Category: books

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The Horror of Big Whitey

Sharks into cities doesn’t go – but they do – and too often these days.

With this recent attack on a woman at Sydney’s Coogee Beach, I have been thinking of my swims, a few bays around at Bondi Beach many years ago, in particular, one fine day. I was convinced by another to swim across the bay, starting out from Bondi Icebergers Club pool.

There is deep water behind the sand bank surf break. We swam across and back, perhaps 1000m, more because the beach itself is one kilometre. So we swam perhaps 1500m across and back. I can tell you I thought of sharks the whole way across and back. Were they watching us? Probably.

Are we too kind to them, the Great White in particular, giving them an all-year-round free city pass? Is it time for another novel on the horror of Big Whitey?

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Out of Competition – a novel for Cannes?

This is not Cannes. Or the Cannes Film Festival. Let me say that upfront. It’s Renne-Sur-Mer, a far better film festival by the way, a film festival not many get to see because they are blinded by the tinsel razzle-dazzle of Cannes’ annual event, or so it seems.

I documented a year in Renne-Sur-Mer’s historical progress when some unfortunate things happened. It was sad and bit funny at times. But was it fair to portray Renne in such a, well, dubious light. I can say I documented what happened. You work it out. What year was it. You know I can’t remember but it wasn’t that long ago in the future. Here’s ten pages to give you an idea of how chaotic festivals can be when the wheels fly off.

OUT OF COMPETITION a reading sampleDownload
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The Big Takeover

Where will we get critique and truth if Larry Ellison gets his way?

The Ellison take over is analysed by Forbes. Does he have the money? It seems not. So what is the mega deal all about? Control of free speech for people, news and creative products and outlets.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/phoebeliu/2026/02/27/what-paramount-warner-bros-merger-means-for-larry-ellisons-fortune/

Watching the Meidas Touch coverage Youtube on Larry Ellison’s current take over of so much in Los Angeles film and other communication media I remember reading Exposure and then seeing the film of it Dark Waters and how important it is to have books, news and drama that are brave enough to stand up for truth and bring corporations to account. I was deeply impressed by the book and the film.

Exposure and Dark Waters took on DuPont’s production and sale of teflon, and the pollution of the forever PFAs chemicals used in the industrial process that affects us all. Effectively it meant death to many Americans and their livestock in Ohio and West Virginia as DuPont’s killer chemicals seeped into the rivers and water supplies. The effects were devastating.

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Three Films that Could Have Been Over Early

No Country For Old Men

While out hunting in west Texas Llewelyn Moss finds the drug deal gone wrong, then discovers the “last man standing” dead with the brief case under a tree. Llewelyn removes the trace, buries it at the feet of the man and goes home to tell his wife it’s time for a new life in a new state, where they go and live a wonderful life happily ever after.

The Fugitive

Doctor Kimble is charged with murder by a DA who didn’t do his homework. Kimble’s defence counsel proves to the judge and jury that Kimble couldn’t have done it, had no motive to kill her. Case is dismissed, leaving the police to DNA trace the one-armed man – they do. He leads them to Dr Nicholls. He and the one-armed man go to jail for life

The Godfather

Michael Corleone at the marriage reception of his sister decides life as a mafioso is not for him. His father at a loss out buying oranges is shot and dies in hospital, apparently by suffocation. Sad but resolute Michael marries his girlfriend joins the Democrats, goes into politics and is elected to Congress. The Corleones divide their father’s fortune between family members and decide on a side by side middleclass Condo existence down in Florida.

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Out of Competition and Democracy

Grifters, sharks, wannabes, liars, creativors cruise the seaside Promenade as an enfranchising of an entire festival grows out of protest, taking voting from annual juries and giving it to the fans, without whom the festival would not be.

When I was writing this the second invasion of Ukraine hadn’t happened. When I was in the the final draft oligarchs lived only in Russia. Now they’re hard at gaming America. When I was in the final draft, political sycophancy was in its infancy now it’s fully grown.

When I was in the final draft there was still an operational Democratic Party, now a couple State governors are performing CPR on its seemingly lifeless body. When I began writing this most of America believed in habeas corpus, personal and civil rights, accountability and independence of the judiciary.

When I was writing this novel it wasn’t clear how much damage the right wing of the Supreme Court could inflict on America.

Is American democracy at death’s door …..

The No Kings Protest, and then what happens..

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Do we want to see Democracy die in America?

My current novel’s main theme was always Democracy from the earliest days I began to write it, but several years ago, deep in the writing I didn’t foresee how important Democracy would become in this era.

I decided early, writing ‘Out of Competition’ set in a film festival, that it would be comic because while I believed all processes of democracy could be better promoted everywhere I never foresaw democracy facing a serious existential threat.

Democracy has always been a major part of my life. My father was in the second world war so democracy always figured in my consciousness, and while I have never experienced totalitarianism I understood it wasn’t the way of the west, or a real threat, until now.

I never thought not even after the murder of John F. Kennedy that a U.S. president, however he got into power would try to destroy democracy in order to cling to power.

Democracy has never been perfect. It’s been manipulated, not just in the United States but its demise in the US, UK, France, Canada, Australia, or any western European nation is unthinkable. Democracy remains fundamental, especially in America.

The world is watching. Everything American was once received well. Cultural power is real. John F. Kennedy understood this.

These times need courage, unity, political skill.