I don’t think I’ve ever posted within the ‘art’ category - art’s not really my scene. I can appreciate how great the masters were, but it just doesn’t inspire me to get off my couch and go to a gallery. Now I have a reason.

As I kid, I grew up watching anime shows like Robotech, Gatchaman (Battle of the Planets) and Astroboy, which is where Tezuka Osamu comes into the picture. Long regarded as the Godfather of Manga, Tezuka was one of the pioneers in the anime scene emerging from post-war Japan. It was Tezuka who introduced the cinematic feel of page layout (frames of different sizes organised to provide flow along a single page) that has been the norm in both Japanese manga and Western comic books for the last fifty years.

Until January 28th next year, the NGV International (what used to be the NGV, right next to the Arts Centre) will be hosting an exhibition of Tezuka’s lifetime of works including favourites such as Astroboy, Kimba the White Lion and Blackjack. In conjunction with the exhibition, the Australian Centre for Moving Image (Federation Square) from December 7th will host a collection of Tezuka’s anime. Check the ACMI website here for a complete list of films on offer (believe me when I say there are heaps). And just for the gaming nerds out there, the ACMI will also be hosting an exhibition based on Atroboy games from SEGA (begins December 13th, ending Sunday 25th of February).

Considering I’ve been living in Brunswick for almost two and a half years now, and given my fondness for brekky, it seems rather strange I’m only beginning to explore my ‘hood. Perhaps the problem is there aren’t lots of cafés within walking distance to my pad, and twenty minutes doesn’t count as a walk - that’s exercise. But here we are, fairly close to home and in unexplored territory. Very excited. oh, and very annoyed that all my regular brekky partners had pissed off down the beach for the weekend.

Small Block
130 Lygon St, East Brunswick

For some time, I knew this place was the epitome of Brunswick cool. Friends had raved about just how good it was but somehow I never got round to walking in the front door. So it was with a little trepidation that I scampered through what turn out to be the side entrance for the café located in Piera St. Outside seating is compact and highly desired, so when you spot a free table you can ill afford to hesitate. Just don’t expect to seat more than three for coffee, or two for brekky. And make sure you bring your sunscreen on a sunny day - slowly my fluorescent tan will disappear.
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I’m sure most of you (ie: our readers) are aware of the interest I have in Middle East politics, history and general goings on. While there always seems to be a car bomb going off in Baghdad or some crazy rant from the mouth of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, there hadn’t been much on offer. That’s not necessarily a bad thing - peace is always a welcome respite. Sadly, it looks as though restoring peace in Lebanon will not be quite so easy. With the assassination of Pierre Gemayel, industry minister and heir-apparent of Lebanon’s most powerful Christian family, tensions look set to rise to dangerous levels within the Middle East. Can it be any coincidence that most assassinations over the last couple of years have been of prominent anti-Syrian voices?

The Gemayel slaying raised a couple of interesting points for me. Firstly, it was the only one of recent killing where a car bomb was not used. Are car bombs slowly moving out of fashion for hired killers? Been there, bombed that, got the t-shirt? Secondly, while the attack is described as well executed, the finished product actually looks quite sloppy to me. Take a look at the picture below…

Talk about a tres gauche killing. What the hell was this guy aiming at on the left when he unloaded a full clip into the passenger window? It looks like the killer(s) was standing right next to the window when he/they unloaded. Whatever happened to a well made shot from 100m? Anyone remember the scene in the Bourne Identity when one of the Treadstone operatives kills Nykwana Wombosi from a rooftop vantage point? That was a well executed assassination. There was skill in making that shot. One of my favourite modes in Goldeneye (greatest game on Nintendo 64) was the mutiplayer using sniper rifles - any mug can kill with an automatic weapon, spraying bullets all over the countryside Leyland brothers style.

And what the hell was Gemayel doing driving in a Kia?!? Anyone notice that in the photo on Al Jazeera (assuming you followed any of the earlier links)? Why the fuck would anyone so high profile drive a Kia in such a dangerous country when armoured Mercedes and BMW’s are readily available? I know that if my ass were only the line every time I went for a drive, I’d want the peace of mind an armoured German marque could offer. There’s no sense in compromising on quality, now is there?