gaza war 'staining humanity' on eve of 100th day as Houthis vow to retaliate against US strike.

Now Out From Otoliths

Otoliths has just released David Jalajel’s Snapshots from the Ark.

David Jalajel
Snapshots from the Ark
b&w
illustrated
138 pages
ISBN: 978-06455483-1-0
$US17.95
Direct URL: https://www.lulu.com/shop/david-jalajel/snapshots-from-the-ark/paperback/product-655yzjy.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Until midnight this Friday, Lulu have a 10% discount running. Promo code: SNOWDAY10. Promo codes for future weeks can be found each Monday at the Lulu Press Facebook page.

Here is a bestiary with a weird taxonomy of “Dead Ducks”, “Dead Dinos” and “Dead Bugs”, describing the bizarre relationships people have with the animals it catalogues. Partially inspired by player mechanics involving video game animals, the relationships portrayed are exploitative, often abusive and always focus on people’s needs and concerns.

Snapshots from the Ark takes John Shoptaw’s maxim that “[h]uman interests cannot be the be-all and end-all of an ecopoem” and turns it on its head by taking human interests as the “nature” poet’s single-minded concern. Each poem zeroes in on a different way people act as if their interests are all that matter. The animals are opportunities to present unflattering and painful portraits of our worst anthropocentric tendencies.

So are they ecopoems? By holding a mirror way too close to our noses, they show us the ugliness of acting with indifference to the creatures who share the world with us. In this way, the poems raise our awareness about the consequences of our actions. Yet, they do so while being zany and fun, like when people clear-cut a forest using a giant crab that whacks down trees with dinosaurs clasped in its claws.

These poems unsettle us, make us uncomfortable, challenge the way we think, and hopefully inspire us to change the way we behave.

     — Flamur Vehapi, from his review on Otoliths

Blurbs

We live in a post-Ark world. And said world’s a bit (or more) messed up. But why would we think the messed-up world that caused the flood would be different after the floodwaters recede? Humanity is… humanity, nothing more and nothing less. David Jalajel’s Snapshots from the Ark is but a metaphor for that comprehension, except that it contains humour. The poet is wise to understand how one of the most effective weapons against evil is humour, and such is also what makes these poems worthwhile:

It has the dead-eyed stare of someone
who’s seen death and lived to tell the tale —

Plus it’s Scottish. And it grins up at you
like a little boy seeing his first pair of boobs.

     — Eileen R. Tabios

Imagine that David Jalajel were in Noah’s shoes, receiving instructions from the deity to form an ark of “gopherwood” covered “inside and outside with pitch” (Genesis 6:14) in which to place pairs of species. We would soon learn the who’s who of beings to be rescued from the ensuing flood: survivors, sea monsters, dead dinos, dead beasts, dead ducks, dragons, and dead bugs. How fitting that David Jalajel employs couplets mirroring the pairs. Each poem speaks to the reader in conversational tone with clarity, caveats, and hilarity. “Ammonite” begins:

That sucker’s
a total crybaby

Just give it
a good slap—

And from “Pegomastax”:

If you see one of these, aim it at
the nearest national bank and run.

They say the perfect pegomastax
can steal your credit card details.

Snapshots from the Ark is a brilliantly envisioned work encompassing all manner of life lessons from observing each being.

     — Sheila E. Murphy

Today the post-
woman brought
me a mid-
life crisis

& a Ferrari
in a color that
matched my
blood’s hot eyes.
  

wednesday newstrip

Israel's Prime Minister BeenJammin’ NotJustAnyahoo says military seeks full control of Gaza-Egypt border · heiress to the L’Oreal cosmetics throne becomes first woman to amass $100 billion · Kanye West’s Aussie wife Bianca Censori ‘laid the smackdown’ before his shock apology after a series of anti-Semitic tirades · Australia went to war in Iraq based on ‘oral reports’ to cabinet from then Pram Minister John Howard · new Queensland dangerous dog law won’t have enough bite, claims RSPCA · nearly 200 names linked to Jeffrey Epstein expected to be made public · the phallus on a prominent Māori sculpture in Te Āpiti – Manawatū Gorge has been cut off by vandals, shocking the stakeholders of the popular reserve.

wednesday newstrip

Apple has been barred from selling one of its best known products amid claims it stole the technology from a much smaller company · Israeli minister hints at retaliatory actions taken in Iraq, Yemen, Iran · Chinese chess champion stripped of title after defecating in hotel bathtub, alleged anal beads cheating · The New York Times sued ChatGPT-maker OpenAI & Microsoft in a US court on Wednesday, alleging that the companies' powerful AI models used millions of articles for training without permission · a frustrated regional council in Western Australia has erected signs warning drivers against using Google maps after GPS-based directions repeatedly sent travelers down unsafe roads · Maine bars DoNuts T.®ump from ballot as US Supreme Court weighs state authority to block former prissygent.

wednesday newstrip

Police appeal for information after barnacle-covered parcels of suspected cocaine wash up on Sydney's coast · 20 flights delayed at Sydney Airport as flash flooding sweeps through city · Joe BidenMyTime says he did not ask BeenJammin’ NotJustAnyahoo for a ceasefire in Gaza, as Iran threatens to block the Mediterranean Sea · Queensland home's Christmas light display so bright it needed Aviation Authority approval · Russia moves Putin opposition politician Alexei Navalny to a prison in the Arctic · “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”, Band Aid’s 1984 charity anthem, has come under fire online for continuing to perpetuate “racist” & “patronizing” stereotypes about Africa nearly 40 years after it was released.

wednesday newstrip

Israeli armed forces killed 3 hostages who were waving white flags “by mistake” · family of four-month-old baby say they found him in a fallen tree after Tennessee tornado destroyed home · Australians are eating more ultra-processed foods amid the rising cost of living · Rudy Giuliani must pay more than $148 million in damages to two former Georgia election workers he defamed through false accusations · debate over race relations rages in Aotearoa / New Zealand as new government repeals key social policies · flights stopped & crocodiles seen roaming streets as severe floods hit Australia’s North Queensland · U.S. affirms support for Israel as calls mount for Gaza ceasefire.

occasionally YouTube has some unexpectedly good suggestions

"St. Andrew’s College is independent and co-educational, with facilities for both day and boarding students from Pre School to Year 13. We have approximately 1350 students, and are the only independent co-educational school in the South Island of Aotearoa / New Zealad.

"We are situated on 13 hectares in the heart of Merivale, a suburb which is only 5 minutes from central Christchurch. Strowan Stream runs through the grounds, and serves as a picturesque backdrop to the historic Strowan House and our Memorial Chapel.

"Our facilities include a purpose built Senior College, a Fine arts and photography centre, a Music performance centre, a professionally equipped film and television studio, gymnasium, the Castle Hill Outdoor Education Centre and the College farm.

"Key features at all levels include:
• a challenging and extensive academic curriculum
• outstanding performing arts, including drama, musical groups, Pipe Band
• a wide variety of sporting teams with committed and highly talented coaches
• an extensive pastoral care and student welfare network.

