For the first three days of this week one would be entitled to believe that nothing in the world was happening except a round-ball football match between two national teams playing in the semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup. Aussie captain Sam Kerr’s calf muscle was the centre of attention and venues all over the…
George Orwell’s book, ‘1984‘, a dystopian science fiction novel published in 1949, has often been cited when discussing issues such as privacy in our twenty-first century society. In the latest move towards Orwellian reality, we have the Communications Legislation Amendment (Combating Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2023. The legislation’s stated purpose is to protect Australians from…
I’ve been sorting through some of the many photos we’ve accumulated over the years. Since about 2002 those pictures are stored on a computer so it’s very easy to have a look at what we did back then. The fading prints in folders in boxes in cupboards are a different thing altogether. I’m sure there…
The news that the submersible Titan imploded as it descended towards the remains of the Titanic came as a macabre relief. Instant death as opposed to ninety-six hours of sitting in a cramped can waiting to die. While the search was on, my writer’s brain was already edging toward a story – the curse of…
The news in Australia is full of two things: the Brittany Higgins rape allegations and who in the parliament knew what when, and the latest outpourings on the up-coming Voice referendum. For my non-Australian readers, Brittany Higgins accused fellow ministerial staffer Bruce Lehrmann of raping her on a couch in the Defence Minister’s office. The…
I saw in the news that Johnny Depp is resurrecting his acting career, playing the role of Louis XV in a French film about one of the king’s many, many mistresses (Jeanne du Barry). There he was, astride a white horse, and then we were shown a scene obviously shot in the Palace of Versailles…
The current Government has delivered its budget and is crowing with delight that it has managed to come up with a surplus, which is great. It comes on the back of full employment (because we drastically reduced the migrant intake during covid) and the coal industry. It’s good to know there’s finally going to be…
It’s already Saturday here in Australia. Over in England they’re doing the final checks for the coronation of King Charles III. It’s sure to be spectacular. The Poms do these gala events so very well – full of pomp and ceremony and steeped in history and tradition. I suppose, in essence, I don’t entirely approve…
ANZAC day has been and gone for another year. It’s our veteran’s day, named after the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps that during World War I took part in the attack on the Gallipoli Peninsula on the 25th April, 1915. There have been too many wars since then; World War II, the Korean War,…
Today, the 8th of April, is the second day of the Easter long weekend. For Christians, Easter is the most sacred and special period in the religious calendar, marking Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday last week) and then his crucifixion on Good Friday and His resurrection this coming Sunday. This is also the…