Julian Barnes’ The Sense of an Ending is a powerful and touching read. The book so honestly and elegantly elucidates the nature of memory and nostalgia that reading it, even at the tender age of 21, was a harrowing experience. In essence, The Sense of an Ending is an exploration of memory: how it is […]
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On the ANZ Hoax: Jonathan Moylan, the Rebel
January 15, 2013 
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Following Jonathan Moylan’s ANZ hoax I wrote some days ago about whether his actions were justified. I was interested in critiquing some of the fatuous arguments against his act of civil disobedience and looking at the action through the lens of grassroots political activism. Now I’d like to consider the role Moylan has played, examined […]
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“Rules for Radicals”, Saul Alinsky: Organising and Power
January 13, 2013 0 Comments
I read Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals for the wrong reason: to get a job. I had an upcoming interview for a position as an Organiser and figured it’d be good to familiarise myself with the fundamentals, to seek the blessing of the Godfather, so to speak. I’d somehow missed out on Rules for Radicals […]
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On Jonathan Moylan’s ANZ Hoax
January 13, 2013 0 Comments
On 7 January Jonathan Moylan, an Australian pro-life (or ‘anti-coal’) campaigner, published a hoax press release purporting to originate from ANZ bank. The hoax press release stated that ANZ had “withdrawn its $1.2 billion loan facility to Whitehaven Coal, which was primarily intended to develop the Maules Creek Coal Project.” The media and the markets […]
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“s.e.x.”, Heather Corinna: Sex, Relationships, Sexual Health
January 6, 2013 0 Comments
Heather Corinna’s s.e.x. first came to my attention thanks to sex columnist Dan Savage’s Savage Love from September 12. s.e.x.‘s absurdly long subtitle makes a strong case: “the all-you-need-to-know progressive sexuality guide to get you through high school and college”. Now, I’m through high school and largely through the Australian equivalent of college (or at […]
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On Idleness, or Doing Nothing
December 30, 2012 0 Comments
One of my favourite things to do is nothing. Doing nothing is what weekends are for. When there’s nothing to do – do it. It’s actually quite easy. I sometimes sit, but more often recline. I might have a tea or a ginger beer, there may be music. Then I be. Sometimes I’ll deliberately practice […]
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Family Christmas in Adelaide
December 19, 2012 1 Comment
Like a returning soldier back from the front I step over the threshold and drop my bags, embrace my parents. It’s still early, and the others are in bed. But it’s too late now – just gone 7am by my body clock – for me to dream of sleep, so I ready myself for the […]
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“Language Intelligence”, Joe Romm: Rhetoric
December 14, 2012 4 Comments
Language Intelligence is the latest book by climate blogger Joe Romm. It is a guide to rhetoric, “the art of persuasion through the systematic use of the figures of speech.” To be more precise, it is a powerfully written and invaluable guide to rhetoric. Whether you cross swords on Q&A with Nick Minchin, speak to […]
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How to Spend Less Money on Things You Don’t Need
December 11, 2012 0 Comments
Although I’m always trying to spend less money, I’ve recently been struggling against the temptation to buy things I don’t need. I’ve spent time looking online at tablets, at new smartphones, wondering at what price point I would take the plunge. Thankfully, I’ve got through this patch. What it took was a simple mental reframing. […]
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Facilitation and Emotional Intelligence
November 28, 2012 0 Comments
I used to think I was pretty great at facilitation. I had the methods down. I’d done the workshops. Heck, I’d run the workshops. And jeez, I had experience: meetings, training, you name it. As it happens though, I stank. I’m reminded of John Searle’s thought experiment, the Chinese room. Sure I was executing the […]
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