"We are a Christian school with a long Presbyterian heritage, and are committed to enhancing the spiritual, physical, emotional, cognitive and social development of our students."

wednesday newstrip

U.S. vetoes Gaza ceasefire vote at U.N. Security Council meeting · U.S. is running out of money for Ukraine, Biden administration says · U.S. bypasses Congress to approve sale of 14,000 tank shells to Israel · Europe reaches a deal on the world's first comprehensive AI rules · the current memorandum of understanding commits the U.S. to $3.3 billion in annual Foreign Military Financing to Israel, the largest routine FMF package the U.S. provides on a yearly basis and which alone represents approximately 16% of Israel’s defense budget · Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Notjustanyahoo was forced on Wednesday to deny a report his government had approved a shipment of weapons to Palestinian security forces after hard-right ministers in his coalition expressed outrage · Avril Benoit, head of the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity, described the U.S. veto as a “sharp contrast to the values it professes to uphold.”

wednesday newstrip

8 Israeli soldiers killed by friendly fire in northern Gaza Strip in 1 week: Israeli media · high-fat flight is the first jetliner to make fossil fuel-free flight from London to New York · video of 50 Cent concert frenzy in Norway falsely linked to Israel-Hamas war · Russia's Supreme Court effectively outlaws LGBTQ+ activism in a landmark ruling · Shane MacGowan: The Pogues frontman dies aged 65 after eight-year long battle with brain condition · Tesla makes first deliveries of long-delayed Cybertruck, with lower range & higher prices than Elongated Muskrat first announced · Israeli offensive shifts to crowded southern Gaza, driving up death toll despite evacuation orders · at least four people have been killed & dozens wounded by an explosion at a Sunday mass service being held in a university gymnasium in the Philippines · drunk car thief in Aotearoa / New Zealand returns stolen vehicle with apology note & gifts for the owner.

Now out from Sandy Press

Now out from Sandy Press.

Mark Young
Ley Lines II
Sandy Press
ISBN: 978-1-7368160-8-0
100 pages
$US19.95
Available through Amazon

‘As far as I can tell, my first “A line from…” poem used as its prompt words found in a Ron Silliman piece. Jackson Mac Low, Charles Mingus, Paracelsus, Gunter Grass, Friedrich Durrenmatt, & Calvin Coolidge weren’t far behind. But three years before them came “A poem beginning with a line from Foucault” & “A poem ending with a line from Pablo Neruda.” & before them all — in my multiverse, at least — was Robert Duncan’s “A Poem Beginning with a Line from Pindar.”

‘There is a history which is there to be taken advantage of. Chance meetings, long associations, stochastic processes. Google as partner on the dance floor. Out of it, along one — dare I say it? — line, have come more than 500 of these “A line from…” poems, prompted by a random quote from poets, musicians, politicians of many persuasions, scientists, painters, actors, philosophers, as well as all of the U.S. Presidents & some of the sycophantic staff of one of the more recent.

‘So who’ll have the next fangoogle with me?’
–    Mark Young

A sampler is available here.

Today the post-
woman brought
me a walking
frame. I couldn't 
keep up with it.

wednesday newstrip

Musician Post Malone is on tour in Australia & has been spotted swanning around in his pyjamas · still ‘searching’: Hamas yet to track down dozens of hostages · New Zealand's upcoming government to scrap law curbing tobacco sales · overwhelming majority of Australians support a First Nations voice despite referendum defeat, Australian National University survey finds · Indian army digs by hand to free 41 trapped tunnel workers · Nasa reacts to reports about an asteroid hitting Earth in 2024 · Elongated Muskrat preaches peace: "Those who are intent on murder must be neutralized. Then the propaganda must stop. They're just training people to be murderers."

wednesday newstrip

How did Israel know there was a ‘bunker’ under the Al-Shifa Hospital? Because they built it 40 years ago when they controlled Gaza · Texas woman convicted of killing pro cyclist 'Mo' Wilson sentenced to 90 years in prison · baking sorted: yoghurt is the secret to a moist, fluffy, tangy bake · SpaceX launches its giant new rocket but a pair of explosions ends the second test flight · digital curator Giulia Carla Rossi: ‘there is a misconception that if something is on the internet it will last for ever’ · Taylor Swift fan dies at concert in sweltering Rio de Janeiro heat · Eyad Al-Zaeem told Reuters he lost his aunt, her children & her grandchildren in the air strike in Khan Younis, & that all had evacuated from north Gaza on Israeli army orders only to die where the army told them they could be safe.

wednesday newstrip

Gaza health authorities said on Friday that at least 11,078 Palestinians, including 4,506 children, have died since Israel launched its retaliation for the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas · will rise in COVID cases spark the return of masks? · is a US senator's blocking of hundreds of military appointments as an abortion protest threatening America's national security? · U.K. supermarket chain axes almost all self-service tills after backlash from shoppers · Israel is bombing hospitals in Gaza with Israeli doctors’ approval · the moment I knew: I learned he had a new girlfriend & flew across the world to win him back · Iceland evacuates town as concerns rise a volcano may erupt · a self-driving pram? The new technology that will change the way we live.

Today the post-
woman brought
me a brochure
from Monsanto

that claims the
use of genetically-
modified crops
will break the cycle 

of poetry that is
endemic in some
third world 
countries. Should

that happen, I 
can see the entire
world becoming a
much poorer place.

wednesday newstrip

Adobe is selling artificially generated, realistic images of the Israel-Hamas war which have been used across the internet without any indication they are fake · T.®ump reacts to his sons' testimony in fraud trial: 'So sad to see them persecuted' · Israel has called up 360,000 reservists as it goes to war with Hamas. But Benjamin Netanyahu's son is not one of them · how is decaf coffee made? & is it really caffeine-free? · Australian trade minister hopeful lobster, beef sanctions to end by Christmas after Prime Minister Albumen Overeasy completes trip to China · inside Socorro Bayanihan Services Inc, the alleged doomsday cult under investigation in the Philippines · Al Pacino, 83, ordered to pay $30k a month in child support to 29-year-old girlfriend.

John / Geraets Zooms / in on me

at https://johngeraets.com/countertop/.

The poems I read at the beginning are both from 100 Titles From Tom Beckett. They can be found on line at:

#7 Omniscient Narrators get it on in the Bois - Offcourse
#8 de Boulogne - Scud

Now out from Otoliths

Otoliths has just released karl kempton’s portraiture: oceano dunes to tide line.

karl kempton
portraiture: oceano dunes to tide line
full color
157 pages
ISBN: 978-0-6455483-0-3
$US34.95
Direct URL: https://www.lulu.com/shop/karl-kempton/portraiture-oceano-dunes-to-tide-line/paperback/product-m2d5wdv.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Until midnight this Friday, Lulu have a 20% discount running. Promo code: PREVIEW20. Promo codes for future weeks can be found each Monday at the Lulu Press Facebook page.

portraiture: oceano dunes to tide line, volume 11 of discourses, is a collection of photographed forms and objects presented as individual portraits from the oceano dunes to oceano beach tideline on the southern portion of california’s central coast. the discourses series documents poetically and photographically kempton’s insights into his local environment.

