News That's Fit To Punt - 11/Aug/2014

Gotta Admit I Was Wrong

Australia's contingent to the Ukraine went and returned in the last week and a bit. I know I sounded alarms about sending troops but sanity prevailed and nobody got shot at by east Ukrainian Separatists. This is a  good thing. The best thing about it was how Russia was blocked from turning the tragedy into a kind of political football to slam the government in Kiev. Sometimes your side shoots down a third party plane, it's not the other side's provocation.

Now that the Australian contingent is on its way home, Julie Bishop is saying all items are on  the table for applying sanctions to Russia. Of course,it's easy for Australia to play hard rhetoric because we don't really rely on oil and gas from Russia, unlike the NATO nations.  Germany in particular has been expertly perched on the fence playing both sides, mainly because the German industrial might is entirely dependent on the flow of energy from Russia. I guess it's a bit like Frank Herbert's 'Dune' where the catchcry is "the Spice Must Flow"; the oil and gas must flow for Germany to be Germany and in turn for Europe to be Europe.

All the same the smoke has barely cleared from the MH17 crash and there's a stench in the air where war is being talked about as a possibility. Maybe we're colouring ourselves into a picture where we might be more open to re-examining the history of the Twentieth Century and deciding that maybe we want to attempt to re-draw the maps. This month being the Centenary of the start of World War I doesn't seem to have really formed a precautionary consensus about the west avoiding wars, except in Germany.

Irony is running in all directions out of Ukraine. Place names like Crimea and Sevastopol are echoes of Imperial Wars of the Nineteenth Century. Here we are in the 21st Century and we find ourselves challenged by events there. Ukraine was the victim of intense Soviet era collectivisation and purges. So we find an ex-KGB officer ruling Russia wants to re-claim whole tracts of Ukraine as regaining the whole-ness of Russia. Germany was the catalyst for not one but two world wars - something for which it remains the butt of jokes today - and yet is trying its damned best not to start a third one. Vladimir Putin on the other hand is pushing as hard as Hitler once did, and we're appeasing him. It really is ugly.

Ebola On The Loose

Speaking of ugliness, there' the Ebola outbreak in Africa. Ebola is a viral disease and there's no vaccine or cure. So the medical teams working out there are essentially trying to keep patients alive by hydrating them through the illness, administering antibiotics to fend of secondary infections, and that that's about the sum total of what they've got as a way to combat the disease. The good news is that it's not as contagious as influenza which is a blessing. All the same, the disease is spreading rapidly in Africa and some people returning from Africa have reported in sick with signs of the disease.

Going into this last weekend, the WHO has declared the current Ebola outbreak an international health emergency. It's hard to get a picture of how this is going to be brought under control.

Back To Bombing Iraq


With ISIS running rampant in northern Iraq, President Obama has approved air strikes against ISIS. It's hard to say if this is going to benefit greatly, but it's one of those things the US tries when it can't solve things diplomatically. The rather unfortunate karmic twist being that it is back to Iraq for America's military. Having lived through a decade and a half of the mis-declared war on terror which led to the war in Iraq, it seems business is far from finished in the lands formerly known as the cradle of civilisation.  It's all a multi-layered failure of policy with repercussions that have demanded even worse choices.

Should America gone into Iraq in the way it did? - In hindsight, no.

Did America conduct a good campaign in Iraq? - no.

Should America have pulled out in the way it did?- Probably not.

And so here we are, doing airstrikes in Iraq again - all the bad decisions may have brought the rule of Saddam Hussein to an end, but it has given rise to the current situation which can be described as much worse than the terrifying tyranny of the Hussein family. Steeped in a kind of medieval bloodlust and Sadism, ISIS is busy projecting images of itself as people who do summary executions of prisoners and decapitations to demonstrate how fierce they are. ISIS is hell bent on dragging the world back to a kind of medieval sectarian nightmare. Our resistance to this notion is merely to do airstrikes and no commit troops on the ground. Whatever could possibly go wrong, one wonders.

Just as with Ukraine, the distant source of all this can be traced back to World War I, and how the world was carved up on the map, subsequent to that war. Upon the Centenary of the beginning of World War I, it seems much more vexing  than merely symbolic. That is to say, nothing ever changes, they only ever get worse.

Cowra, 70years On

Somewhere in the last week, Cowra had the 70th anniversary of the breakout. As with the observation above how nothing ever changes, I cannot but help but think about the detention camp they had in World War II being a cultural archetype in Australia, and that is why we detain asylum seekers in the manner that we do. When in a 'crisis' (loosely defined), what Australia does is put up a camp in the middle of nowhere with a barbed wire fence around it with security guards. When the RSL types intone lest we forget, one cannot help but think forgetting isn't a problem for Australia.

