ART FOR ART'S SAKE

 

ART FOR ART'S SAKE

Here at The Curmudgeons Inc.ⓒ we take art and culture seriously as we believe that the finer things in life can make life, well, finer. The Cultured Curmudgeon, The Literary Curmudgeon, The Music Curmudgeon, The Food Curmudgeon and The Wine Guy in particular endeavour to bring readers useful information and insights that can make their lives better ...

... better than the offerings at that other blog Richard's Bass Bag with its Bass Bag Consortium that includes the odious Akish The Philistine blog. I mean - Akish The Philistine! Really? Have a look at one of his recent posts:

Should we be scared? Yes, certainly as cultural boorishness and anti-intellectualism like this is one of the tenets of fascism and dictatorships. It's worrying that Richard has a sub-blog like this one and frankly (his name is actually Richard) he should know better being an educated musician and all.

Reviewing my own blogs I took note that The Curmudgeons Inc.ⓒ doesn't include a visual arts blog - something along the lines of The Fine Arts Curmudgeon which is something that I will have to redress when I'm not so busy. In the interim though I thought that I'd provide you with an image of one of my favourite paintings - Renoir's La Loge.

 The bold black and white stripes on the woman's dress draw the viewer's gaze to her rather than the man behind her.  The black and blue areas create the effect of shadow and light which are contrasted with the soft tones of her skin and the bright and strong colours of her lips and the flowers which is typical of Renoir. I've mentioned before how black and white shadows (venetian blind effect) can be used in art and film to denote conflict as seen in Bertolucci's film The Conformist:

After putting the Renoir painting image in this post I then thought about what the other bloggers might have as their favourite paintings.

Robert is easy to guess given his Marianist infatuation with The Virgin Mary and would likely start off with Jean Fouquet's 'Madonna':

Richard, given his leaning towards Philistinism would not like the classics, finding them to be pretentious, boring, or irrelevant so we need to look to something more modern - but not too modern as he would find that to be pretentious, boring, or irrelevant. I guess something from the 1960s that adorned a very high proportion of living room walls might be the thing, like flying ceramic ducks or one of these:

On your behalf I'll do some more research on this and look to create a new blog - The Fine Art Curmudgeon with the bloggers' art selections being the theme for the first post.

No need to thank me.

WHO ATE ALL THE PIES?

 

So said Richard in a recent post. I guess he's reminiscing of his days at the tuck shop at St Patrick's College.

I just hope he goes for a long walk today.

ASSASSINATION HOAX PRODUCTION (PART TWO)

Look, it's early days (hours) but there are some pretty dodgy things coming out of the reporting on the White House Correspondents Dinner shooting in Washington DC yesterday.

For a start the whole thing is being overly sensationalised but woefully under reported seriously if it was in fact an assassination attempt. The security forces seemed to know and expect what was going to happen and had massive coverage there for just such an event. The alleged shooter's family advised the security forces in advance as well. Trump and his entourage mentioned many times prior to the dinner that there would be an exciting event and even Trump's media person said that "shots will be fired" (smirk smirk).

The whole thing appeared to be choreographed with many - too many cameras in place to record things. 

Trump's immediate press conference seemed scripted if not rehearsed and the administration flunkies all stood about smiling, smirking and looking self congratulatory.

"Just like we rehearsed guys .. look over there"

Add to all of this the recent media scepticism of the 2024 'Assassination' attempt on Trump with suggestions hat it was a Mossad (Israeli) organised hoax in collaboration with Trumps supporters and the whole thing becomes stranger than fiction.

Time and unfolding truths will tell but I'm very sceptical. How about you?

WELL I NEVER ...

... said that I would never support National and the National led government if they came up with some good policies that will support  most New Zealanders and not just the National-voting elite but I didn't expect a good result on the India/New Zealand free trade agreement so soon.

Well I never!

The New Zealand-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA), concluded in December 2025 and set for formal signing in April 2026, eliminates tariffs on 95% of NZ exports to India. This "game-changer" deal provides immediate duty-free access for over 50% of goods—including lamb, wool, and forestry—rising to 82% over time, while opening a 1.4-billion-customer market.
Key Aspects of the India-NZ FTA (as of April 2026): Tariff Elimination: Over 95% of New Zealand's current exports to India will get preferential access, with 57% of exports becoming duty-free immediately.
Key Sectors Benefited: Immediate duty-free access for lamb, wool, coal, and most forestry products.
High-Value Goods: Substantial access for kiwifruit (quota four times current exports) and apples, with tariffs on wine, manuka honey, and some dairy reduced or eliminated over time.
Customs Modernization: The deal aims to streamline processes, including a commitment for India Customs to release goods within 48 hours (24 hours for perishables).
Implementation & Support: The deal faced political debate in New Zealand, particularly around immigration, but secured support for passage in April 2026.

The agreement is designed to diversify New Zealand's export markets and deepen economic ties with India, which is projected to become the world's third-largest economy.

         - From Google search on the internet hence American spelling.

Labour is promising to support the deal but warns that exporters could have their market access revoked if New Zealand can’t fulfil a $33 billion investment commitment which is a big ask.

NZ First of course voiced concern about the agreement's impact on immigration along with investment clause while describing the deal as a “disgraceful sellout of the country’s future”. Peters being Peters of course underscored by his foolish deputy Jones who couldn't help himself from making 'curry-muncher' jokes. What an idiot.

When I was working in the wine industry I had a few meetings with Indian importers after researching the market, and all endeavours to get any reasonable volumes of New Zealand wine into India with its rapidly expanding middle class consumer market were kiboshed by the massive import tariffs on NZ wine which would have made a simple sauvignon blanc as costly as a chateau-bottled French wine.