*

When I first was introduced karl kempton’s work he was doing a series of visual poems called “runes.” The runes were highly textural in nature, and amazing because they were so carefully created on a typewriter. I see the same care in these new works, although since they are photographs the care is in karl’s perceptive eye defining these stunning images. For these portraits of how the sea paints the shore are also runes in the sense that they have the magical quality that some people ascribe to runes - certainly they have the ability to change how one perceives the world. The images captured here transcend mere visual poetry or photography and their simplicity / complexity invites us to contemplate the ineffable.

— K.S. Ernst

*

Most pieces in Karl Kempton's beautiful and intriguing collection of untitled photographs are close-ups of tiny things solely or mostly made of sand by the wind. They are frozen in their unfinished gestures, which communicate with us. I mean they are in the process of starting a new, more abstract and ideogrammatic life, morphing from nameless constellations into barely recognizable quasi-symbols of trees, birds, flowers and human shapes, especially faces — in our imagination. At the same time, a simultaneously strong impression of their uniqueness and material vulnerability remains with us and contribute to the effect of seeing them animated. They have anima. The intensity and ambiguity of the images also calls into mind Henri Michaux’s memorable ink blots. But in Portraiture, background and foreground, "canvas" and composition are written by the same undulation of the sand dunes. So a third, concurrent impression might be that there is no separation at all.

— Márton Koppány

karl kempton (b. july 1, 1943, chicago) lives with ruth, his beloved wife, in oceano, california. he is a poet, visual poet, editor, publisher, writer, photographer, curator, archaeo-astronomer, and environmental activist. they are retired micro-green growers of sprouts and wheatgrass using biodynamic additives. their daughter, amy franceschini, a widely respected and influential international artist, is the founder of futurefamers.

his lexical and visual poems and photography have been widely published nationally and internationally with over 45 print and over 15 web titles. He is considered the architect of the chumash heritage national marine sanctuary currently in designation process protecting over 7,000 square miles of marine environments and oceanographic features along the southern portion of the central coast of california.

wednesday newstrip

Israel is killing almost 1,000 children a week in Gaza. Can that be called self-defence? · Maine mass killing suspect had mental health issues, purchased guns legally, authorities say · Australia’s free trade deal with EU collapses as both sides accuse the other of being unwilling to compromise · a Korean man has died after choking on a ‘live octopus’ dish, going into cardiac arrest after a tentacle became lodged in his throat · journalists in Lebanon were 'explicitly targeted' in deadly strike near Israeli Border, report says · ex cyclone Lola brings more rain for North Island of New Zealand, yachts damaged in Auckland, roads flood in Northland, Coromandel · Israeli ground operation pushes deeper into Gaza. They’re calling them “ground incursions” — sounds much nicer than “ground invasions.”

one from the past

periphery / to carry around

Melbourne, Australia 8 July 2011
nzepc video project

the Otoliths cover images: a compilation

I have put together a compilation of all the images used on the covers of Otoliths. It's called Threescore and Ten, & is available as a free PDF viewable on screen or downloadable from Sandy Press with the direct URL of
https://www.sandy-press.com/blog/threescore-and-ten-the-images-of-the-covers-from-otoliths-may-2006-to-august-2023/

Well worth a look!

wednesday newstrip

Supercharge your kale juice: fermentation ramps up antioxidant & anti-inflammatory powers · Marjorie Taylor Greene received $10K from McCarthy ahead of vote to keep him as speaker · officials say at least 189 bodies were found decaying at Colorado funeral home · granny flats could be the answer to Australia's housing crisis · a Perth nurse who engaged in a threesome with two vulnerable patients & gave them tips on how to self-harm has been banned from practicing for five years · US rejects UN resolution to condemn violence against civilians in Israel-Gaza war · City of Sydney's first Aboriginal councillor calls for public statue overhaul, amid 'truth-telling' push following referendum defeat · Sydney Opera House marks half a century on the harbor.

wednesday newstrip

From selling deodorant to running the country: New Zealand votes in a new Prime Minister, center-right Christopher Luxon, who will work in a coalition with an even further right party, ACT (Association of Consumers & Taxpayers) New Zealand · a driver in the UK thought using double-sided tape & autumn leaves to obscure a number plate was the perfect way to avoid speed camera fines. They were wrong · Microsoft officially owns Call of Duty as Activision Blizzard takeover is complete · thousands turn out for pro-Palestinian rallies in Melbourne, Sydney, & Adelaide · Indigenous Australians call for ‘week of silence’ after referendum failure · Elon Musk congratulates National’s Luxon on N. Z. election win. “Congratulations & thank goodness!” Seems like he still has trouble with Jacinda Ardern.

Racism writ large

Australia votes No to Voice to Parliament, with all six states rejecting change.

Due in a great measure to the rantings of Mr Potato Head, aka Peter Dutton, aka Putrid Dustbin, the right-wing Opposition parties leader, who followed the DoNuts T.®ump playbook & turned a moral question — should the original inhabitants of the continent be recognized in the Constitution with the creation of a body that would have the ability to advise the Government on matters that related to their culture — into a political blitzkreig based on lies & misinformation.

The Referendum question was a simple one:

129 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice

In recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia:

there shall be a body, to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice;
the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice may make representations to the Parliament and the Executive Government of the Commonwealth on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;
the Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws with respect to matters relating to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, including its composition, functions, powers and procedures.

recently, at Series Magritte

La Bonne Aventure



The clichés, which should
have been here in numbers, 
are nowhere to be seen. Have
fled, some further down the
seaside cliffs, some gone on
board that passenger liner
which is now full steam a-
head for the open sea, all
struck dumb by a sensory
perception of the androgy-
nous eroticism inherent in 
this oversized nose, at once
both phallic & feminine. Only
that synecdoche sycamore re-
mains, certain that, at some 
time soon, the equivalent of a
fig leaf might just be needed.

wednesday newstrip

Israel will want to examine very closely, over the next few months, its intelligence & military failures that allowed Hamas fighters to run rampant around southern Israel · Mum brutally mocked by thousands after posting ‘ridiculous’ babysitter advert which included among the conditions, if you have tattoos, get them removed · an Australian reality TV star has been busted offering sex to a woman at a Melbourne bar in exchange for drugs. “Turns out he only wanted coke from me” she said after he couldn’t perform because of ‘coke dick’ · a woman in the US has recalled her shock when she discovered she was experiencing a rare superfetation pregnancy – when you conceive while already pregnant · thousands dead as earthquake ‘turns Afghan villages to sand’ · the most popular dog’s name in Australia is Luna.

Today the post-
woman brought
me an aspidistra.

