Reasons not to vote for Tony – signal boost

caitlinate at The Dawn Chorus has a bonza (or something) collection of quotes from Tony Abbott, just to remind you of all the odious things he’s said over the years. Here’s a sample: Why isn’t the fact that 100,000 women choose to end their pregnancies regarded as a national tragedy approaching the scale (say) of [...]

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An appropriate malapropism?

There’s an interesting article in the Guardian today about a report which demonstrates a 17 year gap in the ‘disability-free life expectancy’ of the withs and withouts in the UK. That’s an enormous gap! This quote caught my eye: The report says the conditions in which people are born, live, work and age, shape their [...]

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Does not compute

An article in the Sydney Morning Herald today states that a healthy diet will cost a “typical” welfare-dependent family of four approximately 40% of their average income. This, presumably, is a bad thing, because 40% is a significant proportion. A large chunk of the rest would probably be covering your accommodation. You’re not left with [...]

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Amy Alkon was a perfect child, apparently

Shorter Amy Alkon: I didn’t get to scream in public when I was a child, so neither should anyone else. SRSLY. Of course, Ms Alkon is basing this on her recollection. I’m sure that, like most people, she doesn’t remember very much before the ages of 4 or 5, probably not daily events even after [...]

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Starting the day with horror and incredulity

There is a homeless guy who sits outside my building every morning. He says g’day to the people he recognises. I always say good morning. I’ve noticed other people sometimes stop to chat at length. He begs. Lately, he’s been getting a bit more insistent on the begging front. I hope he’s doing ok. This [...]

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Your “I wanna!” doesn’t trump cultural sensitivities

I’m an atheist. I don’t believe in God, nor do I believe there is any inherent supernatural reason not to walk on Uluru. However, I do believe there are excellent cultural reasons not to walk on Uluru. I also believe that human rights are important. However, I don’t believe that your choice to do something [...]

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Boy or girl?

Apologies for the extended silence. It’s been a rather busy couple of months. I’ll try to get back to regular blogging soon. Anyway, one recent activity that has kept me away from my blog (and from generally participating in the blogosphere) has been supporting a good friend and her husband in the final few days [...]

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The power of language

In a post about how privilege can make someone less able to make decisions which take multiple angles into account (that precis doesn’t do it justice, so I recommend reading the whole thing!), Old Feminist said this: That’s why Americans not speaking English, or “Black English,” is so threatening. If the white male experience isn’t [...]

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