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Ned Kelly
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Books
- Hits: 1660
OK, I've already mentioned it but thought I'd mention it again. "The True Story of the Kelly Gang" is a great book. But, doing a slight bit of research, it's almost entirely true and Peter Carey had to make surprisingly little up. It was an damned interesting subject before he tackled it.
Now if you want to read more about Ned Kelly, Australian bushranger and folk hero, start here. If you'd like to read Ned as spoken by Ned read The Jerilderie Letter. Neither of which articles are as long as the book, but the facts and testimony are remarkably consistent.
Or just pick up the Peter Carey book.
True History of the Kelly Gang
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Lost
- Hits: 2097
Reading "The True History of the Kelly Gang" by Peter Carey, told in the first person (narrated) by Ned Kelley. Which goes marvelously and hardly needs my recommendation (it won the Booker Prize which is almost as good anyways).
I'll take the liberty of repeating one of the passages - it's the standard deal with the devil, Whitty has been given a bag full of marbles, and each time he throws one through a church window one of his wishes comes true. But the time for collection is almost nigh, and Whitty still has his final wish:
"Said Whitty to the Devil I want you to make honest men of lawyers
Now as you know the Devil is a coal black thing he does not have skin but scales so when he hears what Whiity asks those scales turn pale the colour of this ash here. I can't do that says the Devil. Oh you must says Whitty. I can't says the Devil if I did that I would be idle from one week's end to the next and never a coal to warm myself."
Ned Kelly figures highly in Australian mythology and folklore, so highly that an abstract painting of him by Sydney Nolan set records at auction.
But this is not a review...It's a speculation on what became of the loot of the bush rangers. Surely there must be a few unrecovered treasures Down Under? And a bit of Googling and what do I find....
Some links to get you started: facebook (tale of Ben Hall), Weddin Mountains Treasure Hunt, Australian Bush Tales.
One - Ghost River Theatre
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Theatre
- Hits: 1866
While I disagreed with the interpretation - It's a retelling of the Orpheus myth - the staging was beautiful. Worth it for that alone.
Wikileaks
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Miscellany
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So much attention for what has amounted to ridiculously little news. Things like "North Korea wanted Eric Clapton to play a concert there..." or other bits of political trivia and gossip, but in terms of earth-shattering disclosures (JFK was assassinated by the CIA, Washington has long been in correspondence with Alien Intelligences, An Escape Plan has been readied to shelter the wealthy and privileged from the impending environmental apocalypse...) there have been none.
Not that it would change anything. People have a tendency to see what they want, the news spins the leaks in whatever direction is convenient to it's audience - Fox would have Assange shot and tried as a traitor (in that order), other media tend to be a little more lenient. In any event, whatever the leaks disclose, no one is changing their mind about anything, if they serve a purpose at all it's to further entrench people in their beliefs.
Wired has an article on the Psychology of Conspiracy Theories, which explains how people deal with others questioning or challenging their beliefs.
Interesting, if you like that sort of stuff.
What is also interesting is how the US government is pursuing Assange, given the relatively innocuous nature of the leaks they are certainly wholeheartedly pursuing any and all avenues to result in his silence. Which makes you think that maybe they have something to hide that the leaks aren't revealing....
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