*

George Orwell
once told me 

I had to keep 
them flying. I'm 

trying, George, 
I'm really try-

ing. But it's very 
hard to do when 

there isn't that 
much wind about.

wednesday newstrip

Man hailed by T.®ump admin as a victim of #MeToo hysteria charged with dismembering his girlfriend · Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp doubts that DoNuts T.®ump will face trial in his state before the 2024 election · T.®ump may have violated terms of release during Glock stunt · yet another T.®ump ally loses bid to move Georgia case to federal court · it has been revealed that the husband of a controversial pro-T.®ump mayoral candidate for Franklin, Tennessee, who has built her campaign on her opposition to a Pride event in the city as harmful to children, once rocked American flag Speedos — & nothing else, save for a gold chain, glasses, & shoes — to a Pride event in Chicago · T.®ump's fraud defense so bad it is 'defying the very laws of physics' · first T.®ump co-defendant to plead guilty in Fulton County election interference case · DoNuts T.®ump calls for shoplifters to be shot.

Today the post-
woman brought
me a delicate blue
& white porcelain

vase. Ming, I thought 
as I gently flicked a
fingernail against the 
rim. Qing, it replied.

wednesday newstrip

Russian foreign minister attacks West as 'empire of lies' · Australia’s former top brothel still looking for a buyer after more than two months on the market · iPhone 15 launch buzz is off the hook with long retail lines for Apple’s new bauble · Chris Evans’ secret Marvel fears revealed: ’I was worried about making shitty movies’ · dog-walker cut to the bone in samurai sword road rage attack in New Zealand · Australia set to produce lowest amount of milk in 30 years · Report Merdeox retires — with a $220 million golden handshake.

Today the post-
woman brought
me the denom-

inator I need
to solve the
Great Divide.

wednesday newstrip

T.®ump calls BidenMyTime 'cognitively impaired' in gaffe-filled speech · climate scientists say they have "never seen anything" like this year's emerging El Niño, as the major climatic event inches closer to development · the All Gender Games in Melbourne is a place for everyone to participate in a safe & judgement-free space · thousands rallied in Australia on Sunday to support recognizing the country's Indigenous people in the constitution, a proposal that is struggling ahead of a referendum next month · video of an analog TV from year 2000 goes viral as people react to the shocking $5000 price it then cost to buy · Gold Coast man fined after taking his pet snake for a surf.

recently at Series Magritte

La Victoire (2)



Winning opens a
door; & shows that

nothing at all has
changed. The same

sand, the same sea.
A fresh cloud, per-

haps. But that will
blow away shortly.

wednesday newstrip

Apiarist Tractor Ferguson worries the ancient art of beekeeping is dying in Thargomindah · New Zealand couple demanding refund from Singapore Airlines after stuck next to farting dog for 13 hours · G20 summit ends with India, Brazil, & Russia boasting success · DoNuts T.®ump booed at Iowa vs. Iowa State football game · DoNuts T.®ump is surrounded by huge cheering mob as he attends Iowa football game · Australia Indigenous referendum set to fail as support dips, poll shows · Kim Jong Un Deux Trois traveling to Russia on his luxury armored train · Mustafa heard his son yelling for help almost two days after Morocco's earthquake struck — then the calls stopped · thousands feared dead, entire neighborhoods 'swept away by water' as storm floods Libya.

Today the post-
woman brought

me a square peg
& a square hole.

It's a kind of
security blanket.

wednesday newstrip

India launches space mission to the sun a week after moon landing · a 98-year-old former Nazi concentration guard has been indicted on charges of aiding & abetting the murder of more than 3300 people during the Holocaust, German authorities said on Friday · Victorian Pride Center's NO to ‘lesbian born female’ only event · man convicted of murder in Pennsylvania & wanted in Brazil remains at large after jail escape · a New Zealand dairy farmer says he has lost tens of thousands of dollars after a technician failed to get a significant portion of his cows in calf through artificial insemination · U.K. TikTok influencer & her mother sentenced to life for double murder · SpaceX sending iPhone Emergency SOS satellites to space for Apple partner Globalstar · Burning Man festival-goers trapped in Nevada desert as rain floods the site.

wednesday newstrip

Former US president DoNuts T.®ump’s historic mugshot is being turned into T-shirts, shot glasses, mugs, posters, & even bobblehead dolls by friends & foes alike · Baldur's Gate 3: where to find Grand Duke Ravengard · three dead in 'racially motivated' shooting at Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida · Alice Cooper’s makeup line scrapped by a cosmetics company after the rocker claimed that transitioning genders was a “fad” · report on overdoses shows opioids remain a leading factor in accidental drug deaths in Australia · miniature goat yoga brings 'so much joy' to Dimboola yogis, aged care residents · every morning, Bilal goes fishing in the Mediterranean. Almost every day, he finds human remains.

your eyes have their silence

 

Mercator Projected

https://www.josephsalvatoreaversano.com/post/new-digital-chapbook-release-mark-young-s-mercator-projected-selected-geographies-hdmp-9

Issue seventy print parts

The print parts of the final issue of Otoliths, issue seventy, the southern winter issue are now available from The Otoliths Storefront at Lulu. Because of its size, it has been broken down into four parts, two b&w, two full color. This week's discount, available until Friday midnight, is 15% & the promotional code to be entered to obtain it is READIT15. New weeks' codes will be available each Monday on the Lulu Press Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/Luludotcom/.

Issue seventy, part one
319 pages
Price: $US27.75
direct URL: https://www.lulu.com/shop/mark-young/otoliths-issue-seventy-part-one/paperback/product-wj9p49.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Part one, the first of the b&w parts, contains work from Martin Edmond, Scott MacLeod, Ian Ganassi, Stephen Bett, Eric Hoffman, R L Swihart, S. K. Kelen, Bob Kotyk, Jon Wesick, Vernon Frazer, Thomas M. McDade. Laurie Kuntz, Lynn Strongin, Sanjeev Sethi, Christopher Barnes, Vaishnavi Kolluru, Marc Isaac Potter, John Bradley, Laura Jeannerette, Heath Brougher, Nate Logan, Paul Perilli, Joseph Buehler, Benjamin Bennett-Carpenter, Paul Dickey. Yuan Changming, Jim Leftwich, Dale Jensen, Judith Roitman, Richard Kostelanetz. Maileen Hamto, Sabine Miller, Alison Ross, Nathan Anderson, Ken Poyner, Jim Meirose, Márton Koppány, Tom Formaro, Patrick Sweeney, Karen J. Weyant. Kirsty Lewin, Hrishikesh Srinivas, Daniel Barbiero, Rus Khomutoff, Pat Nolan, Randee Silv, DS Maolalai, Michael J. Leach, Mark Cunningham, Dmitriy Shandra, Sterling Warner, David Wolf, Sheila E. Murphy, Sheila E. Murphy & K.S. Ernst, Tony Beyer, harry k stammer, Tom Beckett, Michael Gottlieb, Joshua Martin, Mark DuCharme, Réka Nyitrai, jim mccrary, Philip Kobylarz, Adam Fieled, Hugh Tribbey, Alan Chong Lau, & Jacklyn Henry.

