If you think you’re too old for cartoons, think again. A conversation at work a couple of weeks ago about the shows we used to watch as kids (Genie from Down Under!) sent me down a rabbit hole and I came out of it somewhere around Sesame Street. On my journey I passed by a…
Read more
Even if it’s short lived, I’m pretty chuffed that the ACT has legalised same-sex marriage. My celebratory mood has inspired this column, and a conversation I was having a couple of days ago, where a friend and I were trying to name all the countries it was legalised in. We couldn’t even come up with…
Read more
It’s October. No, I didn’t think I would just remind you for the sake of it. I have mentioned it because October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It’s okay; I’m not going to go on about statistics or campaigns or death. Instead I’m going to ramble on about some interesting things about boobs. Think…
Read more
It’s that time of year again! This is Not Art is just around the corner and I’m getting pretty excited. Last year I took I took you through some things to do in Newcastle, but this year I’m getting a little more specific and am taking you to some bookstores. Why bookstores? Because I spend…
Read more
When asked to name a girl group, one of the first names to come to mind is the Spice Girls, or maybe The Supremes, but when asked to name one of more recent times, I have to stop and think. If you do as well, hopefully this list will help you out. 1. Haim Okay,…
Read more
I was tempted to ignore the Federal Election completely this fortnight. Really I was. The problem is, half of my job at the moment involves candidates, announcements and mud slinging, so a good half of my brain space has been cleared out to stuff the facts in. There’s an inevitable spill over into the rest…
Read more
Did you know that Friday 9 August was the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People? Pronounced by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1994, the day aims to promote and protect the rights of the world’s indigenous population, so this fortnight, I’m going to have a look out some of our own…
Read more
I think I’ve mentioned before that crime fiction is almost a guilty pleasure for me – I read a ton of it in high school, and still pick it up when I don’t want to have to think too hard about the plot or the characterisation. I do realise that the appeal of crime fiction…
Read more
How’s everyone enjoying the Ashes? That’s what you do with the Ashes, right? Enjoy them? I don’t know; I’m not really following. What I have been doing instead is getting into the spirit, without actually engaging with any of the reports or the coverage, by compiling a list of great women in cricket! 1. Lily…
Read more
If, like me, you were a girl who grew up in the ’90s, pop groups were where it was at. Not to say that if you were a boy growing up in the ’90s you also weren’t into pop groups, but I don’t really want to speak to something that I have no experience in….
Read more
You know what would be great? Not needing a feminist movement at all. In a week where we saw our Prime Minister get served up as a quail, it’s nice to be reminded there are some species where women are top dog. Well, not technically dog. Not even mammal in all cases… 1. Spotted Hyena…
Read more
In previous columns I’ve looked at awesome female characters in film, television and literature, as well as sweet as detectives, so I’m going to continue along the “fictional specific type of character” line and have a crack at some fictional female villains this fortnight. Any column where I get to watch 101 Dalmatians for research…
Read more
On this day in 1990 the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from the International Classification of Diseases. How kind of them. To mark the occasion I thought I would take a look at a few ladies who liked to like other ladies back when homophobia was really taking off. 1. Sarah Jewett Jewett was an…
Read more
Today is World Press Freedom Day – a day I didn’t know existed until I typed ‘May 3’ into Google. Its purpose is exactly what you think it is – promotion of freedom of expression, specifically through the media. I thought today would be an appropriate day to take a look at some of our…
Read more