Cowra and its story was part of my life for a good decade as I researched the story but I will never forget the one night working with Brian A Williams and Geoff Murphy when Geoff pointed to a figure of those who died at Cowra, but not in the breakout. It turned out that there were on average 2 summary executions per week at Cowra. Japanese POWs were being shot - for whatever reasons - at the pace of roughly two a week. Given that communications were rudimentary I imagine the Japanese POW population had no understanding of why so many people were being executed. It might have even looked like a weekly lottery of death to those who did not understand English - and there were many of those.

This would explain the desperation felt by the POWs. If they were going to die, picked off one by one in summary executions, then it would be better to go out in one big blaze. Until that moment the motive for the breakout eluded me. I didn't understand the testimony by the surviving POWs that they felt like cornered rats. It rang hollow and untrue. Overwhelmed by the feeling of hopelessness, they said they decided to commit to an action that was by design and definition, futile.  Some climbed over the fence, and once outside, committed harakiri. Explaining that took some doing, except it's very easy. It was an act of defiance - that if one had to die, then at least one could control the means of that death by oneself. What would drive all that? Loyalty to the Emperor has been the explanation in official accounts, but I've never really been able to digest it as a fitting explanation.

Consequently, the understanding of the meaning of the Cowra breakout in Australian popular culture is grossly lacking. What remains of the Kennedy Miller rendition is filled with cultural stereotyping cliches, as well as an absence of logic to why the breakout took place or what it meant. It really is a terrible bit of film making and it's a shame nothing else got made. Other narratives over the years have skipped the brutal management of the camp. One imagines that if one poked too deeply into the nitty gritty of how Cowra camp was really run, one may find cause to think gross violations of some military codes - or even war crimes - were a regular thing and this in turn would be waking up terrible ghosts. In other words, nobody wants an honest discussion about what happened and why. The whole thing can't be consigned to historical obscurity and myth soon enough.

Today there is the garden. Reconciliation has taken place; yet mutual understanding probably remains a long way off.

The Christmas Island Breakout

Repeating Pattern In Australian History?

I know there's devastating news going over in the north of Honshu, but the news tonight that caught my attention is this story here about how there was a mass breakout from the detention centre on Christmas Island, with up to 50 people on the loose.

Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul said tension and frustration had been building over delays with processing asylum claims and restrictions placed on movements between compounds on Friday.

"The delays in processing are unforgivable," Mr Rintoul said.

"There are refugees waiting for over 18 months for security clearances after they have been found to be refugees.

"The breakout is reminiscent of the breakouts from Woomera and Port Hedland in the early 2000s as detention conditions became unbearable."

Well, actually if I may be a bit more historical about it, they're also reminiscent of the Cowra breakout during World War II. The POWs in Cowra were also kept in isolation for an extended period of time with virtually no news coming in. The population grew desperate and  restless in the information vacuum, and eventually they decided to take drastic action probably because they felt they couldn't endure the incarceration any more. The next day most of the escapees were rounded up without a problem.

So, Woomera and Port Hedland may be the immediate predecessors, but in my mind it raises the question of how and why this pattern of events keeps recurring in Australia; and perhaps there is something pathological about the polity of this nation.  It's a question that has to be asked. Is there something in our politics that necessitates this kind of detention-and-breakout motif over and over again?

This section here is just as troubling as the above:

"These reports are very disturbing," Senator Hanson-Young said.

"Unfortunately, this isn't a one-off event, it's symptomatic of the desperation these people feel."

Tensions were increasing on Christmas Island, she said.

"It's like a pressure cooker," Hanson-Young said.

It's this kind of report that preceded the breakout in Cowra that went unheeded as well. I think we really should be asking ourselves and our politicians just what in the world we think we're doing with these detention centres. Because right now, they're functioning more like some sadistic state apparatus designed to inflict as much emotional damage to the people inside, while maintaining a Kafka-esque bureaucratic facade to make it more palatable to the public. It's one thing to be putting captured enemy combatants in a war into these places. Asylum seekers on boats is another thing entirely.

If they're going to the bother of shoving these people on Christmas Island, the least they ca do is let them walk free on the Island. This is really, really, really pathetic.

Shuttle Update

What Goes Up Must Come Down
Or so goes the saying. NASA of course delayed the shuttle re-entry for 24 hours .