Issue seventy, part two
303 pages
Price: $US27.45
direct URL: https://www.lulu.com/shop/mark-young/otoliths-issue-seventy-part-two/paperback/product-dk9vyr.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Part two, the second of the b&w parts, contains work from Harrison Fisher, Kenneth Rexroth, Thomas Fink, Ed Go, Pete Spence, Jerome Berglund, Joseph Salvatore Aversano, Jeff Harrison, Joe Balaz, Bob Heman, Bob Lucky, Liz Teuber, John McCluskey, Gavin Lucky, Rahul Santhanam, Steve Carll, Opal Louis Nations & Peter Cherches, Susan Gangel, Jeff Bagato, Nathan Whiting, Tim Frank, Javant Biarujia, Linda King, Ella O'Keefe & Tim Wright, Hifsa Ashraf & R.C. Thomas, Harvey Huddleston, Glenn Ingersoll, dan raphael, John Levy, Jonathan Cant, Pam Brown, Bernie Earley, Eddie Heaton, Robert Burton, Alan Catlin, John Kucera, Steven Salmoni, Jessica Grim, Pete Smith, Charles Freeland, Jane Downing, David Jalajel, Eileen R. Tabios, Damon Hubbs, Eric Lunde, John Tustin, Keith Higginbotham, berni m janssen, Jill Jones, Marty Hiatt, Peter Yovu, Irmak Canevi, Michael Vecchio, Caitlyn Steer, Olchar E. Lindsann, Matthew Platakos, Jessica Dejanovic, Colleen Woods, Bobbi Lurie, Linda M. Walker, Kit Kennedy, J. D. Nelson, Paul Pfleuger, Jr., Cy Forrest, nicky melville, Edinburgh Mews, Volodymyr Bilyk, Makenzie Matthews-Beard, & Mark Young.

Issue seventy, part three
319 pages
Price: $US54.95
direct URL: https://www.lulu.com/shop/mark-young/otoliths-issue-seventy-part-three/paperback/product-dk9vrr.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Part three, the first of the full color parts, contains work from Satu Kaikkonen, Scott MacLeod, Demosthenes Agrafiotis, Jack Galmitz, Marzi Margo, Daniel Lehan, Jennifer Weigel, Giovanni Fontana. Carlyle Baker, Ferran Destemple, Brandstifter, C. Mehrl Bennett, & John M. Bennett, Texas Fontanella, Mike Callaghan, Grzegorz Wróblewski, Christian ALLE, Bill Yarrow, Laurent Grison, Javant Biarujia, Carla Bertola, Alberto Vitacchio, John M. Bennett, Pamela Miller, petro c. k., C. Mehrl Bennett, m@, József Bíró, Kimberly Kuchar, Carol Stetser, Texas Fontanella & Michael Orr, Dave Read, Rosella Quintini, & Karl Kempton.

Issue seventy, part four
238 pages
Price: $US44.65
direct URL: https://www.lulu.com/shop/mark-young/otoliths-issue-seventy-part-four/paperback/product-emyzmn.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Part four, the second of the full color parts, contains work from Cecelia Chapman, Doren Robbins, George Myers Jr., Luis Cuauhtémoc Berriozábal, Adriána Kóbor, Roberta Beach Jacobson, Stephen Nelson, Joe Balaz, Bob Heman, Elaine Woo, Debbie Strange, Diana Magallón, KJ Hannah Greenberg, Jeff Bagato, Guy R. Beining, J.I. Kleinberg , John Levy & Alan Chong Lau, Jurate Sasnaitis, David A. Bishop, Dennis Andrew S. Aguinaldo, Penelope Weiss, Keith Nunes, Anne-Marie Jeanjean, Rick Henry, Cherie Hunter Day, Tony Cosentino & K.S. Ernst, K.S. Ernst, Irena Tall, Tejaswinee Roychowdhury, Antonio Devicienti, Robert Frede Kenter, John Digby & Bill Wolak, Bill Wolak, Barnaby Smith, Mark DeCarteret, Mark DeCarteret & Wayne Atherton, Bruno Neiva, Susan Connolly, Tatiana Novikova, Edward Kulemin, Sarah Legow, Rico Cleffi, Paul Pfleuger, Jr., Pearl Button, Mark Melnicove, nick nelson, fred flynn, & Marcia Arrieta.

wednesday newstrip

Nitrous oxide study shows how use of 'nangs' causes brain & spinal damage · Lucy Letby guilty of murdering seven babies while working as nurse in UK after ‘I am evil’ note found · police chase cyclist over 20 cars scratched on one road · modern slavery exists in 21st century Australia · raging wildfires force evacuation of villages in northern Greece · Californian desert under water as Tropical Storm Hilary floods state · Auckland dirt bikes: Killer Beez gangsters giving motorbikes to young Auckland riders who ‘prove themselves’, police intel says · Queen's smash single Fat Bottomed Girls has been cut from a new Greatest Hits compilation because it's been dubbed too racy for a younger audience · the countdown is on for the Wee Waa Show.

wednesday newstrip

Niger military to prosecute Mohamed Bazoum for ‘high treason’ · Elongated Muskrat 'isn't serious' about cage fight, Marketforces Suckaniceberg says · Toyota dealers busted selling new cars as ‘used vehicles’ with inflated prices – & there’s nothing to stop them · baby girl killed in Russian shelling of Ukrainian village · Russian fighter jet 'drops like bullet' & crashes at US airshow — bad karma blamed · endangered lioness killed after escaping farm in South Korea · the New Zealand Government is dropping the last of its Covid restrictions just as reported cases & hospitalizations are trending back up · synergistic winter flounder antimicrobial peptides unveil new path to enhanced bactericidal therapy.

wednesday newstrip

Twitch streamer Kai Cenat facing charges after public PS5 giveaway leads to violent riot outburst in NYC · beanies, scarves, & puffer jackets come out as near-record chilly weather hits parts of the South Pacific · judge's Mr. T.®ump greeting to former president at his arraignment sets social media ablaze · a 34-year-old woman on bail for her alleged role in a murder has asked the Austrakian Supreme Court to send her back to prison because she cannot find housing · Russia bombs bloodbank in retaliation for Ukrainian attack on oil tanker · consulting giant KPMG has been accused by two whistleblowers of repeatedly ripping off taxpayers while contracted by the Australian Department of Defence — submitting inflated invoices & billing the federal government for hours never worked · a regional community in Victoria's east is in mourning after three people died from eating poisonous wild mushrooms at a lunch with friends.

Today the post-
woman brought
me what at first
felt like a capital
letter.

Later, 
after a closer
reading, it came
across as a lower
case of déjà vu.

wednesday newstrip

Former childcare worker from Gold Coast charged with more than 1,600 child sex offences · a Tauranga funeral home convicted of illegal discharges of cremation smoke, which sickened & traumatized neighbors over the “dead bodies over our property”, will have to pay $85,000 · a zoo in China has been forced to deny that its sun bears are "humans in disguise" after guests noticed the animals' uncanny resemblance to people while standing upright · Assassin’s Creed Mirage, the latest instalment in the popular game franchise, has an average completion time of 20-23 hours, according to Ubisoft · Indigenous experience of colonization now mandatory under school history overhaul · Sir Bob Geldof has revealed the heartbreaking text messages he received from Sinead O‘Connor just before her death · there will be two supermoons in August & one will be a blue moon.

