Big question and the answer to this changes regularly. Right now, I am immersing myself in cosmology, biology and particle physics via Brian Cox and John Gribbin. I love to feel my mind being expanded by the ideas and knowledge within a book being shared with the reader. Recently, I have enjoyed Yuval Noah Harari, and Bruce Pascoe’s Dark Emu – I think that every Australian should read Dark Emu. Continue Reading
Wowsers and control freaks are crawling out from behind the couch like never before, during this coronavirus global pandemic. The idea of being able to censor and limit the behaviour of human beings en masse appeals to certain sections of our society. The latest hobby horse is the reported increase in alcohol sales in Australia during this COVID-19 crisis. The ABC reported that health advocates are urging the government to crack down on alcohol sales. So called experts are bobbing up like bath toys in a full tub with suggested policies for limiting the sales of alcohol across the board. Brandishing the risk to vulnerable members of the community from alcohol fuelled domestic violence, these talking heads want strict controls on the quantity of booze sold to individual customers during this crisis. These wowsers’ warnings wave a wet blanket over alcohol sales during the crisis and we should all beware.Continue Reading
Cometh the moment cometh the concept or idea. House Therapy has been around for a few years and has yet to set the world on fire. The coronavirus COVID-19 lockdown could well be the perfect set of circumstances for people to discover the ingenious insights provided by House Therapy. YouContinue Reading
So, you find yourself house-bound at home and the novelty of not going to work has well and truly worn off. What are you going to do with yourself over the next 90 days, or, heaven forbid, the unforeseeable future? Here is a list of the top ten things toContinue Reading
Listening to state premiers declare to interstate and overseas visitors, “We don’t want you!” I can’t help think that these bold statements ring with a rare truthfulness in the mouths of these politicians. Parochial Australians have had to grow up embracing tourism in order for their nation’s economy to flourish but deep down I suspect they would rather tell all, “to go and fuck off!” COVID-19 the pandemic has given all and sundry a chance to indulge their xenophobia. Donald Trump called this coronavirus the “Chinese virus” and we all know how well such statements play to his supporters in the United States. Closing borders and states of emergency bring out deep rooted racist attitudes in many citizens, as they seek to blame someone for their troubles. Anxiety breeds panic, just, have a look at the supermarket shelves across Australia. The message really is – COVID-19 we don’t want you!Continue Reading
In the face of the COVID19 pandemic the world will turn online to escape the effects of the coronavirus. Our real world of fleshly pursuits is unsafe, with thousands dying from the virus and hundreds of thousands becoming infected. Digital viruses seem a much less risky possibility in 2020. Social distancing is demanding that people stay at home and those flickering screens have never looked more inviting. Social media beckons as the only safe way to engage with your fellow human being. Even online trolls are, seemingly, more attractive than the looming shadow of the grim reaper in this novel plague year.Continue Reading
Things are changing hourly in the face of the unfolding COVID19 global pandemic. Businesses are being forced to amend their behaviours in response to new public health policies being instigated by governments around Australia. Corporations and small business operators are challenged by these rapidly evolving circumstances. Agility in the face of containing the spread of coronavirus in Australia.is essential if these businesses are to minimise economic damage. The coronavirus crisis demands new copy to update websites across the digital spectrum and the world wide web. The public are looking for answers and websites and social media platforms must meet the needs of customers and consumers. Continue Reading
The digital revolution has thrust the internet and its social media cousins upon us, like an unexpected visit from your in-laws. This visit is now in its third decade and does not look like ending any time soon. It is useful to review our impressions and understanding of what websitesContinue Reading
I was originally going to title this piece, “My Bad Teeth”, and then I thought that for half a century my teeth have been hanging in there, literally. Certainly, I was not born with immaculate white teeth, as you see on TV and at the movies. My teeth have always been more of a yellowish white. I must confess that I did not treat my teeth well in my formative years. I ate too many sweets, too often, and did not listen to the sage words of my dear mother. I knew it all from a very early age. My hard headed and opinionated self was bullet and dental caries proof. Actually, I wasn’t, but I thought I was. Isn’t that so stereotypical of youth? We think we know it all and yet… My teeth: Deep roots into psyche…Continue Reading
When I was asked to write something about the recent passing of celebrity chef and raconteur, Anthony Bourdain, I realised that he had been a part of my own culinary journey. His death by suicide, whilst shocking, does fit with the narrative contained within his first book. I received, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, his breakout bestselling memoir, as a birthday present from my mother. It was a surprising choice and an equally surprising success. The book lifted the lid on the squalid and steamy underworld of commercial kitchens in the United States. Personally, I had been rattling the pans in restaurant kitchens for nearly 20 years, prior to the publication of Kitchen Confidential in 2000. Commercial kitchens, I suspect, are pretty similar around the globe, especially in western cities like New York, Sydney and London. RIP Anthony Bourdain.Continue Reading