"We are going to officially wave you off for 24 hours," shuttle communicator Ken Ham told Eileen Collins, commander of Discovery. The shuttle crew are unlikely to be disappointed, said astronaut Mark Polanski, in Florida to watch the landing: "A bad day in space is better than any day on Earth."

The weather forecast for Florida on Tuesday still predicts a slight chance of rain. If weather conditions remain unsuitable, the shuttle could also land at Edwards Air Force base in California - where the weather forecast is excellent - or even at White Sands in New Mexico. NASA prefers not to land in these western locations as the shuttle then has to be transported back to Florida for its next launch at a cost of millions of dollars.

In theory the shuttle could remain in space until Wednesday, but NASA will be extremely reluctant to leave the shuttle in orbit until then, as it would then be forced to land whatever the weather. It is therefore all but certain that Discovery will land in Tuesday.

The touchdown will be the first since Columbia disintegrated during re-entry to the Earth's atmosphere in February 2003, and is certain to jangle nerves at NASA and beyond.

Damp Night

Earlier on Monday, practice touchdowns by the Shuttle Training Aircraft at the Florida landing strip helped evaluate the weather, and found a deck of broken cloud at 300 metres (1000 feet) altitude. This could restrict the returning shuttle's view of the well-lit runway, and so entry flight director Leroy Cain chose to delay the landing.

The weather around the space center had been damp for most of the night.

Rain prevents a landing as the moisture damages the heat shield tiles. That does not endanger the craft, which would have already experienced the heat of re-entry, but would require repairs before the shuttle's next mission.

Once cleared for landing, Discovery's Orbital Maneuvering System engines begin their de-orbit burn about 90 minutes before touchdown. This marks the start of the fiery descent through the atmosphere. At the end of the three-minute burn, the craft is committed to landing at the chosen site.

So it's no big deal. It's just the weather.

Cowra Visit Part II
The second day of our Cowra visit was to do with the 61st anniversary commemorative events. Or as Geoff put it, 'commercials for Cowra'. We got up early to observe the ceremonies in 3 different locations as well as bugle-calls and speeches. Then it was off to the studios being built in Cowra. For the first time, there was also a wreath laid on behalf of Featherstone, NZ where a similar turn of events took place albeit on a much smaller scale, in 1943. Geoff, being the most prominent and possibly only New Zealander present got asked to lay the wreath at the cemetery. It should be noted that there was a sudden drop in temperature as proceedings got under way at the cemetery.

Basically we were there to check it out, and check it out we did. Brian Burgess swung into his hard-question mode and once again, I was hearing the same questions being fired in two languages at once. I won't go into the details, because that would be too indiscreet, but I will report that Geoff felt that we could start shooting on their premises tomorrow if we had to. That doesn't mean that's what we'll do, but Cowra studio did make a big impression on the team.


The general inspection of the studio was followed by an interview with the News/CAff from PRIME TV with Brian, Brian, Geoff and studio boss, Graham Patrick. The piece aired and went for 90 seconds, which means it was significant local news. Brian Williams also did an interview for ABC radio.


Then it was lunch at the Japanese Gardens with Don Kibbler, the deputy mayor of Cowra and other important dignitaries.
After the lunch, we headed back to Sydney with our heads filled with the things we'd seen and heard. It was a very good fact-finding mission indeed. Hideki seemed quite surprised by the scale and the detail of the Japanese Gardens.

Yankee Season In Doldrums
It's that time of the week where I grumble about the Yanks. First of all, the week saw the Yankees drop a series to the Cleveland Indians, and then squeezed out a series win against the Toronto Blue Jays. What's really annoying was the way the Yankees lost the 2 games pitched by recent arrival Shawn Chacon who pitched quite okay; as well as the 2 rather crappy starts by Randy Johnson; a bad start by Moose; all making the starting rotation seemingly a black hole - as in no-light and all-suck. Al Leiter got a 6-2 win today and Aaron Small picked up his third win on the trot but these fill-in guys aren't supposed to be the ones doing the winning. In the absence of Carl Pavano Tiger Wang and Jaret Wright it's supposed to be Randy, Moose and Shawn (though it was the bullpen that squandered both of Shawn Chacon's good outings). I guess you take any wins you can get, but the pitching situation is looking worse than grim.

Now we find Carl Pavano might need surgery as his shoulder has turned out to be a bigger problem than thought; and Randy might be hurt too. On top of this, the Bosox have been playing well, moving further away in the standings, and the Oakland A's have been securing ground in the Wildcard race as the Yankees played .500 ball this week.
So you can see I've got a lot to grumble about.