Otoliths Issue seventy is now live

But first, to postpone the pain of having to confirm that this is, in fact, the last issue of Otoliths, a couple of notices from friends. Jeffrey Side has asked that the word be put about that he's looking for guest bloggers for his eponymous blog. Not poems — he has another site for that — but one where "The posts would not need to be as long as articles, and could (though not necessarily) cover topical issues in the poetry scene." His email is argotistonline AT gmail DOT com. Plus sandy press have recently published a new collection, with the slow-paced turtle replaced by a fast fish, from some arcane poet named Mark Young. It's available from Amazon.

Now back to the true purpose of this email. Issue seventy, the southern winter, 2023, issue of Otoliths is now live. This last issue is immense & ranges from the dunes of Oceano across to the battlefields of Ukraine, from Scandanavia down to the unceded lands of South Australia. It contains reviews, memoirs, collages, photographs, paintings, vispo, text poems, short stories, videos, combinations of the preceding plus a few other things. Included are Satu Kaikkonen, Martin Edmond, Scott MacLeod, Ian Ganassi, Stephen Bett, Eric Hoffman, R L Swihart, S. K. Kelen, Demosthenes Agrafiotis, Jack Galmitz, Bob Kotyk, Jon Wesick, Marzi Margo, Daniel Lehan, Vernon Frazer, Thomas M. McDade, Jennifer Weigel, Giovanni Fontana, Carlyle Baker, Laurie Kuntz, Lynn Strongin, Sanjeev Sethi, Christopher Barnes, Ferran Destemple, Vaishnavi Kolluru, Brandstifter, C. Mehrl Bennett, & John M. Bennett, Marc Isaac Potter, Texas Fontanella, John Bradley, Laura Jeannerette, Heath Brougher, Nate Logan, Paul Perilli, Joseph Buehler, Mike Callaghan, Benjamin Bennett-Carpenter, Paul Dickey, Yuan Changming, Grzegorz Wróblewski, Christian ALLE, Bill Yarrow, Jim Leftwich, Dale Jensen, Judith Roitman, Richard Kostelanetz, Laurent Grison, Maileen Hamto, Sabine Miller, Alison Ross, Javant Biarujia, Carla Bertola, Alberto Vitacchio, Nathan Anderson, Ken Poyner, Jim Meirose, Márton Koppány, Tom Formaro, John M. Bennett (Vispo), Patrick Sweeney, Pamela Miller, petro c. k., Karen J. Weyant, C. Mehrl Bennett, m@, Kirsty Lewin, Hrishikesh Srinivas, József Bíró, Daniel Barbiero, Rus Khomutoff, Pat Nolan, Kimberly Kuchar, Randee Silv, DS Maolalai, Michael J. Leach, Mark Cunningham, Dmitriy Shandra, Carol Stetser, Sterling Warner, Texas Fontanella & Michael Orr, David Wolf, Dave Read, Sheila E. Murphy, Sheila E. Murphy & K.S. Ernst, Tony Beyer, harry k stammer, John M. Bennett (text poetry), Tom Beckett, Rosella Quintini, Michael Gottlieb, Karl Kempton, Joshua Martin, Cecelia Chapman, Mark DuCharme, Réka Nyitrai, jim mccrary, Doren Robbins, Philip Kobylarz, George Myers Jr., Adam Fieled, Hugh Tribbey, Alan Chong Lau, Jacklyn Henry, Harrison Fisher, Kenneth Rexroth, Thomas Fink, Luis Cuauhtémoc Berriozábal, Ed Go, Pete Spence, Adriána Kóbor, Jerome Berglund, Roberta Beach Jacobson, Joseph Salvatore Aversano, Jeff Harrison, Stephen Nelson, Joe Balaz, Bob Heman, Bob Lucky, Liz Teuber, John McCluskey, Gavin Lucky, Elaine Woo, Rahul Santhanam, Debbie Strange, Steve Carll, Diana Magallón, Opal Louis Nations & Peter Cherches, KJ Hannah Greenberg, Susan Gangel, Jeff Bagato, Nathan Whiting, Guy R. Beining, Tim Frank, John Levy & Alan Chong Lau, Linda King, J.I. Kleinberg, Ella O'Keefe & Tim Wright, Jurate Sasnaitis, Hifsa Ashraf and R.C. Thomas, Harvey Huddleston, Glenn Ingersoll, David A. Bishop, dan raphael, Dennis Andrew S. Aguinaldo, Karl Kempton ( a review), Jonathan Cant, Pam Brown, Penelope Weiss, Bernie Earley, Keith Nunes, Anne-Marie Jeanjean, Eddie Heaton, Robert Burton, Alan Catlin, John Kucera, Steven Salmoni, Jessica Grim, Rick Henry, Cherie Hunter Day, Pete Smith, Tony Cosentino & K.S. Ernst, K.S. Ernst, Charles Freeland, Tejaswinee Roychowdhury, Jane Downing, David Jalajel, Antonio Devicienti, Eileen R. Tabios, Damon Hubbs, Eric Lunde, John Tustin, Robert Frede Kenter, Keith Higginbotham, John Digby & Bill Wolak, Bill Wolak, berni m janssen, Jill Jones, Barnaby Smith, Marty Hiatt, Peter Yovu, Mark DeCarteret, Mark DeCarteret & Wayne Atherton, Bruno Neiva, Susan Connolly, Irmak Canevi, Irena Tall, Michael Vecchio, John Levy, Tatiana Novikova, Caitlyn Steer, Edward Kulemin, Olchar E. Lindsann, Matthew Platakos, Jessica Dejanovic, Colleen Woods, Sarah Legow, Bobbi Lurie, Rico Cleffi, Linda M. Walker, Pearl Button, Kit Kennedy, J. D. Nelson, Mark Melnicove, nick nelson, fred flynn, Paul Pfleuger, Jr., Cy Forrest, nicky melville, Edinburgh Mews, Volodymyr Bilyk, Marcia Arrieta, Makenzie Matthews-Beard, & Mark Young.

& finally, a sincere note of thanks to all of you who have made Otoliths the substantial & much-loved publication it is today.

Enjoy. Be sad.

Thank you for all your support.