Trade with India is a priority for New Zealand due to its wealth and global trading growth. We need to diversify and to not rely on just a few key trading partners in a changing geopolitical world where an ally today can become an ex tomorrow. New Zealand citizens with Indian heritage and Indian students and visa holders in New Zealand make up a significant percentage of our population and add favourably to our economy, culture and international standing - regardless of the Peter/Jones ill-informed opinions. This Indian community within New Zealand's demographic is a useful connection to our trade with India and the FTA will hopefully bring in some hard earned wealth to the country.

AT LEAST I REMEMBERED THEM REDUX

 

AT LEAST I REMEMBERED THEM

I walked to the Cenotaph today to attend the wreath laying ceremony for ANZAC day.

It was well attended and a pretty good ceremony. It's just as well though that I arrived 'early'. The useless twonk on the council who put the information on the website just listed "Wreath laying ceremony 9AM". As I was walking there I could hear a Maori choral group singing, then an oom-pah band and finally a pipe band playing. I arrived at 8.45 and going by the parades of air force, navy and army personnel, various bands and public, the show must have started at at latest 8.30!

I did arrive in time for some more of the same though and, oddly enough the pipe band was playing in tune and the brass one wasn't. That's something for Richard to ponder about which would make a change from his wandering about (and wondering about sin).

For the first time I had the chance of going inside the Cenotaph after the parade.

Here are some images and videos of the event.

Inside the Cenotaph war memorial

GHOST TOWN

 

I went for a long walk around Wellington yesterday to take advantage of the break in the weather.

I hadn't been for a walk in days so was missing it.

I walked from Thorndon to the Mount Cook area, around the Basin Reserve and back through Mount Victoria. I was half expecting to see Richard's little car at the top of Marjoribanks Street as he said he was staying in town near the Basin Reserve. Marjoribanks, a few kilometers away would be the likely place that the old guy would think to be 'handy parking'.

I enjoyed the walk knowing that it was doing me good and thought about Wellington and how much I've missed it over the years. I left in July 1981 nearly 45 years ago. Obviously there have been changes: Old buildings knocked down; new buildings put up; streets becoming one-way; some streets disappearing; new streets created; streets renamed; the waterfront being developed etc. Not all for the good but mostly so. Even with the many changes there was still a lot of familiarity. Ghosts lurked everywhere.

There's hardly a spot in Wellington that doesn't stir up a memory for me. I did, after all live here for 28 years before I left. Even when I was a school kid - primary, intermediate and secondary - I walked a lot around the city and the inner suburbs. When I had a bike I rode further afield to the outer suburbs and even, gasp, out to Petone and the Hutt Valley. Fortunately I survived.

As a 'paper boy' in Vogeltown I got to know all the neighbourhood streets, houses, shortcuts and walkways. As a 'paperboy' in the CBD I got to know all the main business houses and private clubs that I'd deliver to as well as the (now gone) pubs on most street corners. Later, as a bike messenger for C.M. Banks stationers I delivered stationery to offices in the CBD, The Terrace, Thorndon and most of the Northern part of town.

At university I rode a bike - a beautiful Carlton racing bike - and would go on little adventures around the greater Wellington area. Sadly some scrote stole this years later in Auckland. At university, when I was skipping lectures (often) I'd go for a drive in my car (initially the Triumph Herald and later the Hillman Super Minx) taking in areas that my biking never got me to.  At Murray Roberts and Co. Wine and Spirit Merchants, as a part-time job as delivery driver I, like Richard travelled all over the city delivering grog and again learned the short-cuts and best ways to get from A to B.  There aren't too many places I haven't been to and on my walks I rediscover them and uncover the ghosts.

The Specials song 'Ghost town' isn't exactly like my memories and might be more applicable to Richard's lament about how jazz-jamming isn't what it once was or should be but nevermind eh.

This town, is coming like a ghost town
All the clubs have been closed down
This place, is coming like a ghost town
Bands won't play no more
Too much fighting on the dance floor

FILLES DE KILIMANJARO - Miles Davis - A Silent Way

I've booked a motel in Wellington so I can go to that Jazz jam. Maybe I shouldn't have, but I'll go ahead with it now. It's on at a place called The Undercurrent in Tory St. and starts at 8pm. A late night for me!

          Richard's Bass Bag 

Tory Street, in Wellington's Mount Cook area has been hit by floods during the recent rainstorms.

I guess that The Undercurrent is well named for the jazz venue.

I hope that Richard takes his double bass instead of his violin to the jam - just in case.

WE CAN DANCE IF WE WANT TO

 Richard, via one of his alter egos - the grumpy uncultured one who no doubt represents 'the other side' of the old guy - in his latest post told Robert off for not playing music that he can dance to.

Richard must think it's Spring and not Autumn - either that or those steroids he's taking are raising his sap.

Robert, in his current one-legged situation would be better off playing 'hop' instead of 'bebop' though.

There are lots of good tunes suitable to dancing but, as I've mentioned before I will only dance to:

'Love Shack' by the B52's
'I think I'm turning Japanese' by the Vapors
A Van Morrison romantic ballad (for a waltz around with the Old Girl).

I do like to listen to Arthur Brown's song 'Dance' though:

Another quirky little song about dancing I like and almost never hear played on the radio is Men Without Hats's  'Safety Dance' song.

Given the decrepit state that the other bloggers are in at present, maybe safety dancing is advised for them.

SPECIAL BRANCH

 

The rise of illiteracy and poor grammar has meant that important public services have had to 'branch' out to cater to some sections of society who would otherwise be neglected being unable to find what they are looking for.

There are others:

You got the picture(s).