The Ashes Series.
I just had a thought while I was watching some of the second Test this week. The Aussies looked tired, bored, lackluster and a little panicky without Glen McGrath. They failed to contain the English bats. In stark contrast, I don't think I've seen a English side as hungry-looking as these guys the Aussies faced. They remind me of the very young 1989 Aussie side that ushered in a decade and a half of Australian dominance. I'm not saying the current crop of English are as talented as that side, but it seemed very clear to me they were as hungry. Unless the Australians find a bit of fight in themselves, they have a real battle on their hands.

Cowra Visit 2005 - Part 1

The Director Cometh

The 'Giants at Dawn' creative team finally got to gather in Cowra, thanks to the efforts of Michelle Wilde and Robin Clifton at the NSWFTO. In rode director Geoff Murphy and producer Brian Burgess, and then it was on the road to Cowra via Goulburn with producer Brian Williams; Japanese producer Hideki Ujiie; project stalwart Michael Jacob, and omni-functional cameraman Peter Beeh.


It might not seem like much to outside observers, but I have to say it was a big event. Most importantly, we got to the actual place where the events took place, and presto, everybody got a feel for exactly what the event might have looked like. For years Brian and I have been talking about the importance of the landscape, both geographically but also morphologically, as having had a big input into the events that transpired 61 years ago. Once we were on the sloped hill. Geoff was onto its important in a flash. Looking at the diagram on the sign, he commented, "looking at this alone, it's clear they weren't breaking out. Their intent was suicide."


There's a lot that was discussed and analysed on the site; one of the big cards played was by Cowra 'heavyweight' Don Kibbler who broached the concept of actually building replicas on the site and shooting the film there on-site. Geoff commented that perhaps that would be something that would galvanise the cast if they knew what they were about to re-enact actually took place on the very slope. It seemed insane, but also inspired. All I thought was, "Why does that seem like such a damned natural idea?"
Anyway, I told Geoff it would be excellent because it would extra weight when he gives the cast his famous direction "Run like bastards" on the day.


I looked for the flat bit of ground in the private property that had the baseball field, but this time, the earth was not exposed, and so the old baseball diamond was not visible. Instead, I give you this rather lame picture (above) of the flat bit where they played ball. How do I know for sure? It's because it's the only flat bit in the entire campsite where they could have played baseball. The slope on the hill is that steep.

Brian Williams was pretty excited that things were going really well, and Brian Burgess was motoring away asking the hard questions; and as it turns out Hideki Ujiie was asking the very same questions in Japanese, so I had a heck of time interpreting on the fly. It was madness at one point as Brian Burgess and Hideki Ujiie were asking each other the very same questions about the logistics of the possibility of actually shooting on the site. Don's suggestion essentially blindsided us and we were staggering around wondering the same questions at once.


Later we visited the cemetery as well as the gardens, but undoubtedly the biggest breakthrough of the day was the possibility of shooting the actual exterior stuff on the actual site. Are we excited yet? Oh yes we are.
Mr. Ujiie came to the stone laid in honour of the Japanese war dead and said, "Art, I think we'd better go deliver a prayer."
And it so happened Don Kibbler had some incense ready; he actually keeps them stocked in his car for these moments, which goes to show how well-practised his routine is. Thus it was that Mr. Ujiie (above) got me up to the stone to lay down some incense for the Japanese war dead and *gulp* pray. What can I say, but *things* keep coming up with this project. :)

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A funny note: Over a few beers at the Imperial Hotel Geoff and I got into a discussion about the suicide mission mentality as he's been reading a detailed account of the kamikaze missions staged out of the Philippines in late 1944. - Geoff's a big time WWII buff; like me he just digs aircraft carriers and naval aviation stuff. Some guys are into infantry or artillery; some guys (like Peter Jackson) like tanks. Geoff and I like airplanes and aircraft carriers. Indeed, Geoff's first words off the plane to me were "I've built the (aircraft carrier) Shokaku. It's about 6 foot long at 1/144tth scale."
I asked him what he thought of 'Pearl Harbor' and he commented "I was in Hawaii at the time it came out. I heard there were actual veterans who saw action at Pearl Harbor, who were invited to the movie premier and they came out crying. They were crying because it was so wrong; not because it was any good."
Not to mention the zero fighters were painted ocean green (!).

Going To Cowra

61st Anniversary
I'm going to Cowra to have a pre-pre-production meeting with Geoff Murphy, Brian Williams, Hideki Ujiie and Peter 'Bees-knees' Beeh et al.
Should be gone for the next couple of days.
Will bring back some news, gossip and some pickies. Hopefully it's going to be all good.