Apparently / Google doesn't / even trust itself

Today the post-
woman brought
me what looked 
like some sort 

of interrogation
tecnhique. I had
to ask her: is this 
a glottal stop

ʔ

wednesday newstrip

Twitter to rebrand to X & drop blue bird, says Elongated Muskrat · paramedic makes housecall & finds a man who’s had an amorous encounter with a meter-long mop · Barbie & Oppenheimer smash the box office around the world · "I am become Shiva, the destroyer of worlds" said Barbie, while Oppenheimer looked pretty in pink · drug found in toddler's autopsy matches police seizure · YouTube personality & longtime MrBeast collaborator Kris Tyson has come out as transgender in a joyful interview · Tony Bennett’s family find solace in his ‘musical legacy’ in the wake of his passing · Netanyahu has pacemaker fitted on eve of pivotal Knesset vote on the government’s highly contentious judicial overhaul · DoNuts T.®ump calls the United States a third-world country run by perverts.

wednesday newstrip

Dingoes allegedly becoming more fearless as rangers consider fate of animals involved in Queensland island attack · parents of toddler who 'miraculously' survived after ingesting fantasy sent to prison · extreme heatwave: Greece battles to contain wildfires as temperature in Italy forecast to hit 46C · turning offices to residences is touted as a housing fix for a work-from-home era, but a $520,000 listing takes the brief too literally · Margot Robbie is slammed by Americans for talking with her Aussie accent while on the press tour for Barbie · cheers, standing ovation at celebration of the world's first openly transgender elected politician, New Zealander Georgina Beyer's colorful life · scientists vibrated a box of particles & they formed a strange new material.

wednesday newstrip (again courtesy of Rupert Murdoch)

'We'll rue the day NACC (the Australian National Anti-Corruption Commission) was founded' · ‘gutless’: Prince Harry slammed for letting world believe Royal Family was racist · DoNuts T.®ump blasts 'crackhead' attorney after White House cocaine discovery · ‘Boss moment:’ Kate involved in ‘brilliant takedown’ of Harry & Meghan’s racism claims · voters 'will make Biden pay' at the ballot box after the Supreme Court sunk his half-baked student loan forgiveness program · Australian eco-zealots are heading for a messy divorce with green energy · Princess of Wales masterminded royal response to Sussexes' Oprah interview · 'monsters:' Alex Stein blasts Biden family as 'evil' for refusing to acknowledge grandchild · ‘this is obscene:’ advocates calling for a ban on DoNuts T.®ump Jr.’s visit to Australia criticized · left-wingers have created a ‘new science’ for gender & identity · Meghan Markle warned there’s ‘no future with Harry’ if she wants to ‘save her career.’

wednesday newstrip

Scientists have finally 'heard' chorus of gravitational waves that ripple through universe · 2 people are dead · 28 people were injured in mass shooting at a Baltimore block party · Aussie TikToker ‘accidentally’ spends $10k on Taylor Swift tickets amid fan frenzy · US Supreme Court backs businesses refusing same-sex couples · the last refugee held on Nauru was evacuated to Australia after 10 years, it has been announced · France to deploy 45,000 police to tackle riots. Macron blames video games, social media · New Zealand doctor tells woman to drink '4 cans of Coca-Cola' to remove chicken bone from throat · Canada is going to war with Google, & it might not win · European Space Agency launches new telescope to find dark matter.

Today the post-
woman brought 
me the DVD 
of Peter Quince
eating caviar 
that prompted the
well known poem  
by Wallace Stevens.

wednesday newstrip

US approves chicken made from cultivated cells, the nation's first 'lab-grown' meat · US navy detected an ‘anomaly’ that was likely the Titan's implosion but only realized that was what it was after loss of contact with the submersible was reported · the owner of the Wagner private military contractor escalated his direct challenge to the Kremlin on Friday, calling for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia’s defence minister · it has been revealed that multiple versions of Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse are currently in cinemas · turn your phone off every night for five minutes, Australian Prime Minister tells residents · Pasifika health professionals are defending a new formula that uses ethnicity to prioritise patients for non-urgent surgery in Auckland, saying it will help address racism in the health system · clash over LBGTQ+ decor at Starbucks leads to planned strikes at more than 150 stores in US.

wednesday newstrip (courtesy of Rupert Murdoch)

Meghan Markle ‘cutting the chain’ from ‘mentally disturbed’ Prince Harry · Australian men jump position in global penis size ranking · New Zealand police patrol streets amid soaring youth crime · Joe Biden ‘making up for lost time’ despite never being ‘good on gay rights’ · ‘Other groups’ besides women interested in receiving uterus transplants · London Mayor Sadiq Khan has produced an “inclusivity guide” for his staff to tell them “what they can & cannot say” · Sky News Australia host reacts to latest ‘lefty lunatic’ · Russian cyber hackers compromise top-secret defensive data in historic breach · Harry & Meghan ‘$20 million’ Spotify deal cancelled · direct conflict between Putin & NATO military units on the ground in Ukraine 'the next logical step' after Zelensky's failed counter-offensive.

geographies : Natimuk

 

The back lawn, in black & white, after the sprinkler's done its work

Six Australian white ibis with their black heads

Four magpie larks

Two willie wagtails

& a magpie, just come along
to see what all the fuss is about

it's amazing what turns up!

(click on image to enlarge)

wednesday newstrip

‘Big Penis USA’ pills banned in Australia over undeclared substance · Australian Tax Office data shows 66 millionaires paid no income tax in 2020-21 · El Nino under way, raising fears of extreme weather patterns · Tjuwanpa Women Rangers sharpen shooting skills in mission to control feral cats in central Australia · DoNuts T.®ump says he's been indicted on charges of mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate · BoreUs(NoMoreNow) Johnson standing down from UK House of Commons after being told he will be sanctioned for misleading Parliament · Utah parent successfully blocks Bible from schools.

Today the post-
woman brought
me a birthday
card from the
Marquis de
Sade. Not for
me, I told her,
two houses up
the road. I ran
to retrieve it
the minute she
was out of sight.

Now available

Now out from sandy press.


Mark Young
with the slow-paced turtle replaced by a fast fish
sandy press, 2023
94 pages
$US 19.95
ISBN: 978-1736816066
Available through Amazon

Mark Young's language is at once familiar, sprinkled with unusual words beloved of the philologist in us. There is a Magritte-like gap between image and object, with a title that sounds as though it comes from a fable by La Fontaine. These are poems for the Zeitgeist, poems of the Internet Age and post-colonialism, a demystification couched in at times mysterious language. Poems written in a demotic language, apocalyptic, cynical, utopian and always beautiful, stripping pop-culture illusions bare while creating new myths, a deliberate misreading to create new truths. You think you know what's coming in Young's work, but there are always twists and turns enough to surprise you and catch you out; his latest collection, with the slow-paced turtle replaced by a fast fish, does not disappoint.

—Javant Biarujia, author of Pointcounterpoint: Selected and new poems, Resinations, and Spelter to Pewter. Creator of the Taneraic language and compiler of its comprehensive dictionary.

There's a sampler available at sandy press.

wednesday newstrip

Three more insurance companies including Tokio Marine have left a United Nations-backed net-zero climate alliance, leaving the group with about half the number of members it counted two months ago as insurers take fright at political pressure from some Republican politicians · ‘last resort:’ government faces legal action to force repatriation of Australians from Syrian refugee camps · Australia's 'misery index' up 220 per cent in a year due to rate rises, inflation · new evidence suggests Russia deliberately targeting schools in Ukraine · Whitehaven Coal's underground mine in northern New South Wales is polluting the atmosphere with more than three times the direct greenhouse gas emissions it forecast it would emit when it received environmental approval in 2015 · popular pub in Adelaide under fire for offering free drinks to woman based on their bra size: 'the bigger the better.'

wednesday newstrip

An Indian government official has been suspended after he ordered the drainage of a two-million-liter dam so he could get his phone back, which he dropped while taking a selfie · researchers say the US city of Manhattan is sinking at a rate of two millimeters a year · in a study published in the journal Science last week, a team of international researchers reported that more than half of the world's large lakes & reservoirs had shrunk since the early 1990s due to climate change, unregulated water use, & dam construction · widely available vape products have been found to contain toxic heavy metals, including arsenic, lead, mercury, nickel, chromium, antimony, aluminium, iron, & nickel, along with known carcinogens like formaldehyde & nicotine, according to new tests · ‘Shops will close’: soaring cost of potatoes batters British chippies.

wednesday newstrip

Woman, 95, Tasered by officer at New South Wales aged care home, when she approached on a walking frame with a steak knife in her hand, police say · millions prepare to flee homes in Mexico as Popocatépetl volcano spews more ash · India wrestlers risk Olympic dream for '#MeToo' protest, accusing the federation's president, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, of sexual harassment & abuse of female wrestlers · US President Joe BidenMyTime & Republican NoCavin McCarthy end meeting with no deal on US debt ceiling · New Zealand’s ratio of sheep to humans at lowest point in 170 years · the real cost of your chocolate habit: new research reveals the bittersweet truth of cocoa farming in Africa’s forests.

wednesday newstrip

Rudy Giuliani demanded oral sex from staffer during T.®ump calls: lawsuit · Farmington: Teen gunman kills three in New Mexico before police shoot him dead · Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom players are building tanks, planes to commit war crimes · former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard has conceded that her desire to have a debate around the merit of marriage in modern society, instead of supporting same-sex marriage, was "wrong" · ninety-two rooms, full beds & no sprinklers: investigations begin into NZ hostel fire that killed six with eleven people still missing · renowned children's author Mem Fox says a message from her literary agent that one of her books had been banned in the US state of Florida made her "howl with laughter."

wednesday newstrip

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić promised on Friday, just hours after that country's second mass shooting, that the government will make urgent changes to the country’s firearm legislation · seven bodies found during search for two missing Oklahoma teens · vapes to be banned in Australia for recreational use, 'pharmaceutical' packaging to be required under crackdown · gunman kills eight, sends hundreds into panic in Texas mall shooting · Australian public broadcaster lambasted over anti-monarchy coronation coverage · seven days, seven shootings, five deaths in South Mississippi · garlic planting time is here.

wednesday newstrip

Texas man kills five neighbors, including an eight-year-old child, after they complained about him shooting an AR-15-style weapon in his front yard · fisherman is feared eaten in a fatal crocodile attack at a remote river in Far North Queensland · a huge fire in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol on Saturday has been put out after what was reported to be a Ukrainian drone strike on fuel tanks at a Russian navy depot · a Moscow court has fined a Russian baker who decorated her cakes with pro-Ukraine and peace slogans. Since Vladimir Putain sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022, authorities have banned all public criticism of the offensive · seven psychoactive drugs detected in Australian wastewater for the first time · the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces that run Roj detention camp, where wives, widows & children of slain or jailed Islamic State fighters have been held in squalid circumstances for more than three years, have regularly been removing boys from the camp once they reach 12 years of age, taking them to adult prisons, arguing they pose a security risk. But UN experts have warned boys removed from the camp “may be forcibly disappeared, & subject to sale, exploitation & … torture”.

The latest issue of Otoliths is now live

The penultimate issue of Otoliths, the southern autumn, 2023 issue is now live.

Dedicated to the memory of two significant contributors to the journal, Michael Rothenberg & Carla Bertola, this issue, as always, contains a variety of work in many fields from a variety of contributors — Pat Nolan, Tim Wright, John M. Bennett, Judith Skillman, Jen Schneider, Sanjeev Sethi, Andrew Stys, Jerome Berglund, Mehreen Ahmed, harry k stammer, John M. Bennett & Texas Fontanella, Strider Marcus Jones, Demosthenes Agrafiotis, Nigel Ford, Glen Armstrong, Anne-Marie Jeanjean, Jim Leftwich, Bill Wolak, Jack Galmitz, Tom Beckett, Grzegorz Wróblewski, Bruce Morton, Alan Catlin, Fin Sorrel, Karl Kempton, Dean Kelly, Pete Spence, Mario José Cervantes, Eric Hoffman, Howie Good, John Martone, Les Wicks, Louise Landes Levi, Nathan Anderson, Mary Cresswell, Michael J. Leach, Elaine Woo, Harvey Huddleston, petro c.k., Paul Perilli, Carol Stetser, Adam Fieled, dan raphael, CL Bledsoe, Clive Gresswell, David A. Bishop, Vernon Frazer, Robert Fleming, John McCluskey, M.J. Iuppa, Jennifer Weigel, Dave Read, Serse Luigetti, Mark Cunningham, Texas Fontanella, Ian Willey, Joshua Martin, Juan Pablo Mobili, David Greenslade & David Rees Davies, Kenneth Rexroth, Jeff Harrison, Adriána Kóbor, Daniel de Culla, John Tustin, Joseph Salvatore Aversano, Yejun Chun, Olchar E. Lindsann, Stephen Nelson, Bing Cherches, Luis Cuauhtémoc Berriozábal, Eddie Heaton, N. H. Van Der Haar, Barbara Anna Gaiardoni & Andrea Vanacore, Henry Hughes, Carla Bertola, Alberto Vitacchio, Javant Biarujia, Phil Montenegro, Xe M. Sánchez, Hrishikesh Srinivas, bart plantenga, Andrew Taylor, K. S. Ernst & Sheila E. Murphy, Richard Magahiz, Sydnie Stern, David Wolf, Blossom Hibbert, Hua Ai, Paul J. Enea, Paul Dickey, Bob Lucky, Mars Brocke, John Kucera, John Levy, Damon Hubbs, Patrick Sweeney, Antonio Devicienti, Massimo Fantuzzi, Réka Nyitrai, Flamur Vehapi, David Jalajel, Harrison Fisher, Jeff Bagato, Volodymyr Bilyk, Keith Nunes, Goro Takano, Joanne Bechtel, Sheila E. Murphy, Nathan Whiting, Marilyn Stablein, Tony Beyer, Gavin Lucky, Jürgen O. Olbrich, Ken Bolton, A. W. Kindness, Nam Hoang Tran, Eileen R. Tabios, Diana Magallón, Penelope Weiss, Tazeen Fatma, Glenn Bach, Rick Henry, Eileen R. Tabios & harry k stammer, Keith Higginbotham, Kit Kennedy, Darrell Petska, Edward Kulemin, Michael Helsem, Shloka Shankar, Shloka Shankar & Deepa Patil, Dhaatri Vengunad, Ganesh R., Mark Danowsky, Bob Heman, Linda M. Walker, Vidhi Ashar, Sam Langer, Angelo 'NGE' Colella, Jill Jones, Paul Pfleuger, Jr., J. D. Nelson, Peter Yovu, & Marcia Arrieta.

As I keep saying, there's something there